Sierra Designs Baku

I don’t have experience with the Baku 1 person in the field, only the setup in the local REI store.

The biggest thing I noticed is how small the floor space actually is. It supposedly has the same footage as the MSR Hubba, but feels so much smaller. Almost coffin like. The strut on top is a little small and doesn’t offer much head room. The 2nd door/window is a really nice feature though. But there are only two vents. Both at the head and foot, neither of which are at the top of the tent. So not much of the hot air will escape and vent like it should. There is also the reported problems with the Sierra Designs floors allowing water to pressure through and soaking you and your gear in prolonged exposure. This is of course just hear/say, but reported none the less.

For the same design (single wall, netting in the inside, but minus a second door/window)a Tarptent Rainbow is much more feasable, roomier and much lighter by over a pound! And for the exact same packaged weight you could get a double wall Hubba. Super venty with the mesh and/or try the optional fly/footprint open air option which is always nice! Plus, the Hubba has seemingly bombproof materials.

Just my two cents. I hope this helps.

It does help. I have a Rainbow now but had issues with it in the rain.

I’ve been looking at the MSR Hubba as well, especially since it’s on sale right now at REI. How much smaller is the Hubba compared to the Rainbow. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

-jeff

Jeff:

Curious… can you explain what you mean by “issues” with the Rainbow in the rain?

I find the Hubba too narrow for my liking (only 26 inches in width!). Maybe OK if this means much lighter weight, but at 3 lbs. minimum weight, it isn’t.

The Big Agnes Seedhouse 1 SL, for example, weighs just 2 lbs 6 oz. Even the much roomier Seedhouse 2 SL is lighter than the Hubba, coming in at 2 lbs 14 oz.

The Baku is shorter than the Hubba but has considerably more width for the shoulders (it is narrower in one end). The Hubba barely fits a thermarest with respect to width. This, I would think, is more coffin like. Both tents will likely require one to put most of your gear in the vestibule. The biggest issue with the Hubba is that its poles are extremely fragile and there have been several occurances of snapped poles in the field. I have not once heard of any issues with SD tents and floor leaks.

I know at least 4 or 5 people with the Hubba and they like it. They report no feeling of coffin effect because the height is nice and the top width is not narrow. The floor width is 26″ so a thermarest has 3 inches on either side.

I want to know the rainbow rain issues too. My guess is he got moisture inside from windblown rain.

Well, the tent is for narrow folk. No question. I hate rubbing shoulders against tent fabric.

This is in no way meant to bad mouth the Rainbow at all, but here’s my issue with it.

I went backpacking one night in it when it was raining in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. It got down to about 37 during the night and there was no breeze whatsoever. I got major condensation inside the tent, enough to get a lot of interior raining. Other than that I really liked it. I’m still somewhat on the fence if I should keep it or not.

I’ve also been looking at the tents from Big Sky Products. I’m telling you, getting a solo tent that is big enough and light enough has been quite the task. I never thought it would be so difficult.

I already have a Black Diamond Lighthouse, just wanting to have something lighter.

I’m open to any and all suggestions.
If it helps I need something big enough for a long pad and a long bag. And I hate the coffin effect. I’m generally a side sleeper and tend to flop around quite a bit. I really liked how much room the Rainbow has.

-jeff

> It got down to about 37 during the night and there was no breeze whatsoever. I got major condensation inside the tent, enough to get a lot of interior raining.

Yep, big time recipe for condensation. It has happened to me in every single wall (and a few double wall) shelters I’ve tried/made. It really helps to keep the netting door open in cold rain and, if there’s no wind, deploy the beak only partway–one or both sides partially rolled up; that’s what the bits of extra velcro are for partway up the beak.

-H

Henry is right. That can happen in any single wall shelter.