Advice on drive away awnings

[Carter3]

I’ve had some great advice so far from the forum so thank you for that. I’m just wondering about thoughts on drive away awnings. We don’t have an awning/canopy on our Cali we are buying and think a drive away one would be useful. We are only thinking we’d use it for sitting out in, maybe cooking outside, and just somewhere to take off wet clothes and shoes. Any suggestions or recommendations?

 

[Claremacrob]

I found this really useful... https://campfiremag.co.uk/awnings/

Like everything else, it's quite a personal thing. We are a minimal faff family and have ordered a Cinch Hub (described near the bottom of the article). There are lots of impressive looking awnings but they take a while to put up/down.

 

[AlisonF]

Drive Away Anwings & Tents

vwcaliforniaclub.com

There are lots of discussions in the folder on drive away awnings. Tried to post a link...

 

[HB19]

I’ve had some great advice so far from the forum so thank you for that. I’m just wondering about thoughts on drive away awnings. We don’t have an awning/canopy on our Cali we are buying and think a drive away one would be useful. We are only thinking we’d use it for sitting out in, maybe cooking outside, and just somewhere to take off wet clothes and shoes. Any suggestions or recommendations?

So much depends on your intended use. Because my Cali is used by my extended adult family as well as myself, we have gone for a mix and match solution. We have a largeish drive away awning with extra bedroom space so that if we all want to go together - or they are joined by friends - (pre COVID of course!) we have versatile sleeping arrangements. This also works well for longer stops to store stuff When you want to drive away, and it provides extra shelter and play space if the weather is unfriendly. But it is a big pack to cart around so you only want to take it if you really need it.
We also have an awning room for the quick stops, which then provides privacy for the pull own awning but also shelter if needed. It’s a small pack so no trouble to fit in.
if it was just me I would probably opt for something like this https://gybe-design.com/en/lifestyle which I know has been featured on this forum before. It looks much easier to put up, provides the extra space and store area and looks good IMO .... or this ... or a shelter pod.

 

[chris151151]

So much depends on your intended use. Because my Cali is used by my extended adult family as well as myself, we have gone for a mix and match solution. We have a largeish drive away awning with extra bedroom space so that if we all want to go together - or they are joined by friends - (pre COVID of course!) we have versatile sleeping arrangements. This also works well for longer stops to store stuff When you want to drive away, and it provides extra shelter and play space if the weather is unfriendly. But it is a big pack to cart around so you only want to take it if you really need it.
We also have an awning room for the quick stops, which then provides privacy for the pull own awning but also shelter if needed. It’s a small pack so no trouble to fit in.
if it was just me I would probably opt for something like this https://gybe-design.com/en/lifestyle which I know has been featured on this forum before. It looks much easier to put up, provides the extra space and store area and looks good IMO .... or this ... or a shelter pod.

Hi Just starting out. Most of the time just me and dog and or small grandaughter. I think for longer trips I could do with a small walk in tent to dump / store stuff in when away from site. Drive away awnings seem expensive and a lot of faff fixing/unfixing/lining up. I'm thinking a cheap single room tent low enough to partially fit under the Cali awning and zip up when away. Am I missing something? Any suggested models?

 

[HB19]

Hi Just starting out. Most of the time just me and dog and or small grandaughter. I think for longer trips I could do with a small walk in tent to dump / store stuff in when away from site. Drive away awnings seem expensive and a lot of faff fixing/unfixing/lining up. I'm thinking a cheap single room tent low enough to partially fit under the Cali awning and zip up when away. Am I missing something? Any suggested models?

You are right about the big drive away awnings being a faff. Personally, I think they are great if you plan to stay in one place for a while and/or you need the extra space for additional guests, but other than that there are better options. A small tent for toy storage would be useful and maybe a wind break for extra privacy around the door area might be good.