Author Topic: My new tent... MSR Hubba  (Read 2642 times)

Steve922

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My new tent... MSR Hubba
« on: 20:27:03, 31/05/18 »
I've just received my new tent, MSR Hubba NX Solo and well pleased so far, though have a couple of concerns.
1. The fly sheet and floor material seem very light. I'm thinking I should send for a Footprint although this will add weight. Worth it?
2. In particular, the central cross-pole looks like it might puncture the fly in a strong wind.
3. The fly seems a tad short, stopping about 4 or 5 inches short of the ground, might be quite windy inside?

  Overall, first impressions are really good. The size is small, along with the weight. This one weighed a touch under 'spec' at at 1345gms including packing bag. Also, it seems bigger inside than I expected, especially headroom.
   Can't wait to get this into the wild for a night or two!

alan de enfield

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #1 on: 20:54:20, 31/05/18 »
I've just received my new tent, MSR Hubba NX Solo and well pleased so far, though have a couple of concerns.
1. The fly sheet and floor material seem very light. I'm thinking I should send for a Footprint although this will add weight. Worth it?
2. In particular, the central cross-pole looks like it might puncture the fly in a strong wind.
3. The fly seems a tad short, stopping about 4 or 5 inches short of the ground, might be quite windy inside?

  Overall, first impressions are really good. The size is small, along with the weight. This one weighed a touch under 'spec' at at 1345gms including packing bag. Also, it seems bigger inside than I expected, especially headroom.
   Can't wait to get this into the wild for a night or two!



The 'weight' of the groundsheet is one of the ways that they produce 'lightweight' tents, you are correct, that you will generally (unless sleeping on a bowling green) need to put some form of protection underneath to prevent damage from twigs, stones, thistles etc.
The floor on the Hubba is 30 denier ( equivalent to a thick pair of womans tights), You can either buy a lightweight tarpaulin and cut it to fit, or buy a manufacturers 'footprint'.
The footprints are generally not much thicker than the groundsheet and will add (maybe) 200 grams to the tent weight.


I decided to go for the Chinese copy of the Hubba Hubba (2-man version of your Hubba) because :


1) the inner tent is 50% mesh and 50% 'solid' so minimises the draughts but still gives a good level of ventilation
2) the flysheet comes down to within and inch (or so) of the ground minimising wind / cold
3) had a 33.3% thicker ground sheet and a better HH (Hydrostatic Head) water resistance : 4000 Vs 3000
4) was 1/4 of the price of the MSR
5) all joints taped etc with the flysheet having a better water resistance (HH)


Before purchase I made a list of the features and compared to the Chinese copy :


Comparisons :
                                                                     MSR                                    Chinese Copy
Tent Sleeping area ‘footprint’            1270mm x 2130mm                1350mm x 2100mm
‘Porch’ size (2-off)                            760mm                                    700mm
Height                                                 1000mm                                  1000mm
Fly Sheet                                             20D 1200mm HH                   20D 2000mm HH
Floor / Groundsheet                            30D 3000mm HH                   40D 4000mm HH
Weight                                                1.77kg                                     1.80kg
Pack size                                             460mm x 150mm                    470mm x 190mm

Price                                                    £379                                         £75



I can only say I was very, very impressed and pleased with my purchase.
« Last Edit: 20:58:35, 31/05/18 by alan de enfield »

alan de enfield

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #2 on: 21:20:12, 31/05/18 »


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Steve922

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #3 on: 22:35:23, 31/05/18 »
Very interesting. How do they manage to use better materials for the same weight? What is the 'knock off' called?  Did you need to pay import duty, V.A.T. etc ?

fernman

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #4 on: 23:14:17, 31/05/18 »
Could the 4-5 inch gap between flysheet and ground be intended to increase air circulation within and reduce condensation?

While reducing weight, the use of lots of mesh in the inner, or making it entirely of mesh, seems to be a feature of tents for the USA where large parts of the country have a different climate to that of the often cold and windy UK. My Wild Country Zephyros has a triangular mesh panel at each end of the inner while the upper half of the inner door is of mesh, and it was noticeably draughty during the one windy night I have suffered in it to date.

alan de enfield

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #5 on: 23:21:01, 31/05/18 »
Very interesting. How do they manage to use better materials for the same weight? What is the 'knock off' called?  Did you need to pay import duty, V.A.T. etc ?


