Thinking of getting a new porch awning and looking at the Dorema Mistral as it's had some good reviews especially on Orion blogs and seems to bear up to all weathers. Just seen the Quest rollout 300 advertised, which stays stored attached to the van, any opinions or first hand experience on this product would be welcome i.e how easy or robust, spec notes 190T PU ripstop whatever that means.
It's a thinnish polyurethane coated nylon material - probable around 75D (denier), which is about the thickness of the average small budget tent material
75D nylon is more robust than you might think - at least, when new, and before it degrades after prolonged exposure to UV
None of these are awnings designed to last for years - but the prices are cheap, and it's best to consider them good for two or three seasons (depending on the amount of exposure to sunlight they get)
The material used has to be quite thin and light to get it to fit into the bag - and getting these awnings back in the bag while it's still on the awning rail is not as easy as you might think
Fiamma 'caravanstore' type roll up awnings can also be difficult - but that's mainly to do with the weight (particularly on the longer ones) They do, at least, have the advantage of a solid core that keeps the fabric rigid when rolling back into the bag.
The other bag type awnings are just floppy material - and you'll need two people to get it back because it's impossible to roll it up tight enough on your own - or, at least, *very* difficult (at least, I found them so)
That means both of you have to reach the height of the bag - either unaided, or on steps.
Unlike the Fiamma/Oministor types, however, they do have the great advantage of slipping easily off the awning rail, allowing you to roll them back into the bag while it's on the grass - which is a far more civilised way of doing it
Incidentally, I'd go for the Dorema every time - because it appears to have no rafter poles that could damage the caravan it it blew down.
Post last edited on 01/07/2014 13:00:27
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Topic: Rollout porch awning
