we have got our first season pitch and it will be our first time using it in the winter months, Do you have to have a proper season pitch awning or will a normal awaningsuffice? we have got a bradcott awning at the moment.
Didn't even know there were "season pitch" awnings. Always used an ordinary one. The season pitched vans I have seen always seem to have ordinary canvas, or even lightweight, awnings.
------------- Steve
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Have a chat with the people at Bradcot as they may advise steel poles and additional supports. I certainly would not want a full awning up in the winter gales with lightweight poles. I guess it is really up to you to decide if you can risk the wear and tear or damage on the awning you have. Personally I would go for a winter type porch awning with additional poles and storm straps. A pile of snow on the roof of a normal awning is not going to do it a lot of good.
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thank you. i will have a chat to bradcott, and maybe think about the porch awning, we have 2 kids and 2 dogs so will do a test run i think to see if thats big enough
We use a normal awning (Dorema) but don't leave it up in the winter. We have a porch awning which we will put up while we are there and take down again.
from what I remember when we were looking at awnings a seasonal is made from a thicker material in order to cope with being erected for longer periods of time. The ones we looked at also had exterior zip up blinds on the windows as well as the interior curtains. The main thing about leaving an awning up for a season is that it's probably won't last as long as it's supposed to so you may end up buying a new one sooner than you'd think. Also most sites require you to take down your awning over the winter period due to the weather conditions being so changeable and possible damage to other caravans etc
------------- -x- Diane -x-
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A caravan awning cannot be considered a permanent structure & will deteriorate if left up continuously. If you are ok with that then leave it up. If the pitch is exposed be aware that if it does blow down in a storm the flailing poles will damage caravan.
The other year we were at an adults only site in Devon, where there were a few seasonal pitches. The wind got up, and an unattended caravan/awning outfit on a pitch not far from us had part of its awning break free and lashing about a bit. Not wishing to illegally intrude myself, I went and found the site owner to inform him of the problem. Being the gentleman we know him to be, he came along and made everything secure. But I'll bet there are many who would not bother, and leave the flapping awning and poles to wreak their damage to the van.
I think a lot depends on how far away from home your caravan is, we have a seasonal pitch and suffered damage during the summer, we would not leave an awning up during the winter unless it was in a very sheltered position, and lived close by. another reason being that i have only ever seen two other
awnings left up and by March both had turned green with alge.
I use 4 additional upright poles and 3 additoinal cross poles up still managed to get some roof damage.
choise is yours.
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