new awning

macpete

hi all, I am looking for a awning for our camper, just a few questions?

1. Is a awning worthwhile?

2. where is the best place to buy?

3. what is the best make?

4. are they hard to install [DIY]?

Camper is 4 berth lowprofile 05

stapeler

Are you talking about an awing room or a wind out awing? I purchased my wind out Fiamma 3.5m from Charles camping in Blessington. I've previously had an Omnistor and found them to be quiet similiar. Both have the option to add a safari room enclosure. These a great idea as the almost double your space and particulary useful in the rain.
Installation is a couple of hours and handy to have a second person to help with lifting.

macpete

hi stapeler, yes i am looking for a wind-out one.
Did you fit it yourself?

stapeler

Yep, I installed my own. There's three alumimum brackets that are bolted to the van, sealant behind the brackets to prevent possible leaks. The awning hangs onto the brackets and a few bolts to secure. As I said previously they are heavy so a second body would be handy for lifting.

Malta1

Just bought a new awning yesterday from motorcaravanning .co.uk. With the exchange rate at the moment, I got the 4mtr omnistor windout (including delivery) for slightly under €700.
I am replacing the existing awning so for me it is a DIY job as the brackets etc are already in place

http://www.motorcaravanning.co.uk/shopuk/offshore_specials.htm

macpete

:)Just finished fitting my new awning [fiamma 45i 3.5m] a little more difficult than i thought, I had to remove the shower to get acess to the side of the camper to fit the steel plate and bolts, then refit the shower and seal it all up. I had a friend to help with the lifting, very pleased with the result!

I priced around and found Charles camping blessington the cheapest around, they have a great store for all your camping needs and lots of stock, well worth a visit if you are near the area.

A quick question; what is the best cleaning product for washing the camper?
there ia a lot of black rain marks below the windows vents etc. very hard to remove any advice?

regards macpete

peasant

Is it worthwhile?

Depends on what you want it for ...

We have an awning (came with the camper) but we hardly ever use it.

First of all, we don't really do campsites and rolling out the awning by the side of the road is not really on in most cases.

On the few occasions that we could use it, it was quite nice, because it just creates that extry bit of "your" space.

Not very useful for shade, because depending on how you're parked, the shade is anywhere but where you want it . Good in the rain, as it keeps the entrance area dry.

Main problem though is wind. We like to be near the sea (where it's always windy) and you have to be very careful that the wind doesn't catch your awning and rips it off or throws it up on the roof.


For the way we use our camper, it wouldn't buy an awning if it didn't already have one.

stapeler

We always use the awning and have a fold up windbreak which gives a bit more shelter. When we're parked up for a few days we put up a safari room and doubles our living space and it's ideal for a kids playroom/sitting area at night. The awning certainly works well in France with the sun beating down and you need a bit of shade. Equally when there's a chance of rain it's handy to keep the outdoor stuff dry.
I do recommend an awning tie-down i kit (around €15) in the event of a gust of wind.