Air Porch Awning or a Sun Canopy

[Beachball]

Hi Everyone I have a big problem
Last season we brought a brand new Vango Varkala II 280 Air Porch Awning not been out of it bag yet.
And we have this coming 2021 Vango Capella 220 Air Porch Awning
Yesterday arrived here same problem could hardly move with my back
So what would be best
Sun Canopy that fits on the awning rail and it just drops out
Vango Capella 220 Air Porch Awning with one air beam
I need very good input because we thinking of giving up with this Touring Caravan Lark
I don"t want to but it not fair to my wife doing everything unloading and loading .
What are your views on this ?

 

[RogerL]

It's not obligatory to have a tent attached to the side of a caravan.

Due to my health limitations, we gave up using an awning or porch nearly 20 years ago - so less to load/unload and less work to set-up.

 

[otherclive]

Hi Everyone I have a big problem
Last season we brought a brand new Vango Varkala II 280 Air Porch Awning not been out of it bag yet.
And we have this coming 2021 Vango Capella 220 Air Porch Awning
Yesterday arrived here same problem could hardly move with my back
So what would be best
Sun Canopy that fits on the awning rail and it just drops out
Vango Capella 220 Air Porch Awning with one air beam
I need very good input because we thinking of giving up with this Touring Caravan Lark
I don"t want to but it not fair to my wife doing everything unloading and loading .
What are your views on this ?

Beachball sorry to hear of your difficulties, back pain is so debilitating in a lot of everyday activities. A canopy from the awning rail could be easier and you can get sides for a bit of extra weather protection. But rather than just taking advice and buying perhaps there is someone on your site who could let you “ play” with theirs to actually get a feel for it.

 

[otherclive]

Hi Everyone I have a big problem
Last season we brought a brand new Vango Varkala II 280 Air Porch Awning not been out of it bag yet.
And we have this coming 2021 Vango Capella 220 Air Porch Awning
Yesterday arrived here same problem could hardly move with my back
So what would be best
Sun Canopy that fits on the awning rail and it just drops out
Vango Capella 220 Air Porch Awning with one air beam
I need very good input because we thinking of giving up with this Touring Caravan Lark
I don"t want to but it not fair to my wife doing everything unloading and loading .
What are your views on this ?

I’ve replied to your duplicate post in the other thread.

 

[Buckman]

We found the air porch awnings too heavy to erect and revert back to the poled awning which is easier for us to erect. however we do have an 220 air awning for the winter, a air windbreak and also and a large air canopy. The air canopy is right of the border line for us with weight. However we do have an electric pump for inflating the air units which makes life a lot easier. Are you using an electric air pump?

 

[Beachball]

We found the air porch awnings too heavy to erect and revert back to the poled awning which is easier for us to erect. however we do have an 220 air awning for the winter, a air windbreak and also and a large air canopy. The air canopy is right of the border line for us with weight. However we do have an electric pump for inflating the air units which makes life a lot easier. Are you using an electric air pump?

Hi Buckman at present got a manual pump but would a electric be better ?

 

[Beachball]

Beachball sorry to hear of your difficulties, back pain is so debilitating in a lot of everyday activities. A canopy from the awning rail could be easier and you can get sides for a bit of extra weather protection. But rather than just taking advice and buying perhaps there is someone on your site who could let you “ play” with theirs to actually get a feel for it.

Hi otherclive this campsite is full but when I am able to get about i will see if there someone who would let me play with there awning . i think now my wheelchair would have been better for me for getting about cannot lift the scooter out of the car that a No No . your input been great thanks

 

[RogerL]

Hi otherclive this campsite is full but when I am able to get about i will see if there someone who would let me play with there awning . i think now my wheelchair would have been better for me for getting about cannot lift the scooter out of the car that a No No . your input been great thanks

Do you have to disassemble the scooter to get it into the car? If it'll fit without disassembly then consider a pair of aluminium ramps to allow the scooter to be loaded.

