Ready to hear the lowdown on the MSR Hubba. The one person tent I took with me on my 2-month hike across Britain?
Yep, the MSR Hubba NX 1 was my main home for my 952-mile E2W Challenge, from Lowestoft, Suffolk to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse in Scotland.
In total, I camped for 37 days on my 57-day trip so I can give you a great honest review of the tent. I will answer all your questions about weight, space and how easy it is to put up!
Read my full review and I will tell you all about the Hubba NX, 1-person tent, including things I liked, disliked and loved!
For full disclosure, this is a sponsored post, however, you’ll still get my honest opinion on everything about this one-person tent. Keep reading for the full review of the tent.
MSR Hubba NX 1
You can see more of the Hubba tent in action, camping in the UK on my Instagram, go check it out @beckythetraveller.
If you’re planning an adventure, whether it’s a long-distance hike like mine, a bike-packing challenge or simply want to get outdoors more and are looking for a super lightweight, backpacking tent, then keep reading my review.
I loved this tent and it was perfect for my UK challenge and it will be coming on lots more solo adventures with me!
Are you thinking about buying an MSR Hubba NX or do you have any specific questions about the tent?
Ask me any more camping questions in the comments below.
MSR Hubba NX 1 – Best Lightweight One Person Tent
First, let me explain the MSR Hubba NX is the one-person version of this backpacking tent.
MSR specialise in backpacking tents and also have a whole family of Hubbas.
The two-person tent is called the MSR Hubba Hubba, the three-person is called the Murtha Hubba and lastly, the four-person tent is the Papa Hubba.
How heavy (or light) is the Hubba NX?
Weight of the Hubba
Let me start with one of my favourite things, the weight of the Hubba NX 1. One of the reasons I wanted a new tent was to reduce my backpack weight.
If you are planning a long-distance adventure, you will begin to realise that weight is a key part of how enjoyable your challenge will be.
My old tent at 2.39kg was way too heavy to lug across Britain. It might not sound a lot but an extra 1kg equates to valuable food supplies.
The MSR Hubba NX (packed weight) is 1.29kg.
This weight includes the red tent inner, green rainfly, pegs and one-piece pole system.
Fast and Light Tent Option
But the tent can be even lighter!
The second option is the fast and light, weighing in at a mere 0.93kg, this includes the green rainfly, poles and footprint.
Basically, everything except the inner (the mesh section of the tent, it’s red on this version of the Hubba)
However, I didn’t use a tent footprint but I can see how this option may work if you want to go really lightweight!
Many people have asked whether a footprint is necessary, it’s a light piece of kit, but I was happy not using for the duration of my trip, which did include several rainy days
The only thing with the fast and light option is wild camping in Scotland. During the summer months, with the number of midges, it’s not something I would dare to do!
How Big is the Hubba NX Tent?
Yes, I know it’s not all about size but when it’s you and a tent for two months, size matters!
I’m 5ft 7inches/170cm, but I also come with a 65-litre backpack!
This tent is perfect for a one-night trip with a small/medium backpack, but what about a long-distance trip? Are you going to have enough space for you and your kit?
MSR Hubba NX Dimensions
(216cm L x 76cm W x 91cm H)
The length of the Hubba NX is 216cm, it fits my bed, aka my Thermarest Neo Air mattress (183cm x 51cm) with room spare at the top or bottom.
The width is 76cm (inside the tent), with the porch area adding another 76cm at the widest point.
Mostly, I keep the space at the top of the Hubba, where I either had my backpack or clothes as a pillow.
It was a squeeze with my backpack inside the tent and when the weather was good, most of the time I did leave it outside in the porch area.
But when I did have my backpack in the tent, it was mostly empty so acted more as extra pillow height. Since I was using a 65-litre backpack it did take up quite a bit of valuable space inside the Hubba.
If you want extra room then maybe consider the MSR Hubba Hubba two-person tent, weighing in at 1.72kg this will have plenty of floor space for you and your gear, but remember that’s another 430 grams you’ll be carrying!
Height of the Hubba
But the most important measurement of the MSR Hubba, for me anyway, is the tent height.
The Hubba NX 1 is 91cm high.
