MSR Hubba Hubba LT Backpacking Tent Review
A Spacious, lightweight backpacking and camping tent
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is spacious and cozy enough that you may want to stay tucked into your sleeping bag and sip your coffee slowly. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
December 3rd, 2024
Home > Gear Reviews > Footwear
Our verdict
The Hubba Hubba LT is designed to be a super spacious and comfortable backpacking tent that maintains a reasonable weight and good features. After testing this tent camping and backpacking in Utah and Colorado, we think MSR has nailed their intention with this. The tent has a sturdy structure and full coverage rain fly to withstand bad weather, plus plenty of mesh and ventilation for when the clouds part.
The Hubba Hubba LT is the latest iteration of the popular and long-standing Hubba Hubba. For this particular model, MSR shaved weight in the tent overall, traded a primarily ripstop nylon tent body for one that’s mostly micro mesh, and increased the floor area. So this model is both lighter and more spacious than previous Hubba Hubba models.
2-person
3-person
No, this is not an ultralight tent, but it’s not meant to be. This is a great tent for folks who want space, comfort, sturdiness, and weatherproofing in a tent that’s small and light enough to carry deep into the backcountry.
But, while we think this is a light and spacious choice for a backpacking tent, it’s also a great option for folks who want a tent that does double duty. This tent is spacious and durable enough to serve as a lightweight car camping tent, too. So if those are features you’re looking for in a tent, the Hubba Hubba LT 3 is well worth your consideration.
We create reader-supported, mission-driven objective gear reviews that are independently selected by our editors. This story may contain affiliate links, which help fund our website. When you click on the links to purchase gear, we may get a commission — without costing you an extra cent. Thank you for supporting our work and mission of outdoor coverage for every body! Learn more.
Specs
Weight: packed weight: 4 lbs 13 oz; minimum weight: 4 lbs 6 oz
Floor area: 47 sq. ft
Vestibule area: 16 sq. ft
Peak height: 42 in.
Packed size: 20 x 5.5 in.
Best for
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is a spacious tent that maximizes on floor space with a true rectangular design. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is the ideal tent for the backpacking maximalist who loves comfort at camp. It’s not ultralight, but it’s light enough to bring into the backcountry, especially if the weight is split between a few packs. If you like a spacious, comfortable, sturdy, and feature-rich tent for backpacking, this is a great option.
We also think this tent is spacious enough to work well for folks who want one tent for multiple uses. The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is designed as a backpacking tent, but it’s a great option for a lightweight car camping tent too. If you’re looking for a tent that’s durable enough for car camping adventures but still light enough to take backpacking, consider the Hubba Hubba LT 3.
While the Hubba Hubba LT comes in a few different sizes, we tested the 3-person for this review. It’s spacious enough for three adults and while not a mansion, it definitely offers more room and comfort to fit three than many other comparable tents. It’s also a great option for two people who like extra space, or perhaps (like our testers for this story) have a child or dog who loves to snuggle in the tent.
Comparison table
| TENT | # of PEOPLE | WEIGHT | FLOOR AREA | VESTIBULE AREA | PEAK HEIGHT | PACKED SIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3 | 3-4 | 4 lbs. 13 oz. | 47 square feet | 8+8 square feet | 42 inches | 6.5 x 20 inches |
| MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2 | 2 | 3 lbs. 6 oz. | 32 square feet | 8+8 square feet | 40 inches | 5.5 x 20 inches |
| Mountain Hardwear Mineral King | 3 | 7 lbs. 1.2 oz. | 42.5 square feet | 18.75 sqaure feet | 48 inches | 7 x 25 inches |
| REI Co-op Half Dome SL 3+ | 3 | 5 lbs. 11.7 oz. | 48.75 square feet | 22.5 square feet | 44 inches | 7 x 23 inches |
| Marmot Superalloy 2-person | 2 | 2 lbs. 11.2 oz. | 28 square feet | 6.5 x 6.5 square feet | 39 inches | 6.2 x 21.7 inches |
How we tested
We tested the Hubba Hubba LT 3 on camping and backpacking trips around Colorado and Utah, including in the high alpine and the high desert. We encountered hot days and cold nights, a handful of summertime thunderstorms, and some sub-freezing temps, too. We tested from August to November, in both hot, midsummer conditions and chilly shoulder season weather. The tent impressed us on every trip with its combined comfort and stability.
