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TIP: The online Bushwalk Inventory System can help bushwalkers with a variety of bushwalk planning tasks, including: Manage which items they take bushwalking so that they do not forget anything they might need, plan meals for their walks, and automatically compile food/fuel shopping lists (lists of consumables) required to make and cook the meals for each walk. It is particularly useful for planning for groups who share food or other items, but is also useful for individual walkers.Hubba Hubba NX - waterproof? and fly first pitch
Sat 02 Nov, 2019 6:24 pm
The HH NX is an excellent bushwalking tent in my opinion, but it is different in a number of ways to previous HH variants, and two of the differences in particular could be concerning for owners or prospective buyers.
First, MSR are no longer seam sealing the HH NX tent. Instead they say they are using precise stitching with water resistant thread, however they say that if you are going to use the tent in heavy rain that once off seam sealing may be required. Well, like any change there are always doubts. I haven't seam sealed the tent and it started raining this morning at about 7am so I pitched my HH NX to see how it went. It rained pretty steadily for about 6 hours and we've had over 25 mm of rain, then there was a break and we got a couple more hours of rain. I carefully opened one of the fly doors to check and there is not a drop of water inside the tent, so I won't be bothering to seam seal the seams. It looks like the precise stitching with water resistant thread does the job.
Second, the pole end grommets have been omitted from the new universal footprint meaning that the fly first pitch option is no longer possible - or is it? MSR really wants you to buy their fast and light option which is ostensibly a footprint with low walls but that's no use if you're out with your tent and want to pitch it in the rain. There is an easy fix that involves tying a small overhand loop knot in each of the universal footprint tie out guy lines at the end where it joins the footprint. The loop needs to be so small that pushing the pole end spigot through it is tight. You can then pitch the fly first, then from inside the fly clip the inner tent onto the poles and onto the pole end spigots.
First, MSR are no longer seam sealing the HH NX tent. Instead they say they are using precise stitching with water resistant thread, however they say that if you are going to use the tent in heavy rain that once off seam sealing may be required. Well, like any change there are always doubts. I haven't seam sealed the tent and it started raining this morning at about 7am so I pitched my HH NX to see how it went. It rained pretty steadily for about 6 hours and we've had over 25 mm of rain, then there was a break and we got a couple more hours of rain. I carefully opened one of the fly doors to check and there is not a drop of water inside the tent, so I won't be bothering to seam seal the seams. It looks like the precise stitching with water resistant thread does the job.
Second, the pole end grommets have been omitted from the new universal footprint meaning that the fly first pitch option is no longer possible - or is it? MSR really wants you to buy their fast and light option which is ostensibly a footprint with low walls but that's no use if you're out with your tent and want to pitch it in the rain. There is an easy fix that involves tying a small overhand loop knot in each of the universal footprint tie out guy lines at the end where it joins the footprint. The loop needs to be so small that pushing the pole end spigot through it is tight. You can then pitch the fly first, then from inside the fly clip the inner tent onto the poles and onto the pole end spigots.
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Re: Hubba Hubba NX - waterproof? and fly first pitch
Sat 02 Nov, 2019 9:47 pm
alanoutgear wrote:First, MSR are no longer seam sealing the HH NX tent. Instead they say they are using precise stitching with water resistant thread, however they say that if you are going to use the tent in heavy rain that once off seam sealing may be required.
Like I really want a tent that may leak because I know that it never rains heavily when I go walking! Or is it just because you are lazy and didn't seal the tent you got wet.
A decent, honest company would recommend seam sealing and possibly even provide some sealant.
Re: Hubba Hubba NX - waterproof? and fly first pitch
Sat 02 Nov, 2019 10:11 pm
I didn't just decide by myself not to seam seal the tent. I spoke to a technical person from where I purchased the tent and he told me that they had never had a complaint about the tent leaking when it rained and hadn't heard of anyone needing to add additional seam sealing. Moreover they hadn't sold any seam sealant to anyone who bought a HH NX either.
As I said in the OP, after a pretty full day of rain, with some of it quite heavy, there was not a drop of water inside the tent. Maybe improved materials and technology is actually better than sticky tape or glue to seal seams.
As I said in the OP, after a pretty full day of rain, with some of it quite heavy, there was not a drop of water inside the tent. Maybe improved materials and technology is actually better than sticky tape or glue to seal seams.
Re: Hubba Hubba NX - waterproof? and fly first pitch
Sun 03 Nov, 2019 7:15 am
Hilleberg don't seam seal their tents - they say their materials and stitching technique make it unnecessary. I've had my two (Nallo and Akto) in some truly vile weather and the seams have never leaked. It does work. Presumably MSR are now using similar materials and techniques.
Re: Hubba Hubba NX - waterproof? and fly first pitch
Sun 03 Nov, 2019 9:34 am
Likewise my Soulo has never leaked.
Vaguely recall reading that Hilleberg cool the needle on the machine as it's working.
A hot needle melts the material on contact making a bigger hole, or something like that.
Vaguely recall reading that Hilleberg cool the needle on the machine as it's working.
A hot needle melts the material on contact making a bigger hole, or something like that.
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