MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2P

Mia Albright led testing on this one, putting the Hubba Hubba NX through about 22 nights between an April trip across the Alvord and Steens in southeast Oregon and a wetter stretch of the Three Sisters loop in late June. Jake also pitched it for two nights at Rock Creek (Eastern Sierra, around 10,200 ft) during a passing thunderstorm.

What we tested it against

For context, we've been rotating between this Hubba Hubba, a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2, and a Nemo Dagger OSMO 2P over the past two seasons. All three live in the same weight class and the same price ballpark, so we have a decent feel for where the MSR lands.

Pitch and livability

The pitch is the thing this tent gets right. One hubbed pole, two short crossbars over the head end, and color-coded clips. Mia had it standing in under three minutes solo by the second night, even with cold hands. The freestanding design matters in places where stakes won't bite — we pitched it on basalt slab at the edge of the Alvord with rocks on the guy lines and slept fine.

Inside, the floor measures 84 by 50 inches, tapering slightly at the foot. Two people on 20-inch pads fit without overlap but you're not stretching out. Peak height is 40 inches, and the near-vertical walls at the head end make a real difference — you can sit up to cook in the vestibule or sort gear without your hair touching mesh. Compared to the Copper Spur, it feels marginally less roomy at the foot but the headroom is comparable.

Two doors, two vestibules. Each vestibule is around 8.7 sq ft, which swallows a 65L pack and boots with room left for a stove. The dual-zip vestibule doors are useful when it's pouring — you can open the bottom for ventilation without rain blowing in at face level.

Weather performance

This is where we have the most to say. The Alvord trip threw sustained 25-30 mph winds with gusts Mia clocked at over 40 on her Kestrel one afternoon. Pitched broadside (poor choice on her part, she'll admit it), the tent flexed noticeably but held. Re-staked end-on with all four guy lines deployed, it was steady. The pole geometry isn't as wind-dedicated as something like an MSR Access, but for a three-season ultralight, it's well above average.

The Three Sisters trip gave us a 14-hour rain test. The 1200mm floor and 1800mm fly stayed dry inside. We did notice some condensation on the fly's interior on a humid, still night near a creek — par for the course with any single-skin-like ultralight, and venting both vestibule doors mostly handled it. The fly cuts close to the ground but not all the way, so cross-flow exists if you set it up thoughtfully.

Jake's Rock Creek storm hit hard for about 90 minutes with hail mixed in. No leaks, no pole deflection that worried him, and the bathtub floor held up against runoff coming downhill toward the tent.

Materials and durability

• Fly: 20D ripstop nylon, 1200mm PU + silicone
• Floor: 20D ripstop nylon, 3000mm Xtreme Shield (newer 2022+ revision)
• Poles: Easton Syclone composite — these are the real upgrade over older versions, more flex without snapping in wind
• Mesh: standard fine no-see-um

After ~22 nights the floor shows expected scuffing but no abrasion through. We always use a footprint (sold separately, around $60, which is annoying at this price). The fly's DWR is starting to wet out in spots, which is normal at this point and refreshable with Nikwax.

Weight in context

1720g (3 lb 13 oz) packaged is competitive but not class-leading. The Copper Spur HV UL2 is about 200g lighter on paper, and the Zpacks Duplex (a different category, trekking-pole shelter) is dramatically lighter. What MSR gives you for the extra grams is structural confidence — we'd take this tent into shoulder-season conditions before we'd take the Copper Spur.

Split between two

If you split the load, you're each carrying about 860g. That's reasonable for a two-person freestanding shelter you can actually trust in weather.

What bugs us

$550 is a lot. The Copper Spur is similar money but lighter; the Nemo Dagger is cheaper. You're paying for MSR's storm reputation and the Syclone poles, which is real but not invisible value. The footprint being a $60 add-on at this price is hard to swallow.

We also wish the stuff sack were a little more generous. Re-stuffing in cold rain is a fight.

Who it's for

• Backpackers who actually camp above treeline or in exposed terrain and want a freestanding tent that won't fold in a gust
• Couples or partners who want two doors and don't want to crawl over each other
• Riders bikepacking shoulder-season routes where weather is unpredictable

If you're doing summer car-adjacent trips in mild weather, you can save money elsewhere. If you want the lightest possible two-person, you'll go semi-freestanding or trekking-pole. The Hubba Hubba NX sits in the middle and does that middle very well.

Bottom line

After a season-plus of mixed conditions, this is the tent Mia keeps reaching for when she's not sure what the weather will do. It's not the lightest, it's not the cheapest, but the storm performance, pitch speed, and livability add up. The price is the main thing keeping it from a higher score.