Thule Quickfit awning room for a GC 680

[TravellingNewbury's]

Dear all,

We are considering a porch type awning to be attached to the Ominstor 5200vw on our GC 680. We are currently looking at/interested in the Thule Quick fit. We have a number of questions about model, size. attachment. Anyone purchased or using this.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gover100]

We went with a Thule G3 which is similar to the Quick Fit. It has side pieces which clamp onto the sides of the extended awning and vertical support struts which lock against the side of the van. Clever design and very robust.

 

[TravellingNewbury's]

Were the legs ok with the contours of the van? I assume you went for a 'large'? What sort of set up time does it take? We went for the 'tent' but it is impossible to fit the rail to the Thule due to the 'bulge' between the top of the van and the awning.

 

[gover100]

Yes - we tried a couple of different awnings and they just didnt work.

We ordered the Thule G3 at the NEC Motorhome show after a really informative discussion with Rose Awnings. Not sure on the exact spec of ours, but I believe its a panel van specific type. The poles that go nearest the sides of the van are not straight, vertical poles - they follow the contour of the van somewhat.

I'm glad we took up the free install option. We booked into a very nice local campsite, three miles or so away from Rose and then left the van with them for the day. They are proper Thule dealers so were able to adjust the postion of the actual Omnistor. As standard the front end of the awning was too far back, meaning the support pole would prevent the door opening. The sizing and position means the side door easily fully opens and closes. Nothing seemed to phase them and they spent a good hour showing us how to assemble the awning and take it down. They even applied coloured stickers so we can instantly recognise which bit goes where!

As for setup time - its straight forward.
Extend awning as usual. Attach side rails which lock into the Omnistor 'tube' and then clamp onto the sides of the awning. Wind awning back slightly to tension and tighten clamps. Insert the rearpoles into the connectors on the side rails. Slide in side panels, then the front longer panel. Use the connection tubes to attach the sides to the front corners. Peg down (well - as you go really).

Two people can do it in 15-20 minutes. Its made much easier by investing in a selection of decent pegs! We pack a battery powered drill and a 'thor' hammer - these make light work of getting the pegs in which can be really time consuming. Oh yes, some steps. Its a tall van with a tall awning!

Structurally, its very strong. We got caught in 40mph+ winds and it was fine... much better than my nerves! When packed up it fits into two bags - one with all the poles. This is almost the same length as the rear storage from door to slide in panels in the 680. The second bag is shorter, fatter and heavier and takes the actual panels. Total weight, must be aroud 30kg.

 

[TravellingNewbury's]

Many thanks for all the response. We have now made a conscious decision to go with a mid sized air drive away the Movelite T2R. We tried the Thule Quickfit tent which doesn't fit to the Omnistor 5200 due to the slight curve of the body art the top of the vehicle. We considered the G3 and Thule side panels but, again there is a weight, alteration to fit, the repositioning of the 5200 is all a bit of a faff.

 

[gover100]

Many thanks for all the response. We have now made a conscious decision to go with a mid sized air drive away the Movelite T2R. We tried the Thule Quickfit tent which doesn't fit to the Omnistor 5200 due to the slight curve of the body art the top of the vehicle. We considered the G3 and Thule side panels but, again there is a weight, alteration to fit, the repositioning of the 5200 is all a bit of a faff.

Might be worth giving Rose Awnings or another Thule dealer a call. The catalogue had loads of add on pieces, extensions etc. The QuickFit with an extension to the bit that slides into the rail might work?

We tried an air awning and the door kept catching and dragging against it. Also, the bulk of the air awning was a pain. I defy anyone to get one back into the box it was supplied in!

 

[gover100]

Forgot to say - I like the look of the extra graphics on your GC. I have considered a partial wrap or similar on mine. Just to make it look less like the sort of van a dozen SWAT guys pile out of!

 

[TravellingNewbury's]

Received the Air awning today and done a quick proof of concept on the drive... perfect fit, size and patten matches the van too!

 

[andyinluton]

Received the Air awning today and done a quick proof of concept on the drive... perfect fit, size and patten matches the van too!View attachment 103967

We have a similar tent, used on 2 oceans previously, when we used it with the GC we didn't even try & connect it, just extended the van awning over it & used storm straps to be safe on the awning. Made driving away very quick.