Question to those of you with a PDQ awning

[Phil_5115351]

I am considering getting on these and done alot of internet research on them, the pro's and con's.

One question that I can not find the answer to is:-

How hard is it get the bag (with the awning packed away in it) up the awning rail and into position?

 

[BigRoy]

I can't answer your question but I did see someone a couple of weeks ago struggling to get the awning back in the bag at the top of the awning rail, to my amusement he produced a set of step ladders from his car and was balancing precariously on the top step trying to get it in.

I was sitting there performing the pretending to read the paper and looking over the top of my glasses routine.

Before anyone asks why I didn't offer to help, he already had his irate wife and teenage son as an unwilling band of helpers

 

[Phil_5115351]

Yeah, I have read them kind of comments a few times about rolling it back up!!

I dont want to drive with it on my caravan though, so I would like to know how hard it is to take back of the awning rail after it has been fully packed in the bag.

 

[BigRoy]

If you're not going to leave it on the van Phil I'd have thought it would be easier to slide it off as normal and rolling it up on the ground

 

[Phil_5115351]

Yeah, thats probably easier, I did'nt actually think of that!!

Kind of defies the point of the whole system though...

 

[jennifer_374227268]

hi, We had thought of getting one of these awnings but is the whole purpose of this type of awning not that it stays on the rail and is easy to errect and put away, i m beginning to think we'll not bother getting one stick with old porch awning less trouble.

Hope you figure it all out.

 

[Murdan]

I have the PDQ awning and when you fit it to the awning rail the awning is not folded up in the bag it is out of the bag as the poles need to be inside with the awning you wouldn't get it round the rail. Next to roll it away is easy after your first attempt. I have used mine a few times now and can have it put up in 10 Mins and again all packed away in approx 10 Mins. Hope that makes sense and helps.

 

[jayne2]

hiya all we took our pdq awning away for the first time last week, putting it up was not a problem, but yes rolling it up in the bag after was, we decided to take it down and roll it on the floor, so dropped out the poles from the velcro straps in the bag, slid it off and rolled it up on the floor put the ploes back in zippped it up and put in the caravan till next time, not quite the idea we know but husband was already concerned with drag on the side of the van so he is much happier doing it this way, and it should still be quicker and less complicated to put up again next time as everything is still attached inside so far so good dries quicker than canvas awning too

 

[JeremyClarksson]

We have one

As said you will not be able to take it off the van unless you take the poles out which sort of defeats the object of having it.

We left ours on the van throughout the winter with no ill effects.

I find rolling up a lot easier if you remove the bottom section of the down tubes, get as much material as possible towards the two ends, make sure the pole from the van is fully closed up and then roll the poles into the awning.

If you are still finding it difficult to get in the bag - roll the material over the top of the poles into the bag.

You soon get the knack.

 

[kathryn_5122141]

Hiya

We weighed up all the options and eventually went for a Caravanstore Zip. I think it is the best design ever. Basically you can have it as a sunshade in the day and if it gets windy you can put a side on but still sit and bask in the sun. Later if you want to you can put another side on and the front or just one side as the mood takes you.

We find it really easy together to roll it back into the bag - not sure how hard it would be for someone on their own though.

 

[izzeybear1]

I have a PDQwning and yes it is awkward to put it into its carrier especially when raining I have other issues with this awning and have posted a message re Ponding. I will be returning to a 'normal' awning

 

[BOING]

I have to laugh at these comments,pdq,brilliant

i spoke to the md who reassured me that this is a great product,IT SEEMS THAT CARAVANNERS WILL WANT NEXT A AWNING THAT SELF ERECTS WITH A REMOTE CONTROL LIKE A CARVER MOTOR MOVER.THE GUY WHO INVENTED THIS MUST BE WORTH MILLIONS.IF ONLY I HAD THOUGHT OF IT

My name is Bruce Hunter and I am the chap shown in the pdq awning video and the product was basically my design and I am the MD of Pyramid Products

I would like to answer some or all of the points made if I can

Firstly if anyone has had problems with the pdq or any of our products then you have my sincere appologies and if you would care to contact our customer services on the following address then we will see what we can do about each individual problem

cs at pyramid-products.co.uk

we pride ourselves on a first class customer service record and generally we have a good reputation for our level of customer service (I was searching earlier under 'pyramid' on the ' forum and found several compliments for our previous actions)

However back to the PDQ

The product is primarily designed to be a quick erect weekender type awning

The 2 minute claim is something I firmly stand by in fact if we were just talking about the 'erection' only of the awning then I would probably claim 1 minute as most of the time is spent pegging it down once it has been erected. The key point to all this is that the product remains on the caravan and so to unzip it and spread it out can be done in 30 seconds, the rest of the erection takes place on the inside- ideal if its raining. The video was not meant to be any way misleading and I hope gives a true reflection of the time taken to erect the product. The speedy 'puting down' bit was made to make the video fun and not boring so that you would quickly get to the important bit of showing it always on the side of the caravan.

