Groats Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Am trying to find a small awning tall enough to attach to our Elddis Autoquest and wondered if any can be suggested please? It's use will be mainly when we stop for a few days somewhere to enlarge our space / shelter from breezes (or worse) allow us to explore without having to fiddle with the suncanopy on a daily basis. Also wondered if those of you who have used one would recommend actually getting one? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddies104 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Yes we have used one once, but as we only stay a few days at a time, found it such a bind, to erect and then put away, also there not that light... Did not want to get in toi the situation that you see caravan owners in when they spend all morning erecting there awning.. We Much more enjoy how quick we are in a Motorhome to set up once on site or vice versa to move on.. Long live Motorhoming (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 It really depends on how long you spend on sites. We have a drive away awning that we use if we stay on site for a week or more and it works well for us. Less than a week then we use the sun blockers, wind out awning and windbreaks. Our drive away awning is quite heavy so we use it when we are towing the trailer for a longer stay. We were lucky it was a Christmas present but as we are planning on going long terming it will be a useful addition to our set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I'm sure others will differ, but this seems to be one of the top items to appear second hand and described as un-used or as new. We bought one thinking there may be advantages, guess what, it stayed in it's bag, never saw the light of day. We rarely stay in one place for more than a day or so, and make extensive use of Aires, so on reflection it was a stupid thing to buy. I would personally think hard and long about it, or pick up a bargain second hand one to see if it is something you'll make use of. For us it just took up space, a bit like our external silver screen, that's been in it's bag since day one as well :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryW Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Just passed ours on, only used it a couple of time in this country, once as an extra bedroom and never used the drive-away feature. In the end we only used it as a kitchen tent on long Spanish stays so have now replaced it with an actual kitchen tent purchased in Spain. And yes even the smallest are bulky and heavier than they look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Hi Groats, welcome to the mad house! :-D You appear to have already thought through how and why you want one. For our part, we didn't have one for a long time as we and rarely use sites so didn't stay long enough in one spot to warrant putting one up, however we bought one last year, a Movelite VRX 'Square', so that we could use it when we go to camper shows as we usually stay from the Thursday to Sunday. However, we had a few days away at Rhyl campsite before going to the Northern motorhome show and found that we made a lot of use of it on the campsite, being able to sit out in the fresh air and have our meals etc, without the breeze affecting us was great, we could leave the outside table and chairs in it and they were instantly available to use. Sorry, will continue later ... tea's ready! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Must admit we being ex caravanners imagined we would need one so we bought one, nice free standing drive away one that colour matched the stripes of the van, infinately smaller than our full caravan one so less than half the weight and simple to put up and take down compared to the 23ft long 10ft deep one we were used to. Had it since we have had the van, in fact bought it before we took delivery of the van so that is 13 years now (how time flies). We have used it,,, well twice in that time, it now resides (since probably the first month) in the spare room along with several other 'seemed like a good idea at the time' things, when you have to store it while you travel it is just in the way, probably ok if you have a nice big garage. Funny enough we have noticed several vans using new ones this year, including people we have seen before in our travels that don't seem to have had them before, not sure why I will have to ask them next time we bump into them! Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Don't be put off with buying a driveaway, as I previously said it does depend on how long you are away. Ours makes a useful extra room where we set up table and chairs and have meals. When we take my Mum with us its useful to go to whilst she (or us) are getting washed and changed, making bed etc. On rainy days the airer is put in it to dry washing and Troy appreciates the extra room. If you are only staying somewhere for a night or two then it would be a hassle but for longer stays they are great and I certainly wouldn't contemplate getting rid of ours. I suppose at the end of the day we all buy things that we don't use but some extra time spent on thinking it out if you really need/use it goes a long way. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Elswood Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 We used to use a Harrison drive away awning for stays on a site for a week or more, but like some others, found it heavy and a pain in the a** to put up and take down. We now use a Khyam 'screendome' tent and it is much lighter and can be put up in a very short time! Ok, you lose the facility of having it attached to the van, but we have in fact that it's a lot easier to drive on and off site without having to worry about ' docking' http://www.somersetcamping.co.uk/detail.asp?p=341&product=Screendome We use it as a 'storage shed' for table and chairs etc when on site. There is plenty of room to sit out of the wind and have meals in it also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 ... now where was I ... *-) Ah yes, we have found the Movelite to be very well made indeed, it weighs about 11kg and packs away into one bag. It has standard tie-down cords as well as storm straps for that bit of extra security in very windy