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Awnings - good and bad

G

Gary_374348999

I am going to be buying an awning for a Bailey ranger caravan we will be picking up on the 21st of this month. I understand Isobella is the "best" and the costs might indicate so.

Can anyone point me at some good quality awnings that are not quite so expensive - a little more economical.

Eg. Are bradcot and Aventura any good?

Thanks

Gary
 
Hi Gary, We bought a second hand Bradcot classic last year, it was about 2 years old and had little use, it has the easy alloy frame and is very easy to erect. It is a 960cm awning so it is a fair size and yet I can put it up on my own in about 40mins.

We also used to have a NR awning on our old van and in the three years we had that we never had a problem although I would say that the fit of that was not as good as the Bradcot but that was purely down to a sizing issue.

If you shop around the second hand market you can get a lot more for your money and there are some bargains to be had.
 
I would happily endorse Bradcot.

Its a shame the Classic that we have dosent fit our new van.

We thought about extending it but it would be too much & look stupid
 
Hi Gary

We have a Bradcot Classic and have had no problems with it.

We had it extended a few months ago from 900 to 930 and you can't even notice the enlargement. We had an NR and it was not nearly as good as the Bradcot.

The quality of the Bradcot is great and it has been up in gale 8 winds on a site with no shelter and we had no rips and it held steady all night even without a tie down strap.

Hope this helps

Ian
 
Yes I have both a full Bradcot Active and a Portico Plus porch and think they are good value for money. I did notice at the NEC that the self locking frames system seemed to have been superceded - I had a few problems with them on the steel full set but the ones on the porch alloys are fine.
 
To get good service out of any awning is to look after it,always clean mud off and pack away dry.

Isabella are expensive but are good quality and aftersales/support is excellent.
 
Gary,

I'm not a fan of Bradcot. We had one with the easy alloy system a couple of years ago and the frame came down causing damage to the van.

We have a ventura marlin porch awning which is big enough for a family of 4 and very good quality. It comes with Isabella fittings and does the job very well.

It also has the added advantage of being transferable between vans so you're not adding to the cost of changing your van by having to buy a new awning.
 
Hi Gary,

I too have a Bailey Ranger a 2005 470/4 which is a damn fine van may I add. Awnings...now theres a question? In my opinion, you would be hard fetched to beat a Dorema awning. Having said that, I no longer use an awning due to the hassle and potch setting it up and packing it away. When I go on my caravan holiday, I want my it to be as hassle free as possible, that means no swearing at damn pegs and poles. I know some people enjoy the old awning routine and for some the extra space for sleeping is an absolute must. My advice? If you dont need the extra space for sleeping, buy a nice Fiamma Caravanstore canopy. It's a lazy man's dream.....
 
Can't recommend Dorema. On first use we had to have all the poles replaced. After 18 months use the awning faded from Blue to green. The stitching came loose at various places on the awning within 2 years. The zip had to be replaced after 2 years. A poor quality awning although a good design. Next time it will probably be a Ventura awning or an Isabella if we can afford it.
 
Hi - in a bit of an awning dilema ourselves - we have a Bailey Ranger 470/4 - super van I may add and took some choosing however 1 year down the line still really chuffed with our choice - however our awning is another matter. We have a Sunncamp Ultima 260 which is easy to put up but not much use when it is put up due to it not fitting snuggly to the caravan and the constant leaking of it. We have a Pyramid Tuscany full size awning on first use the steel poles were dropped and made three dents in the van - my advice take care when putting the awning up, buy one with lightweight poles and get the most of your money. We are now thinking of Dorema or Isabella.
 
Are we the only ones with a Trio? We've had it almost eight years, and it still is in good condition, no rips, zips gone, or leaks, and windows still clear - but it has faded somewhat. We use it in the sun, in France, and in this country in the wind and rain, and have had no problems whatsoever with it.
 
Hi Gary

I have had two NR awnings both of which lasted more than five years and were real good value for money.

Three years ago I bought a secondhand Isabella Capri Lux for the Pageant. It came with carbon x poles and all the accessories. The curtains had never been out of the sealed polythene bag. Cost?
 
Gary

Having just sat through three days of high winds and driving rain I'm happy to say my new Isabella Forum is still standing proud and looking good.

Glad I paid the extra cost.

I hasten to add that I am not denegrating any other awning manafacturer, but I can reccomend Isabella.
 
hi garry.

i have just sold my bailey ranger and bought a pagaent.I bought a new ventura awaning for the ranger 3 years ago used 6 times.If you are interested for
 
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