Awning Advice

[RobHampson]

Hi
We are looking for a decent sized air beam awning (preferably full length of the van) for our T6 Beach and the recommended choices seems to be either:
The Vango Galli III or
Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4.

Both of these models have sewn in PE groundsheets and I read on another thread that it is best to have either breathable or removable groundsheets?

Are there any other makes that have this feature?

Are there any other models / makes we should look at?

Thanks for any help or advice that you can give.

Rob

 

[steverob55]

I am keen to hear thoughts on this too. Planning on buying the Galli III.

 

[Wild Bob]

I am keen to hear thoughts on this too. Planning on buying the Galli III.

We have two awnings, one is a Vango Galli Compact which we find more than bug enough for our Cali. They are not easy to erect and when in the bag can be heavy. Our Vango compact just fits under the rear boot for travelling. Our other awning is the Vango Siesta, easier to erect and lighter but not as big but ideal for 2/3 nights.

 

[Nick.C]

Hi
We are looking for a decent sized air beam awning (preferably full length of the van) for our T6 Beach and the recommended choices seems to be either:
The Vango Galli III or
Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4.

Both of these models have sewn in PE groundsheets and I read on another thread that it is best to have either breathable or removable groundsheets?

Are there any other makes that have this feature?

Are there any other models / makes we should look at?

Thanks for any help or advice that you can give.

Rob

We have two awnings. The Khyam airtek kamper XC, which is pretty much the biggest awning we could find for longer stays. We also have a much cheaper and smaller Outdoor Revolution cayman air for weekends.

 

[andyinluton]

Both of these models have sewn in PE groundsheets and I read on another thread that it is best to have either breathable or removable groundsheets?

Depends how long you are staying - if its only one or two nights then the groundsheet won't make a lot of difference, two weeks on grass & you will be killing it.

The Galli 3 is almost big enough to park the van in, I hope you have plenty of boot space!

 

[Alan Andrews]

We also have the Vango Galli Compact. It works very well for us.

We use a separate breathable groundsheet under the fitted groundsheet. This keeps the moisture and mud etc off the Vango groundsheet, and makes it easier to pack up.

When first used we have asked at several M&C sites and told that this works for them, because the breathable groundsheet provides some airflow and does not destroy the grass beneath.

Our preference now is to pitch on a hardstanding pitch where available. The breathable sheet provides some cushioning on the stone/gravel, plus provides the above benefits when packing up.

We also have the template sheet with the Vango, but found these too problematic when setting up. So now the template sheet is left at home.

Once you have erected the Vango a couple of times you will soon work out where to position the awning for a perfect fit.

 

[subthree]

This isn't what you asked but here is my limited experience.

We have the Comfortz awning room, dead easy to put up but needs to go away every time you go out.

Also have the Vango Faros which we bought for last October's half term trip to Cornwall. Surely the idea of an awning is it van be used in poor weather. It chucked it down the first night in St Ives, I thought the thing was going to take off. The next morning we had to take it down as it was windy. Strong winds but not a gale. Utterly useless. It will be for sale soon!

I would have a good think whether you REALLY need one. They are a right faff.

 

[JunglieD]

I’m interested in this thread too as I’ll be hoping to pick up an awning before a longer summer trip. With forum searching to date I’ve zoomed in on either:

• Kampa Cross Air - love the fact it’s got the option to add sleeping pods in the future.
• Vango AirHub Hex - it looks like it would provide ample space with loads of flexibility - from ultra airy ‘event shelter’ style through to kitchen/living area. Remarkably good value for non-driveaway version too

 

[flying banana]

if theres only 2 of you. i agree with subthree . don't bother. i had the galli 3 . put it up once. then sold it. hated the thing. i use a couple of side panels for wind breaks and shade in summer attached to the thule. the galli 3 packed down took up the whole boot space too. the drive away part of the awning is also a massive faff. if its cold, you sit in the van. if its hot your outside on the bbq. if its raining you go down the pub.
in my opinion i wasn't impressed with the galli 3 either so if i wanted one i would look elsewhere. and smaller.

 

[Nick.C]

Depends how long you are staying - if its only one or two nights then the groundsheet won't make a lot of difference, two weeks on grass & you will be killing it.

The Galli 3 is almost big enough to park the van in, I hope you have plenty of boot space!

Or book a gravel/hard pitch and stay as long as like without having to lift the ground sheet. Awnings do take up a lot of space in the van when travelling, so when we are taking the big awning we put it on the bike rack - wife’s not keen on cycling anyway

 

[steverob55]

Wow, @Nick.C has that bag just got the Galli in it? I was planning on getting this model. I need the extra space and in the near future likely a bedroom inner.

 

[Nick.C]

Wow, @Nick.C has that bag just got the Galli in it? I was planning on getting this model. I need the extra space and in the near future likely a bedroom inner.

It has got a Khyam Airtec Kamper XC in it plus a few other bits and bobs, but not a lot else.

 

[Borris]

AWNING ADVICE​

I think most people might agree that the best advice is:

Unless you have to, don't.

However if you need an awning, the Air Beam ones seem to be a lot less hassle all round. We have a Vango Galli low and it is a well made quality item. It's also much easier to erect than a lot of similar sized awnings. Just peg out the ground sheet foot print then unