MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3 Backpacking Tent Review
The MSR Hubba Hubba LT3 ($650) is a standout high-capacity design, with a spacious and versatile layout that can accommodate three adults or a family of four. Its weight is perfectly reasonable at under 5 pounds, and MSR nailed the details with tons of interior storage, high-quality materials throughout, an easy setup, and a user-friendly, side-loading stuff sack. The tent’s only real drawbacks are a hefty price tag and thin fabrics that require care. But for backpackers who get out a lot and will value the space, the Hubba Hubba LT3 is a class leader.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Design Type
Freestanding
Packaged weight
4 lb. 13 oz.
Floor Area
47 sq. ft
Floor dimensions
90 x 75 in.
Peak height
42 in.
Floor Fabric
20D nylon
Capacities
1, 2, 3P
Pros
Cons
MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3
For this season's top models, see our guide to the Best Backpacking Tents.
Livability is the obvious highlight of the MSR Hubba Hubba LT3’s design. And no, I’m not just saying that because I’m used to the smaller confines of a two-person backpacking tent. The Hubba Hubba’s layout is unique given its weight: Its floor is symmetrical (unlike the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3, which tapers at the foot end) and laid out in an extremely spacious rectangle measuring 90 inches long by 75 inches wide. Those dimensions amount to 47 square feet of floor area—much roomier than the Copper Spur’s 43 square feet or the Nemo Dagger Osmo 3P’s 42.8.
The MSR Hubba Hubba LT’s size allows you to choose between two sleeping options: You can arrange sleepers in the standard, lengthwise setup, with the doors at your sides, which results in a spacious three-person capacity with plenty of room at the head or foot to store jackets or small items. (I found that in this arrangement you can comfortably fit two 25-inch-wide wide/long pads and one standard 20-inch pad, or three long/wide pads if you don’t mind brushing the walls.) The trick up the Hubba Hubba’s sleeve, though, is that it also easily fits four sleepers if you place everybody vertically. This layout is most ideal with a family, as I found out on an early fall trip in Washington’s Alpine Lakes Wilderness with my wife and two daughters: We were able to set four regular-width sleeping pads in a row without issue.
In addition to its palatial floorplan, the Hubba Hubba’s walls are nearly vertical thanks to a design that places one pole hub at each end of the tent, creating a large half-moon shape. This layout gives enough headroom for the four-person arrangement and creates a peak height that I measured at 46 inches (taller than the 42 in. MSR lists) while maintaining headroom throughout. The openness of the interior is very much reminiscent of a shrunken-down car camping tent. During my family’s Alpine Lakes trip, we sat inside playing cards and reading without issue. The Hubba Hubba presents a truly impressive lightweight setup for three folks (or two folks and a dog) who want a ton of space, or plenty of room for families of four.
Compared to the three-person behemoths of my childhood, the Hubba Hubba is almost comically light and packable. MSR lists its all-in weight at 4 pounds 13 ounces (I measured mine at 4 lb. 10.9 oz.), which is impressive for a shelter that can house four people. We consider a backpacking tent pretty light if it weighs less than two pounds per sleeper, and by that metric, the Hubba Hubba LT—especially in its four-person configuration—is a super-light model if you’re looking to head into the woods with a crew.
Now, the Hubba Hubba isn’t the lightest tent in its class. The 3-person version of Nemo’s Dragonfly weighs 4 pounds 7 ounces, while the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 slides below the 4-pound barrier at 3 pounds 13 ounces. Both of those models are far smaller than the Hubba Hubba, though, and can’t fit four people (tapered floor plans and less-vertical walls than the Hubba Hubba make it nearly impossible). Even heavier models, such as the Marmot Tungsten 3P (7 lb. 1.2 oz.) and REI Half Dome 3 (6 lb. 13.7 oz.) can’t match the Hubba Hubba’s square footage; this tent is truly a unicorn in terms of its space-to-weight ratio. (Note: There are pyramid-style ultralight shelters that are larger and lighter, but they require trekking poles, unlike the freestanding Hubba Hubba LT.)
Finally, and although it’s a relatively small thing, I really appreciate the Hubba Hubba’s side-loading stuff sack. It’s a nice change from the tubelike stuff sacks that come with most tents, and it makes packing up the Hubba Hubba much easier. (You simply roll it into the stuff sack and then secure it via two compression straps.) The tent measures 20 inches by 6.5 inches when packed—you can compress it further if you really want to—and I had no issues fitting the packed tent into my kid-camping-ready Gregory Baltoro 75.
While I haven’t taken the tent out in properly howling weather just yet—just some steady nighttime rain—the MSR Hubba Hubba LT has the right ingredients for solid performance in standard three-season conditions. Its full-coverage rain fly is seam-taped, and it has a raised bathtub-style floor to guard against splashes. Both the floor and fly are made from PU-coated nylon, and the fly adds a silicone component for extra waterproofing oomph.
During the rain that I experienced while sleeping in the Hubba Hubba, the fly shed light moisture, and even after multiple hours of drizzle, it didn’t sag into the mesh canopy below. This tent’s 20-denier nylon can’t match the stiffness of Dyneema (or even Nemo’s hybrid poly/nylon OSMO fabric), but its waterproofing has proven reliable in testing so far. And with its three hubs, quality DAC aluminum poles, and fully freestanding setup, the Hubba Hubba’s structure itself is solid.