My 1st 'Chinese' tent was the Cloud Up2 from Nature hike
https://www.naturehike.com/cloud-up-2-ultralight-two-men-tent-upgrade/
It has been a good (no complaints at all) tent -except- I decided that I wanted a tent with more headroom and 'sitting' space for those lazy days when I don't move and just lounge about - you can only spend so much time lying on one-elbow or sitting 'hunched' so that why I looked at the Wolfwise / MSRs at 1000mm internal height, over a large area which resulted from the side entry instead of the front entry.


Cloud UP 2 Ultralight Two Men Tent (upgrade)


There are various 'knock-offs' of the MSR, Hubba range mine is called Wolfwise, another is Nature Hike and called the 'Mongar'


Compared to the MSR 'Hubba Hubba NX' the tent area is pretty much the same, but the 'vestibule/porch' is slightly smaller, the overall package is 30g (virtually nothing) heavier.


It was purchased from Amazon with next day delivery included in the price. No additional taxes or duties to be paid.


On receipt I did have a small problem - one of the 'nipples' on the end of the pole legs (that goes thru the tent and the flysheet and then pegs down) was too large to go thru the eyelet. I sent the supplier photos of the 'good end' and the 'bad end' for comparison and the next day they sent me an email saying they were sending a replacement part (I wasn't worried as the end-nipples are only a couple of £s on ebay).The next day the replacement part arrived in a rather large package.


The replacement part consisted of a COMPLETE package - tent, flysheet, poles, pegs, guys, the works !!!.


I contacted them and asked where they wanted the 'old' one sending to and they said keep it and apologised for the inconvenience.
I ordered 5 spare nipples from ebay (I only needed one), fitted it to the 'old' tent and now have two superb, lightweight 2-man tents for £75.


I have thoroughly checked all of the taped seams, the elastic and checked that all guy and anchoring points have reinforcing points sewn into the fabric.
I have made a 'couple' of additions / improvements.


1) Added wooden toggles to the guy ropes as 'clip-on' rather than tie on.
2) The supplied pegs are only 150mm , so I have replaced them with a set of 180mm Y-shaped pegs.
3) I have added 'spares' into the kit (an alloy pole splice - in case of breakage, a spare toggle, a couple of spare guy ropes, some elastic shock-cord, 2x spare 'nipple ends')


The total weight including additions and pole / peg and overall bag is 1858g


To play it safe, I have also subsequently purchased a footprint, The MSR foot print is around £50, I got the 'copy' for £8. Weight of the footprint is 231g
« Last Edit: 23:45:29, 31/05/18 by alan de enfield »

scottk

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #6 on: 23:24:12, 31/05/18 »
I'm using polycro as a groundsheet currently. Tried tyvek but was unimpressed. The plastic polycro seems too thin but so far has stood up to 10 nights camping. Very lightweight and cheap. I got some half price window film from B&Q and cut to size. Only issue I have is that due to the light weight it is difficult to lay it on any wind so I have to pitch my tent and slide it under or weigh it down and pitch the tent over it then adjust.
Plastic groundsheet weight is about 50g for my tent.

alan de enfield

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #7 on: 23:52:08, 31/05/18 »
I'm using polycro as a groundsheet currently. Tried tyvek but was unimpressed. The plastic polycro seems too thin but so far has stood up to 10 nights camping. Very lightweight and cheap. I got some half price window film from B&Q and cut to size. Only issue I have is that due to the light weight it is difficult to lay it on any wind so I have to pitch my tent and slide it under or weigh it down and pitch the tent over it then adjust.
Plastic groundsheet weight is about 50g for my tent.



One advantage of a (correct) footprint is that you can assemble it with the pole frame only, then add the flysheet, then add the tent inside (even in the pouring rain).
The tabs on the corners of the footprint have eyelets in them to take the pole 'nipples' so the tent immediately becomes self-supporting and the footprint is anchored down.


