Since the Initial Report, I have used the Hubba Hubba quite a bit. When using the tent as a two-person shelter, my wife has been my companion on all but one weekend hike, on which my son was my companion. We were able to use the tent on numerous overnight outings, three long weekend hikes and one four-night canoe trip.

I find the set up of the MSR Hubba Hubba quick and easy. Many of our overnight outings came about because it was too hot to sleep at home. On those nights we often grabbed the Hubba Hubba, our sleeping mats, and summer bags and headed for one of the nearby ponds or to camp. At camp, we would hike down to the riverbank set up and spend the night. At the ponds, we would unload our kayaks, toss our gear in the bow hatch, and paddle across the pond to stealth camp on one of the isolated beaches. On these outings, we were setting up in the dark and were consistently able to have the Hubba Hubba set up about five minutes. In the morning we were able to take the tent down and be packed up in about the same amount of time. I found the easiest way to get the beach sand out of the tent was to lift the tent body on its side and shake it out, before removing the poles.

While moped touring probably may not be something one would expect to read about in a BackpackGearTest gear review, but my wife and I have had a lot of fun touring locally with out backpacking gear and the Hubba Hubba. The Hubba Hubba has been the perfect tent for us to use touring and camping on our mopeds. We roll the tents poles and pegs in the center of my wife’s Thermarest matt, and slip it into her stuff sack. We then lash the matt to the rear rack of the moped. The rest of the Hubba Hubba, her sleeping bag, and her rain gear fit in the under seat compartment of her Honda Metropolitan. She carries her extra cloths and gear in a daypack. I ride my old Yamaha Chappy and carry our cook kit and my gear in a backpack. We have been quite surprised to find that the Hubba Hubba has gotten almost as much attention, at campgrounds where we have stayed, as the mopeds.

On backpacking outings; I normally split the tent parts between packs. One of us carrying the tent body, footprint and fly while the other carried the poles and pegs. I usually keep the fly, footprint and poles handy near the top of our packs so we can quickly set up the Hubba Hubba fly if we want a little shade or rain protection during a break or lunch.

It rained part or all of everyday during our four-night canoe trip. I found that I could set the fly, and then set up the tent body inside (under) the set up fly. It was a bit awkward but allowed me to keep the inside of the tent body dry. Thus far, I have experienced no leaks in the Hubba Hubba. It has kept us dry even in the heavy wind blown rain. I was able to keep the tent door partially unzipped (as long as the door wasn’t facing into the wind), even in heavy rain, for more ventilation. Unfortunately ventilation has been an issue for us. I find that if I am not camped where I get a good breeze, the Hubba Hubba becomes stuffy and damp. Condensation formed on the inside of the fly on several nights, but didn’t get into the tent body. Even with the fly door unzipped without a good breeze there isn’t enough ventilation. I have had to remove or partially pull the fly back several times to get enough ventilation.

The most severe weather we have been out in the Hubba Hubba was the weekend before last. My wife and I decided to hike to the top of Tumbledown Mountain with a group of young folks and spend the night on top of the mountain. Normally we move off into the cover toward Jackson Mountain when we stay on the mountain, but decided to stay on the ledges by the Tumbledown Pond for better ventilation. A couple of severe thunderstorms passed through during the night. The wind and rain were unreal. Some spray came under the fly, but not enough to be a problem. The next morning we found out that the other two couples that stayed up with us didn’t fair as well as we did. Even though they were back behind the cover of the scrub soft wood on the summit, one of their tents was blown down and they spent the night wet and huddled together in their remaining tent. They were surprised that we and the Hubba Hubba had survived the storm out in the open.

I have been happy with the Hubba Hubba’s tent body netting and zipper. Once inside the Hubba Hubba (after killing those that came in with us), we have not been bothered by the bugs. The netting has even kept the no-see-ums out. Thus far I have experienced no catches or tears in the netting.

Given my size, I find that the width of the Hubba Hubba can be an issue. My wife and I can sleep comfortably with our heads at the same end of the tent, but it is tight. My son is 5' 11" (1.8 m) tall and weighs 180 lb (82 kg). When he and I sleep in the Hubba Hubba we need to sleep with our heads at opposite ends of the tent. I also don’t like the single door in the side of the tent. I find that it is difficult to get up and out of the tent without waking my tent-mate. The single side door is also inconvenient, in my opinion, when weather bound and trying to do something in the vestibule.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I am happy with the Hubba Hubba. Thus far, the tent has been very durable and tough. I have experienced no leaks in the fly or the floor tub . In my opinion, the tent is easy and quick to set up and take down.  The ventilation issue is no better or worse than I have experienced in other two-person tents similar to the Hubba Hubba. I would like a bit more width, but the length is good. My wife and I have plenty of room for our packs at our feet, or for the dog if we put one pack in the vestibule. I’m looking forward to trying the Hubba Hubba fly/footprint set up in a couple of weeks when the bugs have died out.