Awnings + strong wind
Hi All,
Can anyone please give me your thoughts/advice on what strength winds being forecast that you would take your awning down as a preventative measure please?
I'm currently in Wales on the coast, and woke up at 3am with heavy rain, and blustery strong winds. I checked with the Met Office and it showed winds up to around 28mph expected all day long. I don't know if I made the right choice or not, but when there was a lull in the rain and wind this morning, I took the awning down sharpish.
Obviously I've learned a lesson to be a little more vigilant regarding the weather forecast, but what sort of wind speed should be forecast before I consider taking preventative measures, rather than doing so at 3 in the morning?
Cheers,
John
Comments
-
All depends on the direction of the wind and how the awning is being effected. Today the forecast is for 14 knots with probably higher gusts and it is blowing straight at the awning. I will be winding mine in even though I have storm straps out. I am very wary of putting too much strain on everything and as I am off out for most of the day, I will not be leaving it unattended.
peedee
1 -
I think there are to many variables to give a specific answer. In 2019 we were on a very exposed hillside in Devon around early springtime when a severe storm hit. It was so severe the van was rocking on it's steadies. We had an open fronted lightweight Sunncamp Swift on the caravan, but the side of the van was to the wind and the awning on the other side was fine. A year later on the same pitch, but pitched 90 degrees to our previous visit the same awning pulled out of the track on a not so windy evening.
The moral is, if you know wind is a problem anticipate it how you pitch, if you are allowed to. This unfortunately is not always possible on a club site.
Colin
2 -
We have kept our full Ventura awning up in quite sever gales but use every guy-line possible including an over the roof storm strap and making sure the pegs are well in the ground. If your awning has one, make sure that the pegs are in the mud wall, These significantly help.
Additionally, when we can, we move the car in front of the awning to create a bit of a wind break. I strongly suggest that you don't try to put up or even take down an awning in strong winds unless you have a lot of help. You might find yourself in the next field
4 -
It requires a bit more thought than just the wind speed to be honest. Seasoned campers will always have an idea of the expected weather, and try to be prepared for the unexpected as much as they can. It will depend on a few things, where are you staying, is the site sheltered, what type of awning you use, how are you pitched up, where is your awning in terms of wind direction, etc….
Some places are notorious for wind, take St Agnes Beacon Site, high up, exposed and taking the brunt of the UK’s prevailing SW winds. Awnings have ended up out to sea up there. Then take somewhere like Bromyard Downs, in a sheltered quarry, lots of things to break down that wind speed.
Cheaper porch awnings used to be notorious for ending up inside out, or being totally ripped off the side of caravans. While a good Isabella, well strapped down and using car to aid sheltering can take a lot more.
On arrival, if winds are forecast (all hail that Smart phone) take a look at which direction the prevailing winds blow (trees, shrubs will give you an idea, they lean away from wind) and choose a pitch so that you can put your awning up so that the van gives it some protection. Put as little in the awning as you can if the forecast is poor, that way you can get it down quickly at the very first hint of trouble. Being prepared is the key. And never ever be tempted to leave your awning up if winds are forecast and you leave the van. I saw dozens of seasonal vans badly damaged, awnings shredded or tore away up at Hexham Racecourse Site one Autumn.
Cant help regarding blow up awnings, no experience of these, but others might give you some pointers. Our Isabella has withstood some quite severe winds down in Cornwall, but well tied down, sheltered and well prepared. We always took our porch awning down though.
As mentioned above, the Club’s rigid pitching regime doesn’t help in these circumstances, and some pitches are so exposed, awnings aren’t allowed.
0 -
We have had sleepless nights in southern France when the mistral flared up - so both of us outside in the night in pyjamas roping the awning to the car, and lying awake for hours wondering which of the two would blow away. Back at home we decided we really didn’t need an awning, so put it in the shed and never bothered with it again. No more bundles of wet canvas.
0 -
There is nothing worse (OK there is but you know what I mean) than being awake listening to the gusts of wind on your awning and wondering is it going to hold.
Storm flaps can help, and we've even doubled them but it is still unnerving. As said above a various factors come into play, direction being important, but you did the right thing in taking it down.