In good weather you don't even need to use the tent at all - just the flysheet, footprint and poles to either keep the sun off you, or the early morning dew.

scottk

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #8 on: 00:07:18, 01/06/18 »
No way would I use fly sheet only up here. Too many midges!! I have a couple of inners which can be pitched alone but again, it's a bit changeable in the hills.
Sure OE groundsheets are good, I have one for some of my tents but one has been attached to the tent but never used. They are just too heavy for what I want.
My 3 day backpack weight is under 7 kg with consumables but I do have to make sacrifices and the groundsheet doesn't make the cut.
Horses for courses and everyone has their own preferences.
That was one of the interesting things on the TGOC this year. To see all the different gear and how people use it. A great opportunity to learn without buying the gear.

forgotmyoldpassword

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #9 on: 11:38:23, 02/06/18 »
I've just received my new tent, MSR Hubba NX Solo and well pleased so far, though have a couple of concerns.
1. The fly sheet and floor material seem very light. I'm thinking I should send for a Footprint although this will add weight. Worth it?
2. In particular, the central cross-pole looks like it might puncture the fly in a strong wind.
3. The fly seems a tad short, stopping about 4 or 5 inches short of the ground, might be quite windy inside?

  Overall, first impressions are really good. The size is small, along with the weight. This one weighed a touch under 'spec' at at 1345gms including packing bag. Also, it seems bigger inside than I expected, especially headroom.
   Can't wait to get this into the wild for a night or two!


Hi there, I have an earlier model of this (the 2 man version), which I use as a bit of a luxury backpacking tent in off-season conditions when I'm expecting a lot of rain.  To answer your questions:


1. Yeah the floor is quite thin, I've got small holes in mine (think I pitched on a thistle after hiking all day). I'd consider a groundsheet, but be aware most of this will be eliminated by pitch choice.


2. Yup, it isn't a problem once assembled, but when putting it together and making the flysheet taut there is a risk of ripping through the fly (I've done this).  I wouldn't worry about it too much, just  patch the fly if necessary and remember it can't take as much abuse as other tents. 


3. It isn't a good tent for pitching high for that reason, you can't get the fly right down to the ground when it's blowing a heavy wind.  What I figured out was if you 'raise' the fly on one side you can get it at almost ground level on the other side - but the airflow is something you'll just have to deal with. 


It is, however, brilliant for interior space, I can sit up in it comfortably, get changed comfortably, hang loads of kit to dry and it has double vestibule space for packs/everything else - which for the weight I thought was reasonable.


Oh and there is something to be said for pitching inner-only on very warm nights and enjoying the stars.

richardh1905

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #10 on: 18:29:46, 18/06/18 »

I spent Saturday night at Beinglas Farm Campsite on the West Highland Way, and no less than 6 of the 25 tents on the site were of the MSR Hubba type - they certainly seem to be popular amongst backpackers!
WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

gunwharfman

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #11 on: 13:32:54, 20/06/18 »
I think that your MSR may be similar to my Marmot Pulsar1 in how its erected? I bought a footprint for mine, extremley useful when having to erect the tent in rain, it easily allows me to fit the outer first, then the inner after. Nothing worse than a wet inner tent! Again like yours my footprint is a bit thin.

If I had thought it out properly at the time, I should have stuck with my ordinary ground sheet, hardier and hardly any heavier. I should have organised a couple of measured bits of looped strings to tension the poles which would have achieved the same effect and the strings would take up less space and weigh less. Only a fraction though.

Steve922

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #12 on: 23:39:36, 20/06/18 »
Yes, my MSR is erected in the same way. I didn't want to splash out on the £50 footprint so I made one from a tarpaulin. which is probably tougher and lighterbut I haven't found a source for the eyelets yet so its just for protection, I can' t use it to erect outer first at the moment. I'm gonna try out your string loop idea first chance I get, thanks.

Rajboy

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #13 on: 01:02:08, 21/06/18 »
You mention you were worried about the cross pole puncturing the Fly sheet....
Have you located each pole end into its, ‘pocket’....watch the MSR video.... if you don’t do this, the pole end will surely go through the Fly eventually!!

MSR tents have raised Flysheets to aid ventilation

And yes, piece of plastic for a groundsheet.

gunwharfman

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Re: My new tent... MSR Hubba
« Reply #14 on: 12:21:06, 21/06/18 »
The groundsheet I use is lightweight and pretty tough, £4.99 from Go Camping if I remember correctly, although they are more or less available anywhere. Folds or rolls up small as well.

 

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