MSR Tents - Opinions, Owners, Tent Geeks & Ideas

[Heltor Chasca]

Just Back from a 2 week mini tour around the NL. I made the stupid mistake of looking at, getting into and drooling all over a MSR tent. Now I am plagued by dreams of the MSR Hubba Touring 2.

https://www.msrgear.com/tents

Depending on all the vagaries of a trip (weather, region, duration etc) and who is with me (kids, friends or solo) I currently use (in order of minimalism or size)

A bivi bag,

A cheap Eureka solo tent, (light (1.7kg), but sleeping room only, cooking impossible in rain)

A cheap, but heavy 2 man OEX tent (3.65kg), (sleeping area and small cooking area) This tent is used the least. Once in fact.

A cheap, but VERY heavy 3 man OEX tent (4.7kg) which I mainly use as a two man tent. My oldest sleeps in her own tent (Occasionally condensation on damp, still nights, great communal area for gear and when my oldest daughter joins me and youngest in bad weather, good for cooking in rain) in great nick still.

The Hubba Touring 2 does what my 3 man tent does for two people and would be a palatial solo tent on longer tours. The weight is more than acceptable (2.75kg) even if riding on my own.

I do a lot of camping throughout the year and really look after my kit so any purchase would be an investment. I can’t imagine I would get a huge amount of money if I sold my current 2 and 3 man tents. Maybe lucky to get near £100 each, so it may be best to keep for kids/festivals etc. or start listings on eBay at £49.99. With the high cost of the MSR tents I would want to at least try and sell these towards the cost and I am not a hoarder. I would keep my cheap solo tent. Those are my thoughts.

Now for yours:

What are your thoughts on the MSR range and in particular the new Touring range? It would be great to hear from any MSR owners.

 

[Randomnerd]

An MSR Hubba HP failed on me a couple of years ago, albeit in severe conditions, so I've always steered clear. For cycling solo I havent been able to beat Helsport, with the Ringstind Superlight - less than a kilo and will fit two at a pinch. Very comfy but not four season. Two man we use a Vaude Power Lizard, and it has plenty of space for gear. Helsport customer service is pretty good too. MSR argued the toss with me on refund for a good while....

 

[froze]

I think MSR is overpriced for what you get. If your going to spend that kind of money you would better off getting a Zpack tent, its made of a tougher material than any other tent on the market and weighs less than 1/2 of the what the MSR weighs; see: http://www.zpacks.com/shelters.shtml These are designed to last an entire cross country backpacking hiking trip that would take a year to complete, no other fabric that I've heard of can do that.

Personally since I don't plan on spending a full year in a tent so I went with a lower costing tent called the Alps Mountaineering Mystique 1.5. While this tent is a bit heavier than the MSR you're looking at but it is a slightly larger tent so I can put my panniers inside the tent and have room for me. Supposedly the Mystique is rated 4 seasons but I won't be needing it for snow. It is double walled so condensation is a bare minimum issue. Touring on a bike with the tent the weight hasn't been a big issue, would I like to have only a 15 or so ounce tent? of course, but I can't justify spending $600 to get that, and since it's on a bike and not on my back then I'm good with it. The Mystique does come in a one person size but that only saves you I think 5 or 6 ounces. Anyway this tent is only $105 on Amazon which I could buy 6 of those for the cost of the MSR or ZPack tent.

Of course the weights I quoted does not include the ground cloth.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Reason number 41 why the knowledge on this forum is invaluable. Thanks so far.

I must be serious: Both my 2 and 3 man tents are listed on eBay now. And of course I have ‘forgotten’ to mention this to the kids.

 

[EatSleepRideRepeat]

I have a Vaude Power lizard, at 1kg, hardly notice it, but it's a very tight squeeze for two, it has been done, including paniers etc all under cover in bad weather. Build feels fragile, but has stood up to over 2 years use. Fiddly to put up right, and suffering from bad condensation, and the 'all in one' method of erecting the thing means that in the morning, the whole affair is soaking wet, and packed up as a soggy mass. Only alternative is to remove the inner, and pack them separately. I 'resorted' to a Hubba Hubba early this year. almost double the Vaude weight, but the living space is brilliant. two people with room to swing a cat, two doors with masses of storage, and room to cook under cover without taking silly risks. Inner first build means a risk of a soaking if it's raining, but it goes up very quick, and the condensation problem is very low as the fly has plenty of air flowing under and through without being unduly draughty. Not a 4 season, but build quality is high, I expect it to last well, it doesn't leak at all, and is reassuringly stable is a gusty blow. The 'footprint' is a swindle, but something should be used, the floor material is very thin. Think you can tell I'm pretty pleased with the choice, not the Touring range, but maybe an indication of build quality and design features.

