Caravan roll out awnings
I would be interested to hear of members experience of using "bag type" roll out awning. We have used conventional caravan awnings,poles and all, as well as rigid box types on motorhomes. We have come back to caravanning with a lightweight van so we don't want to add the typical weight of a box awning. My real concern is how the bag type ones stand up to extended travel as well as potential damage to the van itself. We tend to do long trips into Europe. We have read some comparisons and reviews of the Thule and Fiamma products so, that isnt the issue here, it's the wear and tear that we want to understand.
We don't want to go back to a more conventional solution, at 80 I don't want to be messing about with one of those in a force 8 at North Ledaig!
Thanks
Comments
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I have used a Fiamma Caravanstore since 2003 on our Eriba pop tops. Initially this was on the door side but as the vans design has changed the awning rail height now makes this problematic I now use it on the back of the van. It stays there permanently, 365 days a year. You need to consider that although the bag may weigh typically 8kg it is supported along a long length and is safe to leave in position when travelling. They are an excellent piece of kit and I would not be without ours.
If you add a front blocker then you have excellent protection from the elements. The attached is on a previous van but should give you a good idea.
WE typically spend 4-6 weeks in France and odd trips in the UK. Now with just the two of us we have moved away from a full awning. As well as the Fiamma on the back we carry a lightweight sun canopy for when the weather is good and a small lightweight blow up Vango for when the weather is wet. Each are very quick to erect.
Colin
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Purely my own opinion........a bag hanging in the awning rail whilst travelling at up to 60 mph will bounce up and down and put pressure on the rail fixings and sealant which the caravan design does not take into account !The canopy would need to be extended and dried prior to storage for anything more than a couple of days.As a person who is only around 5ft 6 " tall personally I would need to carry a short pair of steps to roll it up and secure it in the bag.If the wind/rain gets up at night I would have to leave my nice warm bed to either roll it in (step ladder again) or tilt it for the rain to run off!So not for me thank you.
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The wind force hitting the side of a traditional awning in it's rail is a substantial dynamic force that pulls at the awning rail. If you have ever tried moving an 8x4 sheet of plywood in a slight breeze you will understand where I am coming from. The forces are far greater than that of the static load exerted by a bag hanging on the rail in transit.
An open sided canopy such as the Fiamma are also surprisingly resistant to wind. They are easy to tie down with storm straps and do not so readily catch the wind but allow it to travel through. In the event of extreme weather, which does not usually suddenly happen, they are easy and quick to roll up whilst tables and chairs can easily be put under the van.
On the continent you will find such canopies are more the norm with our continental cousins, as are smaller vans.
I am not the tallest of persons at 5' 8" in my socks. On my low profile van deploying and putting away my bag awning is easy. With a "normal" van a simple low step would enable me to do a similar job.
Colin
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Having used a Fiamma Caravanstor for many years attached to my then caravan we didn't experience issues whilst travelling. This included thousands of miles across Europe. To cure the bounce I used to roll up those sponge dishcloths, taped up, and placed behind the awning. As some caravans have become taller it's not a bad idea to have two steps (or a small step ladder) as the longer canopies can be more than a one person job to wind up.
Having had motorhomes for 10 years now I find the Fiamma wind out canopy a much better proposition!
David
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Been using a 3.5 metre Fiamma in a bag, the same one for 6 years now and on the same bought new van. No marks on the van as it has soft shock absorber pads on the rear of the bag keeping its length away from the van side and no problems with the awning rail or sealant, the load is spread over the length and no movement when in transit. Only mod I had to do was lowering the light above the door as the bag rested on it.
During its time I have had the Velcro straps replaced twice due to the stitching breaking away, but for a small cost of about £20 at a local repair centre in Hull it was an easy job for them.
Some may need two steps and some may need two people depending on their abilities, at the moment I can roll up and using one step attach the middle Velcro fastening before moving the steps to the outer ones. Unrolling I unzip, remove outer velcros, place steps in the middle, remove middle Velcro and unroll. It then really does need two to erect further with ease.
Great bit of kit and when pegged and strapped quite good in a strong breeze, but only a few minutes to roll away if weather is forecast to worsen.
