PVC awning advice

[rikardo]

After some advice / suggestions on the best driveaway awning to get please. We have a globecar pvc with a fiamma f65 awning fitted. Ideally looking for something that can stand up to some wintery weather.

Is the fitting of a draught skirt essential and how is this best achieved?

Thanks.

 

[Gaston aires]

Hi Firstly a draught skirt is of no real use, they are stand alone units.
The type we have is an air awning and is very good. The main thing is to get the right height for your van you can see the type of van we have in the avatar picture. We connect ours to the wind out awning which requires a simple fixing kit freely available. We only use ours when we are staying for 3 or 4 days and not whilst touring.
Hope this helps
Phil

 

[Minxy]

The first thing is to consider when you are going to use it and for how long, if you intend to move off daily then putting a draught skirt on could be a nuisance but it will help to reduce the wind that comes under the van and into the awning when you're sat in it - if you want a skirt you could go for one that just pushes into the ground, a bit like a mini windbreak, or one that attaches to your van with poppers or even magnets which you can either buy or make yourself.

As for the awning itself, its really down to what type you want but I'm a fan of Outdoor Revolution Movelite awnings which are very well made, I've had the smaller 'Square' 2.4m x 2.4m, the Midi 3.0m x 2.4m, and the Maxi 3.0m x 3.0m (I think that's waht it was called!), of them all the Midi was probably the most suitable sizewise. You should find one on Ebay quite a bit cheaper than buying new and at least that way you can see if you like it without splashing out a load of dosh.

 

[Kingham]

My previous awning was a Ventura Freestander made by Isabella and was excellent quality and dealt well with snow. The problem with it was that it was both bulky and heavy, which was fine when I had the space and payload of the coachbuilt.

Since downsizing to a PVC, I changed the awning and opted for one of the excellent Kampa air beams, which is lighter and more compact, but I'm not convinced it well stand up to lying snow as well as the Ventura did.

 

[jezport]

After some advice / suggestions on the best driveaway awning to get please. We have a globecar pvc with a fiamma f65 awning fitted. Ideally looking for something that can stand up to some wintery weather.

Is the fitting of a draught skirt essential and how is this best achieved?

Thanks.

The F65 will not stand up to very much, the joints which connect the legs to the front are plastic, the legs are very thin compared to my last Thule awning. In my opinion they are very poorly made.

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[Kingham]

The F65 will not stand up to very much, the joints which connect the legs to the front are plastic, the legs are very thin compared to my last Thule awning. In my opinion they are very poorly made.

I've also noticed that the components of my F65 are lighter than previous models I've owned, but this doesn't tend to be an issue with 'drive away' awnings, which are self supporting and therefore transfer very little weight across to the Fiamma.
Mine is only connected to the F65 via a lightweight tunnel section.

 

[Minxy]

Just to clarify the F65 and F65s are 2 different awnings, the F65 is usually put on a coachbuilt motorhome whereas the F65s is specifically made for a van conversion.

 

[jezport]

Just to clarify the F65 and F65s are 2 different awnings, the F65 is usually put on a coachbuilt motorhome whereas the F65s is specifically made for a van conversion.

The F65s is lighter weight 8kg lighter than the L model on a 400cm
The F65L is heavier duty with aluminium end caps and thicker case

Both can be fitted on Van conversions or coachbuilts

 

[TCG]

i personally do not like driveaway awnings, we prefer a standalone and use the vango Hex air , for us the beauty is we just drive away leaving the awning standing with no fuss of having to detach the awning from the motorhome, really sturdy in the wind and great in the summer

 

[Kingham]

Just to clarify the F65 and F65s are 2 different awnings, the F65 is usually put on a coachbuilt motorhome whereas the F65s is specifically made for a van conversion.

Cheers Minxy, mine is the 'S'.

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[rikardo]

Thanks for the responses.

A little more info: we're taking the van skiing and only plan on moving the van to fill up gas and the occasional short run, over a five week period.

