Awning advice

As someone who uses an awning 'over here and in Europe' and has two caravans - one in this country and one we store in France, we have been through almost all the gamut of types from a simple 'sheet' sunshade, through porch awnings, and full awnings of various types.  We have had a Ventura porch awning, and briefly an air porch awning that we won in a competition and both of which we sold.   Here are my some of my thoughts about some of the things to look out for:

Manufacturer – There are many different manufacturers and some make a budget range in another name.  Some showrooms have a range from different manufacturers – so it’s worth a trip to have a look at the various makes and models before deciding which you prefer.  Isabella are said to be the best but new they are very expensive and beyond our very small budget, but we've also had two from Trio (one brand new, one second hand, but no longer available), Dorema (second hand), and now a Bradcot (second hand). On our particular caravan there is absolutely no doubt that the Bradcot is the best fit and I think that's because they have a different sizing method to most manufacturers with more sizes in their range.

New or second-hand - Don’t dismiss second-hand awnings. Having looked at new ones, then have a look to see what is available second-hand.  Like JayEss we have just bought a second hand awning, though we have had new ones in the past. Our current awning is a Bradcot in absolutely immaculate condition, with Easy Erect lightweight poles, and we paid just £50 for it from an advert on here last year.  It came complete with breathable carpet too. In the past we bought a second hand Trio awning in excellent condition for just £25. Look on this and other caravanning forums, in the 'Classifieds' section and you'll find real caravanners who are selling up or have mover to a larger caravan. Be prepared to travel to find what you're looking for.

Type - We've decided that these days we prefer the traditional type of awning, with four panels which can be removed.  This allows us to use the awning in cold weather with all the panels in, and in hot weather with all the panels out or keep one side panel in if you want more privacy.  In Europe, if it's very hot and the forecast is good, then we simply don't put the awning up - we just live outdoors.  We have tried just a single sheet sunshade which we though too unstable in wind, and a porch which was just as much hassle as a full awning and didn’t give you enough space to make that hassle worthwhile.  The air awning didn't seem at all robust and we took it down without ever using it and sold it immediately.

Poles – We’ve had two types of steel poles, and two lightweight pole types.  The Bradcot Easy Erect lightweight pole system is a doddle to put up - comes complete with an easy to follow diagram and full instructions - and the zips are easy to operate (not always the case).  The Trio and Dorema steel poles are, we thought, a bit of a nightmare and a jigsaw puzzle even when marked and even with 'familiarity'.  The Bradcot awning poles stay tensioned, and therefore so does the canvas, even in bad weather and strong winds and there is no pooling of water on the roof which was a problem with the Dorema though not the Trio.  Our Ventura lightweight poles weren't really up to the job of dealing with vicious northern winds (not forecast and whilst we were out) and one broke and had to be replaced.  Our Dorema steel poles also suffered damage after a severe storm when we weren't able to take the awning down in time and again we had to source a replacement and then fit extra roof support poles which we bought second hand! The Trio poles were very heavy duty, but also very heavy.  

Brackets for fixing to the caravan:  I would say take opinion about the various pole brackets - there is no doubt that some are easier than others, and that some can move and therefore mark your caravan.  Both our Trio and Dorema brackets have made marks over the years but so far the Bradcot brackets seem more stable because the poles stay tensioned better.

‘Fabric’ -  The Dorema fabric (which we still have on our 'over here' caravan) is very different and has  more 'sheet plastic' feel where the Trio original was canvas, the replacement polyester and the Bradcot is polyester but looks like fabric.  Personally I really don’t like the ‘feel’ of the Dorema but it stands up to the weather over here but it would seem likely that in Europe the Dorema fabric would trap the heat as it isn't breathable!  

I brought a air porch awning, a Kampa Air Pro 330 secondhand on ebay. I find it heavy to move around and bulky to store.

Having erected it once and undergone recovery therapy I find myself looking for lighter alternatives, possible a smaller model.

It took us about an hour to errect, most of that time being spent crawling around hammering in rock pegs. The pumping up bit was very easy, threading it through the awning rail the hardest. 

