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Topic: Sunncamp Encore 390 - BE AWARE!

kinza123

30/6/2010 at 6:11pm
Location: Nottingham
Outfit: Hyundai i30 se and Bailey Ranger 460 2

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Just taken delivery of our new awning - Sunncamp Encore 390 - from Outdoor Megastore today. Despite having an advertised weight of 27.4 kg, this actually weighs in at 37 kg!! Not exactly lightweight?

Outdoor Megastore have been great, admitted their information is direct from Sunnflair and incorrect, and are collecting tomorrow with a full refund.
I am peeved as it took me weeks to choose which awning, and now I have to start again, definitely won't get one for this weekend away either.
Why can't it go right first time?

Poppys Dad

30/6/2010 at 8:47pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: Bailey Pursuit 550 4- 3 Series Touring

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Hi

we have a sunncamp encore and initially I was a bit surprised by your posting but it got me thinking. No doubt on first impression the encore seems quite heavy however some things to consider are :

The encore comes as standard complete with the optional annex with its associated poles and inner tent. By optional I mean that you can always leave it at home and just use the normal side panel. Similar to the kampa rally and compactalite
and
The large rear rear poles are included as standard which are not are not necessarily included in the weights of similar awning as they are "optional"
finally
The encore also includes some optional poles to make a sunshade? I know that these were included with our ultima 260 but do not know if other "lightweight" awnings come with them and again whether they are included in the weights.

Having gone out to the van and quickly weighed the above I was surprised that they add up to about 11kg.

Taking the above into consideration it would appear that the only real difference between the encore and other similar awnings such as kampa rally or compactalite may then only come down to the front porch with its pole.

We also have a sunncamp ultima 260 which is definitely of a lighter type of construction but we wanted the encore to replace our traditional bradcot classic. To me these designs of awnings encore, rally, compactalite are half way between the lightweight ultima type and a traditional awning.

Don't get me wrong I am not a sunncamp encore sales man but we have found it to be great buy. The design is very good, the porch on the front may seem a little gimmicky but is really very handy, the annex adds more space if needed, the pads and rear poles seal well against the side of the van(Unlike our ultima) and finally it stood up really well to some strong winds and rain.

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Ian

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kinza123

30/6/2010 at 9:21pm
Location: Nottingham
Outfit: Hyundai i30 se and Bailey Ranger 460 2

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Hi Ian
Thank you for taking the trouble to tell me. I have done as you said, and considered taking out the annexe, inner tent and poles and I can see this would make a great difference to the weight.
Also, comparing like for like, the Encore still looks great value, with an annexe, inner, porch option and rear poles. And it took me ages to choose it in the first place

So we're going to keep it

and take out the extra annexe when DS and dogs don't come with us.
Thanks again, and would recommend Outdoor Megastore for their understanding and customer service.

Poppys Dad

30/6/2010 at 9:53pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: Bailey Pursuit 550 4- 3 Series Touring

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No problems we genuinely think that its is great and good value. Like you we took ages to make the decision and looked at the various alternatives on the market. The additions that are included as standard with the encore swung it for us. Have now used it for two different trips on two different pitches, slopes etc and had no problems whatsoever. Hope that you have the same experience as us

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Ian

Alistair

30/6/2010 at 11:14pm
Location: North Yorkshire the bit at the bottom
Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser ordered + Jeep GC

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We love ours too. The room, even without the annexe is terrific conpared to the Ultima 260 that we had.
We tired of buying a van and full awning only to upgrade the van and moving the awning on after only a couple of outings... a huge waste of money and we have done it three times in 4 years so no more full awnings for us! The Encore fits the bill nicely, but those rear poles are beasts for weight!

kinza123

01/7/2010 at 7:37am
Location: Nottingham
Outfit: Hyundai i30 se and Bailey Ranger 460 2

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Going away tomorrow for weekend but taking existing porch awning and son's pup tent, don't really want to make a fool of myself figuring out a new awning on site

But going to have a practice one evening next week, and maybe split the poles, something in that pole bag is sure heavy!
Overall though can't see anything to compare, and never having a full awning again, can't cope

Poppys Dad

01/7/2010 at 9:10pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: Bailey Pursuit 550 4- 3 Series Touring

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The first time we put ours up we were very late getting to the site and ended up putting the awning up wearing a headtorch and holding the instructions at arms length because I had forgotten my glasses.

A couple of bits of advice which might come in handy

The front porch and annex poles are colour coded with strips of tape. However what I did not spot initially (probably because it was dark !) was that the annex and front porch has a small corresponding colour coded bead of tape sewn around where you insert the top pole.

Secondly I think that the top horizontal pole in the annex and porch is supposed to be threaded through the guylines so that the guy rope pulls on the pole rather than on the material. Again this was not immediately obvious.

