Awning advise

[Amarillo]

I think that SWMBO will have last say on this matter!

Some light viewing for her:

 

[Jabberwocky]

Some light viewing for her:

Thanks for the links. Will be looking at them during the calmness of an evening with a glass of "tea"

 

[2into1]

I'm pondering about lending you the £500 and getting £1 returned everytime you curse your awning or worry "should we pack up and go home now while it's dry". I reckon I'll soon be in profit.
If you can manage without one, DO! They are a complete nuisance. They do however allow a second car to be used for family camping holidays so many users do need one, but it doesn't make them any less of a curse.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I'm pondering about lending you the £500 and getting £1 returned everytime you curse your awning or worry "should we pack up and go home now while it's dry". I reckon I'll soon be in profit.
If you can manage without one, DO! They are a complete nuisance. They do however allow a second car to be used for family camping holidays so many users do need one, but it doesn't make them any less of a curse.

A 180 degree opposing view! Interesting. In any event we are going to wait until we have completed several trips, including the one to France in July. One thing has transpired from my discussions with SWMBO is that when on my own I would never use one. We shall see.

 

[SimonB]

I think I would agree with SWMBO, I don't use my awning on my own, except the wind-out one.
The small tent can be put up in a few minutes, the bag is about 70cms long and is a 40cm diameter tube and takes all my wet gear, dirty boots, etc. Keeps the Cali clean so when I get home again it doesn't take long to get it back up to an acceptable standard again. I camp it all through the winter so there is a lot of clothing I take in case the weather changes for better or worse.
I think the space the awning bag takes up is important. Space is at a premium and some of the awning bags are quite big. That might mean leaving something else out instead.
I think my advice would be to not buy anything too expensive until you are sure you need it. There are a lot advertised on here from people who have found that their use of the Cali doesn't require one or that the space the bag occupies could be better used. A lot depends on the weather. 4 people in a Cali on a wet holiday is not good. An awning to spread into might be useful. If it is sunny you can all sit outside, less need for covered space.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I think I would agree with SWMBO, I don't use my awning on my own, except the wind-out one.
The small tent can be put up in a few minutes, the bag is about 70cms long and is a 40cm diameter tube and takes all my wet gear, dirty boots, etc. Keeps the Cali clean so when I get home again it doesn't take long to get it back up to an acceptable standard again. I camp it all through the winter so there is a lot of clothing I take in case the weather changes for better or worse.
I think the space the awning bag takes up is important. Space is at a premium and some of the awning bags are quite big. That might mean leaving something else out instead.
I think my advice would be to not buy anything too expensive until you are sure you need it. There are a lot advertised on here from people who have found that their use of the Cali doesn't require one or that the space the bag occupies could be better used. A lot depends on the weather. 4 people in a Cali on a wet holiday is not good. An awning to spread into might be useful. If it is sunny you can all sit outside, less need for covered space.

Thanks for advice - always good to hear an alternative take. One things for sure now, no money will change hands until we are certain!

 

[bigmac77]

We have owned our Cali for just over a year now, we have had quite a few trips including three weeks in France last summer. We will not be buying an awning. There are 4 of us in the Cali myself, my wife and our 2 sons (8 & 5) and a whilst we did look at other Cali's with awnings on various campsites throughout last year we never thought 'we need one of those'. We will be adding a couple of sides for our wind out awning but these will be for a bit more privacy and to keep the sun of us in hotter locations but a drive away awning is just another level of faff IMHO and where the hell would we put it when we are fully loaded I just don't know.

 

[Amarillo]

We have owned our Cali for just over a year now, we have had quite a few trips including three weeks in France last summer. We will not be buying an awning. There are 4 of us in the Cali myself, my wife and our 2 sons (8 & 5) and a whilst we did look at other Cali's with awnings on various campsites throughout last year we never thought 'we need one of those'. We will be adding a couple of sides for our wind out awning but these will be for a bit more privacy and to keep the sun of us in hotter locations but a drive away awning is just another level of faff IMHO and where the hell would we put it when we are fully loaded I just don't know.

Interesting. I'm beginning to wonder if I have made the wrong decision to buy an awning.

Do you have a Beach or an Ocean? If you have a Beach, where do you cook when it is raining? And what do you all do with yourselves on a rainy day?

