Which Fiamma tie down kit?

[michaelmorris]

We’ve just come back from a lovely few days away on the midge-ridden shore of Lake Bala. It being Wales, the wind suddenly and unexpectedly increased in strength and lifted the awning a few centimetres into the air . We’ve decided we need a tie down kit, but which one?

 

We use our Fiamma awning to provide shade and shelter from light rain. We don’t have or plan to use a sun room or awning sides.

 

Fiamma make two. http://www.fiamma.com/EN/products/fiammastore/accessories/tie_down/

 

- The standard tie down kit is a continuous strap that raps around both cantilever supports. It looks simple, but a bit long winded (no pun intended) to put up.

 

- The newer and slightly more expensive ‘S’ version is designed for use when using the awning with a sun room. Each strap hooks into the channel at the front of the awning and looks simpler.

 

Has anyone got experience of either system (or preferably both)? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each design?

 

Thanks

 

[Will86]

You were probably lucky not to lose it . I use a couple of light weight ratchet ties and steel hooks/pegs into the ground. Any sign of wind the awning gets wound in and always at night. Never trust pegs to hold it down in windy weather. Never go for walk and leave it down particularly near the coast. I've seen them end up across the van roof and if it does the metal supports will be so bent they will never wind in again.

[gocro]

I use the ones with the brackets in the channel, but I found that I had to heat them and induce a 90° bend to get a good fit.

[Brian Kirby]

Can't answer your direct question, as all my experience has been with Omnistor awnings, which we use extensively. However, they are very similar in principle, and will behave in similar ways in wind.

 

I tried a tie down kit, and abandoned it quite quickly. The reason being that once winds gets under the canopy it generates lift and, although the tie down keeps the lead rail from lifting, it doesn't prevent the canopy itself from balooning up. When doing this it flexes the two "rafter" arms at their hinges, subsequently releasing them, so that in gusty conditions the whole canopy is continually lifting and flapping. No good at night, as it makes considerable noise, and only reliable during the day if one is around to wind it back is gusts strengthen. Since the pegs for the tie down are fairly large they create a hazard if left in place with the strap is removed and the awning wound in, so they also need to come out. Depending on ground conditions they can prove near impossible to knock in, so in conjunction with periodically removing the strap to wind back the canopy, hoiking them out and starting again at frequent intervals was just irritating. Plus we seldom stay put for more than 3-4 days, so the whole thing became too much fuss to deal with.

 

I now have the feet of the awning legs attached to lugs on the side of the van (standard supply with Omnistor awnings, though seldom fitted, so I assume similar are available for Fiamma), and an intermediate rafter pole that braces the lead rail against the awning back rail. This triangulates the awning supports and prevents the lead rail lifting and the canopy balooning. It withstands moderate wind without causing noise or flapping around, but it still needs supervision to prevent damage should the wind strengthen beyond what seems safe - so leaving it out at night, or when absent, is a bit of an act of faith requiring generally still, settled, weather. We have now done this for about 8 years without mishap, but we do spend most of our time across the ditch, where it is generally less windy that in UK. Hope this helps.

[Muswell]

We've got the S version, which is easy to use....as long you carry a hammer. But, we never go off and leave the van with the awning out, and we always roll it in at night. Never trust the weather. I remember an incident near Tarragona when we had rented a house from a friend. It was a beautiful day and a lot of people had left their houses with the awnings out. A huge storm came from nowhere; some awings got blown off, others just collapsed under the weight of water.

[michaelmorris]

Thanks. We would not intend to leave the awning up at night unless the forecast was reliably for still air, nor would we leave it out while we went for a walk unless there was a similar forecast.

 

We would use a tie down kit to extend the range of weather conditions where we could sit out under the awning.

[Will86]

You're taking a big risk relying on the weather forecast. Don't leave an awning extended at night unless you have a desire to be woken at 3 am with half of it flapping about, and don't expect sympathy if when returning from a walk if its spread all over the van !

 

You may be camping in strange territory where you have no idea of local changes. Listen and learn !

 

PS

 

And don't position your awning like the picture, It makes a super basin for half a ton of water, position one leg shorter than the other so any water runs off ... and use bright coloured straps too. Better still wind it in before it rains.

 

 

[Guest Joe90]

A pal of mine is returning to the UK with the remains of his Fiamma awning and a damaged van when the wind unexpectedly got up, even he tells me with him and his missus holding on for dear life the whole thing took off, in short, trying to ensure something the size of a dinghy sail ain't gonna try to do that every time the wind gets up is in my view looking for trouble, however pegged down it is.

[Tracker]

For a different take on the awning question one could consider something like this of which styles and sizes are many and varied but they all pack down well!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/310890816540?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&chn=ps&device=c&rlsatarget=&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108

 

We find that mostly the awning does not create enough shade to keep the sun off a decent area nad is far more faffing about than it is worth - and ours is 12 volt powered roll out - so we hardly ever bother with it at all!

[Rayjsj]

We use our Omnistor Wind out awning as a Rain shelter mainly, for Drying the dogs under, and for feeding them outside the van.

 

Use heavy duty Cargo straps and heavy duty steel 18" pegs (like the ones that hold down a Circus Big Top !) obviously need a hammer to knock them in.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p40872 Cheap enough to carry a spare one as well. Hook them over the main support arms.

If the wind gets too strong, we still wind it in though, it's only as strong as the fabric, if that starts to rip.....game over.

Only once had to go out in my 'PJ's' to wind it in, at 02.00am !

For us it's a 'Must Have' accessory. Ray

[Tracker]

Rayjsj - 2015-07-06 8:13 PM

heavy duty steel 18" pegs (like the ones that hold down a Circus Big Top !) obviously need a hammer to knock them in.

 

There was a discussion recently about tools and it was asked why anyone would need to carry a 2lb lump hammer - now we know why!

[michaelmorris]

Just ordered the Fiamma 'S' kit. Thanks for the advice.

[maggyd]

We also use a bracing bar underneath ours its lightweight and keeps the outside arms from moving inwards. While we were away a Dutchman showed us his tiedowns which consisted off pieces of leather or rubber not sure! which slid into the front groove about 4 I think which had holes that the straps went through, looked like a bit of expensive kit though.

[michaelmorris]

maggyd - 2015-07-07 1:50 PM

 

We also use a bracing bar underneath ours its lightweight and keeps the outside arms from moving inwards. While we were away a Dutchman showed us his tiedowns which consisted off pieces of leather or rubber not sure! which slid into the front groove about 4 I think which had holes that the straps went through, looked like a bit of expensive kit though.

We already have a bracing bar (it came with the van).

[tonyg3nwl]

Hi, just back from our 6 weeks .

 

last year we returned with a damaged awning left out overnight but strapped down to local trees and bushes..they proved to be tough enough, but tbe yellow cotton based tensionable straps let us down in the middle of the night thunderstorm..result 250 pounds repair costs for new side arm..

 

this year we purchased fiamma tiedown black strap with spring tensioning and to big anchor pegs requiring a heavy hammer to plant them securely.

 

however, discretion proved wise, and we retracted awning when wind rose enough to give rise to concern,

and the middle of the night storm passed by without incident, pitch was flash flooded in part to depth of 3 inches, but no damage...

 

advice therefore..be sensible, if in doubt dont leave it out..

 

tonyg3nwl.