Awnings and Groundsheets

[Michelle 24/7]

I am new to owning a campervan having recently purchased a California Ocean 6.1. I have only been away twice for two nights on each occasion as trial adventures which I am pleased to say I survived! I have concluded that I probably need an awning for more living space if I were to stay for more than two nights in one place and to store things in - especially wet clothes and boots and, for sites without toilets, a porta potti.
I need an awning that a 5' 4" woman is able to put up and pack away on her own, ideally with a subdivision for the loo.
My research suggests that an air driveaway awning made from polycotton is probably the best option, even if more expensive. However, I can't work out what size awning would fit on a pitch (with tunnel they appear to be 3.8m wide) and whether I would be able to use it if it has a sewn in groundsheet because there appear to be rules about this on some sites although this isn't always clear. I don't want to make an expensive mistake, so any guidance would be gratefully received.

 

[kp64zl]

We tried a couple of Vango Awnings - firstly a Kela (kindly donated by @Amarillo from his round europe adventure) and then we bought a Galli III. they were both good if that’s what you want. Well made etc etc.

However, over the 4 1/2 yrs of van ownership we have come to find that it’s just a hell of a lot easier packing really light. Sleep upstairs, use the downstairs as a living area. Put excess children into small popup tents instead of using downstairs as sleeping area. Minimise stuff. Minimise Faff. The awnings take up a lot of boot space and were such a faff to put up and down……

 

[California Dreamer]

Maybe consider a pop up tent for ease and less bulk? If you’re staying on sites that don’t allow separate tents there are some with canopies that attach to the awning rail and the Cinch has an optional ‘connector’ to convert it to a driveaway. I saw it at NEC show and it looked good! These are not available until summer 2023 though so I haven’t tested it out. The groundsheet is removable too.


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[Justinitus1972]

We have a Colapz tent, it’s about 1.5m x 1.5m and is really quick to put up - just peg out the base and lift it up. Takes 2 mins. It’s quite spacious inside and you can stand up in it. Great for hanging coats, towels and storing the loo and shoes etc. packed size is quite small too.

 

[Mattsv]

Another thing to consider - air awnings can be pretty heavy, especially polycotton - and take up a lot of room un the van. We no longer bother taking our air awning and use the Comfortz awning room and a Halfords 'bike tent' for storage. Much quicker to put up (more drinking time), takes up less room and less hassle if it gets wet.

 

[AndyStatham]

Had a van for 12 years now and have had a few awnings. With a small family they’re a necessary evil and I agree with the posts above that less faff = more fun. I have a Vango Kela and also a cinch pop up at the moment. The cinch is great - easy to put up, but like any pop up requires a bit of practice to take down. They also make a connector to connect to the van now I believe. My favourite over the vango for speed. But with a broken Cali Roof (recently expertly repaired by Mark at VolksVans), we’ve recently been away a couple of times with the vango and it does provide a bit more space and a sleeping compartment. My preferred option by far is no awning at all - they’re a lot of faff and take up so much space in the van. Like anything van related everybody has their favourite options.

 

[DavidofHook]

There are just 2 of us and we try to travel light. We have a Fiamma rollout awning plus a Fiamma rain sheet that goes on a slot on the awning edge. 3 pegs in the ground for the awning plus 2 pegs for each of the awning legs. We leave our table & chairs under it & also our electric cooker so we cook under there as well. It is quick & easy to do and you have to carry very little in the van. It can be a slight faff if taking the van offsite but no more I imagine than a full awning. We use downstairs bed & keep the loo there by the bed. Done this for about 20 years now. Hope it helps

 

[flying banana]

Your on your own, take my advice and don't bother. You could just buy a toilet tent to put the loo in , also handy as said for hanging wet stuff in. Awnings are a massive faff, often very large pack size taking up tons of room in the boot. Theres a reason theres loads of 2nd hand awnings for sale with 'as new, or used once' in the adverts. Imagine your last day, packing to go home, you wake up and it's raining up a small dogs arse, no fun at all and you will need space at home to dry it all out before storage. Honestly do not bother.

 

[DukeofPork777]

Agree with the less faff comments - tried several awnings and I'm also now in the "don't bother with an awning club. I have an event shelter type awning - only use it if I'm going for four or more nights.

For long weekends or two/three day trips, I carry the Outwell Hillcrest and FarcrestTarps that you can attach to the sides and front of the wind out awing. It works for me, if I need shelter from the wind for cooking or just shelter from the elements so that I can sit outside.

I wouldn't use them in heavy winds, but they take up very little space and stay in the van.

 

[Corradobrit]

Agree with the less faff comments - tried several awnings and I'm also now in the "don't bother with an awning club. I have an event shelter type awning - only use it if I'm going for four or more nights.