If you’ve spent any time in a small tent, then you’ll know how important the head height is. Sat on my Thermarest, about 4cm off the ground, my head did NOT touch the roof of the Hubba. Yes, winning!
The thing I love about the height of the Hubba NX is that it’s not at one point, the main centre has a flat roof so whichever way round you sit, you fit. After a long day of hiking, it was good to sit in my tent and properly relax, without feeling squashed.
My tent had the ultimate test when I swarm of midges descended whilst wild camping. The Hubba became a refuge for not just me, but two of my hiking buddies too. We sat in there for at least an hour, sat comfortably and chatting, whilst watching the swarm hovering outside.
The height of the tent also helped me get out when it was raining in the middle of the night and you’re trying to avoid bashing into the side of the tent to get covered in rain.
But the inner and porch door allow enough room to get out comfortably.
Porch area on the Hubba NX
The Hubba NX comes with a surprisingly large porch area, the widest point is also 76cm, the same as the width of the tent. In the porch area I could easily keep my backpack, plus cooking equipment and stinky shoes, nope they were not coming in the tent!
If it was going to rain overnight or if there were a lot of midges about I could also fit my 65-litre backpack inside my tent. I put it at the top, emptied most of it out and used it as a pillow.
But the majority of the time I left it outside in the porch area.
I also found that I was able to boil water for my morning cup of coffee in the porch area, with the door unzipped there was plenty of ventilation to use my MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe (highly recommend this stove by the way).
Please note, MSR and all tent manufacturer’s always say NOT to cook in the tent or porch area. But I will leave it with your experience to know whether this is right for you. Ask me any questions in the comments below.
How Easy Is It To Pitch the MSR Hubba NX?
This is the first tent I’ve had that is inner-pitch first, not something I was keen on, to begin with, but I quickly realised it wasn’t an issue.
The Hubba NX is one of the easiest tents I’ve ever put up (and down), I’ve not pitched hundreds but I’ve had my fair share of tents.
The colour-coded of the tension straps make it easy to make sure you’re putting the green rainfly on the right way around. Handy when it’s windy and your tent flysheet is blowing all over the place! They then snuggly tighten your tent accordingly.
Be careful not to overtighten them.
In less than 3 minutes you can have the red inner and one-piece pole set up, with or without pegs depending on how windy it is. I will let you decide that option but don’t blame me if your tent blows away!
You can pitch the tent with two tent stakes, one at the front porch and one at the back. I often pitched the tent this way, then made a cup of tea and had some snacks before deciding whether I needed to peg the guy ropes out or not!
In another 3-4 minutes, you can have the green rainfly and guy ropes staked out.
In around 6-7 minutes your little home is up.
It takes longer to put the tent up on a windy day as things can tend to get tangled. If it’s not windy weather you might not even need to peg your tent out.
Although being a lightweight tent you need to be careful it doesn’t blow away in strong winds. I popped my backpack inside whilst I was finishing putting it up to weight it down.
Top tip
- It’s worth checking the overnight weather forecast before you brave it without pegs!
Hubba NX Pitching Options
The great thing about the Hubba NX is the different options for the tent. You can opt to pitch the red inner on its own or the green rainfly on its own, with a footprint.
I slept a few nights in the Hubba without my rainfly on, but only when I was 100% sure that it wasn’t going to rain! But I loved pitching my tent inner on warm evenings first, then attaching the rainfly before I went to bed.
You can sit in the tent and enjoy the surroundings, whilst making your bed for the night! It allowed me to have natural daylight but hide from midges when they were being mischievous!
(I’ve not tried the Hubba tent with the footprint and rainfly option, as I don’t have the MSR footprint!)
How Does The Hubba NX Cope in UK Bad Weather?
Ok, believe it or not, we didn’t have too many nights on the trip when the weather was awful! Well, that’s a lie, we did, but my lovely friends and Instagram followers put me up during those nights (not planned at all, I promise).
Most of my photos were mostly taken on sunny days. The priority on rainy days is to get your kit packed up, not take pictures!
But I did still test my Hubba in a mix of different weathers and on my return I had a few rainy and windy camping trips in the Lake District.
Hubba NX in the Rain
Flysheet Fabric – 20D ripstop nylon 1200mm Durashield™ polyurethane & silicone
The Hubba NX did have its fair share of rain to deal with. As mentioned, I didn’t have the footprint with the tent, mainly because that would have been extra weight to carry, hmm, it only weighs 0.14kg, maybe I should have got it!
