Quote: Originally posted by Softguy on 07/4/2016
I just purchased a Westfield Quest Porch awning for £299 (large porch at 390 !), very pleased. Not that heavy either, attached to our Bailey Pursuit.
I bought the smaller version of that on New Year's Eve. Tried it out for the first time in May and found it almost impossible to erect in the strong wind we were having. After several hours I finally got it up after a fashion, but it wasn't right. Only bought it because I thought it would be easier than our poled porch awning. No way!
Maybe I'll try it again on a completely still day.
Air awning all the way, we have a suncamp ultima 390 deluxe and it is super. It's also in my opinion reasonably light. Yes you need to feed it into the rail but it's no harder that any other awning.
Set up is a dream, never have a polled awning again, the bag of divorce is gone and the air awning is simple to do on my own if required.
Good luck some good makes around like people have said go to a few show rooms and take a look but the suncamp is great
We have a Vango Varkala and have used it twice so far...it is much easier and quicker than our huge full sized poled awning, but it's about half the size. Ours takes both of us to thread it through the awning rail, but so does the traditional one. The main benefit is there's no faffing with the poles...no-one needed to hold them up whilst you get some of the others in place...it's basically thread it onto the awning rail, peg the back corners, pump it up, peg the rest.
We watched a couple erecting a Vango Air awning on the Sandringham estate CC site last week, and they were struggling to hold it up and feed it through the awning channel, and needed help from another tall camper to get it into position on the rail.
What suprised us though was the need to inflate each pole individualy across the front, then further air poles were added as spacers to the interior. To us, this was just about as much of a faff as using a traditional poled porch like our Kampa Rally 260 and 390, and we could not see the benefits of upgrading to an air awning having watched the problems this couple were having.
Tbh, we can manage without any awning if theres just the two of us, but were considering upgrading for when the grandchildren wanted to come along for a few days. Unless we witnessed a very easy to erect one inflation point air awning being erected without a struggle of any kind, we simply would not bother paying the extra money for a replacement upgrade.
Julia
------------- Just love to be out amoungst Nature and Wildlife
Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
Don't know what air awning you was watching being put up, as ours, Bradcot Aspire 390, has one inflation point pumped up in less than three minutes pegged out job done.
We also have a Vango Verkala, and yes it does need my better half to feed it into the awning rail, but thereafter it can be erected and dismantled - easily - by one person.
An added bonus is your wife's reaction when the awning is fully pitched. Rather than want to hit you over the head with the spare pole you couldn't find a home for, she'll feel one of the stiff inflated beams and give a suggestive smile ...
Quote: Originally posted by romany girl on 18/6/2016
We watched a couple erecting a Vango Air awning on the Sandringham estate CC site last week, and they were struggling to hold it up and feed it through the awning channel, and needed help from another tall camper to get it into position on the rail.
What suprised us though was the need to inflate each pole individualy across the front, then further air poles were added as spacers to the interior. To us, this was just about as much of a faff as using a traditional poled porch like our Kampa Rally 260 and 390, and we could not see the benefits of upgrading to an air awning having watched the problems this couple were having.
Tbh, we can manage without any awning if theres just the two of us, but were considering upgrading for when the grandchildren wanted to come along for a few days. Unless we witnessed a very easy to erect one inflation point air awning being erected without a struggle of any kind, we simply would not bother paying the extra money for a replacement upgrade.
Julia
Perhaps it was the first time they had put it up...the benefit of individual air beams is they are easily replaced if one gets damaged...each beam only requires a couple of pumps, so it's much easier than faffing with poles..mind you, we've never had a poled porch before, so for us it's the alternative to the full awning. I do all the lifting because my husband has a huge abdominal hernia, so I lift it and pull it through and he just guides it. It was a bit tricky the first time, but much easier the second.
Further to my earlier post, used our Outwell air awning this weekend and it was brilliant. Putting it through the awning rail no different from a normal awning. Taking down a dream, just open the valve wait a few minutes then roll up.
we have just got into the world of caravanning after making the stepup from camping.we had the kampa filey5 air tent which was fantastic and have now just brought the kampa air rally pro 390 awning which we used for the 1st time 3 weeks ago.it is quiet heavy to lug about but if theres two of you to share to grab a handle each it makes it a lot easier.the awning goes up very quick but we do have the electic pump and when it came to taking it down it couldn't of taken anymore than 10 minture from opening the valves put putting it in the van so all in all very impressed very well made and well worth the money
Many thanks for all your responses. I hope they prove as useful to others as they did to us.
We did buy an Air Awning. I wasn't sure if it was the right decision so it was with some trepidation we ventured down to Somerset on holiday new Kampa Air Ace in the boot.
After two weeks away I can say, for us, it was (thankfully) the right decision. The awning is heavy but as we have always packed away our awnings with doors zipped out it minimized the weight we had to lift to put it through the awning rail. (Dont ask me why we do this - I dont know - habit I suppose!!)
I can't think of one thing that was hard to do with this awning - it went up like a dream. After a few days we did some 'fine tuning' while it wasn't necessary it kept OH busy for half a hour!
We pushed the boat out and bought Kampa (strip) lighting which, on full power, more resembles flood lighting!! We kept it at 20% and they served us well.
We didn't erect the awning in windy condition but I can't imagine it would be much different to a trad awning going up in windy conditions.
I suppose while the air awning worked for us it is a matter of choice so ultimately you will have to make your own mind up - I hope you are as happy with your decision as we are with ours!!
Used our vango varkala 280 for the first time this week, as others have said it takes two of us to thread it through awning rail but so did our previous awning but once that's done it's a absolute doddle to put up, and seems to very good quality , will be getting plenty of practice with it over the next 3 weeks as off to Cornwall next week for 8 days and then 5 nights near new forest on the way home
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Air Awnings
