MSR Hubba 1P tent yay/nay? ...suggestions for a warm sleeping bag? Too many choices!

[Persie]

MSR Hubba 1P tent yay/nay? ...suggestions for a warm sleeping bag? Too many choices for a newbie - need seasoned hikers input so the salesguy at REI doesnt make his weekly quota off me

[Moose2001]

Hubba is a good tent. You could go lighter with a "tarp tent" type. Good bags? Lots to choose from. At REI, I'd look at one of the Marmot's

[Rasty]

The MSR is a good tent. At 3# 4oz it's a little heavy for a solo tent.

For $259 versus the $280 for the Hubba there is the Tarptent Notch (Double Wall) which is 26 ounces and uses trekking poles for support. This is half the weight with almost the same amount of floor area.

http://www.tarptent.com/pdf/notch.pdf

[Persie]

Will the tarp tents keep you dry , and enclosed? I like the security of an enclosed tent, at leadt I think I do anyhow, but since I'm new to this, I'll check them out. Best place to purchase? thanks for your advice

[LDog]

The MSR is a good tent. At 3# 4oz it's a little heavy for a solo tent.

For $259 versus the $280 for the Hubba there is the Tarptent Notch (Double Wall) which is 26 ounces and uses trekking poles for support. This is half the weight with almost the same amount of floor area.

http://www.tarptent.com/pdf/notch.pdf

At REI the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 is a popular choice as it's 30 ozs and free-standing. OTOH, it's $320 at REI.
http://www.rei.com/product/779612/bi...creek-ul1-tent

I carry a Lightheart Gear solo which weighs 27ozs, costs $245, has tons more room than a Hubba, and uses hiking poles to hold it up. TarpTent and Six Moons Designs are also popular cottage industry tent-makers amongst long-distance hikers. All pretty comparable.

http://www.lightheartgear.com/index....products_id=15
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents.html

[Persie]

Hubba is a good tent. You could go lighter with a "tarp tent" type. Good bags? Lots to choose from. At REI, I'd look at one of the Marmot's

thanks for the advice, def. check them out.

[Tuxedo]

Hubba is a good tent. You could go lighter with a "tarp tent" type. Good bags? Lots to choose from. At REI, I'd look at one of the Marmot's

Looks like Hubba has some advantage over the one I use Eureka Solitaire. ES is cost $89-95 and weight close to the same as Hubba. I have a tyvec ground cloth 3lb 8oz total pack wt, even tho my tent is 10yrs old i still use it and my mom has one around 18ys from the previous mfg. 2 cons for ES I carry 6 stakes a good chunk of weight could be eliminated for alternatives, sitting up inside just not possible. pros = cheap to buy with great quality result, Ive rode out a many storms and bug net with no complications. Infact heavy morning dew is more feared then 2" hr down pour. another pro I see is the ES has 8' and Hubba has 7' floor and Its nice to sleep with backpack in the tent and plenty of room.

Im a Marmot sleep'n bag fan too I have 2 down bags with hood. I like down-fill but you have to get used to taking care of them. the synthetic will dry in 20-30mins that a down can take 90mins depending on the dryer.

[Persie]

Looks like Hubba has some advantage over the one I use Eureka Solitaire. ES is cost $89-95 and weight close to the same as Hubba. I have a tyvec ground cloth 3lb 8oz total pack wt, even tho my tent is 10yrs old i still use it and my mom has one around 18ys from the previous mfg. 2 cons for ES I carry 6 stakes a good chunk of weight could be eliminated for alternatives, sitting up inside just not possible. pros = cheap to buy with great quality result, Ive rode out a many storms and bug net with no complications. Infact heavy morning dew is more feared then 2" hr down pour. another pro I see is the ES has 8' and Hubba has 7' floor and Its nice to sleep with backpack in the tent and plenty of room.

Im a Marmot sleep'n bag fan too I have 2 down bags with hood. I like down-fill but you have to get used to taking care of them. the synthetic will dry in 20-30mins that a down can take 90mins depending on the dryer.

Great info, gonna check all the suggestions out. Will def. look at the Marmot bags, seems several of you guys use them. I too prefer down, altough I understand if it gets wet on the trail it tough to dry out. I think Im more concerned with comfort/warmth and thinking down is more compressible.

[Old Hiker]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...st-Impressions

I also bought a Solo - still like the SoLong 6. In the muggy summer mornings of FL, it has some condensation, but not enugh to overcome the advantages (to me).

Broke down and bought the 8 ounce poles that LightHeart Gear sells - I use REAL manly-man wooden poles. (Sorry - I know it's a female forum, but I LIKE my SoLong 6). I'm afraid I'll break or bend the AL trekking poles with my 200 pounds.

Good luck.

[HikerMom58]

Love the MSR Hubba 1 P tent. It's worth the extra weight b/c of it being enclosed.....

[Moose2001]

Great info, gonna check all the suggestions out. Will def. look at the Marmot bags, seems several of you guys use them. I too prefer down, altough I understand if it gets wet on the trail it tough to dry out. I think Im more concerned with comfort/warmth and thinking down is more compressible.

Use a down bag. Keeping it dry is not hard to do. Store it in your stuff sack and then inside a garbage bag.