There were only one or two occasions I felt the footprint would have been useful. The wet ground very slightly penetrated through on the bottom of the tent, about 6 inches square, but under my mattress, so not a big issue.
Also, I did notice in the corners of the tent, sometimes the outer rainfly didn’t cover to the edge. I kept all my camping equipment safely organised in dry sacks so I didn’t have any issues with wet gear.
I’d recommend not putting your dry clothes in the tent corner on rainy nights, to be on the safe side.
Hubba NX in the Wind
Thankfully, we had no storms on our trip but we had nights that were windy so it was interesting to see how the tent performed.
I’m not sure if there’s a right or wrong way but I opted to pitch with the back of the tent against the wide. Therefore, allowing protection from the wind and also shelter when cooking, which I did in front of my tent area.
The MSR pole system is very clever, it’s a one-piece system and it’s very robust. The highest wind speeds (via Mountain Weather) were up to 35k/ph wind gusts, that’s about 22m/ph.
You could see and hear the power of the wind but only the back of the tent moved, the rest of the tent structure felt perfectly rigid (fully pegged out). I do admit, it was noisy as wind flapping your tent is hardly quiet but that’s the same with most tents I guess.
Tan Hill was one of the highest places, at 528 metres, we camped on the trip and I had no issues with the Hubba NX (Photo above).
Update – After the trip
Since returning from my hike I’ve used my Hubba NX on lots more wild camping adventures in both Snowdonia and the Lake District. The strongest winds I’ve encountered have been up to 40 mph.
The tent did a great job and although I could see the strong winds battering the tent I still felt very safe (and dry) inside the tent.
MSR Hubba NX – Love or Hate?
What Did I Love About the Tent?
In total, I spent 37 nights in my one-person tent on the E2W Challenge, wow, I didn’t realise it was that many until now! The funny thing is that as the trip went on I even began calling my tent home.
I spent a mix of those nights wild camping and staying at campsites or even a few in people’s gardens!
MSR Tent Versatility
Without a doubt, my favourite feature of the Hubba NX is being able to pitch and sleep in the red inner section. Although I didn’t do this as many times as I would have liked.
My most memorable wild camps were those when I could see 360 degrees all around me.
Many night’s at camp I would set up the inner and then pop the outer rainfly on before I was going to bed, natural daylight and I could enjoy the pretty views for longer!
Porch views from the Hubba
The time I realised that I loved my tent was the day I hiked whilst unwell, hiking 18 miles with a 15kg backpack is tough.
Arriving in a small town called Peebles, I could have easily booked into a B&B, but all I wanted to do was pitch my tent and crawl inside. The following day, I slept a lot but I was totally happy in my tent.
I loved the option to open the porch of the tent in full. You can sit (or lie) and still watch the world go by, along with plenty of natural daylight to help you feel better. It certainly helped to have plenty of fresh air when I wasn’t feeling well.
A tent bag that fits
Another thing you don’t realise that’s so useful is the size of the tent bag. The Hubba NX comes with a stuff sack. No stressing about fitting your tent into a tiny bag!
I kept the main tent in my bag, stuffed at the bottom then kept the poles separate on the outside of my bag, ready to put my tent up when I found a good spot!
Other random things I liked about the Hubba
- The porch is perfectly designed so that on rainy nights you can collect rainwater by popping a cooking pot. I filled 400ml of rainwater in less than two hours.
- The inner of the tent is really easy to keep clean. Before you take the poles out, simply flip upside-down and give a good shake to get any sand, mud, dead midges out of your tent (haha, yes, this is true!)
- It’s a great camouflage colour, I love to be discreet when wild camping. The green rainfly really blends into your surroundings. You can also get the tent in Grey, but this is a less hidden
- You can pitch the tent on calm days using two stakes – super speedy!
What Didn’t I Love About the Hubba NX?
There weren’t many things that I didn’t like about the MSR Hubba NX 1, but if you’re looking to buy this tent then you might want to know this information!
The tent comes complete with nine super lightweight tent pegs, they are red too, a handy feature to make sure you don’t lose any. They are very lightweight if you stake them in the ground with rocks they can bend easily.
