Depends on what you need it for and how much space you want. Not sure there is a ‘best’ to be honest. Ask yourself where you will store it, air awnings are very heavy to transport.
I am personally a fan of the Vango driveaway and they come in standard and tall depending on the height on your van.
These are easy to put up and take down but you are likely to need the kit to join it to your van. This will take up storage as will the inflation pump.
They are great for extending sleeping quarters and can have bedroom inners.
There is so much choice and price range....it’s about what suits your needs.
Maybe if you used the search the forum section you will find lots of info already there or let everyone know what you would like from an awning to get more tailored replies.
No such thing as outright 'best', it's what's best for YOU! That includes consideration of awning space required, budget, bulk of packed awning, and weight of packed awning. Your ability to erect/fit it, can you reach all the necessary points, does it take assistance or a one man job!
Air awnings are both relatively bulky and heavy when packed, because you can't split them into separate flysheet and poles, it's all one 'lump'. Consider whether the pack will pass through habitation/locker doors, and whether you can comfortable lift and manoeuvre the pack! Also consider where it will travel and it's impact on your load levels and distribution.
Some awnings have tubes that can be isolated via valves (Kampa/Dometic brand for one) which means any leaks can be isolated and the whole awning doesn't deflate into a unusable state, others are all permanently interconnected and a leak is terminal.
Consider things like curtains and roof linings, they can control both damp/condensation and heat. Also adjustable high level (near apex of roof) vents have a big impact on comfort levels. Accessories like inner bedrooms and annexes can extend the versatility/usefulness.
With a 'drive away' you also have to look at ease of attachment/detachment and effectiveness of any fill in side panel when standing alone.
There's a lot of personal considerations, so no one else can really definitively say go for this or that one! Well know brands obviously bring a degree of support for spares/accessories etc. (but even then only for a quite limited time!), whilst obscure/own house brands may lack some of that assurance.
We've got a AT Tracker and are considering an awning more for winter/inclement weather as quite happy with the canopy for summer.
We've narrowed it down to:
Kampa 260 (fixed not DA)
Vango Kela (DA)
Outdoor revolution movelite (DA)
Not fussed about driveaway really as don't move the van once sited. We like the Kampa as not as big a footprint as the other 2 as these are over 3m from van when put up, but with the other 2 would have more flexibilty if we did want to move.
It's all about what suits you and your needs from the awning.
Hi Delzer, We have the same van as you and we have just bought a Kampa motor 260XL (not driveaway), we put it up this week and had trouble winding the casette awning back into its final position due to the weight of the Kampa,we ended up having to assist it with a brush shaft to take the weight, I will be interested to see how you get on with yours. We just sold our Vango Kela driveaway as we found that with the width of the driveaway tunnel that we were too wide for a hardstanding pitch on the ccc sites.
Decide what you need it for, I’d advise a year camping without one to find that out and to see what other people are using, have a chat with them. We opted not to get a drive-away awning because of volume (it could only travel in the washroom as we have a dog crate) and weight (some MHs are near their limit when they drive off the dealer’s forecourt). We also prefer to sit out in the sun or under the stars, and we don’t need an extra bedroom.
Our wind out awning only comes out in daylight when the dog needs it or we’re having privacy problems with people cutting across our pitch.
It’s also the case that several great CAMC sites don’t allow awnings on the pitches behind the beach, harbour etc.
Quote: Originally posted by aaa001 on 28/6/2022
We just sold our Vango Kela driveaway as we found that with the width of the driveaway tunnel that we were too wide for a hardstanding pitch on the ccc sites.
That's one of the things that has put us off getting these as opposed to the Kampa - but the weight problem you mention has given food for thought. Why can't there be a simple lightweight porch awnning like caravans have for just getting out of wet weather before you go in the van?
We’ve received our awning today and surprised how light it is. My husband ordered it and it’s a kampa leggera 260 s. Haven’t tried it out until next weekend but seems ideal for what we want. Just to keep wet coats etc and shoes. Handy for the dog and our chairs. We had a bigger motorhome before with the safari room and 2 caravans with full awnings. Now we’ve downsized and just need an easy and light one and this seems ideal. Will let you know how it goes and post some photos
Your Imala should have the awning rail fixed on the side, so the Leggera should be ok for height. Ours is on the roof, so over 2.8m high, nearer 3 if it was uneaven which means it wouldn't fit our van so that's where our problem lies.
Will be nice to see how it looks when up.
You should not have the same problem with weight issues that we had as your leggera 260 is half the weight of our rally motor 260xl, it looks like a nice piece of kit, looking forward to seeing your photos.
George-Mildred, I really like our Kampa rally motor 260XL its good quality fabric and easy to put up, about 30 pumps of the hand pump and its inflated the only problem I have is winding the cassette awning to the fully closed position due to the weight, this may just be a problem with our particular cassette and as we only bought it two weeks ago and used it once it may get easier with more practice, don't let my negative comments about the weight put you off the 260 its a good piece of kit.
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Topic: Air Awning
via mobile 26/6/2022 at 9:56am
