The Great Awning Debate: Air vs. Pole
What do you use and let us know why in the comments below. 🏕️
The Great Awning Debate: Air vs. Pole 20 votes
5 votes
6 votes
7 votes
2 votes
Comments
-
Neither
Neither: We don't use a 'proper' awning these days.... we have a wind out canopy and a large van. If it's too cold to sit out, we just use the van.... there's only the two of us, so room isn't really a problem. The canopy is just enough to keep our outside stuff dry when it rains....
David
2 -
Both
Although we have both - a lightweight Sunncamp 390 Air and a Thule Veduta 4.5m which attaches to the Thule Canopy - like @DSB has above. The Veduta is soon to go on the market because I just can't manage it any more. It doesn't have traditional poles but roof beams - in three sections of extruded aluminium which clip together to form one big lump of aluminium beam. It's just too heavy for me to manage easily any longer. That said, it's a beautiful, versatile large awning once I do manage to get it erected! I think we will be doing exactly as David does in the future.
2 -
When we changed to a motorhome we liked having a wind out canopy as illustrated in David's post. It was so easy to wind it in and out. We really only used it as a sun shade and would wind it in overnight. One exception to it being a sun shade was a very wet stay at a campsite near Salzburg in Austria !
David
0 -
Neither
@richardandros: We used to have a Thule Panarama Room for our previous van, but it was very time consuming to put up and quite heavy too, so we sold that on. Quite happy just with the windout these days.. 🙂
David
0 -
Neither
Not even a canopy. Setting up on arrival ten minutes, departure not much more.
3 -
Neither
@DavidKlyne When we use ours, we tend to leave it out - just wind it in if it gets extra windy (rarely). We do use the peggy pegs 'fix and go' anchor plates (fixed with the peggy pegs heavy duty 'hit-in, screw-out' aluminium pegs) for each of the legs. We use tie down straps too.
David
0 -
Neither
With just the two of us we have found no longer need an awning. The caravan is big enough if the weather is poor for us to sit in comfort. On the door side we have an Isabella Shadow with a couple of rain/sun blocker ends whilst on the back a Fiamma Caravanstore with a sun blocker provides somewhere to protect bikes, clothes airer and our second fridge. These are quick to set up and take down.
Like many we previously had both pole and air awnings. Air are a little quicker to set up, but a lot quicker to take down. You are also less likely to damage the van sides by hitting them with something. Unfortunately they are so heavy to put up if you are going for a full size model.
Colin
2 -
Air Awning
Air porch awning now only. In the past with a young family it was a full size pole awning and it was then worth the effort for the extra space. Now there's mainly just two of us we just need a porch awning and we did have a pole one but once we tried an air one would never go back. Pull the canvas through the rails as normal then use the pump or you can get an electric one and it's up. Pegging out is still required.
If I had to go back to a full size or large porch it would be an air one. No poles to lay out and work out what goes where, all that tensioning, and at the end the collecting of poles. With an air one, let the air out, pull it out of the rails and pack away.
Anyone considering either just watch both being put up on sites.
0 -
Neither
I have never had an air awning. In the past I have had a full pole awning when I owned a caravan, but now we have a motorhome and tend to move on quite frequently, we have no need of one. Occasionally we stop for a long period, e.g. over wintering in Spain, in which case I do have a pole drive away awning which I will pitch freestanding rather than connect it to the motorhome. Don't think I have used it in the last 5 years and it lives in our loft just in case we might want it.
peedee
0 -
Pole Awning
We had a 390 Air awning but got rid of it due to me starting to struggle with the weight. It was good quality and really needed 2 to drag it through and fold it up.
We now use a 390 poled awning for longer stays and a 200 poled awning for short breaks.
Much lighter and so much easier.
1 -
Pole Awning
We have had both an air awning and a pole one. Had the air awning for 4 years sold it we really didn’t like it it took so much effort to blow it up we even had a pressure pump took ages and needed topped up every few days when away so we sold it and bought a new pole awning. The awning we have now is a half size pole awning it’s good when away for a few days and only takes about30 mins to put up it’s got plenty of space and we find it much easier than the air one
1 -
Neither
We forgot our poles one time heading down to Cornwall with our old caravan, and simply didn’t bother after that. We bought a nice parasol and used that for outside dining, a bit of shade, and managed fine, even with three terriers at the time. Couldn’t be bothered with all the fuss to be honest. We did get a cheap porch awning that was simply a couple of whippy poles one bit of bad weather. We used a good beach tent to put a few things in. Motorhome just has a roll out Thule. We always preferred the quick, simple set up, pack up, even when staying somewhere for four weeks.
0 -
Pole Awning
We had an air awning as part of the deal when we bought our secondhand van. Admittedly it was the wrap around awning introduced when the Bailey D4-2 was first produced, but it was stupidly heavy and unwieldy, even when the side panels were removed first and took up so much space in the car we couldn't fit everything else in. So we sold it on. We have used porch size (180 cm or less) pole awnings on our vans (two Elddis 360s before the D4-2) and these have proven perfectly adequate for what we want. After our experience in France last year I have now also got a lightweight sun awning for the other side of the van should we need it.
0
