Ah, fall. The single best season for camping. Fight me.

Seriously, though, I adore fall camping. The chill in the air makes the hiking more enjoyable, the cool/cold evenings make the campfires more sweet, the changing leaves make everything photogenic, and the relative lack of people makes it that much easier to “get away.”

Ironically, though, that last one isn’t quite true this year. In the Year of the Pandemic, quite a lot of y’all have decided to do a LOT more hiking and camping than normal. It makes sense; people are staying closer to home and getting outdoors – where it’s easier to socially isolate.

But there’s been such an unexpected rush on camping gear that there’s now a national shortage of camp fuel. Not sure if you’ve tried to find MSR’s ubiquitous red IsoPro fuel canisters lately, but they’re pretty much nowhere to be found. I found one store in ALL OF MARYLAND that had them in stock, and no, I won’t tell you where it was.

But I digress.

MSR’s Hubba NX lightweight solo tent

One of my personal hiking quests has been to hike all 184.5 miles of the C&O towpath along the Potomac River, which is part of C&O Canal National Historical Park. (I’m doing it in sections, and I’ve got 110 miles in the bag, thank you very much.)

Since the family isn’t particularly interested in joining me on my insane towpath quest, I decided I needed a new 1-person tent. I have an ancient Sierra Designs solo tent that is functional but… limited. It’s actually this one, and if you look at it, you’ll see what I mean. I’m not crazy about the design; you can’t even sit up inside of it.

Since I was such a fan of MSR’s Papa Hubba 4-person tent, I opted for the 1-person version of that same tent: the Hubba NX.

And I’m not sorry.

Papa Hubba 4-person vs Hubba 1-person

The Hubba NX clocks in a full pound lighter than my previous solo tent, and at only 2 lbs 7 oz, I almost didn’t notice it on my back. Which is good, because when you’re hiking by yourself, you have to carry everything – there’s no sharing the load. So every ounce counts.

Another outstanding benefit? It fit INSIDE my pack, along with my sleeping bag! Listen, I’m not taking a ginormous pack out for just a 2-day hike, so the fact that I can shove my sleeping bag AND my tent inside a manageable 35 L bag is beyond outstanding. No more unwieldy pack with stuff strapped to the outside!

Hubba NX with a 72″ Big Agnes sleeping pad inside for scale

Assembled, the freestanding Hubba NX has a cozy 18 square feet of floor space (85″ x 30″), which is really just enough for a sleeping pad and bag. But that’s all you need. Any more space would just be wasted on a solo trip, and wasted space = unnecessary weight. I’m 6 feet tall, and I don’t feel cramped at all.

Oh, and assembling the tent is super easy. It goes up with a single (branching) pole, which is crazy simple to do on your own.

I’ve been in this tent in temperatures down to the lower 40s (F), and I’ll admit, with mush surrounding you on all sides, it can get fairly drafty without the rainfly up. However, once you clip the (20D nylon) rainfly on, you can settle in for cozy night’s rest.

All that’s the good news. The not-so-good news? The Hubba NX retails for $379.95. That’s a lot of change for a 1-person tent, but keep in mind this is an extremely lightweight tent. Ultimately, you’re paying for the weight (or, rather, the lack thereof). By contrast, MSR’s slightly cheaper 1-person tent in the Zoic line is significantly heavier.

You’re also paying for the MSR name. And listen, I’m not normally a “name brand” kind of guy, but I’ve come to swear by MSR’s products. They’re extremely well made, rugged, durable, and will last you for years (so long as you treat them well).

So is there some sticker shock? Sure. But is it in the ballpark with other big-name (i.e., Big Agnes, Nemo) 1-person tents? Yes, it is. Is it the most expensive 1-person tent on the market? Not even close. But is it worth it? Every penny.