Vango Riviera Air 330/390 advice sought.

[crash]

Greetings to one and all!

In the next few days, we will be picking up our new caravan after a break of several years. My checklist of equipment needed is almost complete with just the awning left to get. We visited the NEC show in October 2023 and after looking at all the manufacturers we decided that Vango was our preferred brand. We previously had a poled Ventura Pacific full awning which was great but the cost of Isabella air awnings is a step too far regardless of the increase in quality.
The Vango choice is between the Balletto Air Proshield 390 and the Riviera Air 390 and I have one big concern about the Riviera that owners may be able to answer.
The pitched roof feature of the Riviera seems to create two very handy areas on the roof that could fill up with water when it rains. Is this the case in reality as I have no real-world experience?

Hopefully, someone who owns this awning will see this post and comment on their experiences.

Many thanks and any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Paul

 

[crash]

It's hard to find a photo that will demonstrate what I mean but it's the dipped area that lies between the front pitch and the caravan awning rail. It seems the perfect water trap.

 

[otherclive]

From the photo it looks as if the side is higher at tge van end than at the front. This combined with the slope of the roof from its Center line down to the sides appears to make a shallow V running from rear center to each front corner. That should drain water satisfactorily but on a level pitch, but not sure what it would be like on an inclined pitch. Air awnings have less adjustability than poled ones, so hope you get a reply from someone that owns one.

 

[crash]

otherclive, thanks for posting. The photo is a random one from the internet and is not representative of what it would be like on a Coachman 575. I agree that air is not as adjustable as poled but I'm hpoing that this has been taken into account by Vango when designing this awning. The proof, however, is always in the owners experience.

 

[woodsieboy]

We have the Riviera 390, and very pleased with it, bought it as it has heavier density canvas than our other Vango awning, which is goming to the end of its life after 10 years,partly due to sun exposure and partly due to my clumsy handling resulting in a small tear in the roof. The Riviera has been fine, the first time we used it was at Carsington CMC site and it rained every day for a week, no water got in even though the awning was fresh out of the box, and no water pooled on the roof. I liked the fact that it is single point inflation, and 3 point deflation, although it is on the heavy side because of the design of the air poles being built in.We found it was better to take out the panels while pulling through the awning channel, but we always did that when we had poled Isabellas /Venturas in the past, some useful videos about Vango awnings on the Attwools Camping website. We have 4 air awnings, varying sizes depending on where we are going, and for how long and have never had any problems with sloping pitches, also we always put plastic tarp under our awning carpet, and never had any problems with condenasation in the awning. Hope this helps.

 

[Buckman]

We had a Kampa air awning and it suffered from water pooling on the roof so much so that after only a couple of uses we sold it. The other issue was it was a real hassle getting all the air out of the tubes to pack it away. More drawbacks with the air awning than positives. However we do have a small 220 air awning with one tube for the winter months as easy to fold away. Probably why the bags they give you for air awnings are so huge!

 

[Mr Plodd]

I don't have any issues getting the air out of my Sunncamp Air awning.
Open all the valves (4) and roll the deflated awning from the top downwards just like a tube of toothpaste, works a treat.
Three roof panels, never an issue with water pooling providing the roof beams are inflated fully so they don't bend. Not difficult.

 

[crash]

woodsieboy, thanks for your post, it is very useful. Clearly, I'm foreseeing a problem that doesn't exist which is good as it means I can talk my wife into the Riviera when we go to the NEC and buy one at the show price. The amount of money we are hosing at the new caravan and other kit I might as well spend a bit more on the awning. Weight and condensation is something that comes up a lot and it seems logical to reduce the bulk as much as possible before tugging it around the rail. Lots of silicon spray will be at hand. We used to have a really good awning sales site near us, The Family Tent Shop, but sadly they have ceased trading. I now have to buy from one of the national retailers and have it shipped. I looked at all the reviews and comments for all the dealers and I have to say that Attwools come out top. They seemed to be very sincere when I talked to them and made a point of calling me back when asked. I'll hunt them down at the show in Feb.

Buckman, Ha! Yes, I know what you mean. We briefly had a huge Vango Airbeam tent and it was fun getting the air out but it did in the end. We plan on getting this one as there is just two of us now and maybe get a smaller awning for future short stays.

 

[crash]

Mr Plodd, from a black rat I say thanks for your post. That's further confirmation that pooling is not a problem as long as it's put up correctly.

 

[Buckman]

Mr Plodd, from a black rat I say thanks for your post. That's further confirmation that pooling is not a problem as long as it's put up correctly.

Ours was set up correctly and at the highest inflation and we were not alone with pooling as many others had the same issue. The other issue was condensation inside the awning due to the type of material used however this issue is not confined to only air awnings as a previous poled awning had the same issue. No issue with our poled Magnum. Good luck with whatever you purchase and enjoy the freedom!

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Crash
We have bought 2 awnings from Attwools, and daughter has a Vango family airbeam tent from them, not sure whether they go to the NEC, but perhaps check with them by phone, depends where you are, but they are only an hour from us. They have been around a number of years and have a good reputation for service and repairs, I first used them over 30 years ago when they made me a replacement canvas tilt for an ancient Land Rover. They have a large indoor area of tents and awnings on display, they probably won't be the cheapest, but they do keep a good stock so should be able to supply from stock, in my experience some suppliers will offer an attractive price based on waiting for stock to arrive. Good luck with whatever you decide Our other reasons for liking the Riviera is the better headroom inside , and the more traditional shape when erected.Although you need to be aware of the larger footprint as ours extende further out from the caravan than our previous awning. think it is 275 depth which may be challenging on some narrower pitches.

