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Right, I've had a phone call from Pennine...have to say, I've read several things about them having rubbish customer service, hence my initial sceptism about them responding, but they replied to my e-mail the next working day and I told them I worked until 3.30pm and the chap phoned immediately after 3.30 this afternoon, so impressed by that.

The chap I spoke to knew exactly what I was talking about and said that on the new campers the zip flaps are indeed sewn to the other side of the reinforced section, so it's clearly a fault.  He said we could have some poles, but our camper doesn't have the bracketry to connect them to, so he said the best thing to do would be to tie some string or cord of some kind to the pole at the outer side of each of the zip flap, push the bar to where it sits on the reinforced section and then tie the other end of the string to the outer bar (the one at about 45deg)...simple as that.  If we find that that doesn't work, then get back in touch and they will make up a pole for each side to tie the intermediate bar to the end bar.  He also said that the tie wires don't do anything at all, and aren't included on the newer models.

So, it's still a bit of a Heath Robinson job, but he was quite helpful and at least now we know it's not a case of us putting it up wrong...I should have asked him about the press studs too, but was walking out of the school at the time and totally forgot!

Of course it's fit for purpose!  We've been away in it umpteen times, in torrential rain and gale force winds and it's never leaked or anything...I'll take a picture when we are in france and show you how tight the canvas is...don't forget, ours doesn't stretch like a regular canvas.  If you're saying ours isn't fit for purpose, then neither is yours really as it lets draughts through at the gas struts! Us having to tie some string around the poles isn't much different to you putting draught excluders on...and all the other things you're doing...lol.

They are expensive and it is most definitely a design fault, but I personally wouldn't want the risk of sending the canvas back to them to have the flaps restitched at the other side only for it to come back and leak or something!  They've realised the fault and have rectified it in the new campers...

Kelper, the poles already go through some sewn in loop things, but they are sited at the wrong side of the reinforement...I'm not at all inclined to start sewing or gluing anything onto the roof...as I say, it doesnt leak now, don't want it to start!

At the moment I'm happy to give what they've said a go...if that doesn't work, or the canvas does start to show signs of wear, then I shall get back on to them...at least I've now got a record that I have contacted them about it and I am following their advice.  If that then causes a problem, or doesn't work, then they can sort out the poles for us like they've said they'll do.  Lets face it, tying a bit of cord between 2 poles isn't really a hardship.