Awning when raining/windy?

[estresao]

Hi,

As a beginner never used yet my Cali's awning, but after couple of weekends I'm not sure whether it's safe/proper to open the awning when raining or it's windy.

I'm thinking in get some lateral/frontal wall, but that's another topic.

I guess some special care should be taken when the awning get wet.

Some advise? According to your experience, do you recomend me to use it when raining?

Thanks!

Jose

 

[rippers]

I personally wouldn't leave it out in the rain, you have to put such a dip on it to stop water gathering it unusable. My one collapsed under rain and was luckily able to bend it back to working again.

In windy conditions we use a Omnistor storm strap which fits the Cali awning http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan/home/product_35622/oministor_hold_down_side_strap_kit.aspx

 

[Hotel California]

On windy days you can use a strap- set from Thule , but if to much wind i would not wind out.
As for rain , the awning is a perfect protection for incoming rain when opening the sliding door .
Just wind out about 50cm and lower one leg , just be cautious the sliding door does not thouch the awning.try it out at home on a dry day so you get to know the height
Winding in a wet awning is no problem , just try letting it dry say back home or the day afther if it's sunny.

 

[AlanC]

We have the Thule hold down straps and used them last weekend down in Dorset when is was quite windy.

They clip into the top of the leg and do stop the awning lifting off in high winds. However, that still doesn't stop the fabric from flapping and slapping back down on the folding arms noisily. This also pulls on the roller making it creak. This noise reverberates around inside the van.

In the end we wound the awning back in just for some peace and quiet.

Dropping one leg so the rain runs off has worked for us, but we haven't been out in a heavy downpour.

Alan

 

[sue.h]

After a near disaster in heavy rain, when the awning turned into a rooftop swimming pool, we always retract ours

Hope this helps save you from similar close shave

 

[WelshGas]

The Cali awning is more a sunshade than an all weather awning. Also if damaged then expensive to repair. I made what I call, my storm awning. Cost £40, folds up to fit in the seat storage area, can be packed away wet.
See here - http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/storm-porch.8895/#post-79249

 

[MarkW]

If you had a Comfort leisure three sided awing kit (pegged down) would you leave that out in wind and rain?

 

[WelshGas]

Personally No. I would use it during summer but not winter. Generally storms more violent during winter and basically all I want is some protection.

 

[Hotel California]

Guess it all depends on howmuch rain and howmuch wind ....
But i see an awning as well a sun and rain protector!
If you don't feel comfortable , don't use it in rain or wind.
The same for letting the roof up in heavy winds...

 

[estresao]

Good one the straps one, never thought about this.

WelshGas, I'm playing with the idea of use one or more Decathlon Turp Fresh to do something similar to your one, actually I'm even thinking to use several of them as awning walls

 

[marshian70]

Given the comments above and how unreliable the British weather is, I struggle to understand the benefits of the various side panels available if the wind out awning is not well suited to rain and wind.
Was thinking of investing for short trips but think I'll stick to my drive away for now

 

[motacyclist]

We have an awning but I personally think it's a waste of time. Missus insisted on having it though!

I suppose it let's you have the sliding door open without the rain coming in, but that's about it. (You can stop the rain pooling by having one end lower than the other.)

If it's windy I won't put it out. You can't go off and leave your stuff under it in case the wind gets up. When it rains it blows under anyway so you can't sit out. It's no good as a sunshade unless you are at the equator and the sun is directly overhead. It makes the van dark. Muck gets lodged up there in the gully. It gets in the way when you put a topper on. Makes the roof hard to clean.

One good point is it identifies the van as a Cali so we can spot each other! But it also identifies the van as a camper if you want to do a bit of stealth camping. Oh and it looks great in the pictures with the folding chairs and table set out

 

[estresao]

LOL, I'm starting to think same as you.

marshian70, agree, but I was thinking I sidewall not for windy/rainy days, as mentioned before that's another topic (but could avoid drop the comment, sorry)

 

[MarkW]

I'm very surprised that the awning is not appropriate for wind or rain (especially in the UK).

