Easy Camp Milano 500 Tent Reviews and Details

Tent Reviews: Easy Camp Milano 500

Tent and Awning Reviews Index > Easy Camp > Milano 500 Reviews

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Weight:
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Discontinued
5 (more 5 berth tents)
13.60 KG
Ł89.99
2
Standard
Fly first

Average User Rating:

7.85/10 from 13 reviews

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13 Reviews of the Milano 500 Showing 01 to 10 Page: 1 2

By: Kitbit151 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2007 Rating: 7 from 10

We bought this tent in a sale in 2007 for well under Ł100 and took it on a couple of camping trips to sites in N Devon where we pitched on an incline and quite rocky ground as well as another site where we had rain and blustery conditions all night long. This summer we spent two weeks in it at Treen Farm Cornwall where we had some very windy conditions and it survived them all. If you are buying this tent now it will probably be second hand and from Ebay or elsewhere: before I get in to the nitty gritty of the review, I recommend asking the seller to confirm the tent is free of mould and mildew, having seen a number of posts from people who have bought off Ebay only to find they have a tent which is mouldy/mildewy… all a bit yuck if it is not your mould and mildew.

On to the tent: it is supposed to sleep 4 adults and one smaller being but to my mind this would be a squeeze. My husband and I feel it offers just enough space for the two of us: we are both tall and at the moment, not wide! We can stand up in it at certain points quite comfortably. The tent pitches outer first and has two crossover poles and a bit of a tunnel area at the front for the living area with another shorter pole. I do not know why but I feel when this is pitched it is always a bit twisted and out of line which then affects the hanging of the inner, making it stretch too far. I think this is something we need to sort out and is not down to the tent. We have removed the bit that separates the two sleeping areas to make one so we can put in our mattress at the most comfortable angle for any inclines. This allows lots of space round the sides for your bags and bits and pieces. There is a loop hanging from the centre of the inner and I suspend one of those lightweight coily reading torches from it to give a bit of light at bedtime. There are useful pockets on the inner for you to put your small items like watches, glasses, bling at night. The inner has two doors and each can be unzipped to leave just the fly-screen in place if preferred. The inner has a sewn in bathtub style SIG which we really like. The living area is a good size: the ground sheet here is not sewn in but we did not have too much trouble with water ingress from this. There is a side door which can be zipped back or a front door which can be made into a canopy with the supplied poles. There are curtained plastic windows either side of the canopy and another opposite the side door with a curtain for privacy: none of these has a bug mesh as they do not unzip. There is a ventilation bit on the canopy and one either side of the dome which can be open or closed to suit.

In terms of stability it would not stand up to very testing conditions, but neither it would seem, would other more expensive makes. We arrived at Treen Farm, Cornwall the day after they had had winds gusting at 70mph which had wreaked havoc on the tents there, all but emptying the campsite. It was only because we had a sheltered spot and used windbreaks that we survived a few nights where gusts hit 50 mph. In these winds I found the tent flapped about a lot and was quite noisy but hoped the flexing meant it wasn’t subjecting the poles or fabric to too much stress. We had heavy though not torrential rain with no leaks. In normal conditions though (and really I have to ask do we get these any more?!) it would be perfect for two. We were able to sit in the living area of an evening, all zipped up against the elements and enjoy a game of cards or just read a book. We don’t have lots of camping equipment like cupboards etc , just a small foldaway table and two foldaway chairs: all these plus our coolboxes and box with our plates and other food items fitted just fine. We used an old bathmat at the front to try and minimize dirt and mud into this area ( a bit tricky given the weather was wet on quite a few days.) Also recommend using another groundsheet under the SIG. I finally cracked how not to have a cold airbed: used my self inflating double mattress, non slip mat on top, airbed on top , old duvet on top for padding then our sleeping bags and normal pillows and was very warm and cosy. I have looked at upgrading to a better tent and was quite surprised by how good it is in comparison to the offerings at well known outdoor equipment stores: just be aware of its limitations and you can’t go wrong!