How to pitch
Comments
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figbat, - Just a few questions and problems that you may have not considered.
1) with a family of four where will the awning travel?
2) If the caravan is carried in the caravan, where will it be moved to if on arriving the weather is awful ( wet or windy) and you decide to delay erection?
3) Will there still be room for your family to use the car if the awning is still in the car, because the weather is still awful?
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Mikey, although I travel with my awning in my car many people travel with it in the caravan over the axle of course. Smaller heavy stuff can be put in the boot - but Figbat may have a large SUV or Estate Car! The problems you have raised are relevant but I am sure most people solve them quite easily. If it's wet on arrival unload car and then put awning in boot. Wet on days out and need space in car awning in caravan. But how often do we have to make that decision, in my 40 yrs caravanning can't remember ever having to.
Figbat don't worry you will soon get on top of your lovely new hobby which your family will enjoy, mine did when they used to come with us and loved getting involved, although they were perhaps less keen on a hot day and the pool beckoned!
Just seen AD's post. Yes a roof box is an alternative. But I don't have one so did not consider it!
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figbat some general advice from a long term caravanner 're awnings: You may want to change your caravan in the future, a large porch awning will probably fit most vans, saving you having to change awnings if a full size one doesn't fit any new van you may purchase - A lesson we learnt. An air awning is far easier to erect. Always carry rock pegs with you, some pitches are very hard to hammer pegs into. Never leave shoes or other like items on the floor of the awning, an overnight downpour may flood your pitch, leaving items floating. Lastly, breakfast in the awning in the sunshine, just lovely. Enjoy.
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In the years when caravanning involved two adults, four children and a very large dog I needed a deep awning as children liked to pitch tents inside it rather than bunks in the caravan. To avoid the huge weight (even with side and ends zipped out) I fitted an additional awning rail about 1/3rd of the way from the rear and used a shorter, though deep, awning.
Best of both worlds, plus when caravan was recoved after theft it was easily identified.
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"Lastly, breakfast in the awning in the sunshine, just lovely. Enjoy."
id (much) rather have breakfast outside in the sunshine.....👍
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Well BB unless you sat in your Campervan and ate your breakfast, you would be getting pretty wet sat outside, if you were away on holiday in this country this week. Still there is always Kellogg's.........that is a sunshine breakfast..........other brands are available
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Try the East coast👍🏻
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...and this is the point....why would i want to sit in a tent when its raining to have breakfast when i can sit in my motorhome...if id wanted to spend time 'under canvas' i would have bought a tent, not a MH.
perhaps, as David points out, sitting outside for breakfast is a foreign concept to some. my breakfast brand of choice is 'sunny disposition'😉
weve just had two weeks away, one in Devon, the other in Cornwall and yes, the UK weather can be a bit trying (this has been our first Spring here in 10 years and we are far more used to touring in sunshine), but we still managed to eat outside on a few occasions.
we have a simple approach...if its nice we are outside, if its not we are in the van.
similarly with our kit (incl bikes chairs, table, BBQ/grill etc) which is either left out (sunny) or put in the garage (inclement).
im sure awnings are great (a million caravanners cant be wrong😱) provided there is a need for one...we just dont have that need.
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Each to their own, we are all different. Unless very heavy rain we had all our meals in our awning, despite having plenty of room in the van. Felt more private than eating outside, table by the big 'window' permanently. We could hear and see the nature all around us, without being bothered by wasps and flies. I think I miss our awning more than the van.
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as you say, each to their own ...i just get 'stuck' imagining sitting inside a tent for my evening meal (et le vin) when the sun is out and its t-shirt, shorts (or less) warm...
must be just us, i guess...not to worry😀
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No BB it isn't just you, we would never sit in an awning in sunny weather either...........for a start an awning can get unbearably hot, but for the not so nice days they are there for the wet clothing and extended space for larger families.
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A couple of points -
1) We do sit in the awning ( or outside) for meals if the weather is nice, the awning can protect you from the wind. If it is wet, cold or blowing a gale we would always sit in the van.
2) What I am always amazed to see is campervan owners ( typically) who sit outside wearing overcoats, bob caps etc for hours on end when any sensible person would sit inside their vehicle.
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Well MikeyA although a Caravaner I have to say I am one who quite often sits outside in cold weather, minus the Bobble hat ( even though short of a good head of hair
) I am a country boy and prefer the outdoors as did my wife. A glass of something, fresh air and good music playing what is there not to like.0 -
"fresh air and good music playing what is there not to like."
Peace and quiet, it would seem.
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Even with the approaching end of life, I can still hear things six meters away in the open air!
What is perhaps more relevant is what one might consider "good" music.
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The trouble is that as we age our hearing tends to deteriorate - I know mine isn't what it was for a fact. It's very easy then to annoy others because we don't realise just how loud our music/TV is to those with normal hearing. It can be a real problem played in an awning or in a van with windows open. There's a lot to he said for ear buds or headphones.👍
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So that might well include artists, some of whose music is "good" to my ears. I'll listen out for Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, etc wafting over then!
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