Newbie Question - Inflatable awnings please?

[Rusticrogers]

How does an inflatable awning attach to the side of the van? Is it utilising the existing wind out awning somehow, I cannot see from the photos online?
Can all MH's use one as long as the door isn't too close to an edge? They look quite useful but are they a faff to get up and use? I remember an old caravan I had a few tears back with one that you needed to pull through the rail, I need a sleep after doing that and short weekends away were a thing of dread!

I like the idea to keep shoes and dogs in but looking at the cost of them, I need to know it's going to be a benefit and not a ballache?

Thanks in advance for any help, tips, tricks or advice.

 

[David and Sally]

Yes. If you have a wind out awning it attaches to that. If not, you can throw straps over the van.

 

[The Wino]

Many a true word put in by mistake!!

"I remember an old caravan I had a few tears back"

The wind out awnings usually have a slot on to fasten the extra awning to. Each to their own I couldn't think of a reason to lug a heavy bulky awning around unless we were going to stay on sites for a week or more at a time in which case I'd get a caravan!

 

[Pelirocco]

Many a true word put in by mistake!!

"I remember an old caravan I had a few tears back"

The wind out awnings usually have a slot on to fasten the extra awning to. Each to their own I couldn't think of a reason to lug a heavy bulky

awning around unless we were going to stay on sites for a week or more at a time in which case I'd get a caravan!

We find an awning essential even for short trips i like the extra privacy

 

[Rusticrogers]

Many a true word put in by mistake!!

"I remember an old caravan I had a few tears back"

The wind out awnings usually have a slot on to fasten the extra awning to. Each to their own I couldn't think of a reason to lug a heavy bulky awning around unless we were going to stay on sites for a week or more at a time in which case I'd get a caravan!

Wet dogs and kids rubbish mainly and somewhere to put your shoes on.
If you are constantly in Crocs then I don't suppose it matters...,

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[Swifter]

If it’s up for 2 or more nights it’s well worth it . We have a Vango air awning . Don’t take it on every trip but enjoy it when we have it . They can be a pain if they are wet when you put them away as they will obviously then need to be dried out when you get home .
They are easily attached via the channel in the wind out canopy . We have drive away awning so we can leave it when we go off site for the day .

 

[Despicable]

I've a Kampa Drive-Away 390 Air Ace and attach it using the wind-out canopy. When tugging I had the 400 caravan version and yes it was heavy to get through the channel rail. The moho drive-away version is just at heavy, however, it is inflated before attaching to the wind-out canopy, so no heavy lifting and no reaching as the canopy can be lowered a bit. The downside with the one I've got is its weight taking up the load allowance of the moho and its bulk getting it through the narrow habitation door; I get round these two issues by putting it in a small trailer.

Below is (hopefully) a video by Attwoods on attaching a drive-away awning to a canopy:

 

[Lenny HB]

We find an awning essential even for short trips i like the extra privacy

Only if you use sites.

We do carry day tent but only use it at festivals or shows,
can't really use it when wilding or on Aires.

 

[The Wino]

If it’s up for 2 or more nights it’s well worth it . We have a Vango air awning . Don’t take it on every trip but enjoy it when we have it . They can be a pain if they are wet when you put them away as they will obviously then need to be dried out when you get home .
They are easily attached via the channel in the wind out canopy . We have drive away awning so we can leave it when we go off site for the day .

It's very seldom we stay in the same place for 2 days and exceptional if it's 3. The most we do is get the wind out awning out for an evening.

 

[Bailey 15]

We have kampa air awning. It attaches to the wind out awning on van.
However: we bought it for our previous van which had a separate rail already glued on van, this was perfect as the beams went direct to van with no gaps or flappy bits anywhere, they are heavy but come in a lovely spacious bag.
As said 2 or more days I luv it.
We are now booked in marquis for a rail on this van £80Well worth it, much more secure and fits the van snug
Would recommend if that’s the sort of thing you want

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[Ivory55]

All different, some people don’t see driving around all the time as a holiday

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Why not look at an inflatable separate sun room, like the type decathalon sell (queacha air xl ?)
I use one and it’s great as our awning rail is At over 9 and a half feet high and in a straight line, ie no way of attaching lower and pulling through.
Oh, and as it’s not attached, we can drive away and come back and not have to prescision park to line up the van to attach on return if it was.
Just a thought.
Hello , by the way, and welcome.

 

[Jimsnap]

The best thing about a drive-away awning is driving away from it...permanently.
I had a Vango inflatable on a T5 VW, the thought of putting it up and taking it down used to put me off going away.
We now have an Adria campervan, bliss

 

[Odd-no-more]

We had a drive away awning but didn't bother to attach it to the van just had it by the door. Saved a lot of faffing

 

[Colino]

We have kampa air awning. It attaches to the wind out awning on van.
However: we bought it for our previous van which had a separate rail already glued on van, this was perfect as the beams went direct to van with no gaps or flappy bits anywhere, they are heavy but come in a lovely spacious bag.
As said 2 or more days I luv it.
We are now booked in marquis for a rail on this van £80Well worth it, much more secure and fits the van snug
Would recommend if that’s the sort of thing you want

I like your windbreak/privacy screen. Is that inflatable as well. Where can they be purchased please ?

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[Bailey 15]

Yes it’s inflatable it comes in 3 or 5 sections from Amazon it’s brilliant

 

[the1andonly]

For 6 years we had the bongo 2.1m high we used to drive off the awning and on every day with no problem at all just practice and good comunication. Mark up wheel positions swmbo on step, come in from 20 feet away, good eyes and comunications.
On a coach built @ 2.9m much more difficult and tend not to drive on same way as often. I fitted a P rail underneath the fiama mount (bolts and rivets) to get a close fit ( on leading edge i pull using the fiamma winder stick hook in loop while swbo takes wieght and feeds in at trailing edge (on 3step))
using a drive away neednt be as difficult as some make out.

 

[robnchris]

How does an inflatable awning attach to the side of the van? Is it utilising the existing wind out awning somehow, I cannot see from the photos online?
Can all MH's use one as long as the door isn't too close to an edge? They look quite useful but are they a faff to get up and use? I remember an old caravan I had a few tears back with one that you needed to pull through the rail, I need a sleep after doing that and short weekends away were a thing of dread!

I like the idea to keep shoes and dogs in but looking at the cost of them, I need to know it's going to be a benefit and not a ballache?

Thanks in advance for any help, tips, tricks or advice.

Our advice would be buy a Kampa Poled awning, The Air awnings are fine as long as the ground is perfectly level, with a poled awning you can adjust the length of the legs, you can't do that with an air awning.
To erect them just wind out the sun canopy until you can reach the rail, slide the awning in, wind the canopy back in Pole up and peg out simple, takes me 15 mins to sort ours.

 

[The Lb’s]

I like your windbreak/privacy screen. Is that inflatable as well. Where can they be purchased please ?

We have one of those, they are brilliant, highly recommended