Wind out sun canopies for a caravan
We have just spent a month in France with friends who have a Thule wind out sun canopy on their motorhome. My wife and I were very impressed with how easy it was to set up and also pack away compared to the time to set up our normal sun canopy.
I understand that it is possible to have one of these wind out sun canopies fitted to the roof of a caravan (the side walls will not take the weight) and wodered if anyone has had this done to their caravan.
I understand that they cab be fitted to Bailey caravans because of their build type, but our caravan is a Swift Sterling Eccles 510 Alde. This would easily take 3.52m Omnistore 5200.
Thanks for any advice, especially from anyone who has had such a device fitted.
Dorsettaffy
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Wouldn’t the awning in a bag which slides into the awning rail be better?
This type -
https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/caravans-accessories/awnings/thule-omnistor-1200-230x200-_-450230xx
Apart from the issue of strength of your walls or roof, the boxed type of awning will take a chunk out of your payload.
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I have considered this option, but having spoken to several people with this type of awning in a bag I do not think I would be able to cope with rolling it back up on my own. Age does have its disadvantages!
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We had a Fiamma fitted to the side wall of our Bailey caravan and loved it but dealers found it difficult to get a seal and water could run down the side so now they fit to the roof so a bit higher to wind. Most manufacturers will not warrant the fitting of a fixed canopy so you need to take care but there are specialist fitters who do it.
Bear in mind that a canopy fitted to the side prevents the use of an awning but on the roof should leave the rail still exposed should you decide to go back to an awning.
Contact Rose Awnings in Poole and they will advise what can be done with your model caravan.
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If my memory serves me correctly a Thule 6200 4.5 metres is 31kg. It's actually lighter than our motor mover that comes in at 37kg. Our weight upgrade doesn't quite cover both items, but there is not a lot in it. Also the Thule 6200 fits to the roof of the Caravan and the retaining braxmcket is moulded to the roof - there are no holes drilled. I was assured that this would nor effect the warranty of our Bailey Alutech caravan.
Incidentally, if you also purchase the sides (to make an enclosed awning, the 'pole structure' is actually quite heavy, so would need to travel in the car.
As hitchglitch mentions, John Rose of Rose Awnings (Poole) if the chap to speak to.
David
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On our last caravan we had a roll out Fiamma and because it was bigger than the previous one on a smaller caravan it suddenly became a two man (one man one women
) job. It also meant we have to carry two steps to reach. Neither of us are particularly short but caravans have got higher over the years! DSB's set up looks very neat. In terms of whether you can have a fitted cassette type awning can really only be answered by the manufacturer. Swift do have their own forum called Swift Talk and perhaps that might be the place to also ask your question.David
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Thanks for all your replies to my original post. I contacted Swift to see if they wanted to comment on my plans and was promised a call back but it never came!
We visited Hill View Awnings in Sturminster Marshall earlier this week and Tina and Brent were extremely helpful and as a result we are having a 3.5m Omnistore 6200 fitted next week. When we bought the van last year we had the MTPLM increased to the maximum of 1500Kg. This extra allowance covers exactly the extra wei9ght of the Omnistore and the Powrtouch mover.
Cheers
Dorsettaffy
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They don’t survive well in wind. That’s why they’re known as sun canopies rather than storm porches.
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Because we now do a lot of touring (the need for 'bucket & spade' holidays are long gone), we fitted an Omnistor 6200 2 years ago and it remains one of the best extras we have ever bought for the caravan. It is easy to use and, although we have all the panels, we rarely use them.
If you notice on David's picture, there are 2 very strong storm straps that we always use, even for an overnight stop. I also put the side bars in (that come with panels) even if we just have the top canopy out. Finally, I anchor the legs with Peggy Peg 'Fix & Go'. It might sound a lot but it normally takes me about 10 minutes to put it all together.
The top canopy easily survived several dramatic Venice storms and, last year, a 'humdinger' of a surprise (about an hour warning) Naples storm - thunder, lighting and a bucket full of rain and strong, but not gale force, winds. Obviously, when we have warning of a gale, I wind the canopy in.
However, if all the panels are used, like in David's picture, then it acts like any normal awning. In that case, the only extra precaution I take is to put an extra storm strap from side to side over the front of the roof.
From our point of view, it is an excellent piece of kit. So much so, that we have sold our main and porch awnings and now rely solely in the Omnistor.
We also used Hill View and I also found them to be really friendly & helpful and willing to go the extra mile when I had a problem with one of the legs.
Bob
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Just picked up on this thread so I hope someone is still out there!
Last year, (2020), we bought a second hand Fiammastore sun canopy, (awning rail mounted), to use with our Bailey Unicorn Valencia S3 caravan. We decided to try it out in our storage facility on a concrete base but try as we might we could not get the roof bars to lock in the first locking position; they were about 1.5" short. We thought about drilling another hole in the arms but first rang a Fiamma Agent who told us that these types of canopy were incompatible with Bailey Unicorn Alutech caravans, (something to do with the way the awning rail was configured) and that our best bet would be to go for a Thule roof mounted canopy.
We disposed of the canopy and didn't pursue it further however, since then, on our couple of trips away last year, we have seen Bailey Unicorns with the awning rail mounted canopy and have had confirmation on the Bailey Owners FB page that they do work. Only a couple of people said they experienced the same problem as we did. The vast majority said they worked well.
I have emailed Fiamma for advice and await their reply but would be interested in the experiences of any CAMC members who have tried this type of canopy on a bailey Unicorn.
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I fitted a Fiamma canopy in a bag to the awning rail on our Bailey Unicorn T/A last Autumn, just before lockdown so have not yet used it on site, although we did try it out in our garden. It does need 2 people to roll oit out and back, and whilst I can manage with the caravan step, my wife will need a 3 rung stepladder. The roof bars do lock into place, with difficulty. Once locked in, they are well tensioned!
At my age with a bad back, I have just got fed up with erecting and dismantling awnings and wanted something much simpler and easier to use.
Hope this helps.
Paul
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I think it has more to do with Penny pinching on the fabric, whilst keeping the existing design of metal work. The first roll out we used on our Bailey Cadiz, which we transferred over from our previous van, was not a problem and we often had it on the second hole. However at 8 years old it was getting a bit rickety and we replaced it with a new one. This we could only ever get to the first hole and often this was difficult, particularly if the fabric was cold. I suppose the flush awning rail on the Bailey does mean the canopy at full extension is fractionally closer to the wall of the van but it must be only mm.
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I reckon these roll out canopies are OK if you can organise the sun to be straight overhead, the rail to fall directly down, and the wind not to blow sideways. Because I could never manage to achieve those things we didn't bother buying a roll out canopy. If it's hot we sit under a tree. If it rains we go in.
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