We only use our awning, a huge poled one, when we stay somewhere for a week or more, otherwise we don't bother. Just the two of us now, and we no longer have a dog, so if we haven't got the awning, wet coats go in the shower and shoes on the doormat.
2 adults, 2 kids and 2 border collies and truthfully we manage fine without an awning of any sort. We did originally buy one but hubby is disabled so can’t help put it up. I’m usually busy sorting kids and dogs and just couldn’t face the stress. Table and chairs we leave outside the van just popping them underneath if it rains. Wet coats go in the shower. Yes we could really use more storage space but I tow with a transit style van. It’s always parked next to caravan. Dogs sleep in the fitted crates in there. Anything else that we don’t have room for in the caravan gets stored in there
------------- Good cakes aren't cheap. Cheap cakes aren't good
When I think back to our earlier caravanning days when our kids were young there were two adults, three kids, and two dogs, and we didn't even have an awning. Hardly anybody seemed to back then but we managed just fine. Our caravan was a 1960s Sprite Musketeer.
Quote: Originally posted by Janice Corbett on 14/9/2022
How heavy was the fiama pull-out and how did you address the weight imbalance issue please? I was thinking of one of these
Not sure of the weight ... I'm sure the Fiama website will tell you ... obviously depends on what length of awning you get.
There doesn't appear to be any imbalance ... the weight is evenly distributed along most of one side, and is, pretty well, over one of the wheels.
We only use or porch awning when we are away a fortnight or more, the Isabella Eclipse sun shade does us very well for most of our jaunts away these days. So much easier to erect, dismantle and dry. Plus, it is very stable in almost any wind, I wouldn't like to be without it.
Dave.
------------- Never argue with an idiot, they will drag you down to their level and beat you on experience.
Mark Twain.
We only use our awning for trips of longer than 5 nights and never in the winter. We have a Labrador who is constantly in the water and somehow just manage. Wet boots under van, wet coats in shower cubicle. Dry the dog off as much as we can and Chuck her in. It’s easier with the awning but I can’t be messing about with it for short stays
Bit of a 'theme' emerging from replies, big awnings too much trouble and shower sacrificed as wet store for many!
Can't argue with a bigger awning often being too much trouble, but I would really miss not using the shower for it's intended purpose! I don't really have option of hanging wet coats in doorway entrance ('hall'), as bathroom door slides up to entrance door on one side, so no free wall space for hooks, and cooker flames/cooking splatter too close to any coats that would be hung on other side! Besides it's a very small doorway I can't walk straight through anyway (my shoulders are 2 inches wider than door frame, I have to sidle through one shoulder first and duck my head to avoid banging it), so hanging coats would be a real nuisance!
My lightweight 1 pole, 15 mins erect 2.6m porch awning is without doubt one of the smartest caravan accessories I've bought, in fact if I'd bought it first, I probably wouldn't have bought the big awning at all! It really is so quick and easy to erect and dismantle, it's worth it for even the shortest stays if a hint of inclement weather.
Only time I've really needed to hang wet cloths in shower was when I got absolutely drowned and jacket and trousers were literally dripping and weren't going to dry naturally for days, so hung on shower 'towel' rail (standard fitment in my van, I assume it's a towel rail, but it's above head height and right across centre of cubical, it may well be a clothes drying rail though) and a fan heater set up to blow warm air into cubical. A few hours and I had my shower back. All the wet dog towels, harness and lead, and my walking boots stayed out in the awning.
Spot on Monty Awning is an extra, when raining other options available to dry coats shoes wellies. Most shower areas have a vent some have a window and others have a heater vent in the bathroom area, all assist in the drying of the bits. Once dry items can be put where they usually go.
The shower area is the shower area and will be used as such. Only once did I come back and it was a choice between me or the coat in the shower.
The coat lost, it went in a black bin bag, I went in the shower after I'd finished coat got a rinse to shift the mud and hung up to dry.
I had a well deserved brew.
------------- Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Recently had 10 nights away and used an Isabella Shadow sun canopy for the first time and I must say I was quite impressed with it. Over 2 consecutive nights we had horrendous thunderstorms and it held up very well, didn't even puddle on top probably due to the angle I set it up.
Will probably only use the awning in the winter months now.
To revisit a thread I started a few weeks ago, we have just returned from 3 weeks in Cornwall (without an awning) on a fairly exposed site.
Given the pretty strong winds over the last week[1], if we had taken an awning with us, I would have had to take it down or lose it.
(As we lost the previous two awnings - at this time of year - on this particular site.)
We did have a fair amount of wet weather but we managed pretty well.
We kept wet footwear in a plastic box (sold as an under-bed storage unit) shoved just under the side of the van next to the door. It just needed a few ballet steps to remove your shoes/sandals, put them into the box, and get into the van without getting too wet in the process.
We will stick with "Awning Free" holidays in future.
There is definitely for and against having an awning. The advantage is that you have much more living space and somewhere to take off wet clothes or towel-dry the dog, and the disadvantage is that it greatly extends setting up and taking down time. That is why we never bother if we are only staying a few days. Another disadvantage of having an awning is if it rains just before you are going home. Drying the thing out when you get home can be a pain!
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Topic: Caravanning without an Awning
via mobile 17/9/2022 at 4:16am
it went in a black bin bag, I went in the shower after I'd finished coat got a rinse to shift the mud and hung up to dry. 
