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Drive away awning- I know it’s been asked too many times

S

SamSara

Messages
246
Location
Southampton
Vehicle
T6 Ocean 204
I’m having issues searching through old threads so i thought that i would give you all a chance to impart your wisdom my way and share any images. After last week and this coming week of similar I have had the wind out awning in and out, outwell sides on and off and my son’s pop up tent thrashed by wind and rain. For long weekends and our 2 week holiday I have decided on a drive away awning. This is something i have been against for many reasons but like i said its been a tough week and I am currently on a site with no public transport so have to drive off site a few days. Also I resent having to pay for the pop up (admittedly not this holiday but often on sites where an awning is included in the fee but a tiny tent isnt) I have come back from a walk and taken everything in and down due to the wind and have looked through Vango. i quite like the look of either the Kela V or Agora with bedroom inner. I don’t need anything big just space to put the cadac and my son’s sleeping area/table and chairs. Price-wise I’m not too fussed but it will only be used when guests are with me. I need to be able to put it up single handed which is why I’ve looked at air beam. I would really appreciate it if i could have reviews and suggestions before I anger buy something that proves unsuitable. Thank you very much
 
SamSara said:
I’m having issues searching through old threads so i thought that i would give you all a chance to impart your wisdom my way and share any images. After last week and this coming week of similar I have had the wind out awning in and out, outwell sides on and off and my son’s pop up tent thrashed by wind and rain. For long weekends and our 2 week holiday I have decided on a drive away awning. This is something i have been against for many reasons but like i said its been a tough week and I am currently on a site with no public transport so have to drive off site a few days. Also I resent having to pay for the pop up (admittedly not this holiday but often on sites where an awning is included in the fee but a tiny tent isnt) I have come back from a walk and taken everything in and down due to the wind and have looked through Vango. i quite like the look of either the Kela V or Agora with bedroom inner. I don’t need anything big just space to put the cadac and my son’s sleeping area/table and chairs. Price-wise I’m not too fussed but it will only be used when guests are with me. I need to be able to put it up single handed which is why I’ve looked at air beam. I would really appreciate it if i could have reviews and suggestions before I anger buy something that proves unsuitable. Thank you very much
Click to expand...
Try and get a 2nd hand one of here.
Then use it and see what you like and don’t like.
There is also a website to buy 2nd hand from the shop, where they’ve had them up and sell on to the public. Just so you get the right one for your needs.
 
I agree. Get 2nd hand. There's loads for sale saying used once etc. But there's a reason for that
 
I bought a poled Cayman classic off here for not much, about £150 I think. It works well, needs two people to erect in the wind. It's really useful in bad weather and has one big door that I can put poles into as a sun shade. None of us sleep in it. The tunnel is pretty useful for storage.

Things I don't like:
  • It has one tunnel door and that one is oriented to the front.
  • The main door faces 90 deg to the van and makes the whole outfit 5m + in width.
  • The bottoms of the doors don't seal that well. They keep out water well but are a bit draughty.
  • Too much height range on the tunnel.
  • Small doors on two sides.
  • The poles are long and cumbersome.
  • Needs two people to handle it in any wind.
I quite like the look of the Cayman combo which fixes some of my dislikes. There's one advertised on here at a reasonable price (fancy pc fabric) and the club is flogging them at a very good price (std fabric). Wish the porch door could also be a sun canopy.

The euro version of the movelite t3e also looks good, wish it was symmetric.

At this stage I will avoid buying a new awning until I've looked closely at it erected in someone's showroom.
 
Maybe look at cinch tent with campervan connector? I’ve read the tent is much stronger than typical pop up styles - at least I’m hoping so as we have one on order! The connector looks useful for sites which don’t allow / charge extra for tents but allow awnings. Hopefully getting ours next week so will be trying it out soon :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I will look into getting VIP membership in order to reply to one on here, thanks for advice
 
Vango Galli / Galli compact are good. Usually £300-500 2nd hand. There is not much difference between Galli, Galli 2, Galli 3…they just release
new models over the years; Fabric is very strong.

