Wanted: 390 style awning to fit a low (235cm) awning rail

[Cruzer]

Have been having some fun with our SunnCamp 390 awning the last couple of trips out. I know this style of awning is well known for not fitting tightly against certain vans but we are having serious problems getting ours anywhere near when the ground is uneven. I bought the awning second hand and am not 100% convinced that the poles are the correct ones as they were supplied seperately.

I was considering trimming the poles down by a couple of inches to make the awing sit lower and therefore tighter to the van, but before doing so would appreciate if anyone else with a SunnCamp 260 or 390 could confirm the made up length of the correct poles?

Secondly, someone has suggested that it may not be that the poles are too long but that the awning rail on the van is low and therefore causing a poor fit. I've measured the rail and it is 235cm the lowest figure quoted by most manufacturers when they say "to fit vans between...". Our van is a Bailey Bretagne S6. So the second question is, does anyone else have the same van (or probably any Bailey) and use a Sunncamp with success? Or what similar style awning do you use successfully with your Bailey?

Any help gratefuly received.

Happy camping.

 

[GeorgeandAde]

Hi Cruzer.
Im not sure of the height of our awning rail but we used our Sunncamp 390 on our previous Bailey Pageant Champagne S6 and our present Bailey Pageant Sancerre without any problems.

We did however sell the awning and bought a Towsure Panama 390 awning because we wanted the lower mudflap to "fold inwards" towards the caravan and the 2 rear poles which lean against the side of the van are padded which really does ensure a snug fit./sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/medium_002%20%282%29.JPG/sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/medium_008.JPGThe red one is the Sunncamp and the blue one is the Towsure.Much about the same but as i said,the mudflap design and side pads are better for us.
Adrian

 

[GeorgeandAde]

/sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/002%20%282%29.JPGHopefully this is a better picture.
/sites/practicalcaravan.com/files/images/002%20%282%29.JPG

 

[Cruzer]

Thanks for the pics. I can't believe the rail heights are different between different Bailey models and yours looks fine. All I need now is someone who can tell me how long the poles should be.

 

[Clubman1]

I can confirm that the height of my awning rail on my Lunar Clubman is 235cm. I have a Towsure 260 Panama porch awning. The length of the rear (holding draft padding against the caravan wall) poles are adjustable by a thumbscrew from 220 to 250 cms, these are alloy poles supplied with the awning. The flexible carbon fibre poles that go "front to back", 3 of them, of the awning are 245 cms. These of course cannot be adjusted in length but are flexible to allow for the fall of the ground. Hope this makes sense and is of some use to you.

 

[John_374564913]

George

Its good to see you have mastered the art of putting photos on the web
I have an outdoor revolution 390 we use whilst waiting for our new awning, when we first put it up we had problems with the mud walls the second time we got better and the last time no problem at all what we found was we did not tension it or peg it down outside once we had the two outer guide lines fitted we fixed the mud wall in position if need be moving the tent legs either in or out to raise or lower the mud wall slightly once we had the mud wall pegged down we went on to peg down and tension outside it seems to work for us.
With regards to the wall pads we have two poles which are supposed to press against the caravan but I twist the walls so they are tight against the pole and give a better fit but in order to get the best fit you must take the bottom of the awning and peg it out as far under the caravan as possible I know its difficult but can make all the difference

I hope this helps

 

[Cruzer]

Let me explain how I put our awning up, then you'll hopefully understand the problem.

Normally, feed the beading into awning rail unfold etc and install roof poles. Not pegged down at this point. Peg the end walls down adjacent to the caravan, then work way around mudwall tensioning as I go.

However, if the ground is uneven (like the last trip) and rises even slightly, with the roof pole on the ground the end wall doesn't even reach to meet the side of the van, let alone form any kind of seal. I should have taken a picture last week to show the problem, I may have to do a quick erection on the drive at the weekend (and hope the neighbours aren't watching).

By the way the roof poles are 394cm long. They must be nearly the right length as on flat ground all is OK.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I had the same problem as you Cruzer. The instructions said the awning would fit vans from 235cm to 250cm but it wouldn't fit our 2009 Bailey Vermont, either on uneven or level ground. Like you I felt the poles were too long and cutting off a couple of centimetres from each one was my next option. I erected the awning in various ways and it still couldn't get it to fit flush against the van. Eventually I gave it away and bought a Kampa Rally and the first time I used it the ground dropped away on one corner. This presented no problem due to the adjustable legs of the Kampa.
See this thread .... http://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/general/one-lb
The Rally is dearer but so far it's been worth every penny compared to the Sunncamp which wasn't even 12 months old.
It's no consolation to you but I'm glad someone else had this problem because I began to think I was cracking up. The friends we gave the awning to have a 2010 Swift Challenger TA and it fits theirs perfectly.

 

[Cruzer]

Thanks Lord B, I was also thinking it was me. One of my options is to sell it and get a Kampa and I guess that chopping the poles would affect resale value, so maybe ebay is the next stop.

Am I right in thinking the Kampa has adjustable poles? And does it sit lower to start with?

 

[GeorgeandAde]

I must apologise for the duplicate posting of my 2 pictures and the fact that I couldnt get them to "centralise" them.
Ive almost got the hang of posting pictures,but not quite there yet

Adrian

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Thanks Lord B, I was also thinking it was me. One of my options is to sell it and get a Kampa and I guess that chopping the poles would affect resale value, so maybe ebay is the next stop.

Am I right in thinking the Kampa has adjustable poles? And does it sit lower to start with?

