Only come across one post on the Isabella Porch Awning with no replies.
As this was some time ago I wonder if anyone has experience of them as we are seriously considering a purchase for all year use.
We have an Isabella Minor, with Carbon X poles. We use it for shorter trips and can confirm its really good quality and as well constructed as our full Isabella awning. The rear poles and pads make for a nice snug fit to the van.
Size wise, it's fine for storage and possibly for a table and 2 chairs.
The mid-size version - Magnum, from memory - might also fit the bill depending on your requirements.
We got it FOC due to a mess up with our first caravan purchase so love it even more for a freebie!
We have a Magnum and love it. Before that we had a Dorema Quattro and the quality difference is huge. We have carbon poles and I can put it up on my own.
Admittedly they are expensive but we plan to keep it for years so hopefully it prove to be money well spent. I wouldn't buy anything other than Isabella now.
The magnum takes 3 chairs and a table plus other bits too. To be honest apart from two weeks in summer we just don't use our full awning.
We have the Magnum,we were undecided whether to spend this amount of money on porch awning, no regret whatsoever! So glad we decided to spend the extra, worth every penny.
Marilyn
We started with a minor but with the dog now moved up to the Magnum for more space, excellent quality & features. Bought good ones second hand on Preloved, excellent value, highly recommended.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
We have the magnum coal 250. Only just purchased this year. We did have an issue with the front panel, which ripped centrally near to the bottom, near a pegging point, during it's first use. It was light to medium wind, plenty of other awnings pitched on site, and was sheltered by the van. The dealer returned to the panel to Isabella, and they did a thoroughly good repair - replacing the ripped section with a new one. It's been pitched for two weeks since without issue, it looks and feels great, although I'm slightly nervous about using it in anything but light winds.
It'll be pitched with an Annexe during August, I'll try and post some pictures and maybe a YouTube video to show you how much space you can get with a porch.
We'll never return to a full awning, just too big for the three of us. But perhaps more importantly, when it comes to changing van, the chances are the full awning will need swapping, unless you chose a van with the same awning dimensions as your current van, which limits van choice. Our idea is that we just need a van that the Magnum will fit - which granted will limit choice compared to just any van, but we'll just need to check the Magnum doesn't fit over a side window or locker on any van we fancy changing. Therefore our initial outlay should repay itself, as it should last for years, will keep good re-sale value, and looks great on the van :-)
On the negative, it does take a while longer to pitch than our "quick and easy" weekend porch awning (Kampa Rally Pro 260), but is worth it for longer stays.
The Magnum loses two roof poles, (the extra support poles on the roof), but gains two rear "bumper" poles to keep the awning snug to the van, which take a little longer to sort than the roof. I equate the time to a little less than sorting the full awning, purely down to a few less pegs to hammer in.
PS Welcome to the forum.
PPS Oops. Just noticed you've been a member for 7 years. Just not a prolific poster :-)
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Topic: Isabella Porch Awning
