Drive-away awnings can increase your usable space outside of your campervan and make longer camping trips with your family more enjoyable. By their very nature, they can be left at the campsite even when the van is on the move. Therefore, they are very handy when you need to take care of those in the group travelling with you, heavy baggage, or fiddly camping furniture. But how do drive away an awning work? We’ll be discussing in our quick review of the specifications and features.
What’s the point in learning how to use and install one on your vehicle without knowing which type of driveaway awning works best for you? Since we’re on topic, let’s begin with some suggestions on the most sophisticated and most practical features. Our easy drive away buying guide for awnings will accomplish exactly that.
What is a drive away Awning?
An awning is essentially it’s a tent that’s fitted to the side of your motorhome or campervan. It’s made from the same type of weatherproof and durable materials. It’s also possible to set up a drive away awning up like you would an awning. It has an opening for you to move between your van and the awning, and vice versa.
Like you see the awnings can be found in all dimensions and shapes, from canopy-style roofs to impromptu lounges like the Vango Airhub Hexaway in the photo above. Drive-away awnings aren’t different. They’re designed especially for large-sized vans, like those of the Vango Galli III Airaway awning, which comes in different sizes, including high and low, whereas others can be utilized with SUVs. However, the principle of operation is the identical.
How do you make awnings to drive away work?
What makes a drive-away tent unique is the fact it’s a tent that is freestanding which doesn’t change the shape or stability as you are driving away. Hence the phrase ‘drive away’. It’s fastened to your vehicle when you put it in place, but you can detach it whenever you’re required.
Why would you want to purchase a drive-away awning?
An awning that is well-designed can double your available living space. Some high-end products are more, blending your decor by adding luxurious features so that you will never want to leave your home comforts. It gives you protection regardless of the weather, it gives you extra legroom at breakfast time and also provides storage space and space for children to play the way they like best. You an literally more than double your living space with drive-away awnings, like outwell’s Outwell Scenic Road 250SA Smart Air drive-away awning.
Whenever you fancy a drive or a walk, you can leave it in place. There is no need to pack and leave. Don’t bother putting all your belongings away and taking your awning down whenever your group wants to go further. Just remove it then secure it as needed, and off you go. When you feel like coming back to the pitch, you’ll find it in the same place it was when you left it.
How do connect a drive-away awning?
If you’re asking yourself how do awnings for drive-away use work, it’s because you’re not aware of the different ways they connect to vehicles. You can rest assured that fitting a drive-away awning to your vehicle is a single task. The connection points on your car and the awning will determine the ease with which it can be fitted. But, whether you own a motorhome or a campervan, you shouldn’t have any problems connecting your awning to your vehicle. Here are a few ways people usually connect a drive away awning:
to an existing wind-out awning
to the awning channel on the vehicle’s rail
to the vehicle’s drain
to bar roofs
with magnets
with suckers
To find the best option for your vehicle, first consider looking more closely at the various ways that drive-away umbrellas can be installed:
Wind-out awning options. When you already have a wind-out type awning, you’ll require a 4mm-to 6mm type driveaway kit for fixing awnings such as this figure of 8. It is a join strip. The beading slides into channel of the wind-out awning to one side, and the figure of eight to the other side, and all three pieces are interlocked. A second strip of beading can slide into the open side of the figure of 8, strip. To remove it, slide the figure 8 connector strip away.
The awning channel of the vehicle or rail. In this situation, the driveaway awning should be attached to the rail or channel of the vehicle exactly like the above. However, the awning fixing kit should be a 6-millimeter to 6-millimeter one. The reason is that the vehicle’s rail will have a diameter of 6 millimeters. It’s the reason why Vango Driveaway 6mm to 6mm kit is an ideal choice. So, if you don’t currently have a rail for your campervan motorhome, you should consider buying one. After all, this is the simplest, most effective, and most convenient way to connect your awning to your vehicle.
Vehicle gutter. The method of attaching your awning’s drive-away clip to the vehicle gutter will depend of the size and depth. A figure 8 channel strip will easily clip into a gutter that is shallow. It is then possible to connect one edge in the figure of 8 the beading of your awning. When you are ready to leave, take off the figure of 8. If you have a gutter that is deep it is possible to try the Vango Pole and Clamp Set, if it’s compatible with your car. The pole slide into the sleeve towards the back of the awning and it then fastens into the gutter, which holds the fabric. Attach the awning using clamps on the center as well as the sides, and you’ll have your problem sorted.
Roof bars. For awnings that have built-in Velcro loops attached to the rear cowl, putting them onto vehicles is as simple as tying the loops onto the roof bar. If you want to drive away and leave the awning freestanding you need to remove the roof bar.
Guys and Straps. This isn’t ideal, but when your car doesn’t have the fittings needed for an awning, or if you realized that your awning kit isn’t suitable for your vehicle then you’ll always be able to count on straps. Awnings come with straps as well as guy lines by default, and you can always get spare ones. Simply throw them on the opposite side of the vehicle, and fix them to the vehicle using pegs that are specifically designed and extra Vango straps.
Magnetic awning strip. This is a clever alternative for vehicles that don’t have awning attachments of any kind. They’re specifically designed to work with taller campervans and motorhomes with a steel body to attract the magnets and remain in place.
Suction kit. The kit uses vacuum to keep the awning up. The kit includes beading and a figure of eight strip that attaches to the roof on your car. The awning easily slides between on the opposite side of the figure of 8.
The type of awning you select will ultimately depend on the type of car you drive you drive, your preferences and your budget. The possibilities are endless however our driveaway awning buying guide will concentrate only on the awning. No matter what your preferences are to ensure that you enjoy your driveaway awning to the max, be looking for these three essential drive-away awning features:
Size. Before purchasing an awning, be sure to measure the awning’s size. People often realize their awnings aren’t the best size for them at the very last moment. It happens when they arrive at the camping site. Height is crucial. To determine the height first, look at the awning rail that is at the rear of your motorhome or campervan. Measure from this rail all the way to the ground. Motorhome awnings tend to be the tallest awnings, followed by campervans as well as SUV-style awnings. Some awning manufacturers make the awnings available in a variety of sizes, to suit any type of vehicle. Other manufacturers make them for specific models, like this Vando Magra Camper Driveaway VW awning. Even better, some come with adjustable heights.
Versatility. Your needs for travel may alter over the course of time. To experience your holiday fully with a increasing number of travellers, you should consider the possibility of having space. For many caravanners choosing to include an annexe is essential since it gives them an extra lounge or bedroom. It’s a good thing that many awnings have an annexe attached to them. Since they’re flexible and well-known the resale value could be quite high.
Privacy. When you’re on holiday, space isn’t much use without privacy. It’s a good thing that some driveaway awnings have privacy screens while others will fit in an inner bedroom. For instance, the Vango inner bed can accommodate three models of drive-away awnings, in no way; specifically, three models: the Vango Idris, Galli and Kela models.
With drive away awnings giving you the ability to leave your pitch for daily excursions without packing your bags and you’ll have more time to enjoy and most importantly relaxation.
