Pop Top and high winds

[Anthony1]

Someone on this forum was asking about the pop top and high winds recently.

We had two days/nights in St David's last week. It was windy all the time and one trailer tent lost its awning completely. Other awings were damaged too.

Our pop top seemed very stable and the one of the site wardens reckoned the wind speeds to be 60 - 70mph. We had to park side on to the wind due to the site rules (white peg etc). The side supports of the pop top are very stong and sideways movement was minimal.

 

[andyinluton]

Was that at the C&MH site? we were there last weekend, people thought I was mad putting up the drive away awning Friday evening.

 

[Anthony1]

Yes, C&MH site. We were there on the nights of 27th and 28th August.

Regulars there said it was always windy.

Pic is toilet queue. We could see the entrance from our van and with binocular we could see if there were wrist bands on the hooks. Some people queued in the pouring rain, making no effort to find shelter for fear of killing someone by standing next to them.

 

[andyinluton]

thats why we use a drive away awning with a portaloo.

 

[Anthony1]

thats why we use a drive away awning with a portaloo.

Makes sense these days.

 

[Elly Swanson]

Someone on this forum was asking about the pop top and high winds recently.

We had two days/nights in St David's last week. It was windy all the time and one trailer tent lost its awning completely. Other awings were damaged too.

Our pop top seemed very stable and the one of the site wardens reckoned the wind speeds to be 60 - 70mph. We had to park side on to the wind due to the site rules (white peg etc). The side supports of the pop top are very stong and sideways movement was minimal.

We were in St David’s (Caerfai farm) for storm Francis. We put the top down as the gusts were 60+ and whipping round in different directions. . I think It would have taken quite a battering and it was no bother to get sorted to sleep downstairs.

 

[Charlotterobin]

We had the storm follow us from Oxwich to Cardigan to Abereiddy! 65mph winds quite often. I struck the awning and we left the roof up; noisy but stable...

 

[Elly Swanson]

We had the storm follow us from Oxwich to Cardigan to Abereiddy! 65mph winds quite often. I struck the awning and we left the roof up; noisy but stable...

It's the gusts you need to watch out for. Speed, frequency and direction.

There's a brilliant weather app called Windy (if you surf, kite, microglide, etc you'll probably know about it already). It's very detailed and uses the algorithms of about 6 different systems. I was told about it by a meteorologist. If you use it, check the speed setting - kt is knots (that are slightly less than miles) so if you think in miles per hour check the setting as kts might be the default. (sorry if that's teaching granny to suck eggs).

 

[Dottie]

My concern is that having suffered 3 days of constant gale force winds last summer by the coast, might I have damaged the membrane? In hindsight, I should have watched the forecast and lowered the roof. However, I’ve just done the same on the west coast....all still seems water tight, but I will definitely lower the roof next time.
on both occasions, my shelter suffered!

 

[Elly Swanson]

My concern is that having suffered 3 days of constant gale force winds last summer by the coast, might I have damaged the membrane? In hindsight, I should have watched the forecast and lowered the roof. However, I’ve just done the same on the west coast....all still seems water tight, but I will definitely lower the roof next time.
on both occasions, my shelter suffered!

It's all a trade off and a learning curve. We've now got a sea to Summit campervan sim that's so comfy choosing not to sleep up top won't be a hard decision based on a comfortable sleep. So expecting a good night's stress free sleep even if it's blowing a hooley. I'm expecting that eratic weather patterns will get more and more frequent and want to be ready for it (within reason of course).

 

[Elly Swanson]

My concern is that having suffered 3 days of constant gale force winds last summer by the coast, might I have damaged the membrane? In hindsight, I should have watched the forecast and lowered the roof. However, I’ve just done the same on the west coast....all still seems water tight, but I will definitely lower the roof next time.
on both occasions, my shelter suffered!

Hi Dottie. Who's Fred? Partner, hubbie, dog, . . . . . ? Just curious.

 

[Dottie]

Hi Dottie. Who's Fred? Partner, hubbie, dog, . . . . . ? Just curious.

Fred is my van....Regn no= ......FTB = Fred the Bed...nothing more than my colleagues poking fun that my van is just a bed on wheels...
I chose Fred as my van’s name cos if ever I felt threatened, I had this thought that I’d shout for ‘Fred’ or say I was on holiday with Fred....
Sadly Dottie died 2 months ago....thus the change to my strap line. But, having just returned from my first trip without my furry friend, once retired (imminent, I hope), I’m going to look into fostering dogs....and will change my strap line to ‘Just Fred, Doggies & Me!’
sounds good, but there’s 2 problems, I foresee
1 he/she might not like campervanning
2 I might get too attached and not get past my first foster dog....thus kiboshing longer trips abroad, without van!

PS we sleep downstairs every night so my fear in high winds by the coast is simply for the care of my pop top

 

[Elly Swanson]

Fred is my van....Regn no= ......FTB = Fred the Bed...nothing more than my colleagues poking fun that my van is just a bed on wheels...
I chose Fred as my van’s name cos if ever I felt threatened, I had this thought that I’d shout for ‘Fred’ or say I was on holiday with Fred....
Sadly Dottie died 2 months ago....thus the change to my strap line. But, having just returned from my first trip without my furry friend, once retired (imminent, I hope), I’m going to look into fostering dogs....and will change my strap line to ‘Just Fred, Doggies & Me!’
sounds good, but there’s 2 problems, I foresee
1 he/she might not like campervanning
2 I might get too attached and not get past my first foster dog....thus kiboshing longer trips abroad, without van!

PS we sleep downstairs every night so my fear in high winds by the coast is simply for the care of my pop top

We’ve always adopted dogs and they’ve fitted in with us. The trouble with fostering is they’re usually those who don’t/can’t fit in and need very consistent home lives, without change. It’s a real conundrum.