Driveaway awnings (1 Viewer)

OllieUK

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Can anyone give their opinions of there drive-away awning.
What make
What size
Where to buy from
Do you use it often enough to justify it's price
Pro's
Con's
any information will be appreciated.

Thanks

Ollie
 

philw111

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We have a Movelite XL. It's used every time we are away for more than a couple of days - useful extra space (10ft square).

We got it secondhand so saved a bit of cash.

Only con as far as I am concerned is when you have to take it down wet and then have to re-erect it at home to dry. Close attention to local weather forecasts can sometimes avoid this :oops:
 

DP+JAY

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since 2007, 25 years tuggin before that.
Tried one ( Vango Kela Air), put it up once & took it down/packed it away(in the dry).
Never again, it was then that I remembered why we gave up tuggin' & got a motorhome.
If I really nead more space I'll get a yank tank(not likely).

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OllieUK

OllieUK

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Tried one ( Vango Kela Air), put it up once & took it down/packed it away(in the dry).
Never again, it was then that I remembered why we gave up tuggin' & got a motorhome.
If I really nead more space I'll get a yank tank(not likely).

Yank Tank??

So what happened to the Kela air?
 
Oct 29, 2008
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Weve just seen 2 people struggling to carry a vango air awning back to the car park at the Stafford show. It looked heavy.

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Welsh girl

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We've just seen someone erect a vango air. Easy peasy.
 
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OllieUK

OllieUK

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Weve just seen 2 people struggling to carry a vango air awning back to the car park at the Stafford show. It looked heavy.

20kg in weight that's less than a bag of spuds... were they girls? LOL

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Chris69

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Hi
We have had a number of awnings over the years so here are my thoughts.
Vango Kela Air used 3 times now sold. Easy to put up and take down, very heavy, takes a while to peg out. Inside space is restricted because of shape. Too reliant on pump, our pump failed twice. Expensive option.

Khyam Motordome Excelsior easy to erect but takes a lot of pegging out. 3m square so useful additional space. Costs less than Vango Kella (try Somerset Camping website usually best price if buying new)

Attaching and detaching is same for both above.

We now have a khyam Screen Dome. Does not attach but easy to erect and peg out. Provides 3m x3m space. Much lighter than both of the above and packs more compact. Also costs much less than either of the above.
Chris
 

DP+JAY

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since 2007, 25 years tuggin before that.
We've just seen someone erect a vango air. Easy peasy.
Easy to put up yes, pig to pack away In the bag, in the dry. Nightmare if wet.
Anyway the drive away thing is wasted on us cos when we drive away we don't come back for days or weeks or even years.
Thats the point ofit all for us, Stratford show was the longest I've stayed in one place (apart from home)since ditching the caravan.

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DP+JAY

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[QUOE="BenChi, post: 1056505, member: 26641"]They look easy to put up on the utube demo. less than 4 minutes to erect.[/QUOTE]
Bet It doesn't show it being packed away though.
 

Apache

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We have a vango kela air and it's great. No poles to hump about or scratch your van. Erecting it gets easier after the first time , just like any new kit. It takes seconds to pump up and a second to let air out. ( gets some surprised looks when letting air out ) if it's wet when you drop it then I just put it over a rope in my garage at home and it's dry in no time. Would recommend to anyone .
 

Abacist

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As far as I can remember from my research all the blow up drive-aways have integral groundsheets, are heavy and expensive compared to the likes of the Movelite XL which is what we have. We bought it new at the Chepstow show for £219 plus extra for the bits to connect the awning to the MH. The Movelite is undoubtedly less strong than any traditional caravan type awning - that's why its so light. You pays your money and make your choice.

Integral groundsheets are a problem on sites that require groundsheets to be lifted daily!

