drive away awning

[wilde1]

looking to buy a drive away awning and its turning into a bit of a mine field to be honest, I have been looking at the 2015 kampa travel pod mini air awning which looks pretty good, has any one had any experience with this or any that are any good, hope there is someone with some good advice
many thanks

 

[bilberry]

We considered a driveaway too – mostly because it's something to leave on a site to mark your pitch. In the end, we've opted to get a £25 tarp and poles that can be configured in lots of different ways: as a windbreak, as a mini-tent, as an extension to the Cali awning etc. It can be strung between the Cali and trees or you can use the poles to create a shelter.

We like the versatility and simplicity of it. The one we have also has high UV protection and thermal screening, so we could even take it to the beach for cover.

 

[Brindisi]

Just posted this on another post :
We bought a Vango Kela last year, great design and idea, though sadly it wasn't for us. There is the 2 of us and 2 spaniels , and just wanted some extra space. We found that we just kept using it as a 'dumping' ground, for things we didn't want taking space up in the Cali. Another factor was , we felt it made the inside of the van very dark and no longer had a view when we sat inside. Great if you have a family, we have now discovered the Comfortz Awning and having used it once last weekend when on a picnic, it was up in less than 5 mins and does exactly what we had hoped it would. Bit more outside space , breeze free and lots of light too ! Not for everyone , we think its a great piece of kit, that packs away tidily and compactly. If you go to the Cali On The Farm this year, BMVS will be displaying and selling the Kela's. Don't rush into it like we did !! Good luck

 

[marshian70]

looking to buy a drive away awning and its turning into a bit of a mine field to be honest, I have been looking at the 2015 kampa travel pod mini air awning which looks pretty good, has any one had any experience with this or any that are any good, hope there is someone with some good advice
many thanks

Perhaps give the Outdoor Revolution range a look. We've just ordered a Movelite 3, but they appear to have a good range

 

[Bellesca]

I agree with bilberry.
Versatility of tarp is great.
You could also try sewing single kador strip onto old fly sheet or tarp and attach that with a figure of eight

 

[ToffeeCali]

We have recently purchased one (kela 2) and used it just the once so far. One problem is that the Velcro straps by the awning attachment bead (sorry unsure of the technical names!) kept getting caught when opening the sliding door and had nothing we could see to attach the straps to, I have seen on a thread other options to attach the awning so this might not be a problem
The grey does make it look dull whilst in the van, our old awning was orange so it always looked sunny!
There are lots of straps included which we haven't used and unsure if we needed to!
The main issue which I am just trying to resolve is that possibly whilst deflating and re packing one of the valve buttons got blown out (well it's missing) so now it won't stay pumped up. This button stops the air escaping after you pump it up whilst putting in the plug/cap. I am really unsure how this happened as the others are firmly fixed in place. I can't seem to find a replacement and the guarantee says the inner tubes are not covered.... Vango will be getting a call in the morning

 

[blakeley]

So many drive away awnings come up for sale having only been used once, I can only assume this is due to the hassle, size and weight of them.

IMHO I think they totally defeat the object of a Cali ! the reason I bought a California was to be on a campsite with the kettle on within 5 minutes of pitching not messing around with pumps, poles and guy lines.

 

[Billy]

Totally agree Blakey, we were one of those people who purchased a Vango Kela, these things are HUGE when packed away, we did a trial run in the Lakes for a night back in March and it rained all night, we then had to pack away a soaking wet awning the next morning, when we got home we had to unpack it and leave it in the dining room to dry out for two days.

I can see the point of these if staying on a campsite for a week maybe but the idea of the Cali is to tour around and not stay in the same place ( thats what we do anyway)

Anyway It went of Ebay the following weekend

 

[buster]

Another one in agreement. I ditched mine for Comfortz awning panels
Only takes 5 mins to put up and take down. I never stay more than 2 nights in any one place. I have downsized everything and take far less than I used to.

 

[marshian70]

Agreed the driveaway awnings an be big and bulky, and a pain to attach. Not my idea of fun but it does depends on what you need it for.
We have one out of necessity as we are a family of four with dog and various other paraphernalia and will use it on longer holidays where we may be staying in one place for a few days.
Other times, we currently manage with the existing wind out awning and a small pop up tent but I am considering one of the Quechua pop up shelters to supplement.
Personally, I'm not keen on the awning panels as you literally have to pack everything away if you want to travel anywhere in the van. If it was just the two of us, that might be manageable, but not just yet!

 

[teeboy]

Well said marshian70.

If you are a couple then a full drive away awning is a massive overkill and you would be better with sides for the wind out awning.

However if you actually need space to sleep outside then a drive away awning is your only option.

We have two kids (boy and girl) just becoming teenagers and whilst they will tolerate sleeping in the roof for one night it would be carnage for anything longer.

We could have a separate tent, but it is nice to be attached to the van for the kids - also most campsites are happy with an awning, but some get grumpy and charge more for a separate tent...

We have a Vango Kela and can get it erected and attached in 15-20 minutes.

Also having a drive away awning to dump things into is a massive luxury

 

[California124]

We bought a Easycamp silverstone drive away awning Ebay £169 brand new, 20 mins set up

 

[andywa119]

Saw a vango air awning over weekend. It didn't look very rigid. Non of the panels were taught. In a breeze it would be flapping like a tesco bag. We have the Easy camp was well. Fine, but like all awnings blocks the view from inside the Cali. I like opening the side door to the field and not a tent!


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[andywa119]

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[rippers]

We had a Vango airbeam Kela and thought it was superb but quickly realised there is not really any point with a Campervan unless your stationary for at least 3days to make it worth it. We found we liked to keep moving and exploring and staying at multiple places.

We used our Brandrup side panels which is a two min job and gave the privacy/windbreak we wanted.

For extra driveaway storage I'd be tempted to get a Kampa utility/kitchen tent

 

[Raggedroy]

We use the Comfortz side panels the majority of the time but if we are in the same place for more than a couple of days we take the Vango Airbeam awning.

 

[LindaF]

We have the Vango Kela and admit it's a bit of overkill just for a 1 night stay - we tend to use it if doing longer weekends like the one we have coming up in June (only 2 nights but a rally for about 60 campers and we have to store a lot of food/drink/equipment - the Kela is great for that). We are looking to get side panels at some point as they would be ideal for us. My other half has cobbled together an end panel from a groundsheet which we used in France and Belgium last year and it was ideal to create a little 'corner' just to keep the elements away - it rained solidly for 1 day but we were snug with the end panel, a windbreak and matting on the ground - we were still able to sit outside. 16 months on and we are still learning ......

 

[Fryers!]

Another +1 for Comfort side panels, we also got caught out buy buying a Vango Kela and was shocked at the size of the bag! We used it once (on our drive) and decided it was not for us, we now use awning side panels with a door combined with a 2 man pop up tent to store stuff in when we go out for the day.