We used the 3-person version of the tent for two adults, a baby, and an old dog. With all four it was a tight squeeze at times, but most other 3-person backpacking tents wouldn’t even come close to fitting all of us. We were impressed with the floorspace and livability of this tent in our testing.
The author tested this tent with her dog, who always joins on backpacking and camping adventures. Maxwell approves of the spacious comfort the Hubba Hubba LT 3 offers. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
What we liked
Truly rectangular floor is spacious, especially for a backpacking tent.
Great pockets and storage options inside the tent, including a cord at the top for hanging items like wet socks or a lightweight lantern.
Single pole design makes for easy setup.
Spacious enough to do double duty as a car camping family/group tent.
What could be better
Tent is not ultralight, so if weight savings is a top priority, this probably isn’t the tent for you.
Large footprint makes finding a perfectly flat tent site more challenging in the backcountry, depending on the terrain.
We prefer regular stuff sack bags for tent storage and the roll-top design of this one is trickier to pack, but this is a minor inconvenience.
Features
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 has lots of pocket space in the tent’s interior. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
Materials: 20D ripstop nylon with Durashield waterproof coatings
The nylon tent body material finds a nice balance between weight and durability. The floor is not as thin as many backpacking tents we’ve used, and is very durable when treated with care in the field and at home. It can’t take the same type of wear and rough use that the thick fabric of a heavy car camping tent can, but that’s not what it’s made for. We pitched the tent in the high alpine, on hard and rocky surfaces, as well as in high desert areas with spiky plants and cacti, and never had any durability concerns.
The 20-denier rain fly offers full coverage and has a hydrostatic head rating of 1,200mm. Even amidst surprise mountain thunderstorms there were no issues with rain getting inside. The LT's rain fly is a polyether urethane vs. the older version using a polyurethane rainfly.
Overall, we think this is a pretty tough backpacking tent with materials that hold up well in the backcountry.
We also like the ample amount of micro mesh on the top of the tent body. It adds ventilation and makes for excellent stargazing on clear nights.
Poles: DAC NFL poles
The aluminum DAC NFL poles used for this tent are a common industry standard with an excellent strength-to-weight ratio.
This tent and these poles are capable of withstanding pretty nasty weather. But it’s not just the strength of the pole material. The tent’s overall structure helps with this, too. The poles hook into all four corners of the tent with an additional small pole at the top to create more space at the top.
We had no durability issues or concerns with these poles or any of the parts when testing.
Ventilation: Dual StayDry doors with built-in rain gutters and vents
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 has lots of mesh in the tent body for great stargazing on clear nights. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
The full micro mesh design at the top of the tent body helps to make this tent super airy and well vented when needed. On a warm midsummer night with enough privacy, forgoing the rainfly altogether makes for lovely stargazing and loads of fresh air.
We also tested this tent closer to shoulder season in the high alpine and high desert, and even on clear nights kept the fly on for additional warmth. There are vents that prop open on either end of the rain fly that help to mitigate condensation, and thanks to this we did not encounter any condensation issues.
Setup: Fast and intuitive hub-and-pole system with color-coded clips
The rain fly on the Hubba Hubba LT 3 has metal clips that connect to the tent body when staked out, making for quick and easy setup. Photo by Stasia Stockwell
Setup for the Hubba Hubba LT 3 is about as intuitive as it gets. The tent has a symmetrical design, so you don’t have to think too hard about which pole goes at which end of the tent. And, the fact that the poles are all one unit makes pitching it even easier. The color coded clips help to avoid any possible confusion.
The rain fly uses a hook-and-loop system of metal clips that easily hook onto the corners of the tent body. This design also saves weight since there aren’t any bulky plastic clips, and because these are metal we think it adds to the overall durability, too.
Interior: Spacious with a symmetrical layout and large D-shaped doors
Maxwell is usually the first in the Hubba Hubba LT 3 tent each night. Thankfully there’s enough room in this tent for the humans to squeeze in too. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
The rectangular layout of the Hubba Hubba LT 3 is part of what makes this tent feel so spacious. Because it’s symmetrical, you don’t have to think as much about which direction to place the “head” of the tent when pitching it.
Dual doors and vestibules also add to the comfort and spaciousness of this tent, with plenty of room to stash gear and shoes under the rain fly on either side.
