Having just bought and used the Porchlite XL, I was very impressed with size / weight and ease to put up and down.
With the summer season in sight I want a full size awning for shade, eating and storage, but don't want a "traditional" full awning weight.
The compacta-lite 400 looked like a good bed but with only the single center zip out (and lots of guy line for kids to trip over) I am not convinced. Then I noticed the Evolution 450.
Does anyone have any experience of this compared to a traditional size awning? Our Awning rail is 1008cm on a a Bailey Pageant Bretagne so I this will certainly fit, but will it be big enough for a main awning?
I just cant remember which is longer. On thing though that should be obvious, the roof pole should have a rubber foot on both ends. The uprights have one foot (top) and one hole (bottom). It should be an effort to fit the upright poles onto the metal spikes on the end of the footprint webbing. Then bending the top poll round should make you think "how much more can it take".
If the polls are wrong I would think it would be dead obvious.
I will have to head out to the van and look at the awning (its on the storage site) and plan to do so later in the week.
The uprights are the "thick" polls. Both are 9 sections and are 4m12cm long.
The "roof pole" is thinner, again 9 sections but shorter at 3m86cm.
However, - I notice that my bag actually says "porchlite plus" NOT porchlite XL - I should have checked the canvas its self.
What we bought was this
http://www.caravanonlineshop.co.uk/product_details.asp?c=281&d=35&p={99258403-C300-4D43-BB4C-859807107681}
Which closest resembles the XL on the Outdoor revolution website, bus claims to be a plus, with different dimensions and is certainly not the plus on the web site!
I guess I will have to go and have annother look at the canvas!
Hi. I couldnt view your last link. I am considering buying one of these awnings and was hoping you could give me your view on them in terms of quality and practicality?
Best regards.
Bob.
Thanks Amanda. I took a chance and ordered one for 199 before I saw your reply. The review from tdrees makes me glad I did. Looking forward to trying it out. Cheers.
I would stand by what I put in the review before, and in this later review (link at bottom) and we are still using that awning 5 years later. HOWEVER, be VERY careful with the main pole when you are taking down, especially if the awning is wet.
Not long after we bought the awning (must have been August 2009) we were taking down with the awning very wet and broke one of the section of the pole. Outdoor revolution replaced it for us for free. About 2 years ago we did it again. This time Outdoor revolution said that we would have to send the pole to them, and no replacement poles were available for purchase. We bought a whole second awning, identical to the first, second hand, just for the pole. We are using the old pole as spare sections for the new pole and have used one so far. 3 section failures in total so far over 5 years, and all when the awning was wet (heavy) and when we are taking it down.
My advice. Make sure you unpeg and unclip EVERYTHING except the center front small guy. Then unpeg that last. Then, with two people, one to put a foot at the base of the pole at one end, remove the pole end clip and GENTLY release the tension on the pole. Its the fast release under load that seems to cause the failures.
This season we have just started using the new outer cover too, partly as the old is a little faded and partly as the proofing is less efficient that it used to be.
It's still a good awning, big for its weight, and still simple to use with effective floor space.
I would buy another again for £150, but if I was spending the original £310 I might look at one of the newer models, especially as we have now changed van and the fit with the windows is not as good as on the old.
Thats great thankyou. I take it the weakness is in the aluminium pole instead of steel. Have you ever priced up having steel replacements?
Do you think a plumbers pipe bending tool would work on straight tent poles to custom make some?
I would like to know if anyone has tried it.
Thanks again for excellent advice Tobes.
Regards.
Nicksy.
------------- Life in the fast lane only brings you to the end quicker!
The problem is not the poles so much as the mechanism by which they are joined. Basicaly, the poles are tubes with a thinner section of tube of just the right diameter glued into the end of one tube but left protruding ready to slot into the end of the next tube.
Once all the sections are slotted together they form an arch that is zipped into the canvas section. The ends of the poles are held in place with an aluminum spike, just as with some types of carbon fiber pole, on either end of a piece of webbing.
If there is a _sudden_ extra force, or release of force, on the pole then the section of pole with the extra section glued in, splits at the end and the extra section comes out.
Making a replacement out of steel would be pretty heavy and very expensive I would think. It would probably cost more than just buying a second awning (or pole) to use as spares!
I have thought about using a carbon fiber section instead, but it would need to be pretty robust. You will see when you get it. Just be wary about the taking down process. Always have a friend to help, and be gentle and you should be fine. We are in our sixth season, with 5 to 8 pitch / strike sessions per season, so upward of 30 cycles so far and 3 failures. Its probably not a great track record, but could be lots worse.
One other query Tobes...is it always the same location / section of pole that breaks? Also have you tried using standard steel pole sections to replace the broken one as a mix with the alloy sections?
I am just wondering if there are any pole sections I could get to keep as spares.
Thanks again.
The most recent 2 (August 12 and April 12) were different. The original (sep 09) could have been the same as one of the others but the detail is lost in the mists of time.
one pain is that while the left hand and right hand sections are symmetrical, the use 4 different pole sections, each with a unique bend and length.
My suspicion is that O.R. stopped selling it as the pole manufacture cost was pretty high. Though for the packed size and weight, the erected awning is huge and simple.
Ok thanks. Out of interest when the sections broke were you able to do a temporary fix, with something like jubilee clips to strengthen the break or were you jusf left without the awning?
I dont fancy being halfway into a tour and losing a pole. I think I will make enqs to price up custom made stronger replacements and keep them on the van.
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Topic: Outdoor Revolution Evolution 450 Awing
