MSR 4-P Habitude Tent

MSR has been one of our favorite tent manufacturers for years now, but they’ve mainly been a player in the backcountry space. From their Ascent 2P (our go-to tent for ski and splitboard missions) to their award-winning Hubba line of backpacking tents, MSR knows a thing or twenty about tents. But the 4-P Habitude is one of the newest additions to the line, and it’s MSR’s version of a frontcountry fortress.

 Pros:

Testers under 6-feet gleefully stood up in this tent without having to duck their heads, a feature that makes changing out of mountain bike chamois and sweaty hiking clothes a real treat. It’s worth noting that the tent walls are fairly vertical, so it’s not as if you can only stand straight up in the exact center of the tent. Furthermore, the tent has a spacious floorplan. At 95” x 95”, the Habitude can fit four sleeping pads side by side without feeling claustrophobic, and there’s still plenty of room for duffels (or dogs) at head or foot. (A standard sleeping pad is 72” long).

Testers loved the internal organization options provided by this MSR citadel. There’s enough pockets for every sleeper to have their own and plenty of loops for hanging lanterns and other gear as needed. In fact, storage capabilities were so fantastic that one tester commented, “If there were only two people and a dog living in this tent, you could honestly live in here for months on end and be totally content.” Lastly, there’s a nifty “porch light” integrated into the tent above the door, which is a small, built-in lantern that makes it easy to get in and out of the Habitude in the dark.

Cons:

A single door and vestibule might not do the trick for some car camping crews. However, if you orient sleeping pads so that your feet are by the door, it’s preferable to double-door designs where two campers are stuck like sardines in the middle of the tent.

Tester Comments:

“Many car-camping tents don’t factor in size or weight at all, but the Habitude actually isn’t that bulky when packed. If you’re hauling the tent a short distance, packing a sedan with minimal trunk space, or even going on a river trip, that compact volume and minimal weight (relative to other car-camping tents) is a big win. You can tell that MSR has a history of making lightweight, high-quality, backpacking tents.”