Kampa ace air 400 awning

asutt
asutt Forum Participant Posts: 2
edited December 2015 in Parts & Accessories #1

thinking of getting the 500 Ace air awning as they are new for 2016, has anyone used the 400 and if so what do you think, we already own the Kampa 260 air which we use in the winter and find it very good thanks ! 

Comments

  • Richard12
    Richard12 Forum Participant Posts: 112
    100 Comments
    edited December 2015 #2

    We first purchased the standard 400 with poles but found that the water pooled quite badly on the roof betwen the poles. We returned the awning  to the dealer and exchanged it for an Ace 400 Air and find it a vast improvement, we find it easier feeding the
    awning into the channel with two people, and pumping it up with the supplied manual pump is not difficult. Best to try & choose a level pitch if you can. Good Luck.

  • TheAdmiral
    TheAdmiral Forum Participant Posts: 506
    edited December 2015 #3

    We looked at the 400, but thought that it was a bit too fiddly for us, so we bought a normal Kampa Air, and we are quite happy with it so far !!

    Admiral

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited December 2015 #4

    Went from the original Air 390 to the Air Ace 400 - much better size, but the material is thicker and much more condensation forms - also I do not like the curtains, I much prefer the simple zip up ones to the separate curtains on the Ace.

  • TheAdmiral
    TheAdmiral Forum Participant Posts: 506
    edited December 2015 #5

    If your curtains are anything like ours (wedding dress veil) we don't use them at all

    Admiral

  • ChemicalJasper
    ChemicalJasper Forum Participant Posts: 437
    edited January 2016 #6

    If your curtains are anything like ours (wedding dress veil) we don't use them at all

    Admiral

    They are a pointless addition / downgrade in my opinion! 

  • Discovery4
    Discovery4 Forum Participant Posts: 32
    edited January 2016 #7

    If your curtains are anything like ours (wedding dress veil) we don't use them at all

    Admiral

    They are a pointless addition / downgrade in my opinion! 

    ...but on the other hand it's one of the main reasons we went for the Ace Air 400 (my wife hated the rollup ones on our old Rally).  We looked at the 500 but decided against as it would end half way across a window on our van.

    Ace Air 400 is a good bit of kit - head & shoulders better than the lighter weight versions.  I find it easier to zip out the panels for storage as it's then less weight to feed onto the channel.  Be careful of the air bladders as you feed past the caravan
    side-marker/indicators as they clash and could easily end up with one or the other damaged.

  • DORMAN12Q
    DORMAN12Q Forum Participant Posts: 90
    edited February 2016 #8

    I have been looking at these ace air awnings and last year people raved about them but I have noticed quite a few up for sale.

    Are they any good or after a bit of use has anyone changed their minds?

     

  • LawrenceD
    LawrenceD Forum Participant Posts: 17
    edited May 2016 #9

    I have seen quite a few of these recently so becoming popular, but - is there any member user of an Air awning that has experience of how they perform on a sloped pitch? The ones I have seen have been on quite level pitches.  Wouldnt want to role up at a
    site for a week or longer and find the only pitch available wasnt suitable for the awning.

  • birderbilly
    birderbilly Forum Participant Posts: 349
    100 Comments
    edited May 2016 #10

    We had no end of problems with our Kampa Air Pro 390 and found it particularly problematic on sloping pitches.  The roof pitch on our awning was very shallow so water ponding was a real problem particularly if the awning pitch sloped up from the van or if the van was pitched nose up tail down.  The basic problem is that there was no ability to adjust the awning to suit the pitch.  The service we received from the retailer we bought it from was awful and so in turn from Kampa resulting in us successfully taking the retailer to court and receiving a full refund and costs.

    I should also mention that the Clubs legal advice people were very helpful in explaining and assisting in the court action we took.

  • LawrenceD
    LawrenceD Forum Participant Posts: 17
    edited May 2016 #11

    Thanks for the information. Certainly makes you think!

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,687 ✭✭✭
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    edited May 2016 #12

    We had no end of problems with our Kampa Air Pro 390 and found it particularly problematic on sloping pitches.  The roof pitch on our awning was very shallow so water ponding was a real problem particularly if the awning pitch sloped up from the van or if the van was pitched nose up tail down.  The basic problem is that there was no ability to adjust the awning to suit the pitch.  The service we received from the retailer we bought it from was awful and so in turn from Kampa resulting in us successfully taking the retailer to court and receiving a full refund and costs.

    I should also mention that the Clubs legal advice people were very helpful in explaining and assisting in the court action we took.

    And yet (as I have posted elsewhere on here), I have had completely the opposite experience from both Kampa and our dealer (Yorkshire Caravans at Bawtry).  We bought a new Barcelona last year and an ex-demo Air Pro 390 and on the third occasion we used the awning - at the start of a two week holiday in Devon - the awning failed to inflate.  A phone call to the dealer resulted in the north of England Kampa Rep ringing me back straightaway and between us we went through all possibilities for the failure and couldn't resolve the problem.  The Rep was most apologetic and his one and only aim was to 'rescue' our holiday for us.  No 'ifs' or 'buts' - just a genuine desire to put matters right as quickly as possible.  Between the dealer and Kampa, it was arranged for a new awning to be deliverted by courier and it arrived within less than 24 hours, in fact it was there before 0900 the following morning - and all at absolutely no cost to us.  

    As far as pooling on the roof is concerned - yes, I have experienced this once - but I realised that all that was required was to ensure that the two middle tubes were pushed inwards at the bottom - in line with the two corner poles.  This has the effect of pushing them upwards and tensioning the roof.  We have not had a pooling problem since and it has been out in some really adverse conditions.

    As for dealing with sloping pitches, I have found that there is sufficient adjustment in both the straps and the rubber 'ladders' around the base to give a neat assembly and haven't found it any more difficult than erecting an awning with conventional poles in this regard.  Incidentally, we use mainly CLs and CS's (on grass) which tend to be not quite so flat and level as most of the Club sites.

  • IanTurner17
    IanTurner17 Forum Participant Posts: 2
    edited May 2016 #13

    yes

  • IanTurner17
    IanTurner17 Forum Participant Posts: 2
    edited May 2016 #14

    Yes that is corect

  • geoffeales
    geoffeales Forum Participant Posts: 322
    edited July 2016 #15

    just had our first outing with the Airpro 330 and was BRILLIANT! Only problem was deflating the annexe. No deflation points so far as I could see, the only way was to loosen the outer ring on the inflation valve - has anyone had a similar problem?

  • geoffeales
    geoffeales Forum Participant Posts: 322
    edited July 2016 #16

    update on my last post, I asked my dealer and the answer is that the annexe doesn't have a deflation valve.  You put the pump into the inflation valve and switch the pump to "deflate". Now why didn't I think of that? Durr!