Untested gear review facts
- This is my third Hubba Hubba.
- Set up in my yard, no field use yet
- Still a two-door, two-vestibule configuration
- Whole setup lighter than the Hubba Hubba by 14oz (my weigh test, not based on the advertised weights)
- NX poles are lighter by five ounces (my weigh test, not based on the advertised weights)
- Comes with its own USEFUL compression sack
- More head room
- Deeper floor basin
- Open/close vents on the rainfly!
- Door gutters & better zippers for keeping rain out of the vestibule
- Really improved stake-out & rainfly loops
- Comes with MSR's mini Groundhog stakes!
- Reflective guy line all over!
- Older tent footprints work with the NX
- Smaller gear pockets...but...(see below)
- I miss my bright-orange colored tent
- Doesn't feel like there is more width or length
- A little odd getting in and out of as the zippers on the rainfly and tent are opposite
- ...smaller gear pockets are much stronger and won't stretch out as in previous iterations
First off, here's a comparison of the two tents. To the right (red bag, orange pole bag) is the older Hubba Hubba. This is currently in an uncompressed Granite Gear SMALL compression sack with the poles next to it. Generally when we go backpacking, someone carries the tent, the other person carries the stakes & poles. To the right is the NX, factory-packaged. And yes, the tent does get this small again after you take it apart and put it back in the provided compression sack. Then I set up each tent next to each other, sans rain fly. To me, it doesn't appear that there's any major differences in dimensions. I felt that this was confirmed for me when I was able to take my old Hubba Hubba footprint and put it on the NX...it fit perfectly, telling me there's no difference in floor dimensions. I put up the older Hubba Hubba first. Then I grabbed the NX poles...and wow, could I tell a difference. They were thinner, smaller sectioned, and significantly lighter. They go together in the exact same hub-and-spoke configuration that's been throughout the other Hubba Hubba iterations. Also noticeable is that the NX has much less screen used. I'm not sure how I feel about this. To me, having a larger section of the tent being made of screen seemed to lighten the tent. It also made star-gazing without the rain fly a cinch. I guess only some field-time with the tent will see if this change is welcomed or not: In this second view you can clearly see that the head space is much more lifted, making more room in the ceiling of the NX: The next step as putting the rain fly on. The rain for the NX is extremely light when compared to the older Hubba Hubba. It almost feels soft, as well...but this could be because my older Hubba Hubba has many trips & UV rays under its belt. Throughout both images below, you can see the NX has larger vestibules:
Also note one of the pop-out vents on this image (detailed by the shadow it cast). This is an interesting addition to the NX: the "pole" that pops open this vent (located on either side) is a stiff piece of fabric that attaches to the text with a piece of velcro. The "pole" can than be released to allow the tent to seal up better by unvelcro-ing it from the vent flap and pressed against the rainfly. The only reason why I think I would ever close the vents is if I wanted to trap in some heat...otherwise they are made in such a fashion that rain would have to be literally coming from the ground to get into the vent: Here's a few inside pictures, with obligatory dog inclusion:
In this photo, you can clearly see the gear pocket below the open/close vent: Here's with two people and a sleepy dog inside the NX. If you look closely at our feet, there's about 10"-12" of free space below us. This is with our heads just slightly below the inside tent wall. We can easily sit up high on our elbows without our head touching *any* part of the tent wall. So legitimately, that dog can be sleeping down there...although she may get kicked if we're tossing and turning in our sleeping bags: Finally, here's a profile shot of just the NX, sans rainfly, so you can get a real good feel for what it looks like with all the features. In this view, you really get an appreciation for how much MSR has opened up the head space area of the tent. You can also see that there are gear loops in the ceiling to hang a gear loft, schwag bag (which is what I have), or head lamp from: Final thoughts on the Hubba Hubba NX:
All the things that made the original Hubba Hubbas are here...light, easy-to-pitch, and roomy. I had both tents pitched in the same amount of time (about seven minutes). The dual-door configuration is still here...and as long as the Hubba Hubba is one of the few tents that have this--along with dual gear vestibules--this tent will be my go-to. Now, with the NX, MSR is trying to get this two-person tent into the ultra-light realm and almost succeeds.
Without any field use of this tent, its hard to pass final judgement. The weight and size reduction are absolutely welcomed. The dulling-down of the look of the tent stokes my (unwarranted) fear that MSR may be watering this tent down (that bright orange was a fantastic marker in the dense forest). The vestibule & door improvements seem like they are going to be a huge boon to this tent...the older Hubba Hubba's door configuration constantly let my gear get wet when raining. The addition of a run-off gutter and side-door zipper will be most welcomed.
Also of note is the rain fly & stake-out loops...these are much improved. They are made out of metal (instead of nylon), and are super-easy to adjust (they have a pull-loop to pull the rainfly and/or tent stake tight).
The tent is definitely lighter, too...there was a 5mph or so wind that would constantly move the NX around before I staked it out. The older Hubba Hubba mostly stayed in place.
Extra credit:
Here's the weights of each tent as measured on my kitchen scale:
Original Hubba Hubba weight (tent, rainfly, original sack, stakes): Hubba Hubba NX weight (tent, rainfly, originaly compression sack, stakes): Original Hubba Hubba DAC poles weight: Hubba Hubba NX DAC poles weight: UPDATE 18 OCT 15: Here's two more updates on this tent:
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