But to be very honest it does go up very easily and probably does not take much longer than our ultima

Post last edited on 01/07/2010 21:21:16

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Ian

kinza123

01/7/2010 at 9:38pm
Location: Nottingham
Outfit: Hyundai i30 se and Bailey Ranger 460 2

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Thanks again.
Decided against taking it, it's my birthday so don't want to waste drinking time with an unfamiliar awning, plus Clumber Park have a lovely chip van on a Friday night, so have to factor that in too!
But looking forward to playing next week.

sugolly

24/9/2010 at 9:58pm
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Hi,

Read all your posts with interest.Have just brought the encore awning any help or advise as how it goes up looked at the instructions and really confused!!!!!

cheers su

kinza123

24/9/2010 at 11:26pm
Location: Nottingham
Outfit: Hyundai i30 se and Bailey Ranger 460 2

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Sorry can't help as we sent it back without using it. On putting it up on the drive we discovered a hole in the roof, and coupling that with the weight issue decided I had lost all faith in the thing.
So sticking with my older canvas, but lovely, porch awning. Which can be put up in 30 minutes, and withstood all that the Atlantic Ocean and Tintagel CC site could throw at it this summer.

Poppys Dad

25/9/2010 at 7:08am
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: Bailey Pursuit 550 4- 3 Series Touring

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Its really easy,
Put all the poles on the ground.
Take the 4 fibre glass roof poles and 4 steel uprights and thread each one in turn into the awning, there is a pin at the bottom where you insert the pole which goes into the bottom of the steel upright pole.These can be tightened but I leave this to last.
Secure awning material to upright poles using the velcro straps.
Temporarily support the upright poles using the guys.
Take 2 rear upright poles and insert into pockets at top of rear foam seals.
Peg out rear corners
Peg out front corners
Insert roof poles
Peg out remaining bottom of awning
You should be left with 2 more fibre glass poles and 4 steel uprights. These are colour coded with coloured bands and are or the porch and annex.
Insert fibreglass roof pole into porch , there is a corresponding colour band of material sewn into both the annex and porch which matches that on the poles. Make sure that the guy sits behind the pole and not in front, i.e you effectively thread the pole through the guy so it pulls on the pole and not simply on the material. Insert pins at bottom of porch material into bottom of porch steel poles. Peg out guylines.
If you intend to fit the annex then remove end panel and zip in annex.
Insert fibreglass roof pole into annex (colour of pole should match that on material). Make sure that the guy sits behind the fibreglass pole and not in front, i.e you effectively thread the pole through the guy so it pulls on the pole and not simply on the material. Insert pins at bottom of annex into bottom of annex steel poles.
Peg out guylines
Adjust all guylines, we have tended to space out the guys at the porch and middle up rights so that our dog who is on a running line does not get tangled.
You should be left wiuth two upright poles which can be used to support one of the front panels if you want to, but we have never bothered.
Sit back and enjoy a great design of awning.

We have had a few issues relating to quality which is currently being resolved but may hopefully we were unlucky. Despite the long list above it really is very easy.

-------------
Ian

sugolly

25/9/2010 at 4:41pm
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Hi Ian,

Thanks for that it's a great help. Can I ask what your issues are that you had just in case we have the same,but don't realise.

Cheers

Poppys Dad

11/10/2010 at 7:27pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: Bailey Pursuit 550 4- 3 Series Touring

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Hi Su

sorry I took so long to respond

We had a few minor issues such as both of the elastic tiebacks to hold the rolled up front door in place came apart, which I fixed myself and to quite honest I was happy to live with however the major problem was with the front steel upright poles which started to rust.

To be quite honest we are very disappointed as we thought, and still think the design is great. We may have just been unlucky.

-------------
Ian

kie68

03/12/2010 at 7:57pm
Location: Bolton
Outfit: bailey unicorn 2 Valencia

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We have an Encore 390 we sent the first back due to poor quality stitching and it leaked,we have used the new awning half a dozen times and found it great.I think there may have been a few problems with them being a new design.Overall we love the size and room this awning gives us.It takes half an hour to get it up with the annexe,we have put it up twice in the dark.We have actually got rid of our old porch awning and full awning and just use the encore.We have 2 teenage daughters who come with us and with the annexe we have as much room as we had in the full awning with less hassle putting it up

generalhawk

04/12/2010 at 11:20am
Location: eaton bray beds
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Everybody makes mistakes - as the Dalek said climbing off the dustbin

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hawk

"Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone"

I have the body of a greek god - its in my freezer

Poppys Dad

04/12/2010 at 8:08pm
Location: Wiltshire
Outfit: Bailey Pursuit 550 4- 3 Series Touring

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If they are still making them next year we will probably get another one because they really are great value for money and are a good design. Hopefully we had one of the early ones and by next year they will have sorted out the quality problems.

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Ian

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