New Light Gear: MSR Hubba Hubba Tent

I've needed a tent for three years now, always had shared with others, but figured I was done with that. I like having some personal space. As luck would have it, last fall I won MEC's TGV four-season tent. It's a great tent, but it wasn't quite what I needed: too heavy for backpacking, too warm as it's a four-season, and I prefer side vestibules vs. entering at one's head. We had a great sale in town with tents 20% off, so that had me looking. I figured I'll try selling it and it was gone within a day. Its home is now with an ice climber whose old tent finally gave in after 15 years.

After having researched tents for months, I was for a while set on the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 2. At a minimum weight of 960g it really can't be beat. The main thing that bothered me was that it wasn't free-standing. Now that I am debating going on standby for the West Coast Trail this year and doing it on my own, weight became an issue. But if I end up wet for a week, I also want some space. In the end I figured I will save two pounds elsewhere and went with the Hubba Hubba. Between selling the other tent and getting this one, I really wasn't spending much :-).

Some key factors that made me go for the latest version of the Hubba Hubba:

• Two side vestibules. These are plenty big for backpacks and hiking boots. It's also nice that each person would have their own entrance when you do share a tent.
• Lots of mesh. Need good circulation to prevent the condensation from messing with the down sleeping bag.
• Head room in this one seems to be 15cm more than advertised. It actually feels like a mansion.
• They updated the colour to green.
• Big inside pocket to keep the bear spray, watch, and other gadgets within easy reach at night.
• Inside loops for an interior guy system, just in case of fierce weather.

This weekend I'll be testing it out and am aiming for minimal gear to really see how cold I might get. Weather forecast is quite warm though.

So, realistically I could wing WCT and be fully self-proficient starting tomorrow and start at approximately 43 pounds. I'd like to get that down by 5 pounds ideally. High 30's reallyw ouldn't be bad for 7 days, considering that I've been pushing 40 pounds for a couple of nights previosuly. The only gear that I'd likely update is the stove and go for something like MSR's Micro Rocket (again, lighter), and adding a water filter to the mix. In the meantime, I have four overnight outings planned for the next month. Happy Trails!