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 Topic: Advice needed for a lightweight awning
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22/9/2023 at 9:22am
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Welcome.
Size of awning rather depends on what purpose you want to put it to. Sitting out/dining/socialising with others area, dumping place for wet coats/boots etc. and somewhere to dry dog off before letting in van, storage area for stuff you don't want/can't fit in the van, extra sleeping space (with an inner bedroom used), etc. I think for many of us they tend to get used for most all of the above in varying degrees.
Like you, I'm mostly one man and his dog when away in van, but times when friends tag along or visit and I do group rally events as well, so the awning gets put to a variety of uses (all of the above really plus has been a buffet area for the group gatherings!). Thing is, too small and you limit it's use, too big and you just waste money purchasing and time and effort erecting and taking down.
Big and oft overlooked factor, is awnings like tents can't be stored away wet (they go mouldy and get ruined), so you need space to dry it after a wet packup at end of stay (believe me it WILL happen!). Awnings tend not to be able to be erected on their own like a tent (needing the van to provide support), so if you don't have opportunity of drying it attached to van at home, you need space to drape over a clothes line, spread in garage/spare room etc. - that can dictate just how big an awning you can cope with!
Other factor to consider is size and weight when packed in holdall! Can you easily handle on your own, do you have space and weight capacity in car/caravan for transporting. The awning specifications normally give packed size/weight.
The above mentioned wall over window situation bothers some people and not others (doesn't bother me), there is no hard and fast rule of 'don't do under any circumstance'. If over a window, it stops opening of window, risk of scratching window (absolutely minimal if window and awning edge wiped clean first), and a few more drafts as awning not so close fitting to caravan wall, but it may give you the opportunity for the ideal sized awning, as opposed to compromised too small or oversized.
I've got a largish 3.3m Kampa/Dometic airbeam porch awning, which is perfectly possible for me to handle on my own, but it is bulky and heavy and I struggle to dry it at home, I also have a much lighter weight smaller 2.6m poled awning for short stays (it's just quicker and easier to handle) which has proved useful for most occasions and tends to get used all the time now.
Think I should be on commission from Sunncamp for the times I mentioned this of late! I've got the Sunncamp Swift SC 260 awning as my lightweight one. It's so easy and quick to erect/breakdown, has proved durable in all weathers over past 2 or 3 years, and has suited my varying needs perfectly well. It comes in bigger and smaller versions if 2.6m doesn't suit you. A near identical design is available from a number of different manufacturers. It's absolutely not the nightmare (divorce in a bag!) type poled awning with endless poles to juggle with, just a single angled 3 section hooped pole with telescopic adjustment on each side to give perfect fit, it's so simple I see little advantage in the significantly more expensive airbeam version.
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via mobile 21/9/2023 at 7:21pm
