Update: We no longer sell the Hubba HP and instead recommend the Nordisk Telemark 1 LW tent, which is lighter than the Hubba HP and has more features.
The MSR Hubba HP is a high performance 3 season, one man tent, with a low weight of 1.36kg. It is easy to pitch and in our eyes is the ultimate one man tent.
Pitching Made Easy
Having previously tested the MSR Holler, which is the only tent so far to reach 5 stars in our reviews, we knew that the MSR Hubba HP was going to be great quality. It lived up to expectations and with a pitch time of less than about 5 minutes, this easy to erect tent was already looking good in our books.
Under normal conditions or with a slight drizzle you would want to pitch inner first, which is made easy by the single pole hub and swivel construction of the tent. The Hub and Swivel design is not unique to the Hubba as we found out when we did a review of the MSR Holler. To erect the Hubba HP, firstly, place the poles into corresponding grommets at the corners of the inner, then attach the hooks on the inner to the poles. Next throw over the flysheet and attach it to the poles via the grommets. Finally, place the tent such that the small end is facing into the wind and peg it out.
The Hubba HP comes with 6 Y-shaped pegs, 1 for each corner, a vestibule flap and the rear with the one guy line supplied. To fully peg out the tent though you will need an additional 3 pegs however, 1 for each end and a further at the rear. We think the reason for the “missing” pegs is simply to keep weight down.
One thing we particularly liked about this tent is that all of the pegging points and guy points are reinforced – as are the sections of the fly which cover the joints of the poles beneath.
What About The Inner?
The MSR Hubba HP inner has 2 stuff pockets, 1 at each end, a gear loft and 8 hanging hooks. We really liked the gear loft as an addition to the Hubba as it allows a little more flexibility when storing (without losing) small items.
The fabric of the inner felt quite thin yet durable, certainly based on our experience durable enough to weather a quick shower whilst making camp. The ground sheet felt thick, durable and appeared well sealed, unsurprisingly as it is a 10,000mm Durashield PU coated groundsheet. You can also buy an additional groundsheet just in case you want some extra protection.
The inner has 2 mesh vents, one built into the top of the door and the other opposite – both at the apex of the tent. The second mesh vent is in line with the single vent on the exterior, at the rear of the fly sheet. We did find we couldn’t open or close the outer vent from the inside, this means the tent felt more secure but would be a little annoying at times dependant on weather conditions.
You can lie either end of the tent as it is symmetrical in design. This is quite useful as there is limited elbow room in the tent and for those quick escapes at night for the loo it would be useful. As mentioned there is limited elbow room, but room enough for 6ft odd’s with a sleeping bag and sleeping mat. There is also enough height to sit up inside the centre of the tent.
Spacious Vestibule & Nice Fly Sheet
The vestibule of the tent, made of the two doors closed or one door closed, is quite spacious. There is certainly enough room for a rucksack and walking boots. In addition to this the Hubba HP has a dual zip which means you can cook in the rain and have steam escape at the top rather than open a door to the elements.
The zip of the vestibule is the weather proof kind that doesn’t require a storm flap, such as those found on waterproof jackets like the OMM Kamleika Race Jacket. The lack of a storm flap may bother some people, though not us. Our little issue was that the zip was fairly sticky and was quite hard to unzip from the inside, we guessed this would ease with age but that begs the question whether the weatherproof nature of the zip would also ease over time.
The fly sheet is nylon ripstop and is silicone coated, which means it deals with rain and snow very well. All seams are taped and as mentioned above all “touch points” are reinforced. The tent design is such that there are two small steep sections at the head and foot and a fairly steep section at the rear of the tent – these make us wonder how well the tent would deal with high winds, something we didn’t have a chance to test.
Finally, we really liked the pleasant shade of green used on this particular tent. It felt a little less abrasive on the eyes than some tents and certainly let a little more light into the tent.
Overall, A Great Tent
Our overall view is that the MSR Hubba HP is a great one man backpacking tent. It’s low weight and ease of pitching score highly with us. The RRP of £320 (Dec 2012) reflects the materials used and the build quality of this 3 season tent. The construction is sturdy, there is enough room to sit up inside and the vestibule is spacious too.
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