JanBn said:
Thank you, that is very kind of you to offer, we live in Wales but we are still to collect our caravan, it's due the end of the month. Your advice is very helpful, we too are beginning to think that we would end up not using the air awning as it will be 'too much effort' for short trips and as other people have mentioned after a season or two there are leaks. It's an expensive item to invest in and want to make the right choice as it will be the one and only time we will be buying one
To add some balance to the debate. We are in our 3rd season with our Bradcot Aspire Air 390 awning, with no issues other than not reading the destructions first time out and MrsP let it down due to not reading the procedure for the pump
. As with lots of 'new' (although inflatable camping equipment has been around for considerable time with the most famous 'first' being some bloke from NZ who climbed a big hill in the 1950's for the first time ever) there will inevitably be teething problems as illustrated by Dusty, as there were reported zip closure issues with the first production run of a few Bradcot Aspire Air awnings that were quickly resolved by Bradcot. The actual issue was the users had put up the awnings as a traditional with doors unzipped making it a pita to unpeg close doors and re-peg, so hardly a true fault of an inflatable awning, but Bradcot took it on board and made a change. That Kampa were slower in resolving their issues is not a true reflection on the full spectrum of inflatable awning suppliers, as can be seen by the proliferation of inflatable awnings with even Issabella now producing one.
As I've reported previously, have seen more storm damaged Isabella full awnings than inflatable ones in our short time of caravanning. But when we had a MH with a 'new' quick erect driveway awning for the first season, lots of traditionalists threw stones at them (metaphorically speaking), the only issues we had in 9 years was when we failed to follow the destructions
so not a fault of the awning. In fact that awning is still in regular use by our friends we passed it onto, now in season 12
We tend to not deploy the air awning for less than 4 nights. We have a sun canopy for those shorter trips to sit under for shade at the start and end of a day that is easily deployed / removed.
Giving some more thought to your particular situation, perhaps getting a short cassette type awning winding handle with a suitable reinforced hole in the leading edge might assist in 'pulling' the awning through the channel. I used to use the full length winding handle of the Fiamma Zip wind out awning to pull the safari / kador strip and figure of 8 through the face slot / drive away awning bead in the MH days.
Like this:
https://www.agentfiamma.co.uk/fiamma-awning-crank-handles.html
Adapt / improvise / overcome
Take a look on sites and ask users their thoughts. When I've se up singularly, there are always people willing to assist on sites, although I've never taken up offers of help as it shows just how easy to put up these new fangled air awnings are once you've done it a couple of times. Helpful lot these caravanning folk
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