Given that we want a wet weather store more than a sitting out area I guess that many will say I brought the wrong model, a sentiment that I tend to agree with. Being new commers to caravanning it was not the only error (we've just changed our van) made and I'm sure not the last. 

Agree with Val on Bradcott, especially the easy fit poles, we're on to our second, we changed when we got a bigger van. The first one 'covered' two vans over 9 years and still looked good, zips worked, despite heavy use.  

I would really make sure that you need a full size awning?  They are bulky and heavy.  You get people saying they can put one up in 20 minutes, well I can't.  We have a Trio awning  that has fibreglass poles. But we rarely use it.  We changed our van 18 months ago and only put it up on the new van 2 weekends ago to make sure it fits.  They are great for extra space if you need the extra space.  We have also have a suncanopy which takes 5 minutes to put up and a cheap porch awning which takes about 15 minutes in most cases these are more useful for us than the full awning.   

Finally You say you need a size 15 awning as I understand this is a 1000-1025cm size. This is quite big so personally I wouldn't consider aluminium alloy frame because they are not that strong.  But even the fibre glass poles we have aren't that light. 

As Boff says, your choice will also depend what you're going to use it for but it does sound as if you've looks at pros and cons of all types. 

However, I have to say that our Bradcot is very very easy to put up and we can do it in less than Boff's 20 minutes!   Ours is a 975 so nearly as large as the one Boff says you will need - though I couldn't find your caravan on the Bradcot 'Find your awning size' part of their website.   You do get extra reinforcing floor to ceiling and cross-roof poles with their larger awnngs.  There's no piecing together - the connections are already there, and you just extend the poles which are really well made!  Here's how it's done - Bradcot Easy Erect system. 

Our bradcott is usually up and ready within 30 minutes but that includes groundsheet and furniture. Our air porch is about 20, but (this may be helpful) the skirt part goes outwards so you end up pegging out the inner then have to peg out the skirt, so it's like double pegging. The next one will have the skirt part going inside the awning like the bradcott.

I have seen a bradcott alloy frame destroyed in a moderate wind on a larger awning just saying.

Regarding putting the awning up.  I don't think I have ever put it up in much less of an hour. This time it took about 90 minutes partly because there was some head scratching because it had been so long since we last put it up.  They are not called divorce in a bag for nothing!

What hasn't been mentioned is taking it down again.  Just imagine this situation.  You arrive on site it's pouring down and blowing a gale.  Do you put your awning up in those conditions?  Of course you don't you wait for the weather to improve.  But same weather conditions when leaving you have no option you have to battle with it and then get it dry when you get home.  

An old friend of mine told me he was giving up Caravanning because he could no longer manage the awning. I suggested he just give up the awning instead, but he looked at me as though I were mad for putting forward such an impossible idea. 

We have a Kampa pro 360 (non air) which we use in this country and if going abroad out of the summer months, takes about 30 minutes to erect.  However, we find it too hot for use in warmer climes so we have a Fiamma Caravanstore which we use on our June and September trips abroad.  I can pull it out and roll it up single handed in a couple of minutes.  If it is too windy I just roll it away.  I have a front cover to increase the sun protection/rain protection which slides in in a minute.  I have even rolled it out at a lunch stop!  If I where the OP with a size 15 awning I would opt for the lighter poles and ensure I have storm guys to secure the awning when the wind gets up.  Have you thought of a Dorema sun awning - the one with removable sides but no front? It is lighter than a conventional awning.  We used to have one and found it very satisfactory and sturdy; you had to ensure that it was not facing the prevailing winds or you risked lift off.

Blimey folks, if an innocent questions causes such a row, it will put me off asking again!! 

In a nutshell:

1.Used to have a motorhome with wind out awning....great abroad.

2. Bought a dog and swapped to a caravan for me, the wife and said mutt.

3. I've got a small porch awning but have found it too small for sitting out, drying clothes, shoes and the dog

4. I want something bigger for home and abroad for shelter, shade and somewhere to go when I'm in trouble.

5. I WANTED CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE!!!!