Yes, the top poles are the normal flexible type which thread through and they attach to front metal poles which are adjustable. The front of the awning then clips to the metal poles. The awning reaches the ground so that the mudskirt can be pegged inside the awning. This was something I couldn't do with the Sunncamp.
The downside to the Kampa is the upright buffer poles as well as the monsoon poles and storm straps are extra. IMO well worth it though.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I must apologise for the duplicate posting of my 2 pictures and the fact that I couldnt get them to "centralise" them.
Ive almost got the hang of posting pictures,but not quite there yet

Adrian

Maybe you could go to 'Edit' and delete one of them.

 

[Gagakev]

Using my Kampa tomorrow for the first time, will let you know how it goes.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Guaranteed you'll love it

Have a nice time Kev and hope the weathers good for you because we are going Sunday. Nice thought of having four weeks away, a week at four different sites. Not a nice thought is putting an awning up and taking it down four times

Her Ladyship is glad to see the awning up though because it lets her play house arranging everything

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Cruzer, see the previous page for my reply about the poles.

 

[Gagakev]

Guaranteed you'll love it

Have a nice time Kev and hope the weathers good for you because we are going Sunday. Nice thought of having four weeks away, a week at four different sites. Not a nice thought is putting an awning up and taking it down four times

Her Ladyship is glad to see the awning up though because it lets her play house arranging everything

Thanks LB, hope your's goes well, 4 WEEKS I,m getting 4 DAYS

But on the bright side, only 4 arguments with OH and you get 28

Another hour at work then I'm off, have fun.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Using my Kampa tomorrow for the first time, will let you know how it goes.

If Kev is getting the rain we are getting at the moment his new Kampa is getting a good testing. Glad I'm away by the time he gets back just in case it's leaking like a sieve

 

[Gagakev]

Using my Kampa tomorrow for the first time, will let you know how it goes.

If Kev is getting the rain we are getting at the moment his new Kampa is getting a good testing. Glad I'm away by the time he gets back just in case it's leaking like a sieve

You can stand easy LB yes it got a severe pounding on the sunday, 40mph gusting winds, torrential rain and it did'nt budge, rear poles, extra tie down kit, monsoon poles, didnt leak, more condensation than anything else, but a few drips on van side where the flexi pole goes, but reackon with seam seal on those four small areas will solve the problem, all in all very happy.
I know you are away LB but Sir Roger if you read this one can you tell me what you have on the end of your monsoon poles where it fits into the pocket's?

 

[JeffD]

I fully concur with the above. Just tried my new Kampa Rally 390 Pro for the first time. Despite heavy showers no leaks absolutely stable and excellent space......more than pleased! Doesn't appear to suffer from condensation either.

Jeff

 

[Gagakev]

I fully concur with the above. Just tried my new Kampa Rally 390 Pro for the first time. Despite heavy showers no leaks absolutely stable and excellent space......more than pleased! Doesn't appear to suffer from condensation either.

Jeff

Hi Jeff, wonder if you get less condensation as you have the Pro and its more of a Fabric and the Standard Rally being more of a polyester thinner type of material. But then i suppose it will depend much on the air temps in and out. But yes brill bit of kit.
Do you have the monsoon poles, if so do you know what is on the end of yours that go into the top pocket?

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Hi Kevin.
Not much help here on this one Im afraid as my Kampa is the 390 sport porch and was one of the first ones they made so all that was available for mine was the poles that fit to the buffers against the van and the pole across the middle .
After saying that the central adjustable pole does have a black plastic cover over it that fits into a small leather pocket stitched to the awning.(Both Ends)
Kev If you want to take the conversation away from the forum ask Parksy for my e mail address and Ill try and better things from there.

 

[JeffD]

Unfortunately the monsoon poles were not available when I ordered but hope to get some in the near future. However, the awning holds its shape well and not really sure that I need them.

Jeff

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Arrived here in Cumbria on Sunday and the Gods were good to us in letting us put up the awning. In the evening and night the heavens opened and the awning got a good soaking. I'm pleased to say no leaks or condensation despite the drop in temperature and threats of a ground frost.
Kev, the monsoon poles have a plastic cap on the end which fits into a pocket, the same type of cap that are on the three flexible roof poles that thread through the roof of the awning.
When putting the monsoon pole into the pocket don't do what I keep forgetting to do, make sure the monsoon pole is over the top of the roof support pole.

 

[Gagakev]

Arrived here in Cumbria on Sunday and the Gods were good to us in letting us put up the awning. In the evening and night the heavens opened and the awning got a good soaking. I'm pleased to say no leaks or condensation despite the drop in temperature and threats of a ground frost.
Kev, the monsoon poles have a plastic cap on the end which fits into a pocket, the same type of cap that are on the three flexible roof poles that thread through the roof of the awning.
When putting the monsoon pole into the pocket don't do what I keep forgetting to do, make sure the monsoon pole is over the top of the roof support pole.

Brilliant thanks LB just what I wanted to hear. Mine have just got the metal fural peice and obviously I'm not happy with that apart from the fact if it were to slip it could scratch the van and the other thing is (dont Laugh) is I had to take the steps out to prise open the pocket to get the end in.
One more question if I may sir, do yours bend quite alot when in position, I think the ones I have are too long with the metal peice on. And it takes quite a bit of force to attatch to the front bar,.

 

[Parksy]

Kev If you want to take the conversation away from the forum ask Parksy for my e mail address and Ill try and better things from there.

Consider it done old bean