The material used is lightweight rip stop lightweight nylon, it has to be a lightweight material as it was essential that it didnt add a lot of weight to the awning rail and top of the caravan (only 11 kilos) thats also the reason why we opted for a more expensive alloy frame as apposed to steel. The material is tried and tested and is the same as used on most of the new range of mini awnings and the vast majority of tents sold throughout the world. This particular version is 2000mmhh which means it can technically withstand 2 metres of water on it without permutation.

Price

The product is offered for around

 

[Murdan]

One word of warning for the PDQ awning I have used mine 3 times now no issues however 2 weeks ago on a weekend away there was a brisk breeze and rain the awning was leaking like a sieve and a gust of wind caught the side and ripped the whole thing right back to the centre pole.

 

[fraser600]

hi .i`ve got a pdq and its brill . 10 mins to put up and 5 to put away , its waterproof and i have had it up in very windy conditions . but you have to peg it out , and put the supplied guy ropes up . for the money and speed for the weekend and for the space i thinks its great . i have a full sized awning for longer stays but i ca`bt recomened it enough . as for the rolling up , its really very easy . ( i am 6 2 so i suppose i have an advange ) but the trick is to roll up using the polls , then tie up using the built in straps , then zip up from both ends , as you go along ` scrunch ` up the material to get the air expelled , but be carefull you do`nt catch the material in the zips . honestly all it takes is about a minute once you get the hang of getting th air out and zipping at the same time . do`nt forget for the money you can remove the sides and the front and turn it into a canopy . i think some people really do want a remote contol one . true the material is very thin , but it has to be light to leave on the rail .

 

[Ray R]

I have to laugh at these comments,pdq,brilliant

i spoke to the md who reassured me that this is a great product,IT SEEMS THAT CARAVANNERS WILL WANT NEXT A AWNING THAT SELF ERECTS WITH A REMOTE CONTROL LIKE A CARVER MOTOR MOVER.THE GUY WHO INVENTED THIS MUST BE WORTH MILLIONS.IF ONLY I HAD THOUGHT OF IT

My name is Bruce Hunter and I am the chap shown in the pdq awning video and the product was basically my design and I am the MD of Pyramid Products

I would like to answer some or all of the points made if I can

Firstly if anyone has had problems with the pdq or any of our products then you have my sincere appologies and if you would care to contact our customer services on the following address then we will see what we can do about each individual problem

cs at pyramid-products.co.uk

we pride ourselves on a first class customer service record and generally we have a good reputation for our level of customer service (I was searching earlier under 'pyramid' on the ' forum and found several compliments for our previous actions)

However back to the PDQ

The product is primarily designed to be a quick erect weekender type awning

The 2 minute claim is something I firmly stand by in fact if we were just talking about the 'erection' only of the awning then I would probably claim 1 minute as most of the time is spent pegging it down once it has been erected. The key point to all this is that the product remains on the caravan and so to unzip it and spread it out can be done in 30 seconds, the rest of the erection takes place on the inside- ideal if its raining. The video was not meant to be any way misleading and I hope gives a true reflection of the time taken to erect the product. The speedy 'puting down' bit was made to make the video fun and not boring so that you would quickly get to the important bit of showing it always on the side of the caravan.

The material used is lightweight rip stop lightweight nylon, it has to be a lightweight material as it was essential that it didnt add a lot of weight to the awning rail and top of the caravan (only 11 kilos) thats also the reason why we opted for a more expensive alloy frame as apposed to steel. The material is tried and tested and is the same as used on most of the new range of mini awnings and the vast majority of tents sold throughout the world. This particular version is 2000mmhh which means it can technically withstand 2 metres of water on it without permutation.

Price

The product is offered for around

 

[Murdan]

I have to laugh at these comments,pdq,brilliant

i spoke to the md who reassured me that this is a great product,IT SEEMS THAT CARAVANNERS WILL WANT NEXT A AWNING THAT SELF ERECTS WITH A REMOTE CONTROL LIKE A CARVER MOTOR MOVER.THE GUY WHO INVENTED THIS MUST BE WORTH MILLIONS.IF ONLY I HAD THOUGHT OF IT

My name is Bruce Hunter and I am the chap shown in the pdq awning video and the product was basically my design and I am the MD of Pyramid Products

I would like to answer some or all of the points made if I can

Firstly if anyone has had problems with the pdq or any of our products then you have my sincere appologies and if you would care to contact our customer services on the following address then we will see what we can do about each individual problem

cs at pyramid-products.co.uk

we pride ourselves on a first class customer service record and generally we have a good reputation for our level of customer service (I was searching earlier under 'pyramid' on the ' forum and found several compliments for our previous actions)

However back to the PDQ

The product is primarily designed to be a quick erect weekender type awning

The 2 minute claim is something I firmly stand by in fact if we were just talking about the 'erection' only of the awning then I would probably claim 1 minute as most of the time is spent pegging it down once it has been erected. The key point to all this is that the product remains on the caravan and so to unzip it and spread it out can be done in 30 seconds, the rest of the erection takes place on the inside- ideal if its raining. The video was not meant to be any way misleading and I hope gives a true reflection of the time taken to erect the product. The speedy 'puting down' bit was made to make the video fun and not boring so that you would quickly get to the important bit of showing it always on the side of the caravan.

The material used is lightweight rip stop lightweight nylon, it has to be a lightweight material as it was essential that it didnt add a lot of weight to the awning rail and top of the caravan (only 11 kilos) thats also the reason why we opted for a more expensive alloy frame as apposed to steel. The material is tried and tested and is the same as used on most of the new range of mini awnings and the vast majority of tents sold throughout the world. This particular version is 2000mmhh which means it can technically withstand 2 metres of water on it without permutation.

Price

The product is offered for around

 

[Murdan]

Pyramid customer services? I did as post recommended and still await a response not even an acknowledgement!!!

 

[izzeybear1]

Having had problems with my PDQ I contacted Pyramid. I must commend their Customer Services for sorting my problem, my faith in the company has been restored. In response to Daniels comment I E mailed the company and had very prompt response. I did have to telephone them, again I was dealt with promptly, suggest you try again

 

[Murdan]

If they pride themselves on customer care then only one call or as the previous message suggests 1 e-mail should suffice you have had a good response, my self and others have had no joy with them!

 

[sandra purdy]

We bought a PDQ in Jan06 as with other users the awning leaked and when I say leaked water poured in, to the point that everything in the awning had to be covered with polythene.Each time the cover was unzipped water poured out of it. Then after being used on a few weekends one of the zips broke and to pyramids credit a couple of days later a new canopy landed on my doorstep. The design had been improved, but it still leaked ,in fact it still leaked until this weekend when in windy conditions despite using the storm straps the canopy and storage bag parted company. So now I have 2 broken PDQ canopys. Basically it's fine piece of kit if you use it with care in dry calm weather.

 

[Murdan]

2nd E-Mail sent to pyramid customer services I await with abated breath.

 

[Murdan]

Finally got a reply from Pyramid awnings they offered to SELL me a new canopy at trade price telling me the warranty does not cover storm damage the awing was not used during a storm or adverse weather conditions, I believe water pooling on the roof contributed to my awning being damaged. I have asked them the question, should the PDQ be taken down in the rain? Buyers of this awning beware if it starts to rain during the night then to prevent damage you will need to get out of bed and take it down!

 

[jayne2]

have to admit we took ours away in april all very good, took it away bank holiday , it too leaked, but thats normal for new canvas, isn't it, needs to be weathered, our only problem, had to bring soggy awning home in the car, to put up in the garden to dry, not so good, but all things have there minus's and plus's, if we could prodict about weather wouldn't that solve the problem,

 

[Murdan]

The PDQ should not leak it should be waterproofed lightweight nylon used in tent's this does not require weathering. If you bought a new tent would you expect to get wet the first time it rained?

 

[Ray R]

Daniel your lucky To have recieved a reply from customer services, I'm still waiting since sending a e mail on 08/05/07,

perhaps they are so busy dealing with complaints about leaking pdq's and disatisfied customers its taking a while to get to my turn. I have resent the message again today but wont hold my breath while I wait.