Been lurking for a while, went away with our Raclet Flores last BH, we got it at the end of last summer so only went with it a couple of times & it was a struggle to put up.
We went to Dolbryn & got there early to avoid becoming camp entertainment, no such luck, at least it intros were easy as lots of people asked the next day what we were up to! Wasn't it obvious we were trying to get the b..... awning on! or the blasted legs at the right height There were many cross words & at one point D I V O R C E was one the cards! a trip to the Dolbryn bar soon sorted us out!
Going to Fforest fields next w/e already dreading the fight, but love it when its up!
Haven't particularly got any tips but I am so glad we are not the only ones who regularly fall out when putting up the awning...it should come with a Government Health Warning!
hi sally,were also at fforest fields next weekend,we have a trigano oceane,if you think you are bad putting an awning up ,well lets just say ,u will here shouting and swearing somewhere on the site
Thank for the replies, we 're sitting here chuckling, wonder how long that will last? probably 'til next w/e
Matt & lisa, we'll look out for you, wonder who will be heard first, I would hate for George & Katie to hear us. If its not the awning it will be loosing our 6 yr old son Toby or the dog who tends to go exploring
Hi Sally I have owned three tt's two of them Raclet's. We had a wonderful Raclet Parthenon and it was HUGE..... was great fun when the kids were younger but gosh did we fall out when putting the unit up.....
It does get easier what started out as a 2-3 hour effort ended up being a one hour max effort and we learnt to just put up the main cabin and then put up the awning the next day if we arrived at campsite tired.
I loved my Raclet but in hindsight since having my Raclet Solena I realise just how much work was involved...... (kept us fit though )
We are now moving on to a motorhome though we will keep our Solena just incase lol.....
It will get easier so don't worry if you want any tips just ask......
Been there, t shirt etc! Our Raclet was the same as most units are!
Dont let it put you off, sooner or later you will realise that this is part of the holiday and come to expect it,and it will get quicker and easier. Then you can sit back and notice everyone else as the same problems!
We have the Raclet Flores 230 which we bought approx 6 weeks ago, and yep 1st time out took nearly 3 hours to put up...
Now have it down to 1hr 15 including pegging and kettle on time
We always pack the awning separately (thats a must IMO) Set the frame in roughly the right position then zip up and adjust poles..Really wouldnt fold it back into the unit when packing up
We've had our Raclet type 603 for a few years now, having inherited it off some family friends - it's 32 years old but still going strong!
Before we leave, I always zip the awning to the tent canvas and carefully fold the tent back up again. You have to be careful not to trap the awning canvas in the poles, and I wouldn't store it long term like that, but as I say this has been done many times a year, every year to our 603 for 30 years and no problems so far...
I make sure every year that the pole springs in the awning are tighter than tight, which involves fishing about from the wrong end with a bent bit of coathanger on a length of string. Makes it so much easier if the awning frame isn't wobbling about all over the place!
I wear gloves (Gardening type) when pegging and putting the awning frame up. It saves a lot of pinched and hit fingers, blisters and swearing.
Even if it's going well, I always have a cup of tea in between 'kneeling up' the awning frame and trying to get every one of the (seemingly) 3000 adjustable poles to exactly the right length.
I do three rounds of adjusting; one roughly to get the awning within 6 inches of the right place, then I go round again and adjust each pole so I think it's spot on, then I go round again, and do the same thing. It's surprising how much swearing this eliminates if there is just an order you do it in, and you accept you have to do it 3 times.
If in doubt, have a cup of tea. If anybody loses their rag, stop for a cup of tea. If you are feeling self conscious because the camp site is watching you, have a cup of tea. If fact, just have a cup of tea.
After all those cups of tea, make sure you know where the toilet is
Hi,like Charlie we always zip awning on before we leave then fold camper down again,On arrival at site it is only a matter of putting up frame and drawing the canvas over it. We find it a lot easier and saves a lot of time and swearing trying to zip it together on site.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Help with our Raclet please
lol
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to put up...
