Pitch perfect: we road-test four Millets tents

Find out which are capable of surviving a wet Glastonbury!

Chris Swindells, Chris Eustace - 06 July 2011

So we’ve tried and tested four of the beauties to help you make the right choice this summer.

We were kindly given four new tents to trial by Millets camping store and seeing that no amount of experiment laboratories or scientists can road-test a tent like a wet weekend at Glastonbury Festival, we thought we’d try them out there.

You can get 15% off all camping gear at Millets when you spend £70 or more. To access this discount type in this voucher code at the basket: 17vJqrt.

Just to be sure, the VF review team pitched up during the downpours at Beach Break Live too. Well, if we’re going to try and test them, we may as well push them to the limit.

Here’s our results:

The tent with the most room!
For the festival-goer that needs to take everything…



Eurohike Primavera, three-man tent - Click here to buy and for more information.
Noticeable for it’s light blue exterior and long shape, the Primavera is surprisingly generous in size for a three-man tent. Fitting in plenty of room, the porch is more a double garage extension than somewhere to store your wellies.

Its fun design is reflected in the erecting process, which has been simplified with colour-coded poles and a simple structure. The design is clearly laid out with the communal camper in mind, the porch area opens with three doors to act as a canopy with large floor space for summer picnics and quick escapes from showers and sun.

Putting it up: For a tent of its size, it’s a charm. The design is simple with the inner tent clipping quickly and easily to the inside of the outer sheet.

Comfort: A luxurious porch and double skin mean space and dryness are never an issue.

Design: Stylish blue and with neon guide ropes it’s an eye grabber, and did we mention it was blue?

The space saver!
So you can get more beer into the car…



Vango Milano 250, two-man tent - Click here to buy and for more information.
The tent didn’t live up to its claim that it takes ten-minute to put up, however it’s worth the extra few minutes because as soon as it’s erected the low chassis is immune from any strong winds and the long, low design keeps the heat in overnight,

The other beauty of the tent is its size and weight, just 4.5kg in the bag and with a portable size that anyone can manage, make it ideal for those looking to carry as little as possible to a festival.

Putting it up: Doable with one, but for ease it takes two to get the inner tent up given the tents low frame.

Comfort: Not perhaps for the tallest gentleman, the design is compact yet secure, and most importantly of all dry.

Design: Navy with green features, this is a solid design that still manages to give plenty of storage space with a large porch section.

Easiest to put up!
So you can get to see the bands quicker…



High Point 2 Person Pop Up Tent, two-man tent - Click here to buy and for more information.
The pop-up tent is just that: remove it from the bag and it pops open pretty much fully-formed onto the ground.

It’s slightly more difficult to take down, and you may need to read the instructions more than once, but if you remember to keep holding the edges at the centre with one hand, until you can tuck the top bit in, it shouldn’t be too hard to get it flat and back in the bag again.

Putting up: All that’s then necessary is attaching some guy ropes and pegging them down, and there you have one of the quickest and easiest tents to pitch.

Comfort: While it houses one person more than adequately, with space enough to stretch out and relax and house your bags, any more would be a bit of a squeeze, unless you’re on the small side.

Design: The raindrops pattern on the outside tempt fate in the worst way possible way but it passes the heavy rain test by not letting any Glastonbury water leak in and the design stood out from the crowd, pretty handy when trying to find it when stumbling back in the early hours.

Best for your buck!
The essential buy for the regular festival-goer…



Eurohike Avon, three-man tent - Click here to buy and for more information.
You might not see Kate Moss rocking up in the Avon, but it’s a trusty workhorse of a tent. A conventional structure with a solid frame and generous spatial area, the extras are all here: hooks to hang items like torches inside the tent and plenty of storage pockets too.

Putting it up: Fast, and for the common sense head, two poles cross in fashioned pole tunnels for the main structure and a shorter pole is used for the porch. Guy ropes are included but you have to attach to the tent yourself, this does mean you can tie to the most necessary points to keep it under control in strong winds.

Comfort: There’s only one slim door for entry but this ensures warmth and water insulation in difficult conditions. Under heavy water abuse at Glastonbury Virtual Festivals were glad to report it remained dry as a bone.

Design: A sage outer shell, the tent won’t take any style awards for innovation but will keep you warm and dry at this summer’s festivals.

For all your camping needs and to buy the tents we tested, head to www.millets.co.uk.

You can get 15% off all camping gear at Millets between 3rd-9th August 2011. To access this discount type in this voucher code at the basket: 78KsF5.

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