weather. We use the 'figure of 8' plastic strip stuff along with a piece of twin edged awning piping tape, with 4mm piping on one side and 6mm piping on the other so that we can feed it into the front of our Fiamma awning (that's the 4mm bit). To put it up takes about 10-15 minutes (if you have 2 mallets it would be quicker!). To join it to the van its just a matter of winding out the Fiamma awning a bit so you can reach, then slotting the twin edged piping tape into the front of it, then slotting the plastic 'figure of 8' strip on to it whilst at the same time feeding the piping from the back of the Movelite into it (much easier than it sounds), then tightening it by putting in 4 pegs and its done. The only other thing we do is pet down some strips of bright pvc ribbon along the outer edge of the front and rear wheels on the side nearest to the awning, so that when we move the van and return later, we know exactly where to place the wheels to ensure the awning fits nice and snugly again and we can be in place and reconnected within 60 seconds. When we want to move off site detatching from the awning is easy-peasy - just pull out a couple of pegs at the front, then the 'figure of 8' plastic strip followed by the twin edged piping tape and voila, we are free - it takes no more than 30 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuxDeluxe Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 1footinthegrave - 2011-08-14 7:50 PM I'm sure others will differ, but this seems to be one of the top items to appear second hand and described as un-used or as new. We bought one thinking there may be advantages, guess what, it stayed in it's bag, never saw the light of day. We rarely stay in one place for more than a day or so, and make extensive use of Aires, so on reflection it was a stupid thing to buy. I would personally think hard and long about it, or pick up a bargain second hand one to see if it is something you'll make use of. For us it just took up space, a bit like our external silver screen, that's been in it's bag since day one as well :-| You're right there - I think we used ours twice before selling it on. It was a Movelite XL which was very good but simply not suited to our needs. Horses for courses though - Mel B certainly has it cracked, so don't be put off buying one. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlowie Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Bob Elswood - 2011-08-14 9:04 PM We now use a Khyam 'screendome' tent and it is much lighter and can be put up in a very short time! Ok, you lose the facility of having it attached to the van, but we have in fact that it's a lot easier to drive on and off site without having to worry about ' docking' http://www.somersetcamping.co.uk/detail.asp?p=341&product=Screendome We use it as a 'storage shed' for table and chairs etc when on site. There is plenty of room to sit out of the wind and have meals in it also! Couldn't agree more :D We use a Khyam Screendome if we stay anywhere for 2 nights or more. It's so quick to erect, even single-handedly, and it stores in our Fiamma back-box. It has a door front and back and vents to the sides. It's easy to just bung everything in it and drive off, and if you fancy getting back to nature you can pretend it's a tent (lol) as it's totally waterproof. The only downside we have found is that it flexes quite dramatically in strong winds, so you really do need all four guy-ropes pegged out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyExsis Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Reading the threads it would seem that most don't bother to use them regularly, but that is a matter of choice. We have a Harrison Porch Awning that we only use a couple of times a year, we can make the choice and it depends on our activities and items we take with us, when we do decide to erect it, we find it most beneficial. We often cycle from site and leave van and all in situ. It does not take long to erect/dismantle - it is heavier than the lightweight ones, but has the benefit of being less flappy and keeps a nice shape. We added an extension piece to the flap to keep it further from the van and make re-connection position less critical. If you think that you will use it and spend time outdoor time in it, buy a better one and enjoy it, but if you are in doubt either buy a cheap or re-think if you need one. Regards. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 We found ours Movelite 'Square' (2m x 2m) so useful this year, that we've actually just bought a 'new' 2009 model Movelite XL (3m x 3m) from someone near London and will be collecting it when we return from holiday. As it's a bit bigger than our current one it will give us a bit extra room so we can put our bicycles and dog buggy in it on an evening and not have to move them out again in the morning when we want to have our breakfast in there, however if we weren't wanting to do this, then we would happily keep on using our current one ... so watch this space, you'll probably find an 'as new' Movelite 'Square' for sale in a month's time!!! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groats Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Thanks for all your views, decision will be made soon, I'm sure. Happy travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopesy Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Sorry for the late reply :$ we have an elddis 115 and find our movelite xl (3m x 3m) to be very useful. If you have he same layout as us the awning goes under the seat comfortably not taking up too much room. It takes a short time to put up. We put the straps over the top of the roof but we have used it to stand alone. I take it you have already made your mind up about getting an awning but a debate about the usefulness of it started anyway. We don't always take ours but if we're i one place for more than a couple of nights we use the awning. Excellent bit of kit with no problems so far ( 2 years ) been used as kitchen, repair shop for bikes, garage for motorbike, lounge, sunshade, rain shelter, spare bedroom, place for me to be when i get up early and am annoying swmbo!! Hope this helps Rog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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