 

[Trailertrash]

Ran out and bought an Idris with all the trimmings for £450. It was heavy, stretched our relationship to breaking point putting it up, a complete pain in a small vehicle when we had to take it down wet, dripped condensation was unheatable and cold and obscured the view from the sliding door. Also when the diesel heater was on it stank of fumes. Sold it two months later for £200 and very happy to see the back end of it. Think carefully.

 

[jess]

We would not be without our Cayman Mini drive away awning, we are a family of four so need the extra space, it is so nice to arrive on a campsite and just chuck all our gear in the awning freeing up loads of space in the van, also it is much easier when you want to go out for the day as you dont need to pack the van up.

The reason a lot of people can't get on with them is they are really designed for stays of 3+ nights on the same campsite, I have seen many people put a drive away up for just one night ( Crazy) I have also seen couples with big 4 berth drive aways which just sit empty ( again-crazy)

 

[Pineweasel]

We only use ours when we know we will be staying in one place for at least four or five days, which means it gets used a couple of times a year. For weekends away or tours made up of one or two night stops we never take it. Having to put up and take down an awning negates one of the great advantages of a camper van, the minimal time you spend setting up on arrival or packing up to leave.

 

[Jabberwocky]

After reading all these posts I am more certain than ever we will delay our decision until after the summer. Thanks to all, you may have saved me a few hundred quid!

 

[Gary&Heather]

Basically it's all down to what you need we have two drive away awnings one is for long stay which is absolutely fantastic for space the other one is a khyam motorhome sleeper quick erect awning which we use for shorter stays once you get to know your awnings the easier they are to put up and down the khyam only takes 15 minutes now we always try and make a game of it to see who wins plus the kids enjoy the Space as well and to be honest when we first had our Cali we never bothered with an awning it's just something you need or you don't need.

 

[Amarillo]

Basically it's all down to what you need we have two drive away awnings one is for long stay which is absolutely fantastic for space the other one is a khyam motorhome sleeper quick erect awning which we use for shorter stays once you get to know your awnings the easier they are to put up and down the khyam only takes 15 minutes now we always try and make a game of it to see who wins plus the kids enjoy the Space as well and to be honest when we first had our Cali we never bothered with an awning it's just something you need or you don't need.

In 1972 our family took a two week trip to the Dordogne, two parents and four boys aged 4, 6, 8 and 10 all in a Peugeot 404.

My parents packed a frame tent and a green canvass ridge tent for the four of us. As far as I recall, we didn't eat out once. Everything went either in the car or on the roof rack. The point being that there must be sufficient space in a Beach for two adults, two toddlers and two dogs with a driveaway awning.

We are used to camping, so I really cannot see pitching an awning as being much of a problem, indeed, these inflatable awnings look like a doddle to erect. If it is raining, stuff it in a bin bag until it can be dried. Most condensation can be got rid of by opening doors 1-2 hours before packing.

I think that it is all down to individual need. For two people in an Ocean for a night or two, it might be a faff too far. For four people in a Beach staying several nights in one place before moving on, a welcome extra space.

 

[bigmac77]

Interesting. I'm beginning to wonder if I have made the wrong decision to buy an awning.

Do you have a Beach or an Ocean? If you have a Beach, where do you cook when it is raining? And what do you all do with yourselves on a rainy day?

We have an SE but when possible we cook on a camping stove outside the van. On rainy days we just go out, we don't sit in the van much but I do agree that having the extra space of the awning would make wet days easier to deal with.

One thing I would say is that whilst camping in Europe we found a few nights we were very warm, we had the vents open in the roof and the sliding windows open with mosi mesh in place the breeze coming though the vehicle was just enough to make us comfortable. Adding an awning to one side even with its doors open might reduce this cooling airflow.

I certainly recommend using your vehicle a few times before spending too much on accessories as we have a small collection of things we don't use.

 

[Amarillo]

I certainly recommend using your vehicle a few times before spending too much on accessories as we have a small collection of things we don't use.

I was adamant that I wouldn't buy anything until the van arrives... then I saw a second-hand driveaway awning, then Christmas came and I bought the boys age appropriate chairs, grandma bought them sleeping bags, and just the other day I saw a reduced price new T6 bike rack.

We already have a shed load of well-used car camping gear (as well as back-packing and cycle touring gear), so there is little else we need. Seat covers perhaps, bellows' topper perhaps, windscreen cover perhaps, rear awning perhaps. A folding toilet is essential.