I'll check on the exact fiamma awning model this afternoon.

The Ventura freestander looks very sturdy, would it connect into the existing fiamma frame somehow?

Regarding the air type awnings which also look a good option, I read they constantly require a connected pump to maintain the correct pressure. Is this correct?

 

[Kingham]

The F65s is lighter weight 8kg lighter than the L model on a 400cm
The F65L is heavier duty with aluminium end caps and thicker case

Both can be fitted on Van conversions or coachbuilts

Cheers jezport, that will likely explain why this one is lighter than the two previous ones on my coachbuilts.

 

[42208]

I have a F65S on a PVC and use a Vango Airbeam awning. Advantages are extremely easy to put up, secures to F65 (weak legs do not come into it as the awning is fully wound in for fitting) and gives the additional space you need if staying anywhere for more than a few days. Disadvantages include a biggish package to carry around in the van and I do not think they look very good compared to traditional awnings (personal view of course).
Drive away awnings are surprisingly robust in poor weather, however, I find the actual driveaway part of it a pain and so usually only put it up when I know I am staying put which of course defeats the purpose

 

[jezport]

The S is used mostly because its cheaper to buy

 

[Kingham]

i personally do not like driveaway awnings, we prefer a standalone and use the vango Hex air , for us the beauty is we just drive away leaving the awning standing with no fuss of having to detach the awning from the motorhome, really sturdy in the wind and great in the summer

With panel vans having such a wide sliding door aperture, the advantages of having an awning that goes some way to making the open door more weather tight are obvious.

For me, the 2 minutes it takes to disconnect are worth it for that reason alone.

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[Kingham]

........
The Ventura freestander looks very sturdy, would it connect into the existing fiamma frame somehow?

Regarding the air type awnings which also look a good option, I read they constantly require a connected pump to maintain the correct pressure. Is this correct?

Both my Ventura and my current Kampa connect to a slot in the fascia of the Fiamma, by way of a plastic Figure 8 strip and a Kador infill strip.

Certainly don't need to leave a pump connected to my 2 beams. In fact, I've never had to add any air to them at all after initial inflation.

 

[Minxy]

The F65s is lighter weight 8kg lighter than the L model on a 400cm
The F65L is heavier duty with aluminium end caps and thicker case

Both can be fitted on Van conversions or coachbuilts

The F65s also has aluminium end caps according to Fiammastore, so it seems its just the case that's different, hence the price and weight difference, the rest of the components appear to be the same (I haven't studied them in detail, just had a quick shuftie at the info on the website):

http://www.fiammastore.com/Motorhome-Awnings-by-Fiamma/Fiamma-F65-S-Roof-mount-awning

They can all be fitted on a van conversion but the F65 looks awful if it's mounted on the van's roof, hence why the F65s was developed I understand to meet the need for something more aesthetically pleasing, and the F65L too - the F65s and F65L ones can also be put on motorhomes too if they have a suitable roof to mount them on, but the vast majority go for the F65 as they are mounted on the side, not the roof.

Just to add more confusion, there's also the F65 Eagle which is legless!

 

[rikardo]

Overwhelmed by the responses here, much appreciated.

@Kingham can you suggest a specific model please? Seems a whole host available on the second hand market. One that would allow us to open the side door within the confines of the awning would be perfect. The kampas seem to seal well along the sides of the van, how is this managed along the underside of the van? Or would it be necessary to construct some type of skirt as per minxy girls suggestions?

 

[Minxy]

The S is used mostly because its cheaper to buy

I don't think that's quite the case, the F65L is only available in longer sizes starting at 4.0m so no option but to use the F65s (or F65) for shorter ones. However if you need an awning of 4m or more then IMV you really do need the stronger case but there is QUITE a cost difference for the same size of awning, around £190!

F65L = 4.0m, 36kg - approx £790
F65S = 4.0m, 32kg - approx £600

For most people the F65S is more than sufficient so no point paying a lot more for something you really don't/won't need. If, however, they intend to put the awning out with a privacy/awning room then going for the heavy-duty one would obviously be a better choice.