 

[Blue Hills]

The 'footprint' is a swindle, but something should be used, the floor material is very thin. .

If it's anything like the size of my Robens Lodge 2, one of those blue tarp things from B&Q for around a fiver will be fine.

 

[Crankarm]

I have a few MSR tents. They are good. The design is the best on the market imho. However there are a few alarming videos on YT on the new Hubba Tour 2 range namely they leak and leak badly. I don't see any advantage of the Tour series over the already excellent Hubba and Hubba Hubba ranges for cycle touring and back packing. As a fan of MSR tents I would avoid the the Tour series. Also the pole system is on the outside and you don't have the flexibility of pitching that you do with the other ranges as I think you pitch all in one. The ventilation doesn't appear to be all that good either so condensation issues.

The Hubba NX (1 person) is great for cycle touring if you want minimum weight and low tent packed bag volume. The Hubba Hubba NX (2 person) gives you loads of space as a singular cycle tourist with two doors and porches, one on each side, lots of room to spread out and very good head room in all tents owing to the pole pattern. Putting them up and taking them down is a breeze. For the person up thread who says you get the inner wet if raining as it is pitch inner first is just plain WRONG and talking bollox. If it were chucking it with rain which has never actually happened to me yet, then you would pitch the outer fly first with footprint then get inside and pitch the inner, but you need the footprint to do this. Unfortunately the NX tents do not come with footprints which IS VERY TIGHT OF MSR considering they are their top models of tent and are not cheap. The Hubba range have Nylon outer fly sheets which are lighter than other fabrics and I think 30 denier. They are 2-3 season tents. Many RTW cyclists have used MSR Hubba Hubbas HPs (older versions) and NXs and not had problems. Check CGOAB.com

If you want a more robust and CHEAPER MSR tent then try their Elixir range. Basically they are cheaper than the NX range as they use MSR own branded poles as opposed to DAC featherlite poles of the NX series, a polyester outer fly meaning it's a bit heavier and maybe more robust than the Nylon fly of the NX series, plus the porches are 30% larger than the NX series so more space to store all your gear. I would say the MSR Elixir tents are definitely 3 season tents could even go four season if the winter is not too cold and you have good sleeping mattresses and bags as the inner is quite well ventilated for warmer weather but you have the polyester based fly sheet which may retain more warmth. Also MSR with the Elixir range INCLUDE the footprint so you do not have to pay extra to get it, but inevitably quoted weights for the tents will be heavier than the NX series as this includes the footprint whereas the NX series appear lighter as no footprint included. The Elixir pole set up is probably stronger as you have two long poles that cross over the length of the tent with a cross brow pole whereas the NX series (1P and 2P) have a single spine pole with cross brow pole. With the 2P MSR tents you can definatily get two people in them and you are not like sardines. If you want more space as usual go for a 3P such as the Elixir 3 but you would need 2P for this to share the weight imho.

Previously I used and still have a Vaude Taurus Ultralight which was good but not really self supporting like the MSR tents. The porch is too small and you simply don't have the flexibility of pitching i.e. on a warm dry night pitching inner only and sleeping under the stars with MSR tents.

With MSR tents as they are self supporting if you have pitched it in the wrong place i.e. on top of a rock or root and need to move it all you do is take the corner pegs out and the porch pegs if you have put these in, lift it up and move it. Most still nights you don't even need to peg it out just the porches. OK you could and probably should peg the corners but you could get away without if you wanted to save 1 minute in pitching time. How easy is that! If quite windy then you can use the guys to robustly secure the tent.

Also I have a Vango Mirage 200 which is a cracking little tent if a bit heavy. It is a semi-geodesic tent meaning it is pretty strong in very windy and wet weather. Nowhere near as roomy as my MSR tents though as it has sloping sides. Two people would be cramped. It does have alloy poles though not crappy fibreglass poles.

In summary my choice is the Elixir range of MSR tents.

Hope this helps.

 

[flake99please]

I have owned an MSR Sentinel (4+ season) for over 15 years. My only issue has been condensation in the summer months (can be alleviated by removing outer fly). If I were to replace with a 2-3 season model, the first (and possibly only brand I would look at) would be another MSR.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Wow! Great replies. Thanks especially to @Crankarm . The interest in my two tents on eBay is good so I’m sure I’ll get a good contribution towards a purchase.

