New owner with a question

[GP]

We have on order the new Ocean 6.1 so very excited and looking forward to delivery. We have had a lovely old high top T4 but our son now has that. I have a question which someone might have an opinion on. We would like a driveaway awning and there's only the two of us. We would also like a sewn in ground sheet. Is the Vango Kela V the best option or are there others which anyone considers are really good options? We don't want anything too large and bulky to store in the van and we want to be able to put it up and down with ease. Also should I get a 4mm to 6mm driveaway kit or a 6mm to 6mm kit? Thanks.

 

[AlisonF]

I find the Vango Kela perfect size for myself with dogs and a friend camping.
For shorter trips / overnights the wind out awning with comfortz side panels is quicker to erect / dismantle.

 

[GP]

Many thanks. I think on balance we'd like to be able to leave bikes, boards, chairs and tables etc in the Kela whenever we want to drive away rather than having to pack up the van each time we want to drive the van, so the Kela just beats the wind out awning, although as you say the wind out awning is great for short stays.

 

[WelshGas]

We have on order the new Ocean 6.1 so very excited and looking forward to delivery. We have had a lovely old high top T4 but our son now has that. I have a question which someone might have an opinion on. We would like a driveaway awning and there's only the two of us. We would also like a sewn in ground sheet. Is the Vango Kela V the best option or are there others which anyone considers are really good options? We don't want anything too large and bulky to store in the van and we want to be able to put it up and down with ease. Also should I get a 4mm to 6mm driveaway kit or a 6mm to 6mm kit? Thanks.

Some campsites don’t allow sewn in ground sheets, insisting on no ground sheet or lifting the groundsheet periodically to protect the grass, so you could be limiting your campsite options.

 

[flying banana]

the kela drive away awning is massive in it's bag and takes up most of the boot space. I used mine once and sold it. a pain in the arse IMO

 

[GP]

Hmm yes the room it takes up could be a problem. Maybe we should wait and see how we get on. We lived without one in the T4 and that was a LWB! Thanks everyone.

 

[Amarillo]

Hmm yes the room it takes up could be a problem. Maybe we should wait and see how we get on. We lived without one in the T4 and that was a LWB! Thanks everyone.

Here's a picture of the Kela 3 loaded into our Beach.

 

[Julesa]

We have the Vango Faros, takes very little space & easy to erect

 

[shudycamps]

We have on order the new Ocean 6.1 so very excited and looking forward to delivery. We have had a lovely old high top T4 but our son now has that. I have a question which someone might have an opinion on. We would like a driveaway awning and there's only the two of us. We would also like a sewn in ground sheet. Is the Vango Kela V the best option or are there others which anyone considers are really good options? We don't want anything too large and bulky to store in the van and we want to be able to put it up and down with ease. Also should I get a 4mm to 6mm driveaway kit or a 6mm to 6mm kit? Thanks.

We have the Vango Kela IV with sewn in ground sheet (we also put an extra, separate one on the ground. Fold small enough and stores in it's own little bag. Helps keep dirt at bay for awning), plus the extra separate carpet. The dealer you buy from will tell you exactly what driveaway kit to buy. Obicampingandleisure on Ebay, he had much patience with newbie female questions.

 

[BeeBee]

We have the Vango Palm, big enough for two and a big black lab. Takes up half of bottom boot space when packed.

 

[sapto]

Many thanks. I think on balance we'd like to be able to leave bikes, boards, chairs and tables etc in the Kela whenever we want to drive away rather than having to pack up the van each time we want to drive the van, so the Kela just beats the wind out awning, although as you say the wind out awning is great for short stays.

We also wanted to buy something for the same purpose, we went with just leaving the bike rack, table, chair chained to each other. Although we bought some panels for the awening. Maybe want to try one befor buy one?
Welcome by the way! Enjoy!

 

[Scoobz1]

We went for a 2020 Tolga because it was a reasonable size, fairly light but still made of reasonably robust material - looked at a smaller much lighter one (Palm) at the shows but the material didn't look that strong otherwise would have went for it plus the Tolga was only a few cms higher and wider when stored

"The stunning new drive-away awning from Vango, ideal for those wanting great size to weight ratio, as the awning utilises a 150 Denier polyester fabric, which is durable, yet lighter in weight than the heavier duty awnings"

Vango Tolga Low Air Drive Away Awning Shadow Grey

Vango Tolga Low Air Drive Away Awning, Ideal for Campervans VW T5 T6 T6.1 California, Marco Polo, Transit Nugget, Vivaro, Traffic, Transporter

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Nick.C]

We have ended up with two awnings. We started off with a Khyam XC air, which is a big side awning (I think you could almost park the van inside!!). It is great for longer stays, but takes a bit of time putting up and down and we have to carry on the bike rack, which became a bit of a bind for weekend trips. You also have to let sites know in advance that you have a big awning so they can make sure you have a suitable plot. This year we picked up an Outdoor Revolution Cayman midi Air for short breaks. Only used it once before lockdown, but it is a lot lighter to carry, fits under the rear parcel shelf, was really quick to put up and take down and big enough for two to sit in with the table. It also seemed to be more reasonably priced than other similar sized air awnings.