You don't say if it's a pole or air awning? Since switching to air we've felt better as it won't do as much damage as an awning pole when the awning get wrapped around the whole caravan, which we've seen. Also I noticed that in the even of high winds some people just deflate the awning while leaving the pegs in and attached to the caravan and lash it very close to the caravan wall then simply inflate it again the next morning.
0 -
The Mistral can be bad but at least you know which direction it’s coming from. We keep our Motorhome canopy up but with the awning facing South and storm straps fitted. We arrived at our usual site near the Rhône one year the day after a snap storm. About 75% of awnings/canopies we’re damaged. Be vigilant.
0 -
Just to give you an idea about what awnings can cope with - we have two air awnings - a Kampa 390 Grande and a lightweight Sunncamp Air 390.
Both have withstood 50 mph winds on quite a few occasions with no adverse effects other than they do tend to bend a bit in the gusts. However, as Corners says, with air awnings there is far less chance of damage to the van.
What I have found critical is having the correct pegs for the surface. We use those heavy plastic pegs on grass and they hold well although you do have to check that some aren't working loose. Hardstandings tend to be a bit more hit and miss though, dependent on how good the sub-surface is.
I remember of very first trip out with our last van - in winter - with a new Kampa awning which had those useless light, aluminium tent pegs. The wind came in the middle of the night and we were outside at 2am, trying to rescue everything. Thought we had given all that up when we finished yachting!
0 -
Interesting to note you have (or had in our case) the same awnings...and agree both have withstood winds and gust of 50mph....with better pegs !!!...Pleasantly surprised at that as we had just changed to Air awnings from our loved Isabella's.
Unfortunately our 390 Grande and a couple of others we know of...suffered, after rain, from severe water collection in the front top panel. Despite placing extra pads to lift the air beams (as suggested by Kampa) , water still collected in the top panel... Kampa were not really helpful and in the end...showing the dealer multiple photos of the 'bulge', 'a perfectly flat pitched awning' .... we agreed to exchange for the Kampa (now Dometic) Club Air Pro which is in the style of a conventional awning....
No more water bulging and does withstand strong winds...
0 -
"Unfortunately our 390 Grande and a couple of others we know of...suffered, after rain, from severe water collection in the front top panel. Despite placing extra pads to lift the air beams (as suggested by Kampa) , water still collected in the top panel... Kampa were not really helpful and in the end...showing the dealer multiple photos of the 'bulge', 'a perfectly flat pitched awning' .... we agreed to exchange for the Kampa (now Dometic) Club Air Pro which is in the style of a conventional awning...."
Surprised at that GTP because ours - and it must be over 4 years old, has the then 'new' twin pitch roof so that there's no chance of water collecting on it. Plus - when we had a problem with our very first Kampa awning - many years ago - our dealer got in touch with the Kampa Rep who arranged for a new one to be sent out to our site - by courier and it arrived the very next morning. They couldn't have been more helpful - I am reluctant to say it but I wonder if this is the 'Dometic effect'!
0 -
Also be prepared for a change in wind direction.
Earlier this year we were caught out, our MH canopy was out with good storm straps on it. A passing storm (we were inside watching it) suddenly changed direction and before we could do anything it hit us face on.
The wind wasn't so much of a problem as the torrential rain. Due to being on grass that on arrival was as hard as concrete. We thought we were OK, once the rain hit us we noticed 1 of the support legs and storm strap was in a dip and under a few inches of water. The peg worked loose as the ground turned to mush. OH had to go out and hold the leg of the canopy until the wind and rain past. Thankfully not long, we saw some who where not as fortunate as us and lost canopy over their roof.
0 -
If in doubt take it down before the winds arrive. You will definely sleep beter.
You can always erect the awning again when the weather improves. Our Kampa 240 Poled awning is so simple that we can have it down and packed in 10 mins and erection only takes 15 -20 mins max.
1 -
We use Peggy Pegs base pads for the bottom of the legs. 4 pegs per pad. The pad can be left in place and the leg quickly released by sliding open the retainers. We can roll the canopy up in a few minutes and put it back just as quickly. No straps or pegs to play around with. You can use additional storm straps if you want, but we don't.
