Awning essential?

[Bepto]

Looking at a used California Beach, it has good spec but no awning. Would you miss the awning on yours? not sure how much use it would get, can they be retro-fitted? of so how much?

 

[calikev]

i fitted my own because i use it all the time and can not do without it.

 

[larrylamb]

We use our a lot. Can be retro fitted no problem but will probably cost 500-750??

 

[Perfectos]

Very easy retro fit, identical to factory fit.

Get it use see if you want / need an awning

Take the lack of awning into price consideration

But for goodness sake get a Cali haha

 

[Perfectos]

https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/van-accessories/awnings/thule-omnistor-5102-260x200-_-30985231

 

[Volky]

For us, wind out awning essential for sun (and definitely if in Europe).

 

[ArunAlec]

Looking at a used California Beach, it has good spec but no awning. Would you miss the awning on yours? not sure how much use it would get, can they be retro-fitted? of so how much?

I think I’m in the minority, I wouldn’t be too bothered if I didn’t have one. I would see how you get on without it then decide whether to buy one.
If mine didn’t have the awning I would try using a decent tarp and poles adapted to fit the Kador strip.

 

[calikev]

https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/van-accessories/awnings/thule-omnistor-5102-260x200-_-30985231

thule wont supply the brackets for the california

 

[Velma's Dad]

We use ours (factory fitted) quite a lot but TBH it's often more part of the ritual of setting up 'camp' as a prelude to that crucial first beer/glass of wine but doesn't actually provide that much practical benefit.

It all depends how you travel. If you spend days on a campsite, the awning will prob be very important as a sun shade during the day.

On the other hand, if you tend to be on the road all day and just spend the evening parked up, when the sun is low in the sky, the awning doesn't help much. (Although I occasionally clip one of our large microfibre towels to the wind-out awning, to provide lateral shade).

[EDIT: not sure why the *+ etc in the above, I just typed the 3-letter word that means the big blue thing overhead???]

 

[kp64zl]

Sky

 

[Velma's Dad]

Testing: a type of window fitted into a sloping roof (8 letters):
skylight

... and without the 'light' part:
sky

WTF???

 

[LemonDrop]

*+*+*+

 

[Amarillo]

Sky-light

Sky light

 

[westfalia]

Sky sports

sky news

sky is the limit

 

[Joker 1299]

Not more censorship, please...

First all the EU exit threads closed, now Sky blocked. What next? You’ll be telling me I can’t visit Scunthorpe (like another forum does).

 

[Skylark2.0]

Our previous van didn't have an awning and I always wanted one. We actually got so hot in Harlech one summer we came home early as we couldn't escape the sun.
Now we have an awning we have probably only used it twice when we could not have done without it. My 2 six footers find it annoying too.
We tend to move on every 2 or 3 days so we never really "set up camp"

 

[ArunAlec]

*+*+*+ sports

*+*+*+ news

*+*+*+ is the limit

Skype
Sky fall

 

[2haw]

It is nice to have the awning but not essential.

They can be added after and occasionally come up for sale on here.

I sold my old one on here last year.

 

[flying banana]

So can't we say sky?. That's ridiculous. Blue sky thinking from idiots

 

[Amarillo]

Sky fix at 20:10.

 

[Perfectos]

Sky’s the limit now

 

[flying banana]

Why was it blocked. Assuming the obvious how about asda?

 

[Beeechke1]

For us the awning is a must have, after years of family camping and messing about with various tarps and gazebo assemblies. For UK camping, especially near the coast, good for keeping the evening due off when sitting outside. Also we often pull ours half out to keep the rain off the sliding door and provides a dry area to cook/BBQ. Obviously this is all dependant on how you plan to use your van, we tend to maximise the time we spend outside.

Kelvin

 

[Sp0_0k]

Had it from the factory and removed after a year of trips.
- It adds height slightly so can compromise some ferries. 1,95m height.
- It is heavy, and I don't fancy over 25 kg on the roof for no good reason.
- can't leave for the night, if the wind picks up you might have a rough night.

We came up with a very nice solution, a tarp from Decathlon. Very light. Pretty fast to install. Not worried about the winds. Can angle better for the shade.
Our awning is sitting at home. If anybody interested to buy it, let me know

 

[Sp0_0k]

Most importantly it makes a vehicle look not so "camperish" more like a Multivan. Nice in some cases for stealth camping.