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Hi all,just returned from our trip to Forest Edge and was our first one in our conway carmargue TT and we put it up ok but the pegging out took longer than we thought and was wondering if anyone had any tips for us, thanks.

Pegging out always takes a bit of time for a tt with full awning. No shortcuts, sadly! But my No1 top tip is to take two mallets, then you can both peg out. Hubby and I usually put up the cabin and awning together, as far as pegging out the corners, then I go inside and peg the front of the cabin and the two undertents out while he does the rest of the outside.

Incidentally, do you leave your awning on when you fold up the TT? Saves quite a lot of time if you don`t have to keep zipping the two sections on and off, and saves wear and tear on the zip. There is a simple way to fold it up onto the cabin which I can tell you, if you don`t already know it.

Hi Val , I am very interested in your method of folding the awning so that it stays attached , had a nightmare this weekend putting it down in strong wind and rain , being the first time with a TT did'nt help.

 cheers col

Basically you unpeg the awning, (leave the frame up for now) then pull it back over the cabin till it`s folded at the edge where the zip is, then forwards again till it`s folded over again on top of the cabin roof, then back once again. Full awning with extension makes about two and a half "layers" on top of the cabin roof. It takes two to do this, btw, one on each side. Then you can take down and stow the frame.

Then when you unpeg the cabin canvas, you fold the long walls up first up onto the roof, then the side walls with the edges of the awning canvas...you end up with a rather messy parcel balanced up there across the roof poles, but it will fold OK. Make sure you keep the edges of the parcel about six inches inside the hinges, btw...it`s a classic place to catch and rip canvas.Make sure it clears the hinges.

Then you fold in the bedboards, unpopper and slide in all the poles, unpin and drop the roof arch and fold the whole lot down. It won`t be as neat as if you didn`t have the awning folded in there, but it will work. Incidentally, don`t bother to take the curtains off when folding. The creases soon fall out.

When you put it up again you`ll find you need a little bit more effort to lift the initial arch poles, but if you take it  steady and go up symmetrically one button at a time, it will work fine. Also put the shorter, weaker person (that`s me) at the cabin door end so they can stand on the stool!

Saves a lot of time, trust me, and you also gain extra storage space inside the trailer bed because you don`t have to put the awning in there.

Quote: Originally posted by skol$ on 01/8/2006

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Hi Val , I am very interested in your method of folding the awning so that it stays attached , had a nightmare this weekend putting it down in strong wind and rain , being the first time with a TT did'nt help.

 cheers col

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This doesn`t necessarily work with all types of TT, I`m afraid. I can guarantee it works with a Conway Camargue and probably almost all the other Conway models, but I don`t know about other makes. If it`s a similar design (SunnCamps?) then give it a go.

(It`s not "my" method, btw...it`s a classic technique. Hands up who remembers when TT awnings didn`t zip off at all? Real PIB to dry out, trust me.)

Val

You have such a great way of explaining things, you are not a teacher by any chance, very clear and precise and easy to read.

Thanks

Andy