Awning rail fitted for Kampa Rally Air Pro (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

I was unhappy with using the Omnister wind out awning to attach the Kampa Air Pro..

several reasons..

1. The awning walls didn't sit snuggly against the side of the van.. big gaps.
2. It wasn't in the correct place to clear the hab door..
3. Risk of damage to the wind out awning..

I don't think it was designed to support a heavy porch awning.. someone on the forum (can't find the thread) reported they had broken their wind-out awning using it for this purpose..

I bought the rail from JohnsCross and fitted today..

It has an adhesive backing which makes it easy to fit.. it comes suppled with s/s self tapping screws and 2 drill bits.

I measured down from the Omnistor 3/4 " and used a chalk line to mark the van.. stuck the rail on (3 pieces,) then drilled and fitted the self tapping screws.. the come suppled with tiny plastic washers.

We were apprehensive that it may be difficult to feed the awning on, but it was easy.. I stood on steps and fed it on while Jan pulled from the other end with a cord I had attached..

I am really pleased with it now.. it fits perfectly, close to van walls and the hab door now opens into the awning.. it clears the awning roof with ease..



a few pictures..

 

[GJH]

I fitted a similar rail to our Autoquest when we had a porch awning. It worked well apart from the fact that the wind tended to blow the kador strip along the channel, twisting the awning a bit. You might need to purchase a pair of awning end stops to prevent that. I'd send you mine but I can't remember where I put them

 

[Hymie]

Hi Jim, is that the air pro 260?

I am going to look at one today, but was wondering how to fit it.

We have a 91 vintage Omnistor which I wouldn't want to fit an awning to and was looking at these rails yesterday.

Is it a secure fix, I am a bit worried as the older Hymers have the mottled hammer type finish outer skin and am wondering if the screws provided give enough strength.

Nice job by the way.

TIA,

Hymie

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[golly]

I was thinking of putting a rail on our new Van, how did you locate the support battens to screw into

 

[sdc77]

Great job..
My only concern is it's strength.. You're happy so it must be good enough.
Looks great though (we love our Kampa awning)

 

[Bellini]

I've had no problems, so far, attaching our Kampa Air Pro 390 XL to Udo's '92 vintage Omnistor.

With the Omnistor wound out for eaae of attachment, we semi-inflate the awning to add some support and gently wind it fully back in.

I do like your arrangement, Jim. Good job!

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[Speve]

We have the air pro and found as Jim not happy fitting on Ormistor so I pop riveted awning rail to underside of Ormister casing that way I didn't need to drill bodywork of van it works well.

 

[Ber090]

If Sikkaflex can hold my solar panels and sat dish I wonder if it would hold the awning rail. Anyone tried it?
Cheers Bernie

 

[kelv]

I have the kampa air pro and you are right the air pro is heavy when winding the awning in.
I am very careful and use a brush to take some of the weight but even so I still managed to damage the awing so putting a awing strip seems a good idea.

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[Brisey]

If Sikkaflex can hold my solar panels and sat dish I wonder if it would hold the awning rail. Anyone tried it?
Cheers Bernie

We have an awning rail Sikkaflexed to our van. We have a Kampa Air Pro 390 XL which was attached to it for 4 months last winter in Spain. So far no problems.
Brisey.

 

[Robin McHood]

I bought the Kela drive away and have had it connected to our Omnistor ok, though ours is fitted so the porch fits over the door. Haven't had any problems so far and the porch is snug when wound back, though not as snug against the sides of the van as I'd like. Only other problem is that on CC sites it breaches the 6m rule which is a pain and something I should have thought of first!
Like your installation though @scotjimland, very neat fit

 

[Ber090]

I have the kampa air pro and you are right the air pro is heavy when winding the awning in.
I am very careful and use a brush to take some of the weight but even so I still managed to damage the awing so putting a awing strip seems a good idea.
View attachment 120259

Hi Kelv, I think you could repair that damage with " Bondic" available on amaxon or fleabay. It is now my weapon of choice to repair everything . Expensive but works.
Cheers
Bernie

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[Steve]

If Sikkaflex can hold my solar panels and sat dish I wonder if it would hold the awning rail. Anyone tried it?
Cheers Bernie

yes, been on there for 18months still ok.

