A freestanding design paired with some pretty amazing materials, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 is a tent perfect for your backpacking trip. It’s easy to set up and pretty light to carry around. And although it needs to be rolled in a specific way to carry, you still get a pretty durable build that fights off against high winds and rains while also giving you comfy pockets inside to store your personal belongings. Thus, with all of that paired with more than enough interior space and a comfortable design, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 is one of the best tents you can get right now. If you’re always reading, but don’t have room to pack all your books on your next camping trip, take a look at our Kobo Aura review for a high quality e-reader. On your next camping trip, you might also want to bring along this video/audio recording flashlight.
Why We Like It – MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2
With Xtreme Shield waterproof coating, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 is one of the best backpacking tents that is both durable and functional. It comes with the capability to get through 3 different seasons and even hold enough space for two people to comfortably sleep and move around when they need to. Above all that, with a Freestanding backpacking tent design, it is more than easy to set up making your camping trip much more fun and easier. If you love camping, take a look at our torch flashlight review too.
- 3 seasons withstanding capacity
- Easy set-up process
- Durable materials
- Not seam sealed in high tension areas
- Slightly overpriced
Performance
As advertised, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 is 3 season friendly thanks to the amazing materials it is made out of. With 20-denier ripstop nylon on the Canopy and 30-denier ripstop nylon on the Floor the tent body is as durable as it is comfortable. You also get 3000mm Xtreme Shield polyurethane coating on the floor fabric and a 1200mm one on the fabric of the rain fly. This makes the tent extremely waterproof, making it a great tent to sleep in even in rainy weather. However, where the Hubba Hubba NX2 falls behind is with the fact that the high tension areas are not seam sealed and rather have what is called precision stitched seams. This isn’t the best design for rainy seasons and so applying some sealant to those high tension areas might be worthwhile.
When considering how wind resistant the tent is, we must take into factor the poles and stake designs that are provided. In the case of the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 we get ourselves Easton Syclone poles with diameters of 9.3mm which gives your tent some pretty great strength and paired with its one unified hub and pole geometry you get a somewhat strong build that stays quite firm even during storms. On the other hand, the stakes aren’t the best you can get out there, as with a slender needle like structure they end up getting bent out of shape really fast when driving them into the ground with a rock. Big Agnes Tents like the Flying Diamond 8 have much better stakes with a shovel like structure that is more blunt force resistant.
Moving onto the comfortability of sleeping and staying in the tent, you get a decent experience thanks to its 84 x 50 Inches floor space or rather 29 sq ft, which adds to it being a pretty comfortable two person tent. And with the 39 Inch peak height the two of you can easily sit up and move around with ease. The two large side doors also make it much more convenient as either one of you can get out without having to bother the other. The non tapered floor even prevents any mud or dirt from making sleeping inside uncomfortable.
Furthermore, with the adjustable rain fly, lightweight reflective guy-outs and the rainfly kickstand vent, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 has a pretty good design with solid materials and a good amount of ventilation. And to make it easier to store your gear and keep away from water, you even get two large vestibules beside the entry.
And finally, for the ease of setting up the tent, it is easier to set up than any semi freestanding tent as per the review MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 has received from many people, but it does come with its own share of difficulties. If you’re alone it’s going to be hard to get all the poles in their places and moreover setting up the fly can get a bit difficult as well. But with tensioner straps at each edge you can easily make the tent body more tight when you need to, without having to once again drive in the tent stakes in different places.
Design
When it comes to packing the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 you will have to roll it up each time rather than stuff it as like many other tents. This may be a hassle for many people, but in a way it may be worth the trouble considering its durability. But where the Hubba NX2 shines is with a respectable packed weight of 4 pounds and a packed size of 18 x 6 Inches. This makes it slightly lighter than the Nemo Equipment Losi and the Kelty TN2 Tent and thus easier to carry around in your backpack.
And in terms of comfiness, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 provides you with 4 total pockets, with two being large ones at the head and foot of the tnet while two tiny ones at head of the two doors. This allows you to easily store some personal belongings like a book or a few clothes in the large ones while keeping a pair of socks or something small in the tiny ones. As for the amount of visibility the tent offers, you get two triangles of see through mesh at the head and foot which offer something of a sky view, but this completely reduces any benefits you might have received from the privacy panels. You also get a compression stuff sack with a pull handle to easily carry the tent with you even though it’s best built for backpacking. Planning to go for a family camp? What type of tent do you think has 3-season protection and enough space to fit all your gear? Read about a suitable option in our REI Kingdom 4 tent review.
Value
Priced at $450 with the Xtreme Shield coating and $345 without, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 does seem to be pretty high priced for what it offers. It’s not a bad tent that’s for sure, but considering how you’ll have to seam certain ends, make good with the provided stakes that end up getting bent out of shape, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 is just a bit overpriced for what you get. Rather options from Big Agnes or even the Kelty TN2 tent which is also a two person tent have a much better value.
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 Wrap Up
With a solid design, a somewhat easy set up process and a very good amount of durability the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 is a great tent for camping and backpacking alike. It has a free standing design with a flexible yet solid pole that doesn’t break easily. And so with all that and a more than comfortable and convenient interior, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 is indeed a great tent, but that is only if you’re able to get it at a lower price than what it’s priced at now. You might want to check the seller email address to contact for information regarding the state of any used models that you might come across.
