We are looking at the kampa rally but can't decide on the size...The 260 will fit no probs but have concerns its a bit small, so we are also looking at the 330 but that will cover half of the window at the front! Does that matter much, I know it might be annoying but will it cause any damage, can you still use the back poles? Also just to make matters worse the roof on my musketeer starts to slope once you get to the 270cm point. Not much but is it enough to make pitching a nightmare? Thanks in advance Trick.
Same here, go for a full awning. We had a porch awning that fit over the window, you will find it very difficult to get a close fit. Or maybe a smaller porch awning with annexe for extra room. Happy searching :-)
The back poles are supposed to fit flush with the caravan side to help seal out any draughts. If you have the back pole coming down across the front window (which isn't flush) then you will have not only a draught coming through but it will also be colder and noisier if you get any wind noise coming through. If the back pole happens to rub against the window then you will also be left with a permanent mark on the window as well so for practical reasons I would opt for the 260 cm. awning. As suggested above considering a full awning I have to agree with as we only have a full awning ourselves as it shuts out the daught all the way round and it doesn't create any problems regarding fitting as it fits snugly around the awning rail and much warmer too.
We have the 260 and find it find it an ok size - but we have never had a full awning to compare it to. We use it to sit it (2 adults, 1 child + dog) plus drying coats, wetsuits, boots, towels etc etc (we camp in Scotland so lots of damp things!). It is very quick and easy to put up but the back poles are essential.
Indeed the 260 is much deeper than a standard porch awning, and in old money you get a good 8ft x 8ft6ins square of useable space. Yes the rear poles are well worth the money and need to fit flush with the side of the caravan, and i dont think they would work across a window. The only downside of the 260 is if your planning to use the bedroom annex in one, which halves the available space, and was the main reason why we bought a 390 as well. The 390 is indeed a tight fit onto a 460 length caravan, but by keeping it tight to the rear, we can just manage to have enough awning rail to the front, before the deep slope down towards the ground, and we also manage to miss the front edge of the window, although with the bedroom pod in place the window becomes fouled anyway by the layer of fabric a couple of cms infront of it. The 260 will easily take a table and chairs for 4 people plus a recliner and all the associated boxes for shoes and toys ect you care to store out there.
The main advantage of a porch type awning over a full type is that the porch will be fairly generic to any caravan you buy in the future, where as the full type have to be sold and swapped for the correct size every time you change.
Julia
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Thanks for all your help everyone. After a weekend of messing around we have finally ordered a kampa rally 260 Pro (2012). Thanks again for all the good advice. Trick
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Topic: awning advice!?!