On my trip, I carried a couple of heavier pegs with me, as back-ups.
I wanted to use an extra peg out the back of the tent to stop it from touching the inner (as per the photo below).
If I’m honest, I’m still not 100% sure how the back of the tent is supposed to pitch! But I liked having an extra (slightly longer) peg to pop in. I can’t find any pictures on the MSR website showing what it’s supposed to look like from behind.
The tent is super lightweight, so in windy conditions, the rainfly is a little challenging to fit.
Probably not something to try for your tent’s first outing. The tent also pitches inner first, so on rainy days, the inside can get a little wet during the pitching stage.
To be honest, I tried different tactics for not getting it wet but the best advice I can give is to not faff around and put the tent up quickly. On the day I tried to put the rainfly over the top whilst pitching the inner, it literally took me twice as long to put the Hubba up!
Overall Thoughts on the MSR Hubba NX 1
I genuinely loved this one-person tent, it ticked all the boxes for me. I found there to be plenty of space for me to enjoy being inside my tent for a long trip and I loved how simple it was to put up.
My main concern beforehand was that it was inner pitch first but after a few rainy camps. I soon realised this wasn’t a major issue because even if I got the tent up I was getting inside, soaking wet so it made little difference!
The design of the inner part of the tent (as you can see from my photos) is a mesh design so perfect for breathability and to help prevent condensation.
It’s wonderful in summer but I can imagine it may be a little cooler as the temperature drops. However, as it’s so lightweight you can afford to carry a slightly warmer sleeping bag (my plan for spring/autumn camping trips).
This tent wouldn’t be suitable for winter trips, I reckon I’d be too cold, but I have to admit I tend to do more camping between April to October.
This tent is ideal for backpacking trips or last-minute wild camping adventures.
Pack a small bag and off you go!
Would I Recommend the MSR Hubba NX 1?
After spending over five weeks of an eight week trip in this tent I feel I’m in a good position to give this tent a thumbs up! I loved the versatility of the tent, and some of my favourite wild camping nights were the ones spent without the rainfly on.
Maybe that had something to do with the good weather as well haha!
If you are looking for a lightweight one-person tent for a backpacking trip or even a light tent to take on some mini-adventures in the UK or abroad, this is perfect for you. I’ll be taking on my wild camping trips to the Peak District.
Happy camping and enjoy your mini-adventures (hopefully in your new tent).
Tag me on Instagram in your photos, I’d love to see your tent around the UK 🙂 Follow me on Instagram @beckythetraveller
Did I answer all your questions on the MSR Hubba NX 1?
Feel free to ask me anything else about the Hubba in the comments below.
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This MSR Hubba NX 1 Tent was provided to me for my trip. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
*Becky the Traveller participates in the Amazon Services Associates Programme, as well as other affiliate programmes. If you make a purchase through these, I earn from the qualifying links. This is at no extra cost to you. Read more here.
Thanks Becky, I found this review really really useful and informative. Now I want to go and buy the Hubba myself! Your trip sounded amazing too
Thanks Jeff, happy to help 🙂
Hi Becky. I really enjoyed your review.
I’m thinking about buying one of these tents. There is a lot to like about them. Weight (or lack of it) is one. Price (compared with the competition) is another.
One thing that bothers me is breaking that sophisticated pole system in the back of beyond! I think I’d want to plan for running repairs if that ever happened.
Also storm – worthiness.
Hi Dave, ah thank you for reading and I’m glad you found useful, oh yes, less tent weight = more weight for food haha! I’ve never really thought about the poles breaking tbh, the tent must have easily been on over 100 camping trips – hmm, I may need to count now and I’ve never worried about that. And storms, I’ve been in 40 mph winds and I wouldn’t want to be in anything stronger, although the tent gets battered a bit, as you can imagine with a lightweight tent, I’ve never had an issue in stormy weather. Hope that helps and feel free to get in touch if you have any more questions 🙂
Hi Becky
Thanks for sharing. I have NEVER slept in a tent before. However, I’ve decided 2021 is the year. In fact, my plan is to hike the Brecon Way and wild camp and also hike the Dragons Back. I am so lost on what tent to buy as there are SOOOOO many options, however, I had narrowed it down to this one so reading your review is making me feel a little more comfortable with my what I think is going to be my choice! Would you say it is a good first time tent?