At 42 inches tall at its peak, the tent isn’t tall enough to stand in (that’s very rare for a tent light enough to take backpacking), but it’s far from causing feelings of claustrophobia. In testing we were comfortably able to sit up, get changed, and even change diapers and crawl around with the little one in the tent. The tent walls are fairly steep and vertical, which helps add to the comfort and usable space of the tent.
One fairly unique feature about this tent is the shape of the doors, which utilize two directional zippers that meet at a 90-degree angle, rather than curving around as one zipper unit like most common tent doors. We like this design. It’s easy to use and minimizes strain on the zippers, likely increasing long-term durability overall.
Weight: Lightweight yet durable, ideal for fast-and-light adventures
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is a lightweight backpacking tent. Weighing 4 pounds 13 ounces, it’s not exactly ultralight but we think it's a perfectly reasonable weight for groups and traditional backpackers, especially considering the amount of space and features you get. If you split this tent between three people as intended, the weight per person is not much more than what you’d have to carry for a single person ultralight tent. If you’re looking for the two-person version to save weight, the Hubba Hubba LT 2 weighs 3 pounds 6 ounces.
Overall, this tent does an excellent job of balancing space, features, and durability with weight.
Durability: Reinforced seams and bar tacks extend durability, withstanding frequent use in rugged terrain
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 has a sturdy structure and full coverage rain fly. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
MSR is known for making durable tents and gear, and that’s no different with the Hubba Hubba LT 3. This tent does shed weight compared to older Hubba Hubba models, and some of that weight comes out of the tent body materials. Even so, we had no durability concerns, and we used this tent sans footprint for the entirety of our testing.
As long as this tent is treated with care, we think it's built to last many seasons of use. It’s worth considering what’s on the ground where you’re pitching it and ensuring the tent is clean and dry when you store it, but that’s true of any backpacking tent.
Ease of use
There are overhead pockets and cord to hang and store items on the inside of the Hubba Hubba LT 3 tent. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
This tent is very intuitive to set up and easy to use overall. We like the 4-cornered structure and single pole design. Even for our first time setting it up, the tent pitched quickly without confusion. It helps that the tent has a symmetrical design.
The rain fly easily clasps onto hooks on the corners of the tent body and they stay secure no matter what the weather decides to do.
Packing up the tent is just about as easy as pitching it. If there’s one thing we don’t like as much, it’s the long, roll-top tent bag that it's stored in. While it is a cool looking design, we prefer the simplicity of a stuff sack style tent bag for storage. With the bag that comes with the Hubba Hubba LT, it takes a more careful folding to get it back inside.
Performance in the field
We tested the Hubba Hubba LT 3 in good and bad weather and it did well with both condensation and rain, thanks to the full coverage rain fly with vents on multiple sides. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is an excellent three-season tent when it comes to performance in the field. We tested the tent on trips in the high alpine where the wind was unpredictable and thunderstorms rolled in without much warning. The tent was sturdy and weatherproof through it all. This tent has a great structure to withstand wind and the full coverage rainfly stands up to just about any summer storm.
On the flip side, when the weather is what dreams are made of, the tent shines there, too. There is ample ventilation with the rainfly on and when it’s off you get a panoramic view of a starry night sky.
Sustainability
The zippers on the Hubba Hubba LT 3 tend doors do not curve, which we found to minimize zipper snags. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is a solid tent that’s well built with quality materials. We think most backpackers and campers will get several seasons out of a tent like this, which ultimately means buying less gear in the long run and keeping old gear out of the landfill.
Additionally, MSR offers a limited 3-year warranty as well as resources on their website for at-home repairs when needed, spare parts, and more to keep your tent in use for as long as possible.
MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3 vs. similar tents
Testing the Hubba Hubba LT 3 near Southern Utah in the fall. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
There are some similar tents that we also like for both backpacking and car camping, like the Mountain Hardwear Mineral King 3. Like the Hubba Hubba LT, the Mineral King also offers ample space and some good features while still being light enough to take backpacking. However, the Hubba Hubba LT 3 has decently more floor space, while the Mineral King has a slightly taller peak height. The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is also much lighter than the Mineral King. Sadly this tent is not widely available anymore.
Other tents in this category, like REI’s Half Dome SL 3+ tent, also fill that niche, but this model has also been discontinued for the time being. (Check out our Best Camping Tents guide to learn about other similar models.)
Ultimately, many of the tents out there marketed as lightweight 3-person backpacking tents are much heavier than the Hubba Hubba LT 3 , and don’t boast the same features. MSR is filling a nice spot in the market with this tent.
