The Big Bang

[Amarillo]

Air Beam awning just went bang. Five years old. Is is only any good or does it need to be binned?

15:45 BST Saturday 25 May

 

[Azteccamper]

Air Beam awning just went bang. Five years old. Is is only any good or does it need to be binned?

15:45 BST Saturday 25 May

Don’t you get a puncture repair kit - similar to a SUP Board?

 

[WelshGas]

Air Beam awning just went bang. Five years old. Is is only any good or does it need to be binned?

15:45 BST Saturday 25 May

I suppose it really depends where it has failed.

 

[Azteccamper]

I suppose it really depends where it has failed.

A big slab of awning that too.

 

[Amarillo]

Air Beam awning just went bang. Five years old. Is is only any good or does it need to be binned?

15:45 BST Saturday 25 May

I don’t know how well you can see that.

There is a 10” (25cm) split in the inner tube. A longer tear in the tube’s sheath and an even longer rip along the outer cover.

 

[Amarillo]

Don’t you get a puncture repair kit - similar to a SUP Board?

Yes, here it is.

5 x 3” by 3” patches
Tube, sheath, groundsheet, and two outer colours.

And some cords.

Nothing for a ten inch split.

 

[lohr500]

That looks to have let go, big time
If you can get a replacement tube, a good sail or tent repairer could probably patch up the rest.
It might not be the prettiest of fixes if they can't match the material colours but if it works and saves buying a whole new awing, I would live with it.

 

[WelshGas]

Yes, here it is.

5 x 3” by 3” patches
Tube, sheath, groundsheet, and two outer colours.

And some cords.

Nothing for a ten inch split.

If it’s a Vango Airbeam awning they offer a repair service. Don’t know about other makes.

Vango Aftercare - Over 50 Years of Tent Care - Vango Blog

Find out about our aftercare services, warranty and camping spares in our blog

www.vango.co.uk

 

[Amarillo]

If it’s a Vango Airbeam awning they offer a repair service. Don’t know about other makes.

Vango Aftercare - Over 50 Years of Tent Care - Vango Blog

Find out about our aftercare services, warranty and camping spares in our blog

www.vango.co.uk

Yes, it is a Vango. And yes, it is repairable with a new inner tube.

We are away for a week in Zeeland, Netherlands with the Tandem Club. 100 or so tandems so 200 or so tandemists. A twin peloton of expert puncture repairists. All of whom have have had a look, shaken their heads and sucked through their teeth.

So for now I have jury-rigged a safari tent using spare side panels and the deflated awning as front and set up the kitchen in there.

 

[Pineweasel]

One of my airbeams blew out as I was putting up the awning at Glastonbury a few years ago. No chance of fixing it as it was the valve joint that had failed. I was able to bodge something up for the duration of the festival, and had to buy a new beam. To be honest it would put me off buying one again if I was in the market; I’ll stick to poles.

 

[Amarillo]

One of my airbeams blew out as I was putting up the awning at Glastonbury a few years ago. No chance of fixing it as it was the valve joint that had failed. I was able to bodge something up for the duration of the festival, and had to buy a new beam. To be honest it would put me off buying one again if I was in the market; I’ll stick to poles.

I agree. Poles next time unless the repair is cheap. We bought the awning 2nd hand in the forum about 5 years ago, and paid about 50% of the new price. It has had ~10 weeks’ use. Our previous air beam had about 45 weeks’ use and we gave it away.

 

[Perfectos]

Repairable - yes
cost ! consider similar size beams (can fold longer beams to make them shorter ! )
under inflate when the temp is due to increase

 

[The Merle]

I agree. Poles next time unless the repair is cheap. We bought the awning 2nd hand in the forum about 5 years ago, and paid about 50% of the new price. It has had ~10 weeks’ use. Our previous air beam had about 45 weeks’ use and we gave it away.

