I received my HH NX today
I'm really disappointed in the HH NX. I'm going to send it back. Two main reasons:
The tent is saggy without the stakes. Unlike the solo version which was tight as a drum, the lengthwise span on this is sloppy and loose. The poles don't hold it taught in the long direction.
I have always staked out the corners of the HH, even if that meant tying off the rocks or ect when the ground was unstakable. We have (and have had) dozens of different tents, and I’ve never really considered any of them freestanding. Even the ones that supposedly were freestanding performed better with at least a couple of corner stakes or fly guy lines
In many of the areas I paddle wind is a near constant and airborne tents are a distinct possibility. I really don’t want to come back to camp and find my tent and contents upside down in some marsh channel 100 yards away.
I will put something weighty inside the tent if I’m away from camp in windy conditions, but unexpected things happen, and I’d prefer to have the tent body and fly solidly staked or tied down whenever possible.
The footprint sucks. Again, unlike the solo version, it doesn't fit properly. The decal says specifically for this tent but it also fits another... I suspect there may have been some compromise there. On the corners it goes out too far and the fly does not cover it so I'm sure it will collect water there. What a terrible mistake. I've had that happen before from an ill-fitting ground cloth and I'll never make that mistake again.
That does suck. The footprint for the first gen HH is near perfect, with scalloped ) ( edges that don’t protrude and webbing straps on the inset corners. If the footprint with the HH NX was a one-size-fits-several compromise it was a terrible idea, especially considering the ridiculous cost of the footprint.
I’m hoping the (well designed) footprint from the first gen HH fits the next model. I’ll know when it arrives.
The other thing is, it is definitely directional. It's also not as obvious which way the fly goes unless you look at the color codes. The solo tent was a no brainer.
I hope that is not the case with the second gen HH. Again, I’ll know when it arrives. If it is color coded I will mark the corner orientations in some manner more easily recognizable by color blind me. Even so I’d rather have symmetrical everything, if only to prevent flapping out the tent atop the footprint or the fly atop the tent and discovering that I’m holding the wrong end.
Maybe this one is defective (it is dirty so it looks like it has been used and returned.
Unless you bought it as a factory second returned and repaired that is beyond unacceptable.
There is one BA tent that kind of meets my requirements but it seems to have a chintzier pole system that I don't like. The stakes it comes with aren't as good but I could always buy the nice ones separate:
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/jackrabbitsl1
This is very similar in layout to the Hubba NX, but a tad bit roomier in the shoulder/head area (which I like).
We have a Big Agnes clone of the Hubba Hubba in the family four pack of gear. The Copper Spur UL 2, bought several years ago, again as a last year’s discontinued model
https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/copperspurul2
It is nearly identical to the Hubba Hubba in shape, size and design thoughtfulness, down to the spidered pole and hub system and even though it is tapered slightly unidirectional (including the footprint, tent and fly), the corner webbing is color coding in silver and black, and unmistakable even in hurried darkness.
I would just have retired the HH and used the Copper Spur 2, but the Missus quickly claimed it for her solo trips and I don’t want to wear it out and have an unhappy bug bit boss return from a trip.
I might have to hunt one down and get some better stakes. It's a lot like what I have but smaller and with a side door. And I find this level of BA to be tough enough for what I do.
“Better stakes” is likely a thread unto itself. And might be a topic akin to hats and footwear in opinion and personal preference.