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TheBig1

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many many years! since I was a kid
we are firmly in the Khyam motordome fan club

I can put it up or take down by myself in 5 minutes
substantial enough to resist tough weather
light enough to carry about
no seperate poles to assemble or attach, it just hinges and locks in place
very quick to connect or disconnect from the van
3m x 3m plus nearly 3mx1m allowing room for the door

without a doubt the best drive away awning we have had over many years. own khyam tents too, which are equally as good and stood up to horrendous weather over the years from wind and heavy rain to snow and blazing sunshine. just does what its made to do without being complicated or having to be assembled by a team

this is the small version but will show you the principle
 

Jim et Lou

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I am new to this
we have a Movelite XLF .drive away awning. It is massive and gives loads of extra space plus a double bedroom, also it is not too heavy.
 

Mags52

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We've got a Khyam screendome. I've just been working out a way to attach it to the wind out awning strip so that we can have a bit of extra shelter if we want it.
We find it useful when we're on sites for more than a couple of nights to keep dog beds, bikes, BBQ, table and chairs in. We've had it for 6 years and it cost about £130. Goes up (and down) in 3 minutes. Not strictly a drive away but useful all the same.

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mentaliss

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Can anyone give their opinions of there drive-away awning.
What make
What size
Where to buy from
Do you use it often enough to justify it's price
Pro's
Con's
any information will be appreciated.

Thanks

Ollie

Hi Ollie
Regarding your questions above, (not knowing what your vehicle is) why do you want a drive away awning? their original purpose/design was to allow you to erect the awning utilising the body of your campervan, once erected it would then stand on its own as a tent does thus allowing you to drive off in your 'campervan' sized vehicle (not a full blown motorhome) to, visit sites in your touring menu this usually means parking in a town/site, car park.......which in most cases are not friendly or suitable for the motorhome's size...yes we do have experience of this!! when we toured Italy we very rarely found a parkplace that would take our motorhome...so in my opinion driveaway awnings are only suitable for small campervan's.. Volkswagen, Bongo's, Hyundai, come to mind:)
 
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OllieUK

OllieUK

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Hi Ollie
Regarding your questions above, (not knowing what your vehicle is) why do you want a drive away awning? their original purpose/design was to allow you to erect the awning utilising the body of your campervan, once erected it would then stand on its own as a tent does thus allowing you to drive off in your 'campervan' sized vehicle (not a full blown motorhome) to, visit sites in your touring menu this usually means parking in a town/site, car park.......which in most cases are not friendly or suitable for the motorhome's size...yes we do have experience of this!! when we toured Italy we very rarely found a parkplace that would take our motorhome...so in my opinion driveaway awnings are only suitable for small campervan's.. Volkswagen, Bongo's, Hyundai, come to mind:)

I have a Swift Voyager coachbuilt.
On a recent visit to a site many vans had extra space using driveaway, or static awnings. the van next to mine had a front and side panels attached to their main awning. At the moment I am trying to decide what would suit me best I also thought it added more personal space to relax outside the van and where tables, chairs, bbq, water bottles, bikes, could be left safer than left behind the van in open air. Driveaway would certainly be an advantage if I needed to go to the supermarket to replenish food supplies.
 
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OllieUK

OllieUK

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Hi Ollie
Regarding your questions above, (not knowing what your vehicle is) why do you want a drive away awning? their original purpose/design was to allow you to erect the awning utilising the body of your campervan, once erected it would then stand on its own as a tent does thus allowing you to drive off in your 'campervan' sized vehicle (not a full blown motorhome) to, visit sites in your touring menu this usually means parking in a town/site, car park.......which in most cases are not friendly or suitable for the motorhome's size...yes we do have experience of this!! when we toured Italy we very rarely found a parkplace that would take our motorhome...so in my opinion driveaway awnings are only suitable for small campervan's.. Volkswagen, Bongo's, Hyundai, come to mind:)

I have a Swift Voyager coachbuilt.
On a recent visit to a site many vans had extra space using driveaway, or static awnings. the van next to mine had a front and side panels attached to their main awning. At the moment I am trying to decide what would suit me best I also thought it added more personal space to relax outside the van and where tables, chairs, bbq, water bottles, bikes, could be left safer than left behind the van in open air. Driveaway would certainly be an advantage if I needed to go to the supermarket to replenish food supplies.

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philw111

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Hi Ollie
Regarding your questions above, (not knowing what your vehicle is) why do you want a drive away awning? their original purpose/design was to allow you to erect the awning utilising the body of your campervan, once erected it would then stand on its own as a tent does thus allowing you to drive off in your 'campervan' sized vehicle (not a full blown motorhome) to, visit sites in your touring menu this usually means parking in a town/site, car park.......which in most cases are not friendly or suitable for the motorhome's size...yes we do have experience of this!! when we toured Italy we very rarely found a parkplace that would take our motorhome...so in my opinion driveaway awnings are only suitable for small campervan's.. Volkswagen, Bongo's, Hyundai, come to mind:)
Each to their own - we have a "full-blown motorhome" and a driveaway awning. We base ourselves at a campsite, have the awning for additional space, and storage while we are out (it's also a very good pitch marker), and go out in the motorhome. In ten years of motorhoming, the only town we have wanted to visit but failed to find suitable parking is Kendal.

Ollie, I agree with you regarding the panels attached to the main windout awning - you are restricting yourself from moving the motorhome.

Phil
 

nickbailey

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We have a Swift Voyager 695el and we have recently purchased a Drive away Awning. We decided on the Outdoor Revolution Valley Lodge model. After lots of research I managed to source one from Brownhills in Newark. We our great believers in "you get what you pay for" and this Awning is great quality. The extra space and luxury it affords is well worth the money. It depends of course on your van size particularly the height. We are really pleased with ours and on our last holiday had several admirers who wanted to take a peak inside.
Like anything though, do your research and look at all pro's and con's. Best of luck. The Bailey's.
 

mentaliss

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Can anyone give their opinions of there drive-away awning.
What make
What size
Where to buy from
Do you use it often enough to justify it's price
Pro's
Con's
any information will be appreciated.

Thanks

Ollie
_____________________________________________________
Look at it another way, to start Im assuming that you have a motorhome say 6-7 meters long so when you drive off the site leaving your drive away awning standing there in all its glory does it occur to you where you might park your vehicle, I say this as in the Uk the motorhome is seen by councils etc, as an nuisance and we appear to be labelled with the 'Traveler's' dilema hence most car parks in the Uk have barriers set to 2.1 meters . The second point is France ( if you tour there) their Government with the big stick of Brussel's are bringing in all sorts of bans which will effect all motorhomers, for instant the ban on motorhomes of certain weight, fuel type, width of the vehicle, etc driving through congested towns villages... I have a 'Outwell Country' drive away awning which we used successfully with a Mazda Bongo due to the fact that the bongo was small enough to park in car bays in towns/village streets but a motorhome would just not be feasible to do the same, to me that says it all! my wife and I leave our 7 meter vehicle at the camp site and take the local bus, not always satisfactory ...if you want more space and you intend saying at a site for more than a week you could look at the alternatives perhaps a Privacy room or what were looking at the new 'Thule Space tent' which utilises your vehicle's pull out awning a very clever design but does require your pull out awning to be used:cheers:
 

homercostello

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another vote for a Khyam Motordome Excelsior great drive away awning having a pvc van adds lots of space so we can leave our bed made up.(y)
 

Goshawk

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we also have an outdoor revolution valley lodge and use it for longer stays and when family or friends are with us , the extra space is very useful, we use it as a stand alone and it is very substantial, as always lots of options, on the market, purists will say why? its an extra option that fulfills a spatial need, good hunting :)

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Apr 19, 2014
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There a pain in the arse ...
If you want the extra storage just buy a tent and pitch it handy to your unit.
 

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