Takes me 15 mins to put one up by myself. You just lay it out, peg the corners, inflate the air beams and then secure the guy lines.

Tend to use ours free standing, entrances at front and side.

Usually a few for sale on eBay / FB Marketplace.
 
Ch1pbutty said:
Vango Galli / Galli compact are good. Usually £300-500 2nd hand. There is not much difference between Galli, Galli 2, Galli 3…they just release
new models over the years; Fabric is very strong.

Takes me 15 mins to put one up by myself. You just lay it out, peg the corners, inflate the air beams and then secure the guy lines.

Tend to use ours free standing, entrances at front and side.

Usually a few for sale on eBay / FB Marketplace.
Click to expand...
Do you have any photos?
 
SamSara said:
Do you have any photos?
Click to expand...
www.vango.co.uk

Awnings

Embark on your next adventure with Vango poled and inflatable Awnings, catering to every explorer's needs. Our caravan, motorhome and camper van vehicle collections continually evolve, symbolising our commitment to innovation and creating spaces that inspire your next big journey. Imagine not...
www.vango.co.uk www.vango.co.uk
 
My sons OLPRO pop up tent failed last week. Would be good to see yours up and get a review. Definitely easiest to set up
California Dreamer said:
Maybe look at cinch tent with campervan connector? I’ve read the tent is much stronger than typical pop up styles - at least I’m hoping so as we have one on order! The connector looks useful for sites which don’t allow / charge extra for tents but allow awnings. Hopefully getting ours next week so will be trying it out soon :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
 
Vango Galli as mentioned. We like it as it’s got a porch area, it’s big, stable and water tight. Only issue is it takes lots of space in the boot
 
Californication69 said:
www.vango.co.uk

Awnings

Embark on your next adventure with Vango poled and inflatable Awnings, catering to every explorer's needs. Our caravan, motorhome and camper van vehicle collections continually evolve, symbolising our commitment to innovation and creating spaces that inspire your next big journey. Imagine not...
www.vango.co.uk www.vango.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thanks. I am not looking for anything that big, just space for a sleeping insert, table and cadac, but thanks again for the recommendation
 
For what it’s worth…. I’ve had a Kela V as I only need a bit of extra room to store things when driving-out for the day and a dry area to change and dry the dog. Only thing was I found the footprint large but the inner space less so. So now I’ve just bought a Hexaway II. Slightly larger footprint then K5 but much larger internal space. Also it has a removal groundsheet for when the ground is too dry and can’t be covered - although I’m struggling to remember what it’s like when it’s not raining in summer.
 
Jc_2001 California SE said:
For what it’s worth…. I’ve had a Kela V as I only need a bit of extra room to store things when driving-out for the day and a dry area to change and dry the dog. Only thing was I found the footprint large but the inner space less so. So now I’ve just bought a Hexaway II. Slightly larger footprint then K5 but much larger internal space. Also it has a removal groundsheet for when the ground is too dry and can’t be covered - although I’m struggling to remember what it’s like when it’s not raining in summer.
Click to expand...
Do you have any photos of your up and attached to the van?
 
We’ve also got a Kela V, as well as the Galli. The Kela is used for shorter breaks. It works okay, my only gripe is it doesn’t have a porch. You can make a porch/ sun shade though if you buy a pair of king poles (or use the poles provided with the Outwell Fallcrest tarp). The TC fabric seems better than the nylon type. Overall, the Kela is the most common awning used by campervanners.
 
SamSara said:
Do you have any photos of your up and attached to the van?
Click to expand...
Sadly not yet. Just after buying the new awning I was grounded for health reasons. I saw a few pictures and YouTube videos on Californias so might look there to see the scale.
 