I’m so nervous!! (About buying the wrong thing, not the hiking!).
Hi Bea, oh wow, I’m loving your sense of adventure! Buying a tent is tough, I have had quite a few over the years but the Hubba is by far my favourite for long distance adventures, it’s lightweight but also you feel like you have space too. Let me know if you have any other specific questions 🙂
Hi Becky, this is a very detailed and useful review. However, I note that is was written in Aug 2019 and more tents will have come to market since then. I’m tossing up between the Hubba and the Terra Nova Compact 1, which is lighter, packs smaller and appears to have similar, if not slightly better, specs. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on comparing the two.
Vicky
Hi Vicky, I’m sorry I don’t own a Terra Nova tent so I wouldn’t be able to make a comment on the two tents. I still love the Hubba and it’s my main tent for all my camping/long-distance hikes. I must have used 100+ times now and it’s not let me down. Sorry, I can’t give an exact answer to your question but hope that helps. Becky
Thanks for a brilliant review and you’ve helped me make my mind up! I’m getting one. Been faffing for months and now I know this ones right. Doing the NC500 when safe to do so for it’s first cycle tour. Thanks again
Hi Richard, ah wonderful, I’m really glad you found the review useful and turned your faffing into decision making haha! NC500 is on my list too, it’s looks amazing, have a fantastic trip 🙂
Hey, thanks for the review. I’m around 6ft2 (188cm), do you think I’d struggle for space? I’ve been looking at lightweight tents in a similar price range, and I’m concerned I’ll be touching the inner
Thanks.
I’ve got a few taller male friends that have this tent and not heard them mention any issues. It fits my Thermarest comfortably, I can’t remember the exact length of that but if you find out then that should tell you.
Thanks
Hi Becky,
Thanks for a very helpful and informative review. My mouse is hovering over the ‘buy now’ button for this tent – I sort of like the grey too!
Just one question… are the corners of the inner tent a little exposed by the gap between the fly and the ground to an extent that a side wind could drive rain in?
Thanks again, lots of interesting stuff on your site to keep me occupied 🙂
Glyn
Hi Glyn,
I know the bit you mean and I’ve been out in some tough rain/windy conditions but it’s not something I’ve ever noticed an issue with. The grey is lovely but harder to camoflauge in it! I’m wondering if you’ve already clicked 🙂
Hi Becky,
Thanks for the reassurance.
…and, yes – I clicked!
🙂
Hi Becky,
Thanks for the reassurance
…and yes, I clicked!
🙂
Woo woo!!! 🙂
Hi (again) Becky,
Quick question you might know the answer to…
Where the inner attaches to the cross-pole, there are fabric loops. The only use I can think of for these are for attaching guylines when using the inner only – your thoughts?
After half a dozen uses I’m really loving this tent, including last night in a blustery Lake District – it didn’t budge!
Glyn
Hi Glyn, this might sound stupid but I can’t even picture them, I’ll have to take a look when I get it out next. I know there are loops inside which I use for washing lines etc but I can’t remember any on the outside. But I’d probably agree with your theory making it more sturdy if inner pitching, although if the weather was going to be that windy I’d have the flysheet on to keep me warmer!
Lucy, your photo on this page below the heading: “How Easy Is It To Pitch the MSR Hubba NX?”, you can just about make out the loop at the left of the cross-pole. I agree, it doesn’t really make sense to pitch inner-only if it’s windy enough to require guying! :-/
Hi Glyn, I’m Becky not Lucy :). Ah yes, I see where you mean but not these are the loops that attach the outer to the inner when pitching together. Hope that helps 🙂
Hi
I like you did, use a vango banshee 200 and find it perfect, but at 2.4 kg would like a lighter tent
Read a few reviews of this tent and just so worried about pitching the inner first when raining, also read that the ground sheet is not always damp proof , so with these two negatives I will have to stick with the vango for now, as plan camping trip in Norway (damp!)
Thanks for review, I so wanted it to be perfect
Safe travels
Ah no worries, I’ve found it works for me but it’s obviously personal preference, I guess at least you can eliminate this option now! Happy tent hunting!