 

[Blackberry]

We bought the vango with the carpet and extra groundsheet. It was perfect on the 2 week tour of France. You can also buy internally erected bedrooms for about 90 quid each.

 

[CaliRog]

After reading all these posts I am more certain than ever we will delay our decision until after the summer. Thanks to all, you may have saved me a few hundred quid!

Well by then I will be clear as to the value of retaining my Khyam pop up awning tent which we have used these past 5 years when Mazda Bongo camping. Now that we have recently become new owners of a Cali T5 I have been pondering on which type of trip the tent / awning, http://www.khyam.co.uk/shop/campervan-motorhome-awnings/motordome-tourer/ might still be useful to us this coming year.

But first let me say reconnecting the Bongo to the awning proved no more difficult than on street parallel parking at home. Leaving a couple of stones to line up with is a good plan; the skill is in remaining parallel.

We have bought the Cali' to reduce our need for the awning; which does take time to dry out, out of high season. And yes it is bulky and quite heavy. It is however very quick and easy to erect and I have been known to pop it up in a French Aire on the tarmac to dry it out during the middle of the day whilst picknicking. The one and only golden rule however is pack it last and take it out first. If we take it I think we will still lay it on the floor behind the front seats. It is usually up in the time it takes to brew a cuppa.

But when to use it?

When wild'ish camping... never. Not a cool look.

Short stop overs.... unlikely. Travelling light is good.

Music festivals... definately. For shared outdoorsy breakfast with friends and to mark space and create some privacy. In these circumstances it can serve as a gazebo.

Long high summer trips abroad... probably. Useful to mark our pitch whilst out and about during the day and provide storage and sense of an encampment . I expect the tent will be be stored across the front foot wells if not in use.

In May we will be heading to Scotland for an early season trip without the awning. But only because we will be moving on most days; and perversely any sign of bad weather will deter us from erecting the awning. So time will tell.

Any fellow khyam afficianadoes out there?

 

[SimonB]

We have bought the Cali' to reduce our need for the awning; which does take time to dry out, out of high season. And yes it is bulky and quite heavy. It is however very quick and easy to erect and I have been known to pop it up in a French Aire on the tarmac to dry it out during the middle of the day whilst picknicking. The one and only golden rule however is pack it last and take it out first. If we take it I think we will still lay it on the floor behind the front seats. It is usually up in the time it takes to brew a cuppa.

But when to use it?

When wild'ish camping... never. Not a cool look.

Short stop overs.... unlikely. Travelling light is good.

Music festivals... definately. For shared outdoorsy breakfast with friends and to mark space and create some privacy. In these circumstances it can serve as a gazebo.

Long high summer trips abroad... probably. Useful to mark our pitch whilst out and about during the day and provide storage and sense of an encampment . I expect the tent will be be stored across the front foot wells if not in use.


Any fellow khyam afficianadoes out there?

Yes we are. We had a Khyam Ultra Dome for 20 years and only passed it on to another camping family when we got the Cali last year. It was easy to put up, easy to take down and withstood some pretty fearsome winds in Ireland, Dorset, Wales and many other exposed sites. It never let us down and plenty of space for wet days. Drying it after a wet holiday was the only problem. I took advantage of the 50% off at Khyam on the Christmas & Boxing day sale and bought the smallest drive away awning for under £100. If it is built as well as the previous one and is as easy to put up it will be useful for storage, outside space and to mark our pitch when our camping plans warrant it. I hope it is as wind resistant as the previous one too.

 

[Julian_Camper_Man]

hi everybody I have just bought a T6 ocean and need to get an awning for my 3 kids to use
Which do you good people on here recommend I hear the name vango a lot. Ideally I would like an inflatable
For ease of putting up.
Many thanks Corrine

We might be selling our VW Ocean * soon to buy a bigger second home in West Wales and we have an Vango Kela III inflatable awning which could sleep 2/3 kids and is easily fitted on the back shelf or squeezed under it if you lift it up a bit - easy to install and very solid/well made with an attractive design - not sure yet but send me a message and we can discuss

* Watch out for the advert since this is one well-specced lovely wagon and not 100% yet to sell!

 

[Tulser]

Many thanks for the offer I have ordered the idris from the club shop as it was the cheapest I could find not to mention the great service I had off nick when I
Wanted a mattress protector. It will be fun the first time I try and put it up.
Thanks again