Two Tents

Over the past ten years I have owned two backpacking tents. I still have them both, but rarely use the one I initially purchased. That one my son uses far more often than I do.

The first one I bought when I returned to backpacking is a model that was sold through Dick's Sporting Goods stores. It's a two-man tent and is actually a knock-off of the high quality tent made by Big Agnes, the model they sell called "The Seedhouse". It's a very good design, front entrance, with lots of room for one person, but slightly cramped for two. It was great to start with, but I quickly found that I both wanted and needed a much lighter tent.

Big Agnes still makes The Seedhouse, but I no longer see the knockoff in the Dick's Sporting Goods stores. I keep this tent because sometimes I will use it car camping and my son likes it. Occasionally I will carry it on brief backpacking trips when I'm not worried about lugging the extra weight around and want the luxury of more room.

My Seedhouse knockoff (made by Quest) at Deep Gap in the Black Mountains of North Carolina.

Looking through the entrance (front opening). Plenty of room.

The lighter tent I finally settled on is the MSR Hubba. It's a one-person tent. It's just fine for me and has enough room to accommodate myself and most of my gear. It has an excellent rain fly, is well ventilated, and weighs in at just over two pounds. I've seen lighter tents...but what's the point? This one has served me well in trips all over the place, from the Piedmont of Georgia to the highest mountains in North Carolina to the San Juans of Colorado. It's a great tent.

At a campsite in the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

This was, I think, the first time I used the Hubba tent. At a campsite in Virginia on the Appalachian Trail.

Backpacking Weather

When I'm backpacking I often enjoy the weather, even when it's "bad". Too much rain can become a real drag, but most of the time any kind of weather is just part of the journey. I don't mind the tougher parts to enjoy the solitude that comes with the long walks through the wilderness.

Flash photo of my favorite backpacking tent (MSR Hubba). I suspected it would snow during the night, and it did.

I love waking up in the morning to fresh snow when I'm backpacking.

At another campsite (the night before the one above). First it was lightly raining after I'd got my tent set up. Then the temperature dropped and it began to sleet. Some minutes after that it became all snow. Then it warmed up, the clouds broke, and the sun was out.

Just a short stroll from my tent.

My Tent, the MSR Hubba.

A lot of people have commented on the brief photos of my backpacking tent. So here is some more detailed information about it.

It's produced by MSR and the model is called the Hubba. It's a one-person tent and is extremely light weight, coming in at just over two pounds. There's not much room inside, and it's not much more than a step above a bivy. It does have a nice vestibule where I often store my pack to keep it dry in case of rain.

I can highly recommend the MSR Hubba.

My MSR Hubba all set up. The white material underneath is a Tyvek ground sheet.

One of the views through my vestibule.

Good ol' Bob cozy inside the Hubba.

Looking toward my feet (in my down-filled sleeping bag).

Campsite as night falls.

Snow greets me the next morning. The Hubba stayed very dry inside during snow, rain, sleet. Almost no condensation.

All of that stuff outside the vestible had been inside during the night. My sleeping pad, pillow, sleeping bag liner, sleeping bag, water, camera bag, medicine bag, etc. That was the coldest night of the trip and the rainfly was covered in heavy frost.