0 -
This should make your link live, ob.
0 -
Thanks nellie.
0 -
A simple walkers compass or phone app assists in working out the wind and sun direction prior to pitching up to assist or avoid. A strategic parked tow car can deflect & shelter as do storm straps prevent take off and shaking loose. Many times we have waited a day or a day early. Equally not keen on high winds towing.
M0 -
Yes I've seen those in use.
In the very early days of owning a MH we used to put a peg through the base of the upright leg, along with the storm straps. However on a site in northern Spain OH had to cut through the metal peg with a hacksaw. He tried everything to pull the peg out but nothing worked. Last resort was cutting through it. Since then we haven't put a peg in the leg.
Normally when we see the wind getting up we just drop the legs a fraction, unclip the storm straps and wind canopy in. Takes but a few minutes.
The occasion I described above was something we've never seen before. No way could we have tried to wind the canopy in or we would have lost it over the roof, others tried and failed, sadly there were a number with damaged canopies that day. Hanging on to the one leg that the storm strap peg had come lose was the best option. Didn't take long for storm to blow over and we could then safely wind it in. OH has bought much bigger anchor pegs for the storm straps 😅😅
0 -
Thanks everyone for the input, it's greatly appreciated. Since my opening post, I've switched from our old steel poled full awning, to a Kampa Ace Air Pro 400 I picked up second hand barely used.
It seems pretty sturdy against fairly strong gusty winds we've since encountered, but the absence of all those steel poles has relieved my anxiety no end! As a previous poster said, if worse comes to worse, the air can be released in no time without taking the pegs out anyway.
0 -
I think common sense prevails John. We have a Vango Air Awning that collapsed to half its height on one occasion in Grafham just with the force of the wind, but I was more concerned with damage to the caravan.
At Damage Barton when we had a full size pole awning, the storm straps came loose and were flailing around on the top of the caravan in the middle of the night. I had my head out of the skylight trying to catch it!
If your on an exposed site, just keep your eye on the forecast, or get advice from the wardens. Most sites will post a notice if its going to be rough.
Just be aware that air awnings tend to 'buffet'. As I said, ours went down to half height, and then snapped back. It was very wet, so pegs came loose with the force
0 -
We do the same, but use the storm straps as well in all but extremely 'no wind' circumstances. I don't know what canopy you use, Obernockle, but we also use the optional telescopic/ spring loaded roof poles for each side as well as in the middle.
Peggy pegs stuff is not cheap, but they are excellent.
David
0 -
....no, I'm still here ABM, although we've not been out in the van for a few weeks. It looks like the beginning of November before we can get out - just so much going on!
Tend not to bother with the awning this time of year. There are only 2 of us and the dog - tend not to sit outside when it gets colder... 😀😀
David
1 -
Having said we've had good service from both our air awnings, I've recently made the switch to a 'poled' awning in the form of a Thule Veduta which fits onto the Omnistor roof canopy which is to be fitted by our dealer next month when the van goes in for service. In all honesty, it was just getting too much for me to lift and drag the awning - particularly the Kampa - along the awning rail. I hope I've made the right decision although others I know who have the same set up have been pleased with the quality of construction. Particularly important was the fact that in strong winds, the strain is taken by the Omnistor rather than pressure being put on the side of the van. Time will tell but I'm hoping I haven't made an expensive mistake
0 -
I'm be interested to hear how you get on with it richardandros. We have a Thule canopy and we also have the sides which make an enclosed room (not the Veduta). However, we've hardly ever used the sides... it's just an extra thing to carry and put up, and with just the two of us if the weather is poor, we just stay inside. If the weather is good, we just sit underneath the canopy or out in the open. The canopy is sufficient to keep our outside tabe, chats and Cadac dry, when it rains.
I have toyed with the idea of a Thule Quick Fit awning, but I don't know how often we would use it..... Also, there is a gap between the roof of the canopy and the roof of the Quick-Fit and I wonder if this might be a problem should the wind whip up.