 

[kelv]

Hi Kelv, I think you could repair that damage with " Bondic" available on amaxon or fleabay. It is now my weapon of choice to repair everything . Expensive but works.
Cheers
Bernie

Thanks Bernie but I have already ordered a replacement end £19 + vat from leisure spares just hope it's the right one.

 

[busby]

I was thinking of putting a rail on our new Van, how did you locate the support battens to screw into

They are very small self tappers,,,they just screw through the skin. Awning rail is also self adhesive,,,,Did mine earlier this year,,works well. BUSBY...

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[scotjimland]

Hi Jim, is that the air pro 260?

I am going to look at one today, but was wondering how to fit it.

We have a 91 vintage Omnistor which I wouldn't want to fit an awning to and was looking at these rails yesterday.

Is it a secure fix, I am a bit worried as the older Hymers have the mottled hammer type finish outer skin and am wondering if the screws provided give enough strength.

Nice job by the way.

TIA,

Hymie

Yes.. the air pro 260 .. as other have said , with dimpled skin use Sikaflex and small self tappers

I was thinking of putting a rail on our new Van, how did you locate the support battens to screw into

as said .. not fixed to battons, just short self tappers and the adhesive on the rail .. for dimpled skin you would need to use Sikaflex

If Sikkaflex can hold my solar panels and sat dish I wonder if it would hold the awning rail. Anyone tried it?
Cheers Bernie

yes. no problem.. but use self tappers to hold it in place while the Sika cures ..

I bought the Kela drive away and have had it connected to our Omnistor ok, though ours is fitted so the porch fits over the door. Haven't had any problems so far and the porch is snug when wound back, though not as snug against the sides of the van as I'd like. Only other problem is that on CC sites it breaches the 6m rule which is a pain and something I should have thought of first!
Like your installation though @scotjimland, very neat fit

Thanks.

the 6 meter rule is between vans.. as far as I know, it is 3 mts between awnings ..


In Wales at present.. on a lovely CS .. called Cwmcuttan.. SA20 0LY www.cwmcuttan.com

£12 per unit , no extra charges for dogs etc. .. 16A EHU and Free WIFI

sorry for delay in replying ...

 

[walburga]

We have the air pro and found as Jim not happy fitting on Ormistor so I pop riveted awning rail to underside of Ormister casing that way I didn't need to drill bodywork of van it works well.

Also got the 260 Kampa air pro, tried winding out the awning and fixing the kampa to that...hell of a struggle winding it back in ! In fact, couldn't get it to wind in fully, so we had a bit of a gap at the wall.
I'd already thought of fixing an awning rail to the underside of the omnistor casing...so glad it's been done successfully by you.
This is a job (one of many) that will wait till after our return from S of F late October.

Allen

 

[Hymie]

Thanks for the thorough reply, do you find the 260 big enough Jim?

Was affected a new (ex display) air pro 200 yesterday for £125 but it feels a bit on the snug side.

SWMBO is convinced we need a 390, not so sure myself but wondering, if you have 2 loungers and a table inside, is there enough room to access the hab door without weaving through an obstacle course?

Sorry to pester you while you are chillin.

Hymie

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[Adbt]

Really not sure I could be bothered with banging all those pegs in , especially into hard standing . What do you guys actually use those awnings for ?

 

[Hymie]

Really not sure I could be bothered with banging all those pegs in , especially into hard standing . What do you guys actually use those awnings for ?

We went to a site for the weekend, Fri eve until Sun lunchtime, brilliant sunny day Friday, woke Sat morning to clouds, strong chilly wind, the Mrs ended up wrapped in a Slanket after persevering with the cold Reece for several hours.

With the awning up you can shelter from sun and wind or sit outside in the sunshine if you wish.

The one we are buyin on Friday has 2 pegs on each side only and erects/dismantles in minutes.

Hymie

 

[Adbt]

We went to a site for the weekend, Fri eve until Sun lunchtime, brilliant sunny day Friday, woke Sat morning to clouds, strong chilly wind, the Mrs ended up wrapped in a Slanket after persevering with the cold Reece for several hours.

With the awning up you can shelter from sun and wind or sit outside in the sunshine if you wish.

The one we are buyin on Friday has 2 pegs on each side only and erects/dismantles in minutes.

Hymie

The images for the 390 show pegs all around the base as well as the four guide rope pegs

Have you a link please .

