Gazebo
While mulling over the advantages and disadvantages of trading in my caravan for a MH I considered the major detraction to be the difficulty of actually using the MH as a vehicle once you are at the site. To make this easier I looked at awnings which can be left to their own devices while you drive away. Apart from the cost, the main disadvantage seems to arise from the process of disengaging the awning from the MH in order to allow you to drive away. Because I own a pop up gazebo with four sides, which is quite sturdy and can be pegged down at all corners, I wonder if it is a better alternative? Any thoughts on this?
Comments
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I used to have an awning which attached to the gutter of my campers, but that beastie had a tube-like extension which not only had that connection but allowed access/egress without my getting wet { Well Brian is renowned for being oh so very delicate
}. As years passed I got less willing to heave six acres of soggy canvas about, especially if moving from one site to another so now I just use a Wind Out awning ~~ Idleness comes with advancing years 
I just call it increased 'Efficiency'3 -
It might depend on whether the motorhome you buy has a windout canopy like a Fiamma F45. If it does I think I would suggest seeing how you get on with that first. When changing from a caravan to a motorhome you soon realise that it's better to cut down on what you carry around with you. We have a Fiamma and we rarely leave it out overnight as it is easy enough to stow away. We only use ours as a sunshade, or once in Austria as a rain shade!!!
David
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I fail to understand why folk are under the illusion that it's difficult to use a MH for transport once on site. This will only be the case if you buy a large unwieldy van. Many people try to replicate their caravan layout and space in a MH and the result is often too big a MH which soon goes on sale again.
David is right about seeing how you get on before deciding what, if anything, to get. As for gazebos, you would need advice from the club and/or the warden on site. At one time the club would not accept them on site in view of the potential damage that could be caused if they took off in high winds but I think this was later rescinded.
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Wind out awning is the way forward👍 Takes 30 seconds in or out, and travels with you wherever you go. 😁 If you do decide to use your MH as a static(🤷♀️) you can get sides.
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We have a wind out on ours. One of the main reasons we switched to a MH was ease of moving on. The other thing to consider is the weight, as it will be carried in the MH it’s part of your available payload. Not that wind outs are light, but if one of those is already fitted it will be in addition.
If you use CAMC sites, some of the drive aways seem to have problems complying with fire regs. As the MH is the living unit it must be parked to the peg, not where the car would go if you had a caravan. This often leaves insufficient space for the awning and connecting tunnel. I have noticed them onto the grass divides, which may result in being asked to move it.
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It is the pegging down at the corners, as opposed to an awning which is pegged down also all along the bottom edges and attached to the caravan along the top, that is the problem. Wind can get easily under a gazebo and lift it akin to a sail. Only four lightweight points of restraint just can not hold it.
Speak to anyone who has tried to put up an awning in a wind and one quickly finds how low the windspeed needs to be to make it pretty well impossible. Once it is up it is far more robust due to all the anchor points.
If your interest in awning/gazebo is storage of equipment, I have on a few occasions seen a motor caravan user leave behind a great pile of stuff during a day out. A tarpaulin, or even a gazebo canvas, tied down would make it less of an eyesore.
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Thank you for your reply. The gazebo has proper anchorage points at the top of each roof corner so could be adequately secured in the same way as the awning I use with my caravan.
The main reason I am considering a MH awning/ gazebo is for additional storage and we realised quite early on that we will not be taking as much stuff as we do in the caravan.. Being able to quickly move between sites isn't really an issue for us but being able to pop to the supermarket for example is.
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