We're planning on doing a multi generation trip in the summer and are thinking of a sleeping compartment in the awning area (we have a Penine Crusader delux). Anyone got any experience or suggestions/recommendations?
Would a pop up tent work or are the sleeping compartments better?
TIA 🤔
How many people will be in the awning during the day (eating, sitting reading etc)? How many will be sleeping in it at night? And what ages?
I’m asking because a sleeping compartment will take up space (unless you add a side extension to the awning). A pop up / festival tent could get put away during the day, but it’s best suited to a child or two. It’s the cheapest option & you can use it in the garden later.
It sounds like a great family gathering though!
We bought a cheap sleeping compartment which hangs from the awning rafters to use when my parents used to come away with us. Something like this
It is really easy to put up, you just clip it to the awning roof poles and adjust the length of the straps to make it a good fit. We put a double air bed in ours and it was great for our purposes. However, the down side is that it takes up quite a bit of space in the awning. Some people take it down during the day and only put it up at night but we couldn’t be bothered with all the hassle of inflating the airbed every evening so we just left it up the whole time. For a short term or one-off solution, it is ideal.
We have done exactly what you propose. Different awaning but same idea. We have slept in our awning without an inner room......it was fine for us, my parents slept in van. It did get a bit chilly at night but just use a decent low watt heater and you’ll be fine. This was early summer some years back.
Have also taken extended family who used a pop up in awning.....it was a bit tight for space. It was a 2 man pop up.
I am considering buying the proper inner bedroom as naturally it would be a better fit, and I think cosier.
Hi
It's granny (me), daughter in law and two grandchildren 1 boy, 1 girl. We only have a double and king size in the main camper, with the remaining sleeping in the seated area, so we're thinking this would give privacy.
Quote: Originally posted by Annetax on 30/3/2022
Yes, I saw that. Is it a 'universal' fit? It looked great and the smaller one would be perfect.
The one we bought had sliders on the straps that attach it to the roof poles so the straps could be shortened or lengthened (similar to the way a bra strap works) to suit the height of the awning. As long as the length and width of the bedroom fit within the dimensions of your awning, it should be fine.
We had an awwning annex for a couple of years, but once my kids were old enough i purchased a couple of good quality vango 2 berth tents, that we used to give them their own space.
Most decent campsites were fine if you told them in advance.
And my kids now 18 and 20 are still using the tents to do their own camping.
Quote: Originally posted by jim oldham on 30/3/2022
Just check that the site will allow this. Some won't.
Forewarned etc.
Always makes me wonder how a site would police that. I have slept in our awning on the odd occasion, if it was a really hot night, and I simply didn't tell anyone. We often have an air-bed in there for lounging about on during the day, so I just grabbed a sleeping bag and pillow went to sleep.
Good to hear she is excited about getting away,my entire family have been campers and then caravaners/trailer tenters/ campervaners !
its such a great holiday.
My kids now go backpacking but still enjoy coming back to " base camp"
Usually once ive got the cadac cooking and the wine open !
A great way for a family holiday.
Quote: Originally posted by skipp66 on 01/4/2022
Good to hear she is excited about getting away,my entire family have been campers and then caravaners/trailer tenters/ campervaners !
its such a great holiday.
My kids now go backpacking but still enjoy coming back to " base camp"
Usually once ive got the cadac cooking and the wine open !
A great way for a family holiday.
We went away once before covid. It was great. We camped by a steam train line and acted like the railway children everytime one went past! Granddaughter was so excited to hear owls at night - great for keeping her quiet. 😊