The 3 tents in my shortlist are currently the a Elixir, NX and Tour. I may scrap the Elixir purely because it is very heavy but the price is very attractive. The Tour is the most attractive because of the massive vestibule which has been useful on other tents when kids are in tow. However the price is high and the ‘Garry McGovern’ reviews on YouTube are very frightening due to leakage. I wonder how his 4th tent fared. Yes fourth! I may leave a comment and find out.The NX has almost everything in it’s favour except the vestibule area. If it was just me, I would snap it up.

I’m in no rush and I need eBay to sponsor this, so I’ll keep ferreting about. Thanks for the input so far.

 

[Crankarm]

Wow! Great replies. Thanks especially to @Crankarm . The interest in my two tents on eBay is good so I’m sure I’ll get a good contribution towards a purchase.

The 3 tents in my shortlist are currently the a Elixir, NX and Tour. I may scrap the Elixir purely because it is very heavy but the price is very attractive. The Tour is the most attractive because of the massive vestibule which has been useful on other tents when kids are in tow. However the price is high and the ‘Garry McGovern’ reviews on YouTube are very frightening due to leakage. I wonder how his 4th tent fared. Yes fourth! I may leave a comment and find out.The NX has almost everything in it’s favour except the vestibule area. If it was just me, I would snap it up.

I’m in no rush and I need eBay to sponsor this, so I’ll keep ferreting about. Thanks for the input so far.

Depending on which Elixir you are looking at, it is heavier but don't forget the quoted weight will include the footprint which you would have to add to any of the NX tents as they are not supplied with footprints so you need to compare like with like. The Elixir is marginally heavier than it's more expensive NX brother, but I feel it would be a more durable and robust tent and worth it as it is quite a bit cheaper.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Thanks @Crankarm .

With the extra footprint the total weights come in at 2.8kg vs 1.9kg which for bike touring may not bother some. But it might for hiking/backpacking. Interestingly, there is a little more vestibule space with the Elixir.

The best prices show a difference of just under £160 for that 900g. That’s worth considering.

I have pretty much ruled out the Tour 2 as that review on YouTube scared me right off. An email from the MSR confirmed there was a problem with those tents although made in the same factory as the NX, so I’m staying well clear until things improve.

In the meantime the tents I am selling are gathering a fair amount of interest.

 

[Crankarm]

Thanks @Crankarm .

With the extra footprint the total weights come in at 2.8kg vs 1.9kg which for bike touring may not bother some. But it might for hiking/backpacking. Interestingly, there is a little more vestibule space with the Elixir.

The best prices show a difference of just under £160 for that 900g. That’s worth considering.

I have pretty much ruled out the Tour 2 as that review on YouTube scared me right off. An email from the MSR confirmed there was a problem with those tents although made in the same factory as the NX, so I’m staying well clear until things improve.

In the meantime the tents I am selling are gathering a fair amount of interest.

My Hubba Hubba with FP weighs in at 2.2kg and Elixir 2 at 2.6kg. The Elixir porches are 30% bigger and as I already said the polyester fly is heavier and also more pole weight. For me the extra weight is worth it when you consider it its so much cheaper. I don't take my Elixir 2 with me back packing. I use my Hubba NX instead. Yes I was shocked by the poor performance of the Tour series tents in Gary's YT videos. They leaked like a sieve. Plus I don't like how the tents pitch anyway. The Hubba and Elixir range are far better imho.

 

[dnrc]

i have the hubba nx

it's light, easy to set up etc and good for headroom (previously had a terra nova laser comp 1 which at 6' felt like a coffin to sleep in) I've been out in some proper rain and been kept dry in it.

i just wish the pole lengths were shorter so it would pack up smaller (for bikepacking style setup)

i'm going to take a good look at the big agnes bikepacking tents when they are available

apart from that though i have nothing negative to say about my MSR

 

[Blue Hills]

If it's anything like the size of my Robens Lodge 2, one of those blue tarp things from B&Q for around a fiver will be fine.

or green here:

https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/camping/tents/ground-sheets/ground-sheet-6x4-p2732.aspx/green/

various sizes available.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Thanks for all the input everyone.

My 2 tents sold well. Better than I thought so I pressed the button and went for a MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 with a free footprint. I also splashed out on a gear loft which I had on an old tent. Invaluable. We’ll try it out on Friday and Saturday. Due to rain all day on Saturday which is what I want so I can test for waterproofing issues if any. Cross fingers.