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Which sun awning?Fiaama


Alf Stonehouse

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Im choosing a sun awning for summer its freezing now!

 

Fiamma are advised?havnt had one before i thought the F45 was free "standing" that is winds out no poles needed to support it?

 

Almost bought one S/H but someone got there first,its what comes of knowing nothing about camping caring.I saw the 45 on a list £300 went back to have fitted a 35 ---which cost more??Then i asked about the 45

 

Is the F45 free standing wind out & the F35 "pull out" "push in"?

 

The F45 DOESN'T? need support pole F35 dose??

 

Thank you

 

Its Freezing & raining where i am!Hope you have better weather

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I wouldnt fancy any sort of awning that extended out any real length without supports. All that weight - and theres a fair bit to consider, is bearing on the side of your van, doing it no good at all.

 

Whichever you get, make sure its fit properly.

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Our last two vans came with windout awnings fitted (first Fiamma,current van Omnistor)and I didn't notice any difference between them quality wise.

Although personally I don't think that I'd pay out again to have one fitted..

Admittedly they are very handy but I'd maybe look at getting a decent,one piece awning rail fitted,so that I could just use a simple "tarp" type canopy..slightly more effort to deploy I know but as we never use our Omnistor without strapping it down with ratchet straps anyway,not really a great deal of difference time wise...

..and having seen a couple of "windouts" flipped over the roof and flailing about in the wind,thrashing seven bells out of the van,we NEVER leave it out whilst we're away from the van... ;-)

(..but I am talking good old UK weather here... *-) )

 

Chris

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fairweather camper - 2011-01-10 11:48 AM

 

which ever one you get, we have a fiamma 45, its great, dont fit it yourself unless you know what you are doing, as it can damage the Van if not fitted expertly. :-D

 

That's a good about getting it fitted properly!

 

We had a Fiamma awning fitted to our first van(Duetto)by AutoSleepers' service centre..and they positioned the brackets too far in from the ends,causeing it to flex(..there are labels on the rear of the awning body showing where it should be fixed).There was also no signs that they had removed any internal panels,so I strongly suspect that they just riveted and not bolted the brackets on...

Best to have a discussion with whoever you get to fit it... ;-)

 

 

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Looks as if a "35"is the best chose for this camper.At the moment i cant see a point in paying double the price for "wind out" awning?A "pull out" seems a better choice?

 

Dose that sound reasonable?

 

I have been to several centers but havnt had a demonstration they assume ive seen the awnings in use,which i have and havnt ive seen awnings in use but never thought id be buying one 8-)

 

 

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In the last 10 years Ive never fitted a F35 but 100's of F45's the biggest problem you will have if your Motorhome is a Coachbuilt or A Class, you wont be able to reach it. As for quality Ive always found Fiamma better but theres 2 types of people (Fiamma or Ominstor).

 

As for Fitted to a Hitop (Autosleeper Duetto) its quite normal to rivet the awning on, as long as the rivets are pop and peel and extra sealant is used. With some hitops it can be hard to fit the brackets where Fiamma recommend as the fibreglass roofs are slightly curved.

 

Phil

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Sorry,I don't know vehicle you have...but you say "camper",so I'd assume that the F35 would be okay...

Depending on what you've got(and what fixing options you have),something like this would be another(cheaper!) option:

 

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/membershop/bd_easicanopy.asp

 

Edit:Sorry Rhino',I missed your post :$

Yeah,as you say the hightop transit didn't have much of a sidewall to fasten to..but they would've perhaps been better if they'd used some of the the adjustable brackets,which could've also picked up on the roof curve...that way,at least it would've been fixed along two differnet plains..(The rear brkt that they fitted was almost 2' in from the end).

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A friend of mine has the 'Omnistor' manual wind out/in awning, he hates it,

a real pain to reach and wind in evenly, he usually has a couple of goes to get the material all 'tucked away' . I think the 'Handle wind' type are much better and worth the extra. I have an F65 which doesn't protrude out the side (so you don't have tp worry about it going down narrow lanes) so if the mirrors 'Fit' through so does the rest of the van. Use mine a lot, The dog likes to lay under it when it's raining, and the missus lies under it when it's too hot. Ray ;-)

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If you do decide to get one, it might be worth joining the MHFun forum as you get a 5% discount on stuff from Johns Cross motorhomes (I think it still applies)! We also found they were the cheapest supplier anyway when we had ours put on last April at the Peterborough show and there was no charge for the actual fitting as we had it done at the show.
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