 

[GP]

Thank you everyone for such useful advice. We are new to the club but realise just how really useful it is when making these decisions.

 

[SimonB]

If you are able, I would put off buying an awning until you have used the Cali for a few trips away and spoken to other owners. Go to a meet if you can and take a look at other people's set up. There are a lot of awnings advertised on here after the owner has realised that the amount of space it takes up in the Cali and the time to set it up isn't worth it. The best one for you is the one that best matches your need, but isn't too expensive, too big to carry and pack up, etc.
We tried a Khyam drive away which was pretty good, but mainly use the side awning. We now have a Sheltapod which is a small driveaway tent in which you could store bikes etc, but not a huge bag to lug around. https://www.google.com/search?q=she...1.69i57j0l7.2799j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[HB19]

Thank you everyone for such useful advice. We are new to the club but realise just how really useful it is when making these decisions.

i bought the Vango Kela last year to accommodate extra campers and all the associated gear when we went away all together for a few days. It is a big and sturdy piece of kit which makes it a pain when you want to do touring. However, it’s really good for swallowing up stuff and the bedroom compartment was first rate for quality. If you are parked up for 3 days or more, in my opinion it’s worth the effort.
However, I am now looking for something a bit less bulky and quicker to erect. I have been researching like crazy over the last couple of weeks and have now plumped for the Calicave, which I hope to order soon.

There are other options out there .. google awning room and they will come up.

I have come to the conclusion that what you gather in your Cali store is a collection of items which all have a value but don’t necessarily all need to be used at the same time. You work out what kind of trip you are heading out on and select your accessories accordingly .. well, it works for me

 

[HB19]

If you are able, I would put off buying an awning until you have used the Cali for a few trips away and spoken to other owners. Go to a meet if you can and take a look at other people's set up. There are a lot of awnings advertised on here after the owner has realised that the amount of space it takes up in the Cali and the time to set it up isn't worth it. The best one for you is the one that best matches your need, but isn't too expensive, too big to carry and pack up, etc.
We tried a Khyam drive away which was pretty good, but mainly use the side awning. We now have a Sheltapod which is a small driveaway tent in which you could store bikes etc, but not a huge bag to lug around. https://www.google.com/search?q=she...1.69i57j0l7.2799j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I love this product.

 

[Nick.C]

i bought the Vango Kela last year to accommodate extra campers and all the associated gear when we went away all together for a few days. It is a big and sturdy piece of kit which makes it a pain when you want to do touring. However, it’s really good for swallowing up stuff and the bedroom compartment was first rate for quality. If you are parked up for 3 days or more, in my opinion it’s worth the effort.
However, I am now looking for something a bit less bulky and quicker to erect. I have been researching like crazy over the last couple of weeks and have now plumped for the Calicave, which I hope to order soon.

There are other options out there .. google awning room and they will come up.

I have come to the conclusion that what you gather in your Cali store is a collection of items which all have a value but don’t necessarily all need to be used at the same time. You work out what kind of trip you are heading out on and select your accessories accordingly .. well, it works for me

Calicave looks good, but the biggest drawback for me of these types of awning room is that you have to take it down if you want to go out for the day

 

[HB19]

Calicave looks good, but the biggest drawback for me of these types of awning room is that you have to take it down if you want to go out for the day

Yes, but if you are touring, you probably won’t be going out for the day .. you are probably heading for a new spot each day. That’s what makes it so good. I wouldn’t get rid of the my Kela though because it’s great for the long stays when you want to build a nest and hide your toys. Different types of trip, need different tools.

 

[Nick.C]

Yes, but if you are touring, you probably won’t be going out for the day .. you are probably heading for a new spot each day. That’s what makes it so good. I wouldn’t get rid of the my Kela though because it’s great for the long stays when you want to build a nest and hide your toys. Different types of trip, need different tools.

Agree with that, we have Khyam XC air, which is a beast of an awning for longer stays and an Outdoor Revolution Cayman Midi air for overnight/weekend trips

 

[Wild Bob]

We have 2 awnings, a Vango Gally compact and the Vango siesta. One thing we did not think about was when we were buying was the rule of having the awning on the right side of your vehicle on campsites. We bought the RSV awning so we not have to drive into the pitch to us it rather than backing the van onto the pitch. If we had known we would not have bought the RSV option.