Just paid a deposit on our first ever caravan ( a Coachman Amara 560/6 2007 model) which we should be able to collect in a couple of weeks. Starting to look for an awning and seen the YouTube clips for the Kampa Air and other inflatable awnings - are these any good or should I go for a traditional awning ?
Hi i sold my kampa air 390 on here last month. after a few outings we decided to buy the kampa rally plus 390 as we needed an additional sleeping annexe.
the air is lovely, goes up in seconds, sturdy and also goes back in the bag after taking just a few seconds to deflate.
cannot think of anything negative to say about it. the person who bought it loves it too.
we are very very happy with our kampa plus, same material but with poles and somewhere for additional guests to sleep.
we also wanted the kampa enclosure and this only fits kampas with poles.
all in all though cannot fault this awning and we tried it in some windy weather.
We have the kampa rally 260 plus and love it. Our has poles rather than air beams. We were camped next to a couple who had the 390 air and after us showing some interest, invited us round to have a look. So, like you do......... You jump at the chance to have a neb. My first impression was that it looked quite neat without external poles but then completely went off it on going inside. I found the air beams darkened the awning considerably in comparison to our awning with external poles.
This couple had to send the original awning back due to valves leaking and the air beams looking bent when erected. They received the replacement and even on flat ground, one of the upright "poles" looked buckled. They were not happy bunnys and wished they had got the 390 with poles. The timing for erecting them is not much different either. I can do ours including annex in 10 mins if I put my mind to it. Then of course there's pegging out which you have to do with both awnings. I personally wouldn't pay the extra money for the air awning.
However, there will be plenty of happy kampa air owners out there and it's each to their own, there are pros and cons to everything and at the end of the day we have to choose what works best for us. My advice would be to have a look at all your options (erected) and make an informed decision based on what is best for you and your situation. Good look and keep us posted :0)
Update: we are in our kampa 390 plus at the moment and our 2 wet dogs spent the night in our extra annexe. Very happy with our choice and do not miss the kampa air. Also, the kampa plus can be erected quickly without the extra annexe if that isnt required.
I have the Rally Air 390, its a great awning and is much easier to put up than our previous pole awning. We used to have a Fiamma, a Porch & a Lightweight full awning, but we got to the point where they wern't being used and sitting in the garage, as we didnt want to spend the time putting them up for the shorter trips. So I ebay'd the lot as we decided that an full sized air awning could be put up quite quickly for a Weekender or even a night stop as you can get away with only using anywhere between 4-12 Tent/rock pegs, depending on the weather!
First time up took 35 mins, but now can put up and peg out and get the carpet in in under 10 mins.
I guess the negative points that some might say are:
A)You cannot have an inner tent with air beams.
B)You have to step over the door openings to get into the awning.
C)The Van outside light could be partially covered by awning (depends on caravan!)
I'm sure there may be a few more too...
But it really does depend on what you are going to use it for, for us the above are not an issue but others may find it a problem.
As shellybobs says above "..there will be plenty of happy kampa air owners out there and it's each to their own, there are pros and cons to everything and at the end of the day we have to choose what works best for us."
I couldnt put it better than that.
Take your time to have a look at other awnings if your on site, most of the time people would be more than happy to give their opinion and let you have a look too. It may be best to try a second hand one first to see how you get on as forking out 500-600 quid for a first awning that you may not like is an expensive mistake!!
Thats my opinion, good luck on whatever you choose!
Hi, we bought the Sunncamp Ultima Air 280 after looking at the Kampa air awnings. We also bought the roof beam kit. We have used it twice now and very pleased with it. Very quick to put up ignore the Sunncamp video on youtube you should peg out the corners before pumping up the tubes. Nothing to step over at the side doors when entering. We had two minor problems 1. leaking valve which was quickly rectified by new valves from Sunncamp but didn't stop us using it as the valve cap stopped it leaking and a slight collapse of the beam after heavy rain quickly resolved by pushing it back up again to empty puddle off the roof.
We,v got a Kampa 390 - next best thing to sliced bread !!
Quick and easy to put up and take down. No poles to fly about and dent the van in windy weather, yes you can have an inner tent we fit ours using Klingons clipped to various points inside the awning. We think there are some improvements that Kampa could make and we are talking to them about these, they would make a good product better. We did invest in a high capacity 12 volt pump as in our dote age we don't have the puff for a hand one. We have used this all this season and wont go back to argue causing poles !!!
Gordon
hi, we got a vango 420 air beam awning in march,went up a treat at easter. put it up at weekend in a slight breeze and beams buckled and collaped, its not what i expect from a £700. vango say on there web its good for 100 kph winds, got loads of pics, going back to dealer with it after this break
we have the suncamp ultima air 280 aswell.Very quick to erect and quite spacious.Also it is very sturdy and we love it,Nothing to step over,it all opens up for hot days and packs up really small.Very good value for money
We have the Kampa Rally Air pro 390; they have done away with the step over at the door, and you can get a bedroom inner. Very happy so far. Doesn't take much pegging out and very good quality. Only down side is availability.
------------- Started with a motorbike and tent.......my gallery, my life.
its much better than some of the alternatives...there is no step into the awning like some.
its only one tube to inflate.
it has one pole on it to support it away from the van
and overall its more robust than some i have seen.
bear in mind that these are for touring. they are not something you can leave up permanently.
nice wide doors and all side and front openings. i particularly like the zip up curtains.
the reason we go this one is that there is the option to add an annex which is also inflatable
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: Inflatable air awnings