For long weekends or two/three day trips, I carry the Outwell Hillcrest and FarcrestTarps that you can attach to the sides and front of the wind out awing. It works for me, if I need shelter from the wind for cooking or just shelter from the elements so that I can sit outside.

I wouldn't use them in heavy winds, but they take up very little space and stay in the van.

This is the route I went. OW Fallcrest side panels and Thule Sunblocker G2 for the front (didn't want to totally obscure the view but still have some privacy and protection from sun and rain. Packed they take but virtually no space in the boot. They pack below the shelf on top of my storage boxes and bookleaf solar panel.

 

[Themadwife]

We have just been away for two nights with our first ( new) air awning. Vango VW Magra. It’s heavy. But we like it. We have two dogs. I attend dog agility events, and want extra space for dogs, kit etc. it has a built in groundsheet ( wanted it for keeping dogs inside).
Have camped for many years, so lots of tent experience. Airbeam is easy. You would probably need a small stall to help you connect it to van roof.

 

[Bigphatwhale]

We have a Colapz tent, it’s about 1.5m x 1.5m and is really quick to put up - just peg out the base and lift it up. Takes 2 mins. It’s quite spacious inside and you can stand up in it. Great for hanging coats, towels and storing the loo and shoes etc. packed size is quite small too.
View attachment 107745

I tried this for the first time last week in preparation for the festival season. Very pleased with the shelter and the little rechargeable shower unit.

 

[jonnystrong2000]

This is the route I went. OW Fallcrest side panels and Thule Sunblocker G2 for the front (didn't want to totally obscure the view but still have some privacy and protection from sun and rain. Packed they take but virtually no space in the boot. They pack below the shelf on top of my storage boxes and bookleaf solar panel.

Ah, similar to my set up, have also used the fallcrest side panels that give so much more floor space as they are angled to the ground and use both hillcrest front panel (ditto floor soace) and sometimes the thule Rainblocker as it has the window in it. I have also used Thule Rainblocker side panels (you need to screw (pilot drill) the pole adapters into the front of the awning (little tiny screw) and the pole brackets are installed into the van side awning housing (no drilling / screwing). The Hill/Fallcrests can be stored together in the one bag and fits inside one chair when stored. For completeness I have an additional Hillcrest for the other side of the van for a storage or additional sitting area!

 

[Michelle 24/7]

Many thanks for the replies, which have been very helpful.

I have bought a Colapz shower tent to see how that goes, Although I have found it difficult to join the two parts on the top I hope this becomes easier with use.

I'll take a look at the side panels and Thule tent if I think more protection is needed but I think I need more trips away, and some longer stays, before spending any more money!

 

[Wildcamper]

We had a Vango awning. Used twice then sold on. Hated the thing, but there are only 2 of us. If one has dogs and/or children then maybe a necessary evil as said earlier.

 

[phil keegan]

I really like to travel light but as with comments above think side and front panels for the existing awning are the way to go. Sufficiently compact that you can store them in the gap where the deckchairs are.


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[Meerkat1234]

I've only just seen your post, this might be of help. We have a huge airbeam polycotton tent, a real beauty, meant for those times not necessarily in the Cali and sticking to one campsite for the duration. A real base station. It is superb in terms of acoustics, wind, and "tent-ness", but my goodness it packs up heavy and big. For your requirement of additional space for a couple of nights with the Cali - which incidentally is why I also popped onto the forum today as that's something we're looking for too though we want more of a weather-tight canopy - I definitely wouldn't go polycotton, and probably wouldn't go airbeam either as they're heavier, more expensive, and I wonder if you really save time/effort on smaller tents. Still not sure about the last point but it's where we're heading.

 

[DavidofHook]

We had a ‘free standing tent sold as a storage tent, for a while. Can’t remember who made it. Very light weight , no groundsheet, no inner tent, carbon fibre poles. Not huge for storage in the van. 3m x3m, used it on long stays in Spain etc Now we just use rollout awning & rain sheet as I said above.

 

[SamSara]

I have the fallcrest side panels and they work a treat at keeping bits an bobs dry. I have also upgraded my sons tiny pop up tent to an olpro one which has a double skin reducing condensation, which was a problem. I can get both put up super quick and they take up little space.

Olpro Pop Tent - Blue | Halfords UK

Shop the latest The Olpro Pop Tent - Blue is perfect for festivals, only taking one minute to pitch at Halfords UK

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[Meerkat1234]

I like the idea of the panels, and the fact of using the existing awning, but I'd like to see out of them and have real windows all around. The Cinch pop up as an alternative separate space looks rather good too.

 

[Corradobrit]

I like the idea of the panels, and the fact of using the existing awning, but I'd like to see out of them and have real windows all around. The Cinch pop up as an alternative separate space looks rather good too.

I replaced the solid Hillcrest front panel with a Thule Sunblocker G2 which is semi-transparent to avoid that closed in feeling.