Should I buy the MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3?
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is a very spacious and comfortable backpacking tent. Photo by Stasia Stockwell.
If you want a spacious 3-person tent for comfortable backpacking and lightweight camping, this tent should be in your consideration. Especially if what you’re after is a tent with plenty of features, like great pockets, dual doors and vestibules, and the option to stargaze.
If you’re an aspiring thru-hiker or ultralight backpacker, there are lighter and smaller tents out there, like the ones in our backpacking tents guide or ultralight backpacking tents guides, that will be better suited to your needs. And on the flip side, if you’re never going to carry this tent into the backcountry on your back and will use it strictly for car camping, it will still work well as a lightweight option for that. But, you might find an option with even more space and headroom in our camping tents guide.
But if you often camp with a couple of friends, or bring your dog or kids along, this tent has the space you need while still being light enough for just about any group backpacking trip. This tent is a versatile option that will likely suit the needs of a lot of backpackers and campers all in one package.
2-person
3-person
Similar Tents
REI Co-op Half Dome SL 3+ Tent with Footprint
Weight: 5 lbs. 11.7 oz.
Floor Area: 48.75 square feet
Vestibule Area: 22.5 square feet
Peak Height: 44 inches
Packed Size: 7 x 23 inches
The Half Dome SL 3+ tent has a relatively similar shape and design to the Hubba Hubba LT 3. It is slightly larger—with about a square foot of additional floor space and a couple inches of extra height at the peak—but it’s also about a pound heavier. Unfortunately, this tent is being discontinued and will not be available much longer.
REI Co-op Half Dome SL 3+ Tent with Footprint
Weight: 2 lbs. 11.2 oz. (2-person)
Floor Area: 28 square feet (2-person)
Vestibule Area: 6.5 x 6.5 square feet (2-person)
Peak Height: 39 inches (2-person)
Packed Size: 6.2 x 21.7 inches (2-person)
Like the MSR Hubba Hubba LT, the Superalloy tent is available as a 2 and 3-person option. It’s a nice option for folks backpacking as a duo or a solo person who wants extra space. It is quite light while still having dual doors and vestibules.
Even the Superalloy 3 is significantly smaller than the Hubba Hubba LT3. However, the Superalloy is only semi-freestanding and uses a Y-shaped pole structure rather than the Hubba Hubba’s four-cornered structure. That means that this tent is lighter, but also a little less stable in the wind and a little trickier to set up.
Marmot Superalloy Tent
Weight: 3 lbs. 14 oz
Floor Area: 41 square feet
Vestibule Area: 9 + 9 square feet
Peak Height: 43 inches
Packed Size: 6 x 21 inches
The Copper Spur is one of Big Agnes’ most popular tents, and for good reason. It has a solid, spacious design that hits a reasonable weight for most backpackers without sacrificing durability. This tent shaves about a pound compared to the Hubba Hubba, but it is notably smaller. Unlike the Hubba Hubba, the Copper Spur does not have a true rectangular floor, making it less spacious overall. We think this tent is better suited to dedicated backpackers and most comfortable when used as a spacious two person tent.
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL Tent
About the author / Why you should trust us
The author and her favorite tentmate, her dog Maxwell, backpacking together in Colorado.
A true mountain dweller, Stasia feels far more at home on a high alpine ridge than on a busy city street. She’s worked as a backpacking guide in Southeast Alaska, has held a WFR cert, AIARE 1, AIARE 2, and Avalanche Rescue certifications, and is working to become an avalanche education instructor. She’s now a full-time freelance writer and editor working primarily in the outdoor recreation realm. Her bylines can be found in Backpacker, 5280, and REI’s Uncommon Path, among others, and she’s been testing and writing about gear for nearly a decade. She is also the managing editor of the new print zine, Trails Magazine.
Stasia has been backpacking for nearly 15 years and has pitched her tent in the Yukon, southeast Alaska, southern Utah, the Pacific Northwest, the High Sierra, Maui, the Wind River Range, and most often in the mountains in her backyard in Colorado. After a backpacking trip with lots of rain in a super budget tent that turned into a cold bathtub overnight, and now many years and nights spent in much better tents, she’s learned what makes a good tent and what makes a bad one.
You can see all of Stasia's Treeline Review stories on her author page and her other work on her website.