...you my have seen it before, but this is our set-up....
David
0 -
Plus one DSB. We gave up on awnings when the grandkids stopped coming with us. We now have the Fiamma roll out canopy, very similar to yours. I used to dread the work involved with erecting and dismantling full awnings to the extent that we were considering giving up with the caravan. Now it is so easy - I can roll it out, fix it and put it away again in minutes, without OH needing to help. Avoids a lot of arguments too!!!
0 -
I’ll let you know David! First real test will be at Sandringham at Christmas but I shall try it on the drive at home before then. No intention of being the afternoon’s entertainment on site!
I suspect we will also just use the canopy quite a lot - which is the advantage of such a system.
1 -
For us, the canopy serves the purpose of keeping the outside chairs, table, Cadac and just one or two small things dry, during the late Spring, Summer and early Autumn. For the rest of the year, we don't bother with the canopy, and don't take 'outside stuff' with us... the caravan an is warmer... 🙂🙂
I'll keep a look out for your review of the Veduta, richardandros
David
0 -
David
As promised – here is a ‘review’ of the Veduta – perhaps not a totally fair review – more of a ‘first impressions’ since this is the first time I have erected it. I am sure things will be easier next time! Apologies if it’s a bit long!!
Initial reaction – all the structural parts are of high quality and over engineered and their assembly is very straightforward. Getting them in place is a different matter!
Since the instructions are pretty hopeless (pictures), I used the following video for guidance:
He makes it look so easy and then I realised this guy must be a giant. I had to stand at the top of a set of steps to get the roof beams in place and even threading the side / front panels wasn’t possible without using the steps. The roof beams aren’t light, either!
Neither are the panels as light as they appear to be in the video – indeed they are very substantial and – being new – are not at all flexible especially in respect of the cord that runs in the channel in the roof beams and across the front, this meant that getting that last bit in place took a lot of effort.
The biggest problem, by far, was getting the rear uprights sealed against the van. Probably due to the cold weather, the PVC seals aren’t very flexible and it took considerable effort to get them to splay out against the side of the van. I got there (eventually!) but the end result wasn’t totally satisfactory in my opinion. Pegging the bottom of those poles out so that the pole was pressed against the van, again, took a lot of effort. The end result, in terms of sealing, was probably not as good (and certainly not as easy) as getting a seal with foam pads on an air awning.
Once assembled, the awning feels very secure and stable and looks as it would withstand considerable winds – especially with the very heavy-duty storm straps fitted. There are so many pegging out points that it’s unlikely it could ever come adrift! That also means that assembly takes a long time. Plus the diagonal braces between the rear uprights and the roof beams ensure that it would be almost impossible to ‘lift off’ in high winds.
It is a big awning at 4.5m wide and over 2.5m wide – indeed, in practice I reckon it’s about 2.75m wide – judging by the carpet that we pinched from our 3.9 x 2.5m air awning. The extra height produced by the fact that the Omnistor is on the roof is very apparent. Indeed, inside the awning – it feels huge!
The double mud skirt is an excellent feature as is the fact that it’s PVC rather than canvas – making it easier to keep clean. In the photo, I’ve obviously got the front poles a bit high since the mud skirt is only just touching the ground in places. I also like the fact that the substantial awning material is a light grey, rather than the black of our previous Kampa, therefore making it less susceptible to sun damage / fading.
It is very versatile in terms of openings etc and both front panels unzip and can be swapped around with the side panels to give doorways etc just where you want them. Although all the zips are substantial, they are a bit fiddly where they go through a tight 90 degree turn in the panels. A smoother curve, as in the Kampa, would have been better.
Is it easier to erect than the Kampa air awning? Jury’s still out on that one. It certainly takes a lot longer but – like all pole awnings – the components are split up so there’s no single bag of awning to try to lug around (and get on the awning rail). I’m also looking forward to the fact that I don’t have to get down on my knees to roll the awning up as I had to with the Kampa.
Would I buy it again, knowing what I know now – to be honest – I’m not sure – but probably a bit unfair to make a judgement on the strength of one experience.
0