Regularly up until COVID travelled into mainland Europe with it attached, and it behaved impeccably both travelling and on site.
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We have a Fismma for use on short weekend breaks or when it is very hot. Otherwise we use an air awning. Like others we have travelled all over Europe with it on the side of 3 different vans without issue. The longer the canopy, the heavier they are so rolling them in/out can be a 2 person job and you will probably need to use the caravan step. The other aspect to watch for is if too far forward of the axle their weight can affect nose weight and also eat into the payload. The forces on the awning rail are far far less than a fully erected canopy in a gale so that concern is a non-issue.
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An alternative is a Air canopy which is relatively light and can be carried in the towing vehicle. We use an Isabella Air Arc Canopy. It weighs about 12.5kg and can be put up single handed in less than 10 minutes. We've been so impressed by the Isabella Air Arc Canopy we sold our traditional poled awning. Worth a look.
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Like others, we have been using a Fiamma Caravanstore sun awning for many years without any issues. We tend to fit it at the start of the season and take it off and store in the garage over the winter as most of our caravanning involves long trips in Europe. No evidence of 'bouncing' whilst towing nor any marks on the caravan. The only thing to bear in mind is that they are not very wind tolerant and have to be rolled up in strong winds - experience will tell you when - but as it takes only a few minutes to roll it up this is no problem. I have the 'storm' guys for added security and a 'rain sheet' which fits in the front rail giving not only added protection when raining but can be 'polled out' to give a large extra shaded area.
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I have an isabella sun canopy with an end stop.Takes minutes to erect,weighs next to nothing (fibre poles) and lives under a bunk when not in use.
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We had a Quest Elite Rolli for a few years. NEVER AGAIN!
Yes it was quick and easy to put up but you needed muscles like a bodybuilder to roll it up and stick it back in its bag.
When we took it off we found dents where the bracing pole's for the roof rested against the sidewall. There was also some bruising where the bag had been knocking against the van during transit and during rough weather.
We now use either a sun canopy, lightweight and erected in minutes, or an air awning depending on weather conditions and length of stay.
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"an air awning depending on weather conditions and length of stay."
yes if staying any length of time, always air awning for us, bought this Kampa390 air awning only used twice on ebay for £550, yes you have to do some pegging out but it inflates in only minutes with an electric pump and you can confidently go out for the day and be sure the awning will still be in situ even in some of the roughest of weather. Canopy may be ok if you are over there and the weather is much more predictable, but in the UK
major downside is weight 20kgs+ but we put on back seat of car so not a real problem.0 -
I concur with all that has been said, being an ex-user of the 3.5mtr Fiamma Caravanstore for 6 years on my Adria Isonzo, also travelling across Europe and many miles covered in the UK
Someone did suggest to me to transport the bag in situ on the roof of the caravan rather than on the side, which I did. So the last job before setting off was to stand on the step and 'roll' the bag on the roof before locking up and setting off. This obviously eliminated any possible damage to the side of the van and seemed logical to me. It never caused any issues and was easy to roll back into place before using it.
I would add that I'm 6'2" and was fairly fit then, managing one night in a storm, to take the thing down and roll it up in its bag on my own. I would not recommend the item to any single travellers for this reason. Furthermore I wouldn't buy another Fiamma because the bag perished after 6 years and could not be replaced.
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Good afternoon every one that has commented. It has been very useful to have your experiences and opinions. We are now looking for deals online. We probably favour a bag roll out as it's the option most like the rigid box type that we have had on motorhomes in the past. Thank you all for the feedback.
Squeaks Dad
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Ive been using my Fiamma Caravanstore awning for about 6 years. It is straightforward to set up in about 10 minutes and does not do any damage to the caravan. It's been very successful.
The problem I've had in recent years is being able to extend the tensioner bars. It has always been difficult and I have always have to use rubber gardening gloves to get enough grip and it's never gone further than the first hole in the bar. On our recent first trip of the year I could not even do this and had to abandon it. I am thinking of changing the canopy as it is showing its age now.
Has anybody used the Thule Omnistor sun canopy which has a lever type tensioner?
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