Since I have lots of time, laying around, waiting for my wounds to heal, I thought I'll make a new hiker hack. This time about the pros and cons of the MSR Hubba NX, a tent I am using since a few years.
I don't want to give recommendations, promote this tent, be overly objective or give a complete list of its features. I like the tent, but of course, it also has it's cons and since I haven't owned many tents in my life, I don't have many tents to compare it to. But I still hope I can give you a few ideas, if this might be a tent you want to use and if so, what I found helpful while using it.
Here comes the list of pros and cons, with some further explanations:
+ low weight: with less than 1300 g it is super light
+ free standing: great when you end up having to camp on a concrete floor or if you're too lazy use your tent pegs in nice weather
+ lots of space and a big apsis: amazing how much space this tent offers, which is nice on rainy days and you can sit in it or lay totally stretched out without touching the tent wall. I also like that I can put my backpack into the tent without problem or in the apsis.
BUT, this also means you have to find a relative large campspot!!! I still often don't clear enough space when setting it up, although I know it is longer than I think. But the space totally outweighs this point for me!
+ seperate inner tent (mosquito tent) and outer rainfly: I love sleeping directly under the sky and this tent offers me the opportunity to do so without getting bit by mosquitos and having all my things kind of organized in a closed space around me. I usually pack the rainfly somewhere into my backpack instead of somwehere outside, (where I put the inner tent and tent poles) so I won't rip it, when I have to fight my way through overgrown paths or the bush! The separate rainfly can however also be a con (see below) when it is raining a lot!
+ connected tent poles: I like the fact that all tent poles are connected, so you can't loose single parts, as the MSR Nook I used before had a single pole that I was always worried to leave or loose.
+ MSR contact and replacement: I had contacted MSR and got a quick reply as well as new tent poles and patches for my mosquito tent without problem or any additional costs. However, this was necessary because a tent pole broke in a storm (see con 'windstability' below)
+ low condensation: so far I haven't had problems with condensation since the air circulation is good and there is so much space that the sleeping bag doesn't touch the tent wall.
- "high" price: I wouldn't say the price is overly high for a good tent, but with 350-400 € it is also not cheap! However, if it is a home for several months, it is worth spending a bit more money!
- broken zippers of inner tent: I guess most people won't use their tent to the extend, that this becomes a problem, but the zipper of the inner tent is very flimsy and LATEST after 1 yr of continues usage, it will brake. Sad, because then the mosquito net is of no use anymore. I guess a little bit of a more sturdy zipper would do the job and not even add too much weight. Of course I still use my tent, but it seems they want you to buy a new tent, because the zippers are not covered in the guarantee. Sad and unsustainable, if people just buy a new tent because of that!
- rainfly touching inner tent opposite of entrance: on the opposite of the tent entrance, there is no apsis at all, which would have been a useful. You couldn't use the apsis, but it would provide mire dpacw between rainfly and inner tent. Thus, when the tent isn't on a totally flat spot (which it rarely is), the outer tent likes to touch the inner tent. First I added a little string on the bottom of the rainfly, where you put the tent peg. This already helps. But you have to make sure the rainfly is really in the middle of the little pole that is across the long poles. It also helps to put something heavy into the inner tent on that back side (e.g. water bottle), so the inner tent is under tension and not touching the rainfly. Sometimes other parts of the inner tent on the top also touch the rainfly, but you can move the clips of the inner tent on the tent pole to find a position where it doesn't touch the rainfly. But also here: if the tent is new, it isn't a problem!
- limited windstability: I have used it even in strong winds, so the windstabiluty is not really bad, but it has some limits! In a crazy storm in the Grand Canyon a tent pole broke and I know from a friend, where it broke in Patagonia. I guess if you want to go to places like that with insane winds, you should rather look for a tunnel tent!
- summer tent: it isn't a tent for winter use and also not perfect when conditions are to toooo wet. In New Zealand I once had to use a cup to get the water out of my tent, because it rained so badly when I set it up. Although the setup is easy and quick, the separate rainfly takes a bit to put on and during that time, the inner tent can get wet. I wouldn't see it as a big problem, because that doesn't happen too often and you can dry the inner tent with a towel and it's all right! Also the tent floor isn't totally waterproof and when applying pressure, it can get wet inside. But also this isn't a big deal when sleeping on a pad!
As you can see from my points, I personally like the tent and think it is in general very good. But depending on where you go or what tour you are planning, another tent might by more suitable!
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