I was looking to purchase one but get the feeling that every night you'd be trying to get a weather forecast to see if it was safe to leave it out...

 

[andyhull]

we use ours in the wind and rain and also as a sunshade it keeps the van cooler on hot days and keeps the rain of in the wet also handy to cook under in not so good weather we don't fry in our van so use a gas stove on the table under the awning i think its one of the most versatile options on the van always peg it down well and keep your eye on the wind

 

[MarkW]

Hi Andy,

So is it waterproof?

Could you leave low value items in it and they would be dry if it rained in the night? (Motacyclist suggests rain comes in).

 

[andyhull]

the awning itself doesn't let any water through as it is waterproof but rain may blow underneath from the sides or the front although we leave our table and chairs under and they stay dry if you pull them near the van

 

[Barryjm]

Use heavy duty straps to tie it down, lower one corner as suggested above, peg the legs down and you should be ok in 95% of summer weather. Often wind the awning out 30 cm or so without legs to shield the door from rain, still pretty solid at that range. Use at F1 weekends with wind stopper nets attached all around, cuts wind and reduces rain blowing in and makes the area more snug. Search for Lillypad Leisure wind blockers. Also on holiday abroad I have used with the KYham Motordome with the awning wound fully out to create a sheltered area between the van and Motordome tent/awning. All in all I have found it to be pretty versatile over the past 6 years of Cali ownership.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[estresao]

Never heared before about wind stopper nets, but after a search I've found the Lillypad videos and got impressed. How good are they with "lateral" raining?

I was considerating devices like the Kyham you mentioned and, by the moment, I'm not pretty convinced. I need more time traveling with my Cali to tell what we really need and what we don't. As a newbie I'm always tempted to get all sort of gadgets, and our Cali's space is very limited.

 

[Blue-T4]

We have the Fiamma F45S Awning. Sure we use it under almost all weather conditions. I always put the Heavy Wind Straps on, just to be prepared. In Rainy conditions we lower one side and install the Rafter in the middle to supprt the awning. In the Front when needed I install the Fiamma Sunblocker that covers the entire front and keeps light rain out as well. Friends use the side and front called Privacy Room on the Fiamma. Just last weekend we had heavy winds when out camping and all survived without a Problem.

 

[MichaelB]

We use Peggy Pegs to secure the awning down

http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/magazine/product-reviews/peggy-peg-tie-downs/

They are really good if you want to go out for the day. The pegs are great too for tents and drive away awnings.

I have not really solved the pooling issue though. I don't know if some roll out awning are more susceptible as even when we put quite a slant on our still pools. What sort of difference in leg length do people recommend?

 

[Freeley]

You need enough of a leg drop to make it look like you were drunk when you put it up!
When you wind out the awning fully, give it a slight back in and it will tighten up a bit. By doing this along with dropping one leg I've not had an issue with water pooling.

 

[johnyboy]

Ditto Freeley - had Fiamma awnings on other vans an not had problems (although a "storm" might be a different matter.. use your judgement).

To us the awning is much more a rain shade than a sun shade - see little point in it if we didn't use it for the important dry area by the door!

 

[Archie]

Also make sure that the outer edge of the awning is lower than the roof line of the van, this will then ensure that water runs away from the van and to the leg that is lower. Sounds obvious but it's easy to end up with the legs higher than the van roof line if the van is parked in a bit of a dip. We saw an unfortunate Belgium couple in the Italian lakes last year with an unbelievable pool of water on the roof after torrential rain but the material had not given which shows how strong it is. The damage to one of the arms only occurred when he shot out of the van after I had knocked them up and attempted to lift the water off without adjusting the legs.
We've never had a problem with either torrential rain or high wind when we have the awning sides on - putting pegs through the awning legs only and obviously pegging out the awning sides.

 

[estresao]

Do someone have a picture within arm's reach of the lower leg thing?