My main concern with this tent is associated with its sheer size. Large, vertical walls are great for interior space, but make the Hubba Hubba vulnerable to strong winds. If heavy gusts are in the forecast, it’s best to find a well-protected spot. With the right site selection and a few well-placed guylines, though, the Hubba Hubba should get you through most normal three-season storms.
The build quality of this backpacking tent matches its premium price. The Hubba Hubba’s 20-denier nylon fly and floor are undeniably on the thin side (the canopy is 20D nylon and 20D polyester mesh) and require the type of care typical of a lightweight tent, such as the Big Agnes Copper Spur. If you’re camping on rock or around roots, there’s a definite chance for abrasion and tearing if you’re not mindful.
The rest of this tent’s build is impressively tough, though: You get metal hardware for the tent pole attachments at the corners and above the doors, the DAC Featherlite NSL poles are proven performers, all zippers operate smoothly, and the pole hubs on either end are metal (plastic is far more prone to cracking). MSR also makes some of our favorite stakes, so I was happy to see that the Hubba Hubba comes with eight of the company’s Mini-Groundhogs.
For a tent this large, the Hubba Hubba sets up fast. I found the process similar to most traditional pole-supported backpacking tents: Stake the corners, connect the poles, and clip it all together. The Hubba Hubba’s poles are a one-piece design that features three hubs: two metal hubs at the ends and a plastic hub at the center for the ridge pole. The rectangular floor means there are no questions about which way the poles go—always appreciated when you’re making camp after a long day or with other things on your mind—and the rain fly also connects quickly (just make sure to attach the fly to the center ridge pole first).
Set-up-wise, the Hubba Hubba’s one-piece pole is both a positive—it takes any guesswork away from the process, and you’re less likely to lose a smaller, separate ridge pole—and a small negative. Because of the tent's size, connecting the poles together makes it huge and a bit ungainly (in some ways, reminiscent of a camping tent). In a tighter campsite, you could smack into low-hanging branches.
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Longevity
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PFAS-Free DWR
Durable water-repellent (DWR) finishes can contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These highly persistent “forever chemicals” are used in outdoor gear for their strong resistance to water, oil, and heat, but are linked to environmental contamination and a range of health concerns. A green check mark indicates the product uses a PFAS-free DWR, while a red X means the DWR contains PFAS.
Recycled Materials
Recycled materials are prevalent in outdoor gear, with nylon, polyester, wool, and down among the most common, but the composition varies widely. A green check mark indicates the product is made with a substantial amount of recycled materials (100% recycled or the core fabric that makes up most of the product is recycled), a yellow check means it contains a moderate to small amount of recycled materials, while a red X means there are no recycled materials in the product.
Bluesign Approved
Bluesign Technologies, based in Switzerland, operates a third-party textile management system that ensures materials are manufactured to strict environmental, chemical, and worker safety standards. A green check mark indicates a product is either a Bluesign Product (contains at least 90% Bluesign-approved fabrics and 20-30% Bluesign-approved accessories) or features a significant amount of Bluesign-approved materials. A yellow check mark means it uses some Bluesign-approved materials but less than the aforementioned category, and a red X means there are no Bluesign-approved materials in the product.
Solution-Dyed Materials
Solution dyeing adds pigment to synthetic fibers during production rather than afterward, reducing water use, energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and chemical waste, while also creating fabrics that resist fading better over time. A green check mark indicates a product features a substantial amount of solution-dyed materials, a yellow check mark indicates moderate or limited use of solution-dyed fabrics, and a red X indicates there are no solution-dyed materials in the product.
Responsible Manufacturing
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Recycled and/or Reduced Packaging
Packaging can add significant waste to outdoor gear purchases, so many brands work to reduce its impact by using recycled materials, incorporating Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper products, and minimizing plastic and paper use. A green check mark indicates a brand uses recycled or reduced materials across all of its packaging, a yellow check indicates moderate or limited use of recycled or reduced packaging, and a red X indicates the brand does not make either of these efforts.
Repair Services
Repair services extend the lifespan of outdoor gear and reduce overall consumption, though programs vary widely. Some brands offer comprehensive repairs for a range of issues, while others provide limited or no repair support. A green check mark indicates a robust repair program, a yellow check mark indicates limited repair services, and a red X indicates the brand does not offer repair services.
Resale and/or Recycling Services
Resale and recycling programs help keep outdoor gear in circulation longer and out of landfills, ranging from trade-in resale platforms that offer store credit to take-back initiatives that recycle products at the end of their usable life. A green check mark indicates a brand offers both resale and recycling programs, a yellow check mark indicates it offers one or the two, and a red X indicates it offers neither.
