Awning advice please
Hope this is the right place for this.
Background info first. Last November we bought our first caravan in over 20 years, used it once and then came lockdown so we haven't seen it for 6 months! Previously we had a smaller caravan back in the 90's and recalled the awning was a pain to put up and take down.
So when we bought our new caravan (2019 Swift Challenger 645) we wanted an awing that was easy and quick to use. They put a StarCamp Magnum Airforce into the deal. Being air inflated it was supposed to be quick and easy. It was certainly better than we remembered but still not as easy as we would have liked.
I've since seen Fiamma products that look like they remain fitted into the awning rail during travel (?) and roll out with fold down legs. These look super quick to use but also rather expensive.
So I guess my questions are;- am I correct in how the go up and down?, am I right in that they remain fitted into the awning rail and roll out?, Are they as good as the claims suggest?, any other observations?
thanks in advance
Comments
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As you have found out , air awnings although are easier by being inflated poles rather than poles to put together thay are heavy to get into the awning rail and still need pegging down
The Fiama or Thule roll out canopy is just that ,unless you get the extra sides and front which need fitting and pegging down as any awning and yes they can be left the awning rail (but get some clips to stop movement
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Yes a great idea to have on the side of the van, have seen a lot used abroad, however, if you leave it in situ it is going to eat into your payload quite a bit, and van payloads at the moment being about 150 to 190 kgs. it is not long before your over you limit.
We have an air awning but we remove the side doors for ease of erecting that does make it a bit lighter to pull through the rail.
Best of luck
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Kampa do some air awnings that can have front and back panels removable to reduce the weight, Also they all have a single point inflation which makes it very easy to inflate. They also do a good Youtube video for erection of each type.Good luck with your choice.
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I’ve just bought a large Kampa Air awning 390 with built in annex. Put up once to check it.
Ues weighs a lot. You can lighten the weight by removing the zip ins but all you have to do is slide on the awning rail. Having had a large Bradcott pole awning and bedroom annex before this was a lot quicker to put up, even with the pegs To do
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Have had two Kampa air awnings, one since 2013 and have never had a problem with sloping pitches.We have toured in the UK and also France. The flexibility of the air tubes allow you to position them to suit. The Front and each side has a skirt to accommodate the variation. Also the pegging points have a flexible ladder style fixing.
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Fiamma products just roll out, very easy, zip on sides for full awning and ped down.
They are very very good but:
They are not cheap, in fact probably considered expensive.
They are permanent fitted, hard bolted to the van.
They are heavy, well they are considering the height they are located.
They tend to be more popular in the camper as the high up weight is not as much of an issue in a van.
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You may wish to consider where you are going to do most of your caravanning before you buy a Fiamma Caravanstore and as said earlier it is just a sun canopy. Another David's above is different being fixed to the roof and having sides. We also have a Kampa Pro awning with poles. If we are going to southern Europe we fit the Fiamma before we go I slide it into the awning rail and then leave the Kampa behind. I suppose you could lay it in the caravan as you travel but that would be a pain. It is heavy (ish) but luckily we have plenty of loading weight available. If we are going UK trips, or abroad where the weather may not be settled, we take the Kampa and it travels in the car. The Fiamma is not very wind tolerant and needs to be rolled up in strong winds. If you have arthritic hands you may find it difficult rolling it up; but all things being equal it is a very simple operation, indeed I too have rolled it out for lunch stops. We have an extension piece which slides into the slot on the roller and can be used as a rain deflector or it extends the shaded area by 2.5mtrs (you need 3 poles to extend it out). So I am happy with my combination but it is an either/or decision before we go as we cannot take both. If I was buying now I would look at Another David's Omistore as it does what I want but with only one awning!
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