 

[Minxy]

A thread on 'magnets' for attaching an awning skirt here:

Broken Link Removed

and other suggestions here:

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/draught-skirt.105164/#post-1361834

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/trikemans-skirt.82350/

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[Kingham]

Overwhelmed by the responses here, much appreciated.

@Kingham can you suggest a specific model please? Seems a whole host available on the second hand market. One that would allow us to open the side door within the confines of the awning would be perfect. The kampas seem to seal well along the sides of the van, how is this managed along the underside of the van? Or would it be necessary to construct some type of skirt as per minxy girls suggestions?

I can't, or won't suggest a model, as it would be down to individual choice and requirements.

Mine is the Kampa Travel Pod Motion Air and suits my requirements, but it does not fully clear the open door of the van. Fortunately I carry a small folding step to assist with kayak loading and I store this in the tunnel of the awning, so I can reach the awning fabric and lift it over the door.
To get a larger awning that would fully clear the open door would create storage problems for me, as mine fits perfectly under my bed in its bag.

None of my awnings have been a perfect fit against the side of the van, but bear in mind, it is just the connecting tunnel. When it is very windy, or if I'm driving off for the day, the main body of the awning gets zipped up and sealed off from the tunnel, so does not need a skirt to be attached to van.

You probably need to see one erected to appreciate exactly what I mean and I don't get where skirts are required with freestanding awnings ?

 

[Kingham]

@rikardo

This is a pic of my previous Ventura awning and you can see the lighter blue is the main body of the awning. Internally, the rear wall of that main body, can be fully opened up or half opened up to allow access to the van door, via the connecting area.
PM me if you would like to be bored to death with more pics

 

[Wombles]

As a wildcard alternative (if you like green ) how about this

We have posted about this before but thought it might be useful to add here.
Tried many, many awnings all with varying pros & cons but now we have one of these & love it despite the colour Using good pegs it stood up to strong winds well, packs down small & light into its carry bag, can join two or more together, quick & easy to put up (even in the dark!) & take down, not too expensive & comes with a 2 year warranty:
Link Removed
Have a look at the photos & reviews on the web page.
Also considering this big one for longer stays as saw one on a campsite & looked good at coping with the high winds too <Broken link removed> Both currently showing as out of stock online but Decathlon have sold this design for several years so probably just due to time of year & some in store stock is available.

 

[Minxy]

... I don't get where skirts are required with freestanding awnings ?

The rear of drive-away awnings differ quite a lot, some have quite high sills where the rear panel zips in but some are quite low and therefore let the wind blow through into the awning itself, plus if you want to use the tunnel part as well as the main part of the awning it will obviously stop the wind coming into that anyway.

 

[Kingham]

The rear of drive-away awnings differ quite a lot, some have quite high sills where the rear panel zips in but some are quite low and therefore let the wind blow through into the awning itself, plus if you want to use the tunnel part as well as the main part of the awning it will obviously stop the wind coming into that anyway.

Coming from a caravanning background, where a full awning threaded correctly in the awning channel, provided a fairly wind proof seal, a skirt was an advantage.
It might just be my method of pegging out, or the design of my awnings, but the tunnel connection with the side of my vans has always been a let down for me.
In all those I've used, they are far from being weather tight, so a skirt would have little effect and I've never even tried to keep the wind out of the tunnel area, from any direction.

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[Minxy]

If you peg out the awning correctly it should fit nice and snug against the side of the MH/camper but the issue is more that some of the awnings don't have a good fit in the first place, so no amount of 'fiddling' with it will get a tight fit, some of the tunnels are way too big and that certainly doesn't help with the fit, so getting one that is a good 'match' with your MH/camper is important.

As for being weather tight, we've used various awnings with our MHs/campers and the photo below shows us using a large caravan porch awning which fitted really well and was certainly a godsend with the snow we had at Newark MH show one February!