 

[Beehpee]

I’ve lots of sympathy with anyone with back problems, personally I am lucky I’m ok but my wife struggles so I see it first hand, as for an awning, if we are away for a week or less we don’t need an awning, it would be useful for short breaks but we can manage ok, more than a week and it becomes more wanted but still not essential you just have to take less kit with you and be more organised, we are currently on a 5 day stint with no awning and next trip is 7 nights and if our new awning doesn’t arrive in time we’ll manage ok, having it would be good but not essential, you have to make decisions on what is and isn’t a must have.

BP

 

[Beachball]

Do you have to disassemble the scooter to get it into the car? If it'll fit without disassembly then consider a pair of aluminium ramps to allow the scooter to be loaded.

Hi Roger I think putting the scooter in was the final straw for my back we only took the seat off and the battery pack my wife had the back end i had the front that was lightweight . but getting out the car and having to put it back in . It would been alright if the awning went up it could have stayed in there .
i think the ramps might be good or a hoist to be fitted so can be lifted out

 

[Beachball]

I’ve lots of sympathy with anyone with back problems, personally I am lucky I’m ok but my wife struggles so I see it first hand, as for an awning, if we are away for a week or less we don’t need an awning, it would be useful for short breaks but we can manage ok, more than a week and it becomes more wanted but still not essential you just have to take less kit with you and be more organised, we are currently on a 5 day stint with no awning and next trip is 7 nights and if our new awning doesn’t arrive in time we’ll manage ok, having it would be good but not essential, you have to make decisions on what is and isn’t a must have.

BP

Hi Beehpee we had two big bags and a small folding box and the food , laptop and scooter in the car we are coming to the same conclusion about the awning but we like our two dogs to be in something through the day and if it warm sleep in it overnight . we are just wondering if a fold up awning stays in its own bag and fits in the awning rail might be better and cancelled the new 2021 Vango Capella awning we ordered it in January and last update expecting it to come late May 2021
Also it not much fun for the wife she doing the loading , and the unloading the best thing i cannot help her with setting up the caravan and it tearing me up

 

[otherclive]

Hi Beehpee we had two big bags and a small folding box and the food , laptop and scooter in the car we are coming to the same conclusion about the awning but we like our two dogs to be in something through the day and if it warm sleep in it overnight . we are just wondering if a fold up awning stays in its own bag and fits in the awning rail might be better and cancelled the new 2021 Vango Capella awning we ordered it in January and last update expecting it to come late May 2021
Also it not much fun for the wife she doing the loading , and the unloading the best thing i cannot help her with setting up the caravan and it tearing me up

Nice thing about an awning is that if it should be a bit cool you can still sit outside which is a different feeling to being in the van. I often sit outside in the evenings reading whilst my wife may be watching tv. It also can be more like a shed at times, with wet towels from the dogs or our outdoor stuff drying off, so the practical utility is useful. But if it gets too much to use one then “ cloth has to be cut accordingly“.

 

[Buckman]

Both the aquaroll and the waste master can be towed behind the mobility scooter so one less task for OH. However best to try and find fully serviced pitches and be prepared to pay the extra. The cassette is the most difficult one to handle however it can be strapped onto the waste master when towing it behind the mobility scooter.
A 220 air awning using an electric air pump is another saving. Electric air pump is less stressful and awning goes up quick with minimal amount of effort. Using screw pegs and an electric drill is also another physical saving.

 

[Buckman]

Two threads? Maybe a moderator should merge them?