Carbon Footprint Tracking
This criterion evaluates whether a brand measures, reports, and works to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions using established frameworks such as the Higg Index, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, or The Change Climate Project. A green check mark indicates a brand publicly reports greenhouse gas emissions data, sets clearly defined reduction targets, and uses established tracking frameworks such as Higg or The Change Climate Project. A yellow check mark indicates the brand tracks emissions and outlines reduction goals but provides limited data, lacks science-based verification, or does not clearly report progress. A red X indicates the brand does not appear to track greenhouse gas emissions or provides so little information that its efforts cannot be verified.
Annual Impact Report
Annual impact reports provide transparency and accountability by outlining a brand’s sustainability efforts across areas such as material sourcing, greenhouse gas emissions, waste, water use, supply chains, and packaging. A green check mark indicates a brand publishes a detailed, brand-specific impact report that closely aligns with our sustainability criteria and leaves little room for ambiguity. A yellow check indicates a brand provides some relevant sustainability reporting but lacks detail in key areas or is covered only briefly within a parent company report. A red X indicates a brand does not regularly publish an impact report.
This is a notable shift in the LT model from MSR’s outgoing Hubba Hubba. Whereas the original Hubba Hubba had large sections of solid fabric on the tent body, the LT trades that design for more mesh, which now covers the upper half of the tent, including the top of the canopy. Combine that with good spacing between the rain fly and tent body, and vents you can open at either end of the fly, and you have a well-ventilating setup. Even with my family of four in there and a pretty chilly evening with temps in the low 40s, there was only minimal moisture build-up by morning.
Interior Storage
The Hubba Hubba’s storage options are practical and nicely tuned for families or groups. There are large mesh pockets that stretch nearly the entire width of the tent at both the head and foot ends (they measure over 50 in. long!). We lined them with items we needed close at hand for our fall trip—gloves, hats, and headlamps. It’s helpful that the compartments are mesh, so you can easily see what’s inside.
Additionally, two triangular-shaped pockets are built into the canopy's ceiling. They’re set close to each door, making them perfect for items you want easy access to, such as a headlamp. And a final nice touch is that a clothesline is strung along the roof of the tent for hanging wet items you’d like to dry. It’s thin, so you can’t weigh it down too much, but it’s great for socks, gloves, or microfiber towels.
Vestibules
The MSR Hubba Hubba LT has a standard two-door/two-vestibule layout. The 16-square-foot listed number (8 sq. ft. per vestibule) puts it in line with most backpacking tents; the Copper Spur UL3 offers 18 square feet of vestibule space, and the Nemo Dragonfly has 17.2 square feet. Staked out, there was just enough room to fit two 65-liter backpacks into one of the vestibules (we set it up that way on the family trip, so we only used one door for entry/exit). It’s not exceptionally large and it could get tricky with three large backpacks in the vestibules, but the space should be manageable for most hikers.
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 ($650): Sacrifice Space for Ounces
As we’ve said, the Hubba Hubba LT3 is plenty light, especially when you pack four people into it. But for pure baseweight supremacy in a three-person freestanding tent, the Copper Spur UL3 is the model to beat. Weighing only 3 pounds 13 ounces, it’s lighter than many two-person backpacking shelters—in fact, we’d happily recommend it as an uber-spacious option for two hikers. When filled with three sleepers, the Copper Spur is definitely less roomy than the Hubba Hubba; its floor tapers from 70 inches wide at the head to 62 at the foot, and its canopy dips down at the foot end as well. We’re not saying this tent has a sardine-can feel, but it’s less versatile than the Hubba Hubba. The Copper Spur family is one of our favorite tent lines on the market, though, so you know you’ll be getting a high-performing shelter that’s great for cutting weight. For more, read our review of the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 XL.
Nemo Dagger Osmo 3P ($650): True 3P Design
Nemo's long-standing Dagger shares a lot in common with the Hubba Hubba LT: enough space for three adults to sleep, good balance of durability, weight, and packability, and high-quality materials throughout. The Dagger has a slight edge in weight (by about 6 oz.), but can’t match the family-friendly four-person layout you get with the Hubba Hubba (same goes for its storage, which is good but not as great as the Hubba Hubba). In deciding between the two, we’d base it on whether you need the 4-person option. To learn more, check out our Dagger Osmo 2P review.
The Hubba Hubba LT 3 is our favorite high-capacity design, with a versatile layout that’s roomy for three and workable for a family of four. The tent is airy and features standout interior storage, but the thin fabrics and high price tag make it best for committed backpackers.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Our favorite do-it-all backpacking tent, the Copper Spur offers exceptional livability and weatherproofing for a minimal weight and packed size. Yes, its price is hard to swallow, but this tent won’t let you down.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
The Nemo Dagger is made for hikers who want to max out backcountry comfort. The tent doesn’t levy too harsh of a weight tax, considering the room it provides, and it’s a well-constructed model. Its high price tag would fit better on a lighter design, though.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Is the Hubba Hubba LT 3 for You?
If you want to have your cake and eat it too—well, gear-wise at least—the MSR Hubba Hubba LT 3 is a backpacking tent that has few compromises. It’s light enough for going far afield (assuming you’re dividing up group gear) and offers so much room that, as we’ve noted, it even works well as a four-person shelter. Its only real drawback may be its price, but if you’re willing to spend the money we pretty much guarantee everybody in your party will be thankful.
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