The spirit of caravanning!
- Thread starter LizziePope
- Start date
Parksy
Moderator
Martin Roberts articles are always a good and amusing read, he should think about taking up tv broadcasting. :lol:
I know Martin's articles are done for effect, but I for one would not try putting up my awning in a gale. 
hmy: Just levelling and connecting up the services would be enough.
hmy: Just levelling and connecting up the services would be enough. 
WoodlandsCamper said:I know Martin's articles are done for effect, but I for one would not try putting up my awning in a gale.
But according to Martin you cant level the van until the awning is up
From his blog;
Within 10 minutes we’d sorted the awning, levelled the van, connected the electricity and water, and transplanted the family and belongings.
I like reading Martin's blogs and articles, very often I think yeah been there done that, however on this last escapade I think he got it a bit wrong, we have all turned up somewhere in the pouring rain, usually after a very long drive.
the only way is get wet :woohoo: T shirt and shorts, out the car level the van connect the EHU fill and put the water on connect the waste, get the wife in the van to make the tea, and go get a shower and a change of kit. sod the awning, it can wait, until it's drier, if you put it up over wet grass in the rain next day there will be more condensation than inside a sauna and it will take a week to dry the grass out, yeah come to think of it, been there done that, :lol: :lol: :lol:
we have all turned up somewhere in the pouring rain, usually after a very long drive.the only way is get wet :woohoo: T shirt and shorts, out the car level the van connect the EHU fill and put the water on connect the waste, get the wife in the van to make the tea, and go get a shower and a change of kit. sod the awning, it can wait, until it's drier, if you put it up over wet grass in the rain next day there will be more condensation than inside a sauna and it will take a week to dry the grass out, yeah come to think of it, been there done that, :lol: :lol: :lol:
I do have a set of waterproof trousers and jacket which though bulky are perfect fro pitching the caravan in heavy rain. I would never consider putting up an awning in strong wind though and ours is only a small porch. Sen a few damaged by winds in my time so as well as the dangers involved in putting it up, the possibility of damage would put me off.
I was talking some someone quite recently about seeing a blow up awning laying on top of a caravan roof :blink: there was no damage but it a sod to get down ....
......don't worry I'll have yours
To get back on topic........I don't struggle with an awning even in fine weather with no wind.
To get back on topic........I don't struggle with an awning even in fine weather with no wind.
colin-yorkshire said:I like reading Martin's blogs and articles, very often I think yeah been there done that, however on this last escapade I think he got it a bit wrong,
the only way is get wet :woohoo: T shirt and shorts, out the car level the van connect the EHU fill and put the water on connect the waste, get the wife in the van to make the tea, and go get a shower and a change of kit. sod the awning, it can wait, until it's drier, if you put it up over wet grass in the rain next day there will be more condensation than inside a sauna and it will take a week to dry the grass out, yeah come to think of it, been there done that, :lol: :lol: :lol:
Haha.. This last hols arrived in the Alps and just got the awning up and then had the heaviest rain the locals had seen for 40 years! Water came up through the Bolon, and some site roads were thigh deep in water next day. It was still damp 3 weeks later!
Having made the jump from tenting to caravanning I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised at how helpful people are. This is not to say that tenting folk aren’t helpful, I have helped folk out quite a bit in the past and have been helped out when I have had need. But it does seem to me that the caravanning community is on the whole far more upfront with offers of assistance than the tenting one. Perhaps it is a factor of where I pithced my tent; although have ventured further afield the majority of my tenting in recent years has been to the wilder sites of the New Forest rather than well-manicured establishments with electric hook up. The problem of course with undefined pitches is that the first thing that goes up (after the tent of course) is the territorial windbreaks, marking the tenter’s ground and forming boundaries across which no one else must wander. Perhaps these physical barriers also form mental ones preventing the camper from engaging with others from neighbouring territories. Perhaps not. Whatever the reason I am thankful to the chap who helped me out on Friday evening. Without his aid the pitching process would have been much longer and I would have no doubt been hammering awning pegs in the dark.
Gafferbill said:
Have you ever considered a door canopy like this? Doesn't need any anchorage to the ground so can be used on tarmac or concrete and affords some protection in heavy rain when the door is open.
Hi WC.........it suits us not to have an awning of any sort.
All the time we were working and had young children we had a frame tent ......so had enough of canvas/plastic structures.
I don't know about other caravans but just inside our caravan's door the floor is like a 1 cm deep large plastic tray with a drain hole to the ground.
Normally a thick doormat sits in this tray......when it is raining heavily this doormat is removed and coats hung on hooks so that they drain onto this tray. Wet shoes etc also get put in the tray........works for us!
All the time we were working and had young children we had a frame tent ......so had enough of canvas/plastic structures.
I don't know about other caravans but just inside our caravan's door the floor is like a 1 cm deep large plastic tray with a drain hole to the ground.
Normally a thick doormat sits in this tray......when it is raining heavily this doormat is removed and coats hung on hooks so that they drain onto this tray. Wet shoes etc also get put in the tray........works for us!
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