Inflatable Drive Away Awnings

[DDJC]

We're now too old to keep struggling with our Thule G3 Residence Awning (which is brilliant by the way) and have decided switch to a drive away. Everywhere is out of stock and dealers are being surprisingly unhelpful! Really need some informed opinion!

We have a few criteria:

• Got to be inflatable.
• Between 3000 and 4500mm frontage length (our wind out awning has a 3800mm Keder rail)
• Robust high denier fabric
• The Omnistor wind-out awning (where the Keder rail is) is sited at 2550mm
• Our hab door is 2200mm high and opens out about 600mm. Prefer that the hab door top doesn't rub on the connecting panel.

So far I have found the following. If anyone has any of these, your opinion would be extremely valuable.

Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4 High
Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4E PC High
Dometic Kampa Rally Air 390
Dometic Kampa Rally Air 330
Vango Galli III RSV Tall
Westfield Neptune Air 400 X High

Or feel free to suggest something else?

Thanks very much

Dave

 

[Stonemags76]

We had a Movelite, & found it very easy to use! It comes in a very big bag, however, so too much for us for the number of times we used it.

 

[Spriddler]

Inflatables seem to be heavy and bulky.
Lots of comments and opinions on many previous threads here:

<Broken link removed>

 

[DDJC]

Inflatables seem to be heavy and bulky.
Lots of comments and opinions on many previous threads here:

<Broken link removed>

Heavy? Nae problem!

You ever used a Thule G3 Residence?
Here's ours:

Excellent bit of kit, but it is bloody heavy and too much of a faff to take down when you need to nip out for a pint of milk.

 

[gpat]

Watched a fair few inflatables being put up and then back down at the Norfolk show. Its put us right off. What a faff. Seemed to take everybody ages, even longer than the pole ones and as for taking them down......well I don't know as we were gone before they had finished. When they are down they are massive, bulky and heavy.

Back to the awning sides for the wind out awning I think for us.

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[David and Sally]

Tried inflatable. Never again. Heavy and a right faff. And if they leak a bit then get really saggy. Poles for us.

 

[Spriddler]

Heavy? Nae problem!

You ever used a Thule G3 Residence?
Here's ours:

View attachment 530872

Excellent bit of kit, but it is bloody heavy and too much of a faff to take down when you need to nip out for a pint of milk.

I was only quoting what seemed to be general drift of the posts to which I linked.
As gpat mentioned my observation of others has also put me right off the idea. I saw one caravanner spend two hours setting up not only an inflatable awning but a large inflatable settee and two armchairs.
I wouldn't be likely to use one anyway as I only tour abroad, almost never stopping in one place for more than two nights. If the weather's good (it always seems to improve once South of the Loire Valley/Bern/Munich) I'm out and about all day in the m/h and if it's really bad I usually get up late and use it as an opportunity to drive to another stop.

 

[DDJC]

Probably need to mention that as a tugger, we had one 7m fibreglass poled awning and three inflatable awnings.

The poled awning came down in a storm in Isle d'Oleron, western France and the hook at the end carved a five inch gash in the side of the caravan. No more poles for us. The Thule G3 Residence hasn't got poles. It uses solid aluminium beams to hold up the sides and front. Very robust when properly pegged out.

The inflatables we had with the caravan, (Vango and Kampa) went up so much easier, inside 10 minutes. And came down in minutes too. Their construction allows them to flex in the wind, and there is nothing to break. They packed easily and yes they are bulky, but as we have two disabled teenagers with us on our holidays, we need the space. If you saw tuggers struggling, might I suggest that it was their first time putting it up?! It really isn't difficult or time consuming.

So, for us a heavy, bulky, expensive, inflatable drive away awning is the only solution

I just want to find someone who has one of the suggestions in the original post to have a conflab with!

 

[David and Sally]

I just want to find someone who has one of the suggestions in the original post to have a conflab with!

Apols for sticking my oar into anything inflatable you may have and for not adding to the thread.

only to say we have an old Outdoor Revolution drive away we bought from a Funster. Old then and three years older now but still going strong. Pole type though. Would I buy OR again? Defo yes

 

[Jonno1103]

We have a Movelite T4 with all of the trimmings - bedrooms, sun canopy, lights, carpet etc. All in all it weighs around 35kg. We find it easy to erect once unfolded, the secret is not to have it too close to the motorhome once it's attached to the awning and wound back in.

You can see it in my avatar.

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[gpat]

I was only quoting what seemed to be general drift of the posts to which I linked.
As gpat mentioned my observation of others has also put me right off the idea. I saw one caravanner spend two hours setting up not only an inflatable awning but a large inflatable settee and two armchairs.
I wouldn't be likely to use one anyway as I only tour abroad, almost never stopping in one place for more than two nights. If the weather's good (it always seems to improve once South of the Loire Valley/Bern/Munich) I'm out and about all day in the m/h and if it's really bad I usually get up late and use it as an opportunity to drive to another stop.

I tell hwmbo that anything less than 4 days, awning stays in garage.

Of course I don't get my way but spend many a happy hour wrestling with it.

 

[gpat]

I tell hwmbo that anything less than 4 days, awning stays in garage.

Of course I don't get my way but spend many a happy hour wrestling with it.

The awning that is..

 

[Caggsie1]

We’ve a kampa, however not a drive away, we find it really easy and quick to erect. Pegging is a different kettle of fish, its what takes the time, deflating is a doddle too.

 

[NicandJay]

We're now too old to keep struggling with our Thule G3 Residence Awning (which is brilliant by the way) and have decided switch to a drive away. Everywhere is out of stock and dealers are being surprisingly unhelpful! Really need some informed opinion!

We have a few criteria:

• Got to be inflatable.
• Between 3000 and 4500mm frontage length (our wind out awning has a 3800mm Keder rail)
• Robust high denier fabric
• The Omnistor wind-out awning (where the Keder rail is) is sited at 2550mm
• Our hab door is 2200mm high and opens out about 600mm. Prefer that the hab door top doesn't rub on the connecting panel.

So far I have found the following. If anyone has any of these, your opinion would be extremely valuable.

Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4 High
Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4E PC High
Dometic Kampa Rally Air 390
Dometic Kampa Rally Air 330
Vango Galli III RSV Tall
Westfield Neptune Air 400 X High

Or feel free to suggest something else?

Thanks very much

Dave

We have the O R Movelite t2 high. For us two it is perfect compromise between weight and size. Not sure you will ever be able to find a driveaway that you can say wont touch the door when opening before you buy it though