[LDog]

Will the tarp tents keep you dry , and enclosed? I like the security of an enclosed tent, at leadt I think I do anyhow, but since I'm new to this, I'll check them out. Best place to purchase? thanks for your advice

Most of the "tarp tents" these days are fully enclosed with full mosquito netting on the inside. Some have higher "bathtub" floors than others, but all will keep you dry and bug-free in all but the hardest driving rain.

Here's a shot of my LightHeart Gear Solo with the fly unzipped and pulled back to show the inner netting and bathtub floor (The pitch is tighter when it's zipped up ...):

614750_10151092277913534_1587465480_o.jpg

[Persie]

Most of the "tarp tents" these days are fully enclosed with full mosquito netting on the inside. Some have higher "bathtub" floors than others, but all will keep you dry and bug-free in all but the hardest driving rain.

Here's a shot of my LightHeart Gear Solo with the fly unzipped and pulled back to show the inner netting and bathtub floor (The pitch is tighter when it's zipped up ...):

614750_10151092277913534_1587465480_o.jpg

...so, if the tarp tent is pretty much enclosed, except in a downpur, the advantage of a tarp tent over conventional tent - weight? price?

[Persie]

Use a down bag. Keeping it dry is not hard to do. Store it in your stuff sack and then inside a garbage bag.

Good to know...so glad you all are here to help answer questions for we new folk. Thanks!

[Persie]

Love the MSR Hubba 1 P tent. It's worth the extra weight b/c of it being enclosed.....

So you have this tent? easy to set up?

[LDog]

...so, if the tarp tent is pretty much enclosed, except in a downpur, the advantage of a tarp tent over conventional tent - weight? price?

Weight and price. Weight being the driving concern for most long-distance backpackers. Most of these types of tents weigh half of what a Hubba weighs. Thats 25 ozs. Reduce the weight of everything you want to put in a pack, and you can go with a lighter pack. It's not hard to have a total pack weight of 18 lbs minus food and water if you accept some compromise to achieve that weight. Remember, you'll have that pack on your back for 8-10 hours a day, day after day. Go light early!

Note, I said "in all but the hardest, driving rain." Most of them can be pitched taut, with the fly close to the ground, making them nearly impervious to rain coming in sideways or bouncing off the ground. In a driving rain, big, heavy rain drops can mist thru the silnylon from which most of these tents are constructed. Looks like a fog inside. Some tent-makers use material with a higher hydrostatic head than others to reduce this effect. Honestly, it isn't all that bad anyway. In 15 weeks on the trail, I saw this happen once. The worst case I can imagine is being in driving rain for several days in a row, and having to take a day in town to dry out your sleeping bag.

If that's unacceptable, you can spend twice as much for cuben fiber versions of the same tents at even less weight, or strap on more weight and buy a traditional tent from Big Agnes, MSR, et. al.

[daniella]

I've also been debating 1 person tents vs. tarp tents. I think I'll be going with one of Henry Shires http://www.tarptent.com/. I've been looking at the Notch. 26 oz and you can put it up and down without getting the interior wet. Anybody have input in this? Thanks!

[Persie]

Weight and price. Weight being the driving concern for most long-distance backpackers. Most of these types of tents weigh half of what a Hubba weighs. Thats 25 ozs. Reduce the weight of everything you want to put in a pack, and you can go with a lighter pack. It's not hard to have a total pack weight of 18 lbs minus food and water if you accept some compromise to achieve that weight. Remember, you'll have that pack on your back for 8-10 hours a day, day after day. Go light early!

Note, I said "in all but the hardest, driving rain." Most of them can be pitched taut, with the fly close to the ground, making them nearly impervious to rain coming in sideways or bouncing off the ground. In a driving rain, big, heavy rain drops can mist thru the silnylon from which most of these tents are constructed. Looks like a fog inside. Some tent-makers use material with a higher hydrostatic head than others to reduce this effect. Honestly, it isn't all that bad anyway. In 15 weeks on the trail, I saw this happen once. The worst case I can imagine is being in driving rain for several days in a row, and having to take a day in town to dry out your sleeping bag.

If that's unacceptable, you can spend twice as much for cuben fiber versions of the same tents at even less weight, or strap on more weight and buy a traditional tent from Big Agnes, MSR, et. al.

Great info. I'm almost afraid to say what backpack I purchased in regards to wght. I have SO much to learn!

[LDog]

Great info. I'm almost afraid to say what backpack I purchased in regards to wght. I have SO much to learn!

Packs are tough to choose because often, heavier packs are heavier because of their suspension. That suspension often allows one to carry heavier loads comfortably. But it doesn't help with weight on the knees. The lighter packs with minimum frames are really only suitable for sub 30lb total pack weights. Getting there takes a lot of research, willingness to let stuff go, and ultimately, experience.

You can often return unused stuff you decide not to use, and there's always eBay and Craigslist ...

[HikerMom58]

So you have this tent? easy to set up?

Yes, I have this tent.. It is easy to set up. I like that fact that you don't have to stake it out. It's free standing... love that about this tent as well. I didn't realize that the tarp tents were enclosed 2. But, I still like all aspects of this tent. The weight is still good, 4 me. I just stuff it in the bottom of my pack. You are getting some great responses and advice here... it's a lot to think about!