Good evening.
We have a new Bailey Pursuit 430 on order, due in April.
I wonder if anyone can tell me if a 330 or 340 air awning will be a good fit for the van? I'd really like for it to (be long enough to) clear the under bed access door towards the rear.
We like the look of the Kampa Rally Air Pro 330 or an Outdoor Revolution Compactairlite 340.
I think these should fit well but hopefully other owners have personal experience.
No worries if not; I'll have to be patient and go back to the dealer at the weekend for a measure up!
Well congratulations on your pursuit purchase, we got ours last year and love it. Sorry but I can't be overly helpful as our pursuit is a 540-5 so a bit longer but we have a suncammp ultra 410 deluxe and it fits our perfect re space and Windows. The awning is great for us and is about 3/4 length of the van. It can be put on by one person easily in 10-15 mins all in place and lines pegged too or 10 mins with two of you.
Have a great season bet you can't wait for it to arrive !
Thanks Glamcamping. Yes we can't wait. We're used to putting up a full frame awning with the folding camper but determined to make things as easy as possible with the Caravan. Steve
I used to have an Outdoor Revolution compactalite pro carbon on my Orion 430. I found that water tended to pool on the roof.
I now have a Kampa fiesta air 2014 model which I got for a good price from Glossop caravans, give them a bell they may still have them, I bought mine last October.
I chose the 2014 model over the 2015 as it has 3 roof tubes instead of just one. It is easy to erect and stable in the wind, the air tubes just lean over a bit in high gusts then pop back. most importantly as it has an arched roof there is nowhere for rain to collect.
Both these awnings are around 3.5M (350)long so are a perfect fit for the Orion 430(the Persuit is virtually the same), the left hand wall fits between the door and the front side window, thr right hand wall fits behind the bedroom window and allows access to the locker door
We've got a Trigano Luna Air 280 awning on out Bailey 430/4. We looked at getting bigger ones, but none would fit. Ours goes from the left of the door, keeping the left front window free, and covers part of the rear access door. However, again the window over the bed is clear of the awning.
Just hope your 430/4 is better than ours. When you take delivery, look inside at the front carefully, the GRP lining is not bonded to the shell of the van, if you see or can feel any rippling or bubbling of this lining REJECT THE VAN, it will only get worse and involve a major repair. Look really carefully around the roof vent. Shoddy assembly is the cause here coupled with poor design.
Also look at how well the back panel has been fitted. There is a join across the roof above the bed (hence the plastic strip across the roof inside). Check very carefully that the back part of the roof is level at the top on each side. Ours rises up from the join towards the rear of the van so that there is a permanent pool of water on the roof, and when the narrow plastic strip glued on the roof to cover the join fails as ours did after 10 months, you don't just get damp in, but a torrent of water, most likely straight onto the bed. More evidence of shoddy workmanship and a poor design.
Also if your car is close to the towing limit, do check the actual plated weight (its inside the gas locker at the back), on ours it is a lot more than the advertised weight, and even the weight shown on the sticker on the side of the van.
Ask me how I know these things.... and good luck with your van.
Thank you Andy, I'll take a look at the Fiesta Air.
Freeatlast, good advice I think to check over any new van. I know how you know these things and I'm sorry you've had such problems. I read through your troubles on UKCampsite so I understand youre experience has not been good.
We have tried to research as much as we can, taking into account both positive and negative owners feedback, our own examination of different new caravans at this price point, Owners Satisfaction Surveys and by scrutinising the fine print within the different manufacturers warranties.
I can see it's not risk free as there's the possibility of getting a poor example. As I said good advice from freeatlast to check things over. Presumably it's reasonable to insist on an examination before paying the balance?
Its your £15k Stevie, and you have an absolute right to check the merchandise before parting with your money. Would you buy a house without being able to view it before purchase? In any case they should do a full handover for you and show that everything works, and how to operate various things. My dealer had electric, gas and water connected to demonstrate everything. Thankfully from start to finish my dealer was pretty good, it could have been ten times worse had they not been so good.
I would take Owner Satisfaction Surveys with a huge pinch of salt. I did the CC one, and it was dreadful. They asked all sorts of irrelevant questions, and they never asked any direct questions about the quality of the caravan, or even whether it had been back for minor/major repairs. My caravan sounded wonderful when I'd completed it, but then again have you ever heard either CC or C&CC bemoaning the poor state of caravan builds?
BTW when you do hopefully get it in pristine condition, do remember the heater clock thingy is permanently on and will do a great job of draining the battery when the van is not used for some time. - Disconnect the battery if not using for a few weeks.
I fitted one of these to mine, I can select battery to caravan, battery to mover, battery to both or battery isolated. I fitted it in the battery box just under the mains inlet
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Topic: Air Awning for Bailey Pursuit 430
