We have just renewed our seasonal pitch after we loved our first year. We've been told that we can now leave awnings up. YAAAAYYYYY!!!!
As we weren't allowed to previously we have never had a full awning. Please can people tell us what awnings are suitable for this with recommendations please. What else do we need to do? I guess storm straps are a must. Are steel poles better?
My words where do I start!
First of you will need a seasonal awning or seasonal porch.
Heavy duty pegs and I mean at least 10"long. Storm straps to outside fittings, and also the down straps on inside of awning, extra poles on roof and front, sand bags or other ballast placed upon the inside skirt,good quality plastic sheet on the floor and then a good floor on top, I use 2.4m long loft boards and have proved excellent.
That will give you a good start to everything the good British weather can throw at you.
I am sited on a very high site and the weather can change quickly, my awning has has some serious batterings to still lives on due to it being put up good and tight, don't allow too much flapping of the canvas.
We have a Eurovent Montreaux 4 season awning and find it fantastic. According to the write up it is designed for the French Alps in winter and although I take a lot of what is said with a pinch of salt I found this season it was more than satisfactory. It is made of a very heavy duty PVC type material so completely wind proof. It has a separate 'ceiling' which is meant to help prevent condensation (I didn't see any condensation) but what it did do was make the inside of the awning look much neater. It comes with steel poles but I still used storm straps just in case. On the floor we're on a gravel pitch so I have a very strong tarpaulin topped by treated fibre board cut into managable size pieces as we have to lift it at the end of the season and stack it, and that is topped by a heavy duty rubber backed carpet. It really is cosy. We sleep in the awning and so have the annex which I have put blackout lined curtains at the windows and a false ceiling to prevent the early morning sunlight. I sleep better there than I do at home. We are on a site called High Farm and as the name suggests we get battered by winds and rain but last season everything was fine and we only needed to re-tension the poles once.
I would always choose an all Acryilic awning, mine is an Inaca Elba 250 bought in 2001 and still in use, the last 3 years on a seasonal pitch.
Remember 6 months on a seasonal pitch is more tike 4/5 years normal use.
For the last couple of years ive been thinking ill buy a new one but every time i put it up its still got some life left in it.
2014 season could be its last year and when i replace it it will be another Inaca.
Without a doubt steel poles, heavy but much stronger for a seasonal pitch.
The main problem with seasonal awnings is the fact that you cant always be there when the weather is rough.
Problem no 1, in high winds, roof poles fall down were they contact the van,they fall inwards and then batter the side of the van doing loads of damage.
Problem no 2 , the canvas becomes slack and rain water collects on the roof until the weight of the water bends the poles and the awning collapses. awning tie downs will not stop this happening but will help stop the awning lifting in high winds
i managed to find a spare set of awning poles and used them to add extra roof poles and uprights, placing an extra upright to each roof pole were it attaches to the caravan.
Roof Poles can now not fall at caravan rail side of awning.
I also added some cross bracing, the awning will now rip before it collapses.
All this could sound over the top but consider the damage a collapsed awning can do to your caravan.
Each season there has been at least two collapses on the site i go to and each time it happens the owners have added these extra poles.
It works out very expensive to buy these poles new so look out for a second hand set.
You will get lots of members giving you good advice on this forum, i also have 10inch pegs and replace the peg bands every season.
Hope i havent put you off
I'm not put off as it's definitely something we have to try. I hope the advantages will outweigh the bad things. Thanks for the inaca and eurovent suggestions. I'm interested in them and had not heard of them before.
Our pitch is in thetford forest and isn't exposed at all. In fact it's quite sheltered although I realise that will probably mean more cleaning.
One thing we need to give serious consideration to is how long we will leave it up. Our pitch is year round so I'd like to know when people take theirs down.
At a site near me there was a storm & several seasonally pitched 'vans had their awnings blow down, bent poles everywhere etc. What suprised me was that after several days some were still all over the place. There is a warden on site, why did he not take the awnings down & fold them up, if owners could not be contacted? I would have though a warden's job after a storm would be to look after his customer's interests?
Has anybody noticed on sites in Holland & France, some seasonal 'vans have permanent awnings that are more like sheds, still made of fabric but with solid fronts & locking doors? I've never seen them in the UK.
Hi CatieB, With the Eurovent being pvc type material it is easy to keep clean so would be worth a thought and an inspection if your among trees as bird droppings and tree sap cause untold damage.
For me its the isabella, As said descent pegs, plenty of floor covering,storm straps on the corners of the awning.Its a must that you put extra roof poles in,Get your self a awning tensioner,If the awning is put up right,it will never move.
Ok so you have not been put off thats great news
here is a picture or the Inaca awning, notice the rolled up window covers that you can zip closed when your not there.
you can also clean the whole thing with a sponge without causing any damage at all.
My next Awning will be another Inaca or an isabella, if its made of the same type of material as the inaca [/IMG]
Hi Alpiner I see in you photo you have buckles for storm straps but no straps Why you must be expecting bad weather judging by the stones you have round the mud skirt. My first and second awnings had external mud flaps which I found to be a pain. My new awning twoandhalf seasons old is a Doreema ( Dutch ) with internal mud flaps and I dont need no rocks I used it erected for a full seasonal this year from 1st March to 26th October I used two extra roof and front frame support poles all steel + storm straps springs and 2x40 cm pegs for same. This is a Seasonal awning which I bought Brand new from Doreema Depot at Castleford Yorkshire (not a dealer) I saved 40% on normal price And compared to the Isabella is just as good and better than the Inca I have had both if you take the price I paid I saved 60/70% over the price of a Isabella. You get quality for your money not just pay through the nose for a name They are all made out of 10/12 cate materials and fade proofed The Chinese made awnings with British/european names fade with in a couple of months if used seasonal.
Mine has the roll up external window covers, really are a great idea, and also a dedicated door, not the awning side!
Which ever awning you choose I can't stress enough to make sure it is well down so it stays well down, you may struggle getting it down at the end of the season but it's still miles better than having to find bits of your awning and it's contents all over the site. It really does happen!
The inaca awning pictured is not my awning so stones around the skirt would not be my choice, I have seen some were they bury the skirt in the gravel and it looks very neat.
The awning is made in Spain, the fact that i bought it in 2001 and its still in use proves its Quality without doubt, Isabella is also a high quality awning.
my awning will be replaced in 2015, cant complain about 14 years trouble free use and the replacement will be an Inaca or Isabella, Dorema also make good awnings and have a large range to choose from
The Choice will be made on the day and the one that takes my fancy at the time, but this video (in German i think) is the one,or maybe the Inaca bungalow 650, if money was no problem,and would be my dream Awning note the internal steel works. This one
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Topic: Awning for a seasonal pitch
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