 

[Beehpee]

I’m pretty mobile but have COPD which means I just have to stop if needed then get going again, even so I always look for labour savings, serviced pitches for a few extra pounds is my first thought, for the extra it’s worth every penny, I’ve even been to serviced pitches that have a drain to empty the cassette, next option for me but not for everyone is, do I need the awning? Do I need the tvThink when loading of all the things you take that never get used and either clutter up the awning or your having to stash in the car every night, electric pump is a big help with an awning, regularly clean and spray silicone the awning rail so it’s easy to pull it through, I’m sure plenty of people will have other labour saving measures, obviously for each and everyone of us will reach a point where we can no longer do it but if there’s ways to get by then it’s worth thinking of how,

BP

 

[Raywood]

Beachball, looking at the problem I do wonder f your caravan has enough loading capacity for a fixed canopy. If you can get one that you can then unwind from ground level as I have seen on motorhomes, this might do the trick. As Other Clive says you can get sides to clip on for many canopies which hopefully your wife could manage. You might even find you can trade in the awning as part payment for the canopy.
I do know that people worry about the balance with the canopy hanging from one side, but many people do manage, so possibly the warnings are over done.
We still have a porch awning from when we had the family and have not used it for some time now and have found we could live without it.

 

[Jcloughie]

Though much improved now, two years ago I was using a mobility scooter. Tried different awnings and ended up abandoning them. We now use a large Fiamma, and that’s a struggle. I may upgrade to a powered version in the future.

This is my favourite, easy to put up, but useless in wind.



John

 

[Parksy]

I’ve replied to your duplicate post in the other thread.

Two threads? Maybe a moderator should merge them?

My fault 😊
Quite often when a new thread is started, no matter which message board the O.P. chose, it can default to the New Members board.
Beachball asked me to move his thread which I did, but as I was moving it some new replies must have been posted to the old message board.
All sorted now.

 

[Parksy]

Hi Beachball, I'm sorry to see that back problems are affecting your holiday.
Have you thought about a lightweight porch awning?
Sunncamp make a relatively inexpensive one, the
Sunncamp Swift.

 

[Jcloughie]

Beachball, looking at the problem I do wonder f your caravan has enough loading capacity for a fixed canopy. If you can get one that you can then unwind from ground level as I have seen on motorhomes, this might do the trick.

Some good points, I did some research and was looking at an Omnistor, bonded to the caravan roof. Thats a bit heavier than the Fiamma we leave in the channel at present. But so easy to extend and retract. The down side, (apart from the cost), is the bracket is fixed perminantly.

The Fiamma causes us no loading issues. Might be an advantage as the weight is balanced out by being on the lighter side of the van.

I only did not go ahead with the purchase as we were getting locked down and we could see it would not get much use.

John

 

[Hutch]

BB, we have an air porch awning, With a single Horseshoe inflatable tube, it take about 20 pumps to inflate, and about 20 to 30 minutes to peg down , nicley. And weighs about 7 kg. It also goes up inside out 😂

 

[Hutch]

Hi Beachball, I'm sorry to see that back problems are affecting your holiday.
Have you thought about a lightweight porch awning?
Sunncamp make a relatively inexpensive one, the
Sunncamp Swift.

That is the poled version of our Sunncamp air 220.

 

[GeorgeandAde]

So sorry to hear about your bad back Beachball.

Although I'm unable to help with your awning dilemma, may I recommend Co-Codamol painkillers for your back.

After my full knee replacement,I found these tablets the only ones which gave me any relief.

My wife also takes them for her occasional bad back and she definitely finds they help.

Hope this may help.

 

[Parksy]

BB, we have an air porch awning, With a single Horseshoe inflatable tube, it take about 20 pumps to inflate, and about 20 to 30 minutes to peg down , nicley. And weighs about 7 kg. It also goes up inside out 😂

View attachment 1502

We bought the Sunncamp air last year, it pumps up quite easily but you still have to thread the awning into the rail, and the air awning is slightly heavier than the poled version.

 

[Beachball]

So sorry to hear about your bad back Beachball.

Although I'm unable to help with your awning dilemma, may I recommend Co-Codamol painkillers for your back.

After my full knee replacement,I found these tablets the only ones which gave me any relief.

My wife also takes them for her occasional bad back and she definitely finds they help.

Hope this may help.

Hi George and Ade I been taking Co - Codamol painkillers for some years now but I am finding the Tramadol 50 gm they seem to help as well .