Have an outwell paradise awning about 11yrs old if I’m on new forest site as seasonal I set it up, still like new and only 10mins to set up. All this posh tech only seems to end up in landfills.
Hope you’re having a good time, nice to hear Amarillo is still getting a good runout

 

[Amarillo]

Have an outwell paradise awning about 11yrs old if I’m on new forest site as seasonal I set it up, still like new and only 10mins to set up. All this posh tech only seems to end up in landfills.
Hope you’re having a good time, nice to hear Amarillo is still getting a good runout

Thanks. We still get good use from our van, perhaps 5 weeks camping plus 5 weekends; less during Covid.

It’s used as a U10s rugby MPV most Sundays throughout autumn, winter and early spring.

And for this trip was loaded with a triplet, a tandem, four solo bikes and a unicycle.

 

[Kayleigh]

Thanks. We still get good use from our van, perhaps 5 weeks camping plus 5 weekends; less during Covid.

It’s used as a U10s rugby MPV most Sundays throughout autumn, winter and early spring.

And for this trip was loaded with a triplet, a tandem, four solo bikes and a unicycle.

That’s a lot of saddles!!!

 

[Multi1100]

Air Beam awning just went bang. Five years old. Is is only any good or does it need to be binned?

15:45 BST Saturday 25 May

Oeps! (that's Dutch) Hope you enjoy(ed) your stay in The Netherlands anyway.
To prevent this from happening we bought this a couple of years ago, not cheap but certainly failsafe ;-) It is from Calicap.de and uses the Thule awning for attachment and roof

 

[Amarillo]

That’s a lot of saddles!!!

And double the number of pedals, but surprisingly few steering bars.

 

[TripleBee]

Thanks. We still get good use from our van, perhaps 5 weeks camping plus 5 weekends; less during Covid.

It’s used as a U10s rugby MPV most Sundays throughout autumn, winter and early spring.

And for this trip was loaded with a triplet, a tandem, four solo bikes and a unicycle.

That last photo makes me think of this:

At the train station in Amsterdam (Netherlands).

 

[WelshGas]

That last photo makes me think of this:
View attachment 124322
At the train station in Amsterdam (Netherlands).

Often wondered how the owners find and get their bikes out?

 

[Amarillo]

Often wondered how the owners find and get their bikes out?

€60,000,000 to find a solution.

Amsterdam Built a Badass (and Brilliant) Underwater Bike Garage

Bike parking congestion has become a real problem in Amsterdam, but the 60 million Euros has been invested in a solution.

www.bicycling.com

In total Amsterdam city spent €85,000,000 on cycle parking alone.

 

[TripleBee]

€60,000,000 to find a solution.

Amsterdam Built a Badass (and Brilliant) Underwater Bike Garage

Bike parking congestion has become a real problem in Amsterdam, but the 60 million Euros has been invested in a solution.

www.bicycling.com

In total Amsterdam city spent €85,000,000 on cycle parking alone.

And who pays for that? Not the cyclists, unlike the car drivers, who have to pay for parking their vehicle.

 

[Amarillo]

And who pays for that? Not the cyclists, unlike the car drivers, who have to pay for parking their vehicle.

Municipal bike parking charges in Amsterdam.

 

[WelshGas]

I agree. Poles next time unless the repair is cheap. We bought the awning 2nd hand in the forum about 5 years ago, and paid about 50% of the new price. It has had ~10 weeks’ use. Our previous air beam had about 45 weeks’ use and we gave it away.

So was the awning repairable at a reasonable cost?

 

[Amarillo]

So was the awning repairable at a reasonable cost?

I emailed them with photos of the damage, and they responded with an unhelpful standard letter: repairs cost from £45, send it back to us and we will give you a quote.

I haven’t yet returned it to them.

A 3m by 3m, 2.25m high pole frame “event shelter” from Decathlon is £230. We will probably end up getting that. I find it difficult to believe a repair will be less than £230.

Camping Living Room with Poles Arpenaz Base Fresh 10-Person QUECHUA | Decathlon

If you're camping as part of a larger group, bring an extra living 'room' to share. We've designed this freestanding extension for quick pitching…

www.decathlon.co.uk