Air awning (2 Viewers)

[The Whittys]

Hi All

After a bit of advice if possible.

We have an Autotrail Imala that has no awning fitted. I am looking at buying an air awning but what a nightmare !!!

Going to have to get a C rail fitted but Brownhills want £130 to bond it. Ouch. Any advice on if this is possible to do yourself as they said drilling would invalidate the warranty if there was a problem later on?

Looked at a few xl awnings with a 270cm rail width and 350cm base width (movelite oxygen duo xl) but scared that the hab door will not open. Anyone with advice on this?

Also they all seem to have sown in groundsheet. Being new to this i have heard that a lot of sites don't like these and also are they any good on hardstanding?

Any general advice on a driveaway air awning would be appreciated

Cheers
Steve

 

[Norfolk Red]

Hi,

we bought a Kampa air awning just before Christmas. After reading comments on here and looking at various air awnings at our local supplier, we decided on the Kampa version.

We like it, but some people couldn't get on with theirs, horses for courses and everyone has a different opinion which is what makes this place great.
All I can say is, it works for us. Easy to put up and take down not so easy to fold it up small enough to put back in the bag it came in !!! but we are lucky and have a big garage on the motorhome so not really a problem.
When ours is up the habitation door will only open to 90 degree's but that's not a problem, and it does not have a sewn in groundsheet.

Have a look on You Tube for various video's on air awnings by various manufacturers, some helpful video's on there.
Good luck in your search.

Mark & Anne.

 

[The Whittys]

Thank you for your help i will check out you tube

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[Geo]

My only observation
Drive away awnings are best suited to panel van conversions,
have you yet imagined the difficulty involved in driving back on, after you have been out in the MoHo
with a figure of eight fixing to a van gutter 3 or 4 inches either way is fine, your gonna need air lock accuracy unless this has changed in the last few years

 

[The Whittys]

Hi

Thanks for that

Brownhills showed me a driveaway kit that was about 6 inches. Not really sure we will ever drive away but need the option as we do not tow any car.

Cheers

 

[Minxy]

Which layout have you got? Looking at the images on the web the Imala appears to have some bars on the top so you might be able to utilise that with straps rather than have a fixed rail.

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[The Whittys]

Yes it has the roof bars but couldn't think how straps would work on a high van

 

[Bazzermc]

We use a Vango Kela 2 tall awning on our Autotrail Cheyenne.
We tried using the runner on the built in awning, but the door catches the roof, so we use the throw over straps, which came with the awning.
You need to twist the straps to stop them singing in the wind, this works for us.
One advantage of throw over is that the awning isn't going to rip the side of the MH off, if we had very high winds.
We looked at a number of awnings and in our opinion the Vango out top......
The Kela comes with 3 methods of attaching to the MH - throw over straps, roof bar attachment or the caravan runner.

 

[The Whittys]

Hi thanks for that.

I looked at the Kela III but looked like it would catch the door. Will look at the 2

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[Minxy]

Take a look at the Vango Idris - it's like the Kela but without the sew in groundsheet which is better (it clips in) and comes without the sleeping compartment which very few people want anyway (you get and pay for it whether you want it or not with the Kela!).

 

[GAVLAD]

I had a drive away awning (Khyam motordome) with my old VW camper van -although it wasn't air poles.
It was good for additional storage/living space but was a pain in the arse for aligning up upon returning from a drive out.
Plus, we tore the roof on the edge of the side sliding door.
If I still had that van I would have swapped the drive away awning for a tent.
My mate didn't have an awning channel and he used to lash it over the roof of his van and secure it with straps.
It used to wear against his paintwork and scratch. Plus it kept him awake at night when windy.

How long is your warranty valid for?
If it's 6 months, I'd tackle it yourself and drill and bond a C channel to it.
If it's 3 years, I'd bite the bullet and get Brownhills to fit it. That way, if there's any issues you can go back to them.

I've just bought a Kampa Air xxl 400 which isn't a drive away awning.
My cassette box is 5m so I've got 1m to play with regarding positioning.
It's got no groundsheet fitted.

 

[Minxy]

I suppose the other question is do you really need to attach an awning, or just want somewhere to sit out etc? If the latter then a lot of funsters like the Quest screen houses instead of an awning.

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[The Whittys]

Our biggest reason is our dogs. Weve just been away for Christmas and New Year and realised we need somewhere to towel them off and sit outside. We use our van all year so needs to be secure and wind proof.

Our warranty is 3 years so guess i will get them to fit it.

Thanks for all of your help

 

[Bazzermc]

Hi thanks for that.

I looked at the Kela III but looked like it would catch the door. Will look at the 2

I think Kela 11 & 111 will be the same.

As stated, we use throw over straps to get the height above the door, it doesn't seal against the MH to well, but that is where the inner wall is a benefit. With the sewn in groundsheet and inner wall zipped fully up, we have a cosy area for sitting out in and secure room for the dogs.

When used on hardstanding, we use additional groundsheet or tarpauling underneath to protect the sewn in groundsheet.

For windy conditions the Kela has additional straps inside to keep the awning in shape.

We like air beams because they are much quicker to put up and take down.

Beware of the size of drive away awnings, many will not fit on a "standard" campsite pitch, which is why we didn't go for the larger Vango drive away.

So far we have used this awning for 2 years and haven't detected any wear on the paintwork due to the straps and we have used it in strong winds. As mentioned earlier, if you twist straps, it greatly reduces the noise from them.

I would suggest, if you find an awning you like and if it has the throw over option, try it before going to the expense of fitting the rail. This will also show where you will need to fit the rail to clear the door. It may even be that you decide you don't need a rail after all....

 

[The Whittys]

Thank you for that. Just watched a video about kela and vango

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[The Whittys]

Hi All

Thanks for all of your help. Ordered an outdoor revolution movelite xl

Just rang Brownhills and now quoting £200 to bond a C rail. Thats extortionate. Anyone know any other places in Lincolnshire that would do it?

Cheers

 

[Norfolk Red]

UK Campers in Lincoln have a service department, don't know if they do that kind of thing, but worth a phone call.

Mark & Anne.

 

[Minxy]

CamperUK

http://www.camperuk.co.uk/parts/

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[The Whittys]

Thanks will give them a call

 

[ABZSteve]

Yes it has the roof bars but couldn't think how straps would work on a high van

Tennis Ball tied to straps, chuck them over, job done. Oh, maybe a little ladder also so that you can put sponge under the straps to mitigate wind vibration. I also bought a telescopic boat hook to grab the strap if out of reach. I have the Vango Kela XL, it doesn't catch the hab door if positioned properly.

 

[The Whittys]

Thanks for that. I spoke to Brownhills and they say my roof bars are not strong enough to hold an awning in the wind. I went up a ladder to check today and they are quite wobbly not very solid so now getting a C rail fitted.

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[Foxy1956]

We have the Vango Attar [tall]. The big disadvantage with it is that it is over 4 metres from the van with the flap attached to the wind out awning, too wide for many club sites. It also has a fixed ground sheet. I can put it up on my own in 30 minutes. It will be useful if we have grand children.