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[Bellini]

Our 390 uses a lot of pegs, but we carefully choose how much to peg depending on the wind and weather. i.e the worse the weather, the more pegging-out it'll need.

For us, the awning is used for the following:

1. Shelter from chilly wind / weather where we still wish to feel like we're outside. Works well at night, especially.
2. Shelter from rain where we still wish to feel like we're outside.
3. Protection from wasps. The last site we were on had the little s*i*s flying around looking for food, so we zipped ourselves inside when eating.
4. Handy area for drying towels / clothes without them being in Udo and cluttering him up inside.
5. Useful for us to sit inside the awning after our children have gone to bed. We can chat whilst they, supposedly, fall asleep.

That said, we only put the awning up on stays longer than a weekend.

My wife still loves tenting, which I won't do anymore, so the awning is my nod to that element although I do find it a bit of a bind, even in the short time we've owned one. But for week-long stays, ours has proved really useful to have.

 

[Speve]

Really not sure I could be bothered with banging all those pegs in , especially into hard standing . What do you guys actually use those awnings for ?

We have got ours for when we go down to Spain and Portugal over the winter where we will base ourselves on two or three places for a month at a time it gives us room for the dogs and a nice lounging area when the wind or weather is not so good hopefully not to often,when the weathers good you can open up front and sides and use it like your wind out.

 

[scotjimland]

Thanks for the thorough reply, do you find the 260 big enough Jim?

Was affected a new (ex display) air pro 200 yesterday for £125 but it feels a bit on the snug side.

SWMBO is convinced we need a 390, not so sure myself but wondering, if you have 2 loungers and a table inside, is there enough room to access the hab door without weaving through an obstacle course?

Sorry to pester you while you are chillin.

Hymie

we have a table and two chairs and there is plenty of room .but 2 loungers and table would be snug... it suits is fine.. it's a trade off, a bigger awning is more space but heavier and bulkier ...

Really not sure I could be bothered with banging all those pegs in , especially into hard standing . What do you guys actually use those awnings for ?

Agree, I couldn't be bothered when touring and it would be no use on aires or hard standing... it comes into it's own when stopping for several days or more.. particularly in the UK when weather is unpredictable.. it gives a lot of extra space for storing wet gear , a place to eat without being inside .. I also cook in it with a small gas stove.. and a in winter a provides a break from the cold rushing in the you open the hab door..

Putting up is a breeze .. 15 min from rolling it out.. it's up in a few minutes and pegging out takes no time..

NB..

If you are thinking on putting a rail on, you need a way of reaching it.. I use a small 4 step stepladder to push the awing onto the rail..

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[scotjimland]

Couple of pics taken this morning ..

 

[sdc77]

Really not sure I could be bothered with banging all those pegs in , especially into hard standing . What do you guys actually use those awnings for ?

So.. we have the Kampa air pro 260 as well...Takes 3 or 4 min to slip onto awning rail, about 40 pumps to be fully inflated and we use peggy pegs to peg it down. Total time to put up about 20 to 30 min max. It's great for the dogs... the front panels (windows) roll up and it's a very smart and useful addition which at least doubles your living space. We actually open the front door and have a dog enclosure on it so the dogs can be off their leads too.

 

[Armytwowheels]

Jim did you get the rail delivered or pick it up. The JC website says pick up only? We were thinking of putting an awning rail on as we get fed up of worrying about the windout awning being damaged in the wind.

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[scotjimland]

Jim did you get the rail delivered or pick it up. The JC website says pick up only? We were thinking of putting an awning rail on as we get fed up of worrying about the windout awning being damaged in the wind.

that must be the one piece rail...

I bought the one that comes in three pieces .. it was delivered..

http://www.johnscross.co.uk/c-section-awning-rail-1-2-m-x-3-pieces.html

 

[Armytwowheels]

that must be the one piece rail...

I bought the one that comes in three pieces .. it was delivered..

Thanks, just wanted to check. I need a 4 metre rail but it looks like will have to buy sections and be careful lining them up.

 

[scotjimland]

Thanks, just wanted to check. I need a 4 metre rail but it looks like will have to buy sections and be careful lining them up.

I used a chalk line to mark the van.. the self adhesive backing made the sections easy to align and fix .. and no problems with the joints lining up .. the rail comes with the self tapping screws and 2 pilot drills

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