#101

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Please note that the Caravan Awning Show 2024 featured in this video was hosted by Devon Outdoor and Camping Supplies. For more information about the event and their products, we encourage you to visit their website at outabout.uk/ or check out their KZbin channel: www.youtube.com/@Outaboutuk

[@garykeighley712]

Hi it’s our first season as Wardens we have purchased a Dometic all season air awning it’s very heavy and strong, I was advised that a good quality air awning is better in high winds as it’s a little more flexible and I must say we are just below Snowdonia mountains and it has been extremely windy and the awning is a solid as the first day we put it up, I bought it second hand it was only used once it looks like new and I saved £700 a bargain I think 😁

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Sounds great! Thank you for sharing and best wished for your first season! Kat

[@stevevasilica6187]

Very useful information Kat! Great place! 😊

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Thank you. The display was beautiful and the shop is great. Love camping gear! K

[@thhovelites3749]

I think viewing caravan awnings in the rain is an excellent idea. Any drips will be apparent. I’m with you on the false ceiling. I think it would be functional and collect condensation, even if the awning itself is watertight. And it was attractive, less army and more homey.

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

It was a good show! Thank you for watching and reaching out! Kat

[@grahamfromstoke2915]

Air awnings tend to be heavier to put up, because you are threading the awning and poles / beams in one go, but once threaded they are easier to finish off, just pump up and peg.

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

That's a good point, thank you. Can you imagine threading a full air awning... blimey! K

[@douglasgreen437]

Great video..The black poles are carbon fibre, the metal ones aren't steel; they are aluminium ..

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Thanks!

[@stevevasilica6187]

Loved the video format as well. Great editing! 👏🏻

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Thanks so much!

[@grahamfromstoke2915]

We have an Isabella porch awning Kat, the poles are carbon and very light and strong, I think the seasonal poles are called mega and are steel heavy but very strong, oops just got to the end of the vlog you got it covered. Brilliant information 👍

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

That is awesome! Yes, mega frame, I think Roger mentioned it :-) I didn't know that Isabella awnings come with a choice of 3 different pole types, great idea. Probably other manufacturers offer it too? K

[@suefromstoke4076]

Interesting Video Kat x

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Glad you think so! Our first ever show... filmed during our lunchbreak, in the rain ❤️ Couldn't miss it. Can't wait to go to NEC! Kat

[@suefromstoke4076]

Our Isabella awning stood up in all of those five storms 60 mph winds.

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Yay! Go Isabella!

[@raymondporter2094]

We had a Kampa (now Dometic) Air 390, then replaced it with a Kampa (now Dometic) Air Pro 400. The difference being the Pro has a stronger, thicker fabric. To be fair, the latest one is coming to its end after about 5 years' use for weekends and Temporary Holiday Site (THS) meets. The original awning was used in all weather conditions including, memorably, what seemed like a hurricane with winds my BBC Weather App said were 61mph. Mercifully the App told me the wind would die down at 5pm and it did! It was like God had flicked a switch! Everyone else took down their awnings and crowded into ours. The air frame just bent inwards on the big gusts, but then moved back out again. Had there been metal poles, they would have bent and stayed bent! The more recent 400 awning has been used at a long THS - put up at the start of the meet and taken down at the end - the longest being perhaps 4 weeks in total. No problems despite, in that time, facing sun/rain/fog/strong winds. No need to top up the airframe in thst time - though, if we had we use a 12v pump which plugs into the car, and pumps the frame up to 9PSI. We can't imagine going back to metal frames. Once - a few decades ago - we had a metal frame German (expensive ) full caravan awning and a freak strong wind blew up without any warning as if it was a "twister". It damaged a few tents & awnings yet lasted maybe a minute or less. Our metal-framed awing was ripped out of the ground, leaving most of the pegs still in the ground, and the whole awning ripped as it was flung over the roof from one side of the caravan to the other. We threw the bent poles amd the rippef fabric awning away. My young son was in the awning when it happened but was unscathed though surprised! The poles were flung like a sling shot over the caravan, over another van in another row behind ours. Some of the poles were stuck into the ground, like a javelin, 30 yards or so away. If they had hit rhe van behind ours, the poles would have gone through the sides! Air awnings don't do that...! Good video. Thanks. 20:23

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Thanks for sharing your detailed experience! We've been living on a campsite for many years and have seen various awning performances. While air awnings have their advantages and flexibility, especially in gusty conditions, our experience has shown that framed awnings generally hold up much better for all-year-round seasonal pitches. It's true that metal poles can bend in extreme weather, but we've found that air awnings tend to give up more easily in lighter winds. Each type has its pros and cons, and it ultimately depends on your specific needs and conditions. Glad your son was unscathed during that freak storm!

[@susanlindarice]

loved the video-very useful!

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

So glad! :-) Thank you for watching :-) K

[@sandrapearson728]

Not everyone has a seasonal pitch. There are plenty of us who tour too.

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Of course! Thank you for watching :-) K

[@tonyrodeo3321]

They’ll be carbon fibre poles or similar, usually extra but not suitable for seasonal pitches. For a seasonal pitch steel is the the real deal. Pay the little bit extra for thicker poles if you can, Dorema for example do optional 28mm steel poles as opposed to 25mm for a small additional cost

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Thank you for good tips! I was surprised there was no info about carbon fibre in the brochure. I imagine it is quite expensive material? Kat

[@SMariaKS]

We just took our Isabella magnum porch awning down after it’s been up for 3 years on our seasonal pitch. It’s withstood everything that the UK weather could throw at it. We bought it second hand for £300. What a bargain. We have bought a newer caravan so in Spring next year we will put it been up. A good clean and re proofing and it will look good again. So impressed with our awning. It has carbon poles and has not given us any problems. We bought flimsy ones before and they are like tissue paper in a strong wind.

[@Sco16161]

Would you recommend living in a caravan? I’m 20, have enough money to buy one, I’m having trouble with my family now and I think it’s best I move out. I’ve always loved the idea of caravans and living in one and think it would be more enjoyable than an apartment. What are some actives you can get up to day to day without a car to travel by? I’ll be on my own too not with others

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Hello, sorry to hear about family difficulties. Living in a caravan is a very personal choice. If you can, rent a caravan first to see what it is like. Buying a caravan is not a problem, finding a pitch is. Good luck! K

[@suefromstoke4076]

Those liners hide the air beams,we have never wanted an air awning, you have to let air out when its hot and blow them back up when its cold seen them pop in the hot weather.

[@FreedomSeekers-FS]

Crickey! However I am almost certain that fabric of our poled awning shrinks and expands a bit too, througout the seasons. Thank you for watching! Kat