The mind blowing choice of Awnings
So we are now thinking of buying an Awning for our Delta RI. Sound simple doesn't it, but where on earth do we start.
We want idiot proof, and quick to put up. We also want something that's going to be good quality. Most of our holidays are between nights and 8 nights away. We also do go away all year round, but that doesn't mean I'd be wanting to put it up between Christmas and New Year.
Isabella's are lovely but non air. Kampa seem to be the preferred choice when it come to an Air awning, but what about Outwell (they supposedly make great tents). Also Bradcot with their modul air, looks quite clever, but is it too clever and going to be problematic in the long run?
Anything else we should consider? Is it worth waiting for a 2018, I'm sure I read that there are changes a foot in standards?
Comments
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If you can, go somewhere that has a large display of different types and makes. We did this and it was, for us, very helpful.
For what its worth, we had already decided we were going to get a Kampa air but ended up buying a Bradcot after being able to see them more or less set up side by side in the showroom.
Ian.
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Vango air awnings are also worth a look. I have a Varkala 420 for my Delta and it is easy to put up and take down. Very sturdy too.
If you are in the Greater Manchester area Glossop Caravans have a good selection of awnings on display. Their web site is also quite comprehensive.
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It should be a good time to get a large discount as dealers will not want to hold old stock over winter.
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We went for the Kampa Air, great to put up but very large and heavy to pack, OH is always conscious of the amount of room it takes up in the garage.
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Just re reading your post, you say you want Quick & Easy.
An air awning is quick to inflate, especially with an electric pump (which is supplied with a Bradcot) but pegging out and the other associated bits still take the same amount of time as a pole awning does.
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Agree fully with Milothedog. Putting up the frame is a heavy chore. Even with easy lightweight fit poles and easy tension systems like the ones used in our full size Bradcott (which has been excellent btw) it takes a while, get them out of the bag, get them in the right order. Then pull the awning through the rail (this can take the same time with air awnings). Put one pole in then another, then connect.... shouting at helper is optional but usually happens. Then the time taking it down.
An air awning after threading the awning a few pumps and it's up. At the other end unscrew the vale and it's down. And they are as rigid as frames. Have a look at some in dealers and get a demonstration of how they go up.
From my view the Kampa rally and Bradcott one look really good with their storm tie down straps. Also get one where the skirt goes inwards less pegging.
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Just read all the categories on Practical Caravan for Tourer of the Year. They have a section for Best Awning.
The shortlist includes the Kampa Rally Air Pro 390 Plus, which we had looked at. Also the Crusader Climate Zone 350 and an Outwell Pebble.
I've emailed Outwell on Monday about their new 2018 range but the Crusader is a new one on us. Does anyone have one already?
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Well we've taken the plunge on what I think is a good deal. We saw the Kampa Classic Air Expert 300 on display with a conservatory attached (rather than an annexe). The total cost should have been around £1,300.00
The seller did have an offer on their website for June which said buy this awning and get the conservatory or annexe free. I know it's September but I thought what the heck, they haven't removed the deal why not ask.
Sure enough they have agreed to the deal as it's end of season, plus I managed to get another £25 discount as a new customer which paid for free Saturday delivery and a further £10 off.
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excellent well done, come back on and give some feedback when you have put it up?
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Now that many people's initial resistance to air awnings, "what if a dog bites it, they can't be as strong as poles, I saw a couple's collapse around them" etc, have been sensibly reassigned as fiction, a sensible debate is emerging. While an electric pump might be a great fun gadget to own, hand pumping takes very few strokes in reality, and an air filled frame will give the awning its final form in significantly less time than pole sorting, joining and threading takes.
But it isn't roses all the way. Because the air beams are part of the awning, it's much heavier to lift and carry, than the poled equivilant where the weight is split between two bags. And manoeuvring that additional weight while threading a large air awning through the awning rail can be hard work for people with less strength than in their earlier years. The lack of any ability to compensate for sloping pitches by adjusting leg length can be less than ideal too. And after both types are standing on their frames comes the tedium of pegging out. Made worse in our case by a need to make cat escape proof seals around the bottom.
Perhaps the greatest time saving in erecting/ dismantling awning comes from the use of screw pegs fitted with a battery powered drill. While three clouts with a mallet will drive a rock peg home on benign ground, awkward angles and a tenacious reluctance to be extracted later on can make for an unpleasant chore when using a mallet and brute force. Screw in pegs may not save much time when setting up camp, but they make the job much easier on many types of ground, and extraction is very much easier under those circumstances too.
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