Imagine, a lovely hot day in the UK () and the awning is baking hot. Decide to take out the awning panels. Question is what do you do about the pegs?? Do you
1. Leave them in and try and remove the panel by looping the rubber/ladders over them and risk someone tripping over the pegs left in the ground, or
2. Do you take them out and replace them when you put back the panel. This way when you come to replace the pegs the holes sometimes get weaker/bigger especially on hardstandings and therefore the peg doesn't stay in properly; or
3. Just don't put pegs in anyway where the awning zips out.
I have to admit to doing a selection of all of these from time to time, although 2. is probably the most common. Don't really like 1. for obvious reasons. Have sometimes resorted to 3. if I know I am going to unzip again soon or if the weather looks like it wouldn't blow a lighted match out.
Once the awning is up and pegged we just tend to unzip the panels halfway and leave them dangling....not the tidiest of options but we choose not to take any pegs out in case the wind gets up or weather changes suddenly. We sometimes just put the roof up but prefer the panels in for longer stays.
No. 1 could be painful if you stub your toe on a peg if left in.
After having trailer tent for years, I wouldn't do No. 3 because of the wind lifting the awning, the more pegs holding it down the better.
No 2.... hmmm...seems like more effort and I think you'd have to keep making fresh holes.
I have been known to take out all my awning panels, because of the heat, Mrs A. I have to be honest and say this has usually been in the warmer end of France. Often the ground can be dry and dusty - to take out a peg and put it back in again sometimes just causes the ground to crumble. Putting water on the ground isn't usually that useful. Grass is obviously much better, but sometimes to get grass in Provence in the summer is like finding water in a desert.
I tend to do the same as Mrs A although sometimes I roll the panel down completely to the mud wall and lay a lightweight tarp over it to keep it clean and tidy. It does involve stepping over it if I want to enter the awning that way but normally I leave a side panel in and tie the door in that panel back to use as an entrance. Having seen the speed at which an approaching storm can change the wind from light airs to a gale I prefer to have the pegs in place. That has just reminded me of a few years back in France when a squall got up during the night and there was suddenly a lot of activity at each caravan with people rapidly trying to secure awnings etc, the funny side was the majority of people did not bother to get dressed so there was a lot of white bums reflecting in the limited light on the site. A similar thing happened on a naturist site in a thunderstorm but no white bums there!
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
Quote: Originally posted by birder99 on 16/6/2011
I tend to do the same as Mrs A although sometimes I roll the panel down completely to the mud wall and lay a lightweight tarp over it to keep it clean and tidy. It does involve stepping over it if I want to enter the awning that way but normally I leave a side panel in and tie the door in that panel back to use as an entrance. Having seen the speed at which an approaching storm can change the wind from light airs to a gale I prefer to have the pegs in place. That has just reminded me of a few years back in France when a squall got up during the night and there was suddenly a lot of activity at each caravan with people rapidly trying to secure awnings etc, the funny side was the majority of people did not bother to get dressed so there was a lot of white bums reflecting in the limited light on the site. A similar thing happened on a naturist site in a thunderstorm but no white bums there!
Quote: Originally posted by birder99 on 16/6/2011
I tend to do the same as Mrs A although sometimes I roll the panel down completely to the mud wall and lay a lightweight tarp over it to keep it clean and tidy. It does involve stepping over it if I want to enter the awning that way but normally I leave a side panel in and tie the door in that panel back to use as an entrance. Having seen the speed at which an approaching storm can change the wind from light airs to a gale I prefer to have the pegs in place. That has just reminded me of a few years back in France when a squall got up during the night and there was suddenly a lot of activity at each caravan with people rapidly trying to secure awnings etc, the funny side was the majority of people did not bother to get dressed so there was a lot of white bums reflecting in the limited light on the site. A similar thing happened on a naturist site in a thunderstorm but no white bums there!
I think that's a very good case for leaving the pegs in....lots of white bums...hahaha!
I wonder if Delta pegs would be more suitable for awning panels? Would they be better to leave in the ground if removing the awning panels. I have to admit to never using Deltas but I know there are many who sware by them. They look as if they are more flush to the ground? Can you use Deltas sucessfully on hard standings - they look like plasic pegs that might not last too long (like the ordinary red plastic ones) and deltas are not cheap, I understand. Any thoughts?
The one time we put our awning up and didn't put any side panels in we returned home from a day out to find the wind had got up a bit and our Awning was flapping up and down, even the Storm Straps didn't hold the thing properly!! Won't be doing that again in a hurry!
Greetings,
Bossynix wrote;"The one time we put our awning up and didn't put any side panels in we returned home from a day out to find the wind had got up a bit and our Awning was flapping up and down, even the Storm Straps didn't hold the thing properly!! Won't be doing that again in a hurry!"
I did exactly the same and came back to the van with the awning folded neatly by the van and a large dent in the side.
My fellow ralliers had taken the awning down when it went awol after a gust of wind literally picked up the awning and snapped the rubbers.
The pegs that hold the windows are an integral part of the construction of the awning and you remove the windows (and pegs) at your peril
------------- How come when some people visit the fountain of knowledge, they only gargle!!!
We have a veranda pole too with our NR porch so we just unzip and fold over the front then unzip sides and tie back makes it airy but still a bit private.
With the porchlite do the same but without the veranda pole.
In France several years ago we found that we were always doing the half zip thing with the veranda poles and came to the conclusion that we didn't actually need an awning over there - so we bought a sun canopy. We only use an awning when we have family with us now.
I'm with Mrs Anorak and just let it dangle at half mast.......not in the sense of Birder 99's naturist camp site you understand. Is it just us or are there fewer flies around this year? Very few in our awning so far
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
It sounds as if we're the only ones that take out the panels then. I'm in shock!! We have done this far more frequently in France than in the UK but never go out from the camp site and leave the awning panels out, of course. Another time I like to take out the panels is when we are 'Cadac-ing' (my DD's term). We find it's good to have open access to the awning - even at breakfast, and did this at Wareham Forest at Easter and at Conkers at the May Day BH weekend, and we only put up the Kampa Fiesta. Food from the Cadac to the table without having to go through the awning 'door'. Less chance of greasing up the awning IMHO. Oh well, looks like we're well in the minority.
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: Removing the awning panels
) and the awning is baking hot. Decide to take out the awning panels. Question is what do you do about the pegs?? Do you 
Is it just us or are there fewer flies around this year? Very few in our awning so far