We have a Vango Palm (air beam). We wanted a small da awning and this fit the bill. I’m not sure it’s still available but probably 2nd hand would be found, we bought from club shop.
Not sewn in ground sheet suited us as some sites say “no ground sheets”.
It can accommodate table , chairs and our big Labradors bed.
I’ve not put it up on my own but with two of us it takes about twenty minutes, but we do a lot of “ no, not there , here !”… lol

IMG_5164.jpeg

IMG_4907.jpeg

IMG_0322.jpeg
 
We have a Vango Hexaway drive away awning. Minimal use and well cared for but air beam randomly burst mid breakfast last week making the whole thing a massive waste of space in the van ( family of 4 & 1 dog - we need space) Will be reverting to our old trusted set up of cinch hub pitched next to wind out awning! May invest in drive away connector. Hub has held up to Scottish winds & rain & leaves us space for more kit

e0cd44ab-f3f7-4da4-baaa-3249294ddcd3.jpeg
 
SamSara said:
I’m having issues searching through old threads so i thought that i would give you all a chance to impart your wisdom my way and share any images. After last week and this coming week of similar I have had the wind out awning in and out, outwell sides on and off and my son’s pop up tent thrashed by wind and rain. For long weekends and our 2 week holiday I have decided on a drive away awning. This is something i have been against for many reasons but like i said its been a tough week and I am currently on a site with no public transport so have to drive off site a few days. Also I resent having to pay for the pop up (admittedly not this holiday but often on sites where an awning is included in the fee but a tiny tent isnt) I have come back from a walk and taken everything in and down due to the wind and have looked through Vango. i quite like the look of either the Kela V or Agora with bedroom inner. I don’t need anything big just space to put the cadac and my son’s sleeping area/table and chairs. Price-wise I’m not too fussed but it will only be used when guests are with me. I need to be able to put it up single handed which is why I’ve looked at air beam. I would really appreciate it if i could have reviews and suggestions before I anger buy something that proves unsuitable. Thank you very much
Click to expand...
You are welcome to buy our old Silverstone one for say £50 plus postage and see how you like it. It's not high quality & one of the poles broke & has been replaced, but it functions fine & I have put it up by myself in the past. IMG_0157.png
 
ejmoore said:
You are welcome to buy our old Silverstone one for say £50 plus postage and see how you like it. It's not high quality & one of the poles broke & has been replaced, but it functions fine & I have put it up by myself in the past. View attachment 112516
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, I will definitely consider your offer. Where are you based
 
London; could also do Salisbury area if you make your mind up quickly!
 
Clairmel said:
We have a Vango Hexaway drive away awning. Minimal use and well cared for but air beam randomly burst mid breakfast last week making the whole thing a massive waste of space in the van ( family of 4 & 1 dog - we need space) Will be reverting to our old trusted set up of cinch hub pitched next to wind out awning! May invest in drive away connector. Hub has held up to Scottish winds & rain & leaves us space for more kit

View attachment 112445
Click to expand...
Love the simplicity of this this set up. Cinch Hub seems like the way to go for ease of use and doesn’t take up a vast amount of space.
 
Has anyone tried an outdoor revolution turismo?
 
www.outdoor-revolution.com

Turismo XLS² Low-Midline (World of Camping & Tent Hire Exclusive)

Lightweight Two Person Pole & Sleeve Sleeping Campervan Awning The excellent value lightweight Turismo XLS² two berth pole and sleeve drive away awning remains the weekender of choice for smaller touring families, couples or individuals, who desire an affordable extension of living, storage and...
www.outdoor-revolution.com www.outdoor-revolution.com

It's made exclusively for two retailers. Looks ok. Negatives: single front facing cowl door. Quite a short cowl, might have interference with the sliding door.
 
I wish I’d considered the pitched size of the awning before I’d bought it. Some have max width of unit cali+awning of 5m. With driveaway tunnel that doesn’t give huge amount of space. However, I’ve put the air awning up myself multiple times and often for 1 night as we need to offload luggage to get sleeping space setup!

Outdoor revolution cayman cona air is small enough to fit into the max 5m width and paired with a freestanding inner tent can be used for sleeping. Outdoor revolution do a version of the air inner.
 
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