 

[Beachball]

If you after a smaller one i use to own a Vango Capella 220 Air Porch awning with a single beam and a draught seal system very quick to put up like the one below .

 

[crash]

Attwools were at the Oct show but not on the Vango stand so I'll ask them before I go where they will be. It seemed to be mainly Glossop's staff along with the Vango personnel. I had a couple of chats with Attwools on the phone and they seemed fair on price, didn't over-promise and there was no pressure to buy. The only reason that I didn't buy was that we were still a few months away from getting our caravan and the money was needed elsewhere. I'm down in West Sussex and there are no awning stockists and display areas for miles around hence I'm having to buy long distance.

Beachball, at present that is smaller than our needs but I know that I will be looking to get a smaller porch awning for those brief stops when speed is of the essence. I'll probably try to source that one on the second-hand market.

 

[Buckman]

Attwools were at the Oct show but not on the Vango stand so I'll ask them before I go where they will be. It seemed to be mainly Glossop's staff along with the Vango personnel. I had a couple of chats with Attwools on the phone and they seemed fair on price, didn't over-promise and there was no pressure to buy. The only reason that I didn't buy was that we were still a few months away from getting our caravan and the money was needed elsewhere. I'm down in West Sussex and there are no awning stockists and display areas for miles around hence I'm having to buy long distance.

Beachball, at present that is smaller than our needs but I know that I will be looking to get a smaller porch awning for those brief stops when speed is of the essence. I'll probably try to source that one on the second-hand market.

We have bought from Attwools and never had any issues with what we have bought. On one occasion we need to collect while travelling south and we stopped outside on the road verge and they brought the stuff to the vehicle. Excellent service.

 

[woodsieboy]

Hi Crash
We have a 220 air like the one in BBs picture, not Vango though,not used it for over a year, so would let it go, if it is of inrterest feel free to PM me, only bought originally as wasn't sure how I would cope with putting awning up after heart attack

 

[crash]

woodsieboy,
Thanks for the offer but I'm already in tears at how much we are spending on our 'cheap weekend away' caravan. I know that I'm not helping by wanting to get a new awning to start with but a second awning at this stage is pushing my luck here at home.

 

[Ferrodo]

Very happy with our air awning but one piece of advice I would give is buy a spare bladder of each size. Straight forward punctures can be fixed but if the end crimp goes then it’s game over. And that is a right pain when you are camped off the beaten track.

 

[crash]

Very happy with our air awning but one piece of advice I would give is buy a spare bladder of each size. Straight forward punctures can be fixed but if the end crimp goes then it’s game over. And that is a right pain when you are camped off the beaten track.

Ferrodo,
Good advice and one that I will be following. The Vango air beams are a reasonable price and cheap enough to have them as spares. It's this separate beam feature that finally put me off the Outdoor Revolution Eclipse Pro which has one huge, convoluted single air beam. Get a bad tear or split anywhere and it's back to the factory it goes. Probably a rare situation but the risk is there.

 

[Ferrodo]

Our Dorema magnum didn’t give any problems until last year in the heatwave. It popped two end seams and no matter what I tried making a temporary repair was just futile. Fortunately it was the small cross beams that were effected so we could still use the awning. If one of the main vertical beams had gone then we would have had to take it down. And yes we only inflate to the recommended pressure. In the future I will only inflate to “firm”

 

[clair8998]

We have the Riviera 390 and absolutely love it! We had the Vango Kalari 420 previously and the quality is night and day in my opinion. We looked at so many awnings when we decided to upgrade and for us the Vango brand is the best (I know others may not agree). I was a little concerned that the Riviera was slightly smaller than the Kalari but as it is square rather than having the corners cut out there is more usable space for us. We tried it out on a local weekend away last year on a supposedly hot dry weekend and it absolutely tanked it down - no pooling, no leaks. The overhang also meant we could have the 'windiws' open as it was still very hot. Very impressed

 

[otherclive]

We have the Riviera 390 and absolutely love it! We had the Vango Kalari 420 previously and the quality is night and day in my opinion. We looked at so many awnings when we decided to upgrade and for us the Vango brand is the best (I know others may not agree). I was a little concerned that the Riviera was slightly smaller than the Kalari but as it is square rather than having the corners cut out there is more usable space for us. We tried it out on a local weekend away last year on a supposedly hot dry weekend and it absolutely tanked it down - no pooling, no leaks. The overhang also meant we could have the 'windiws' open as it was still very hot. Very impressed

I’m a great supporter of Vango products. I have a Vango tent, streets ahead on design and quality than the other mainstream brands. And not expensive too.

 

[Beachball]

This is Vango Varkala II 280 Air Porch awning the one I sold the buyer sent me a picture of it on his caravan never had a issue with pooling and it looks great .

 

[crash]

That photo perfectly illustrates that with time, patience and practice an awning can go up that looks perfect and quite substantial. The water will have trouble holding on on that roof.

 

[otherclive]

It does look good, but the style of the awning helps considerably. In fact it would be quite difficult to put it up such that it does “pool”. We had a similar lightweight awning and once acquired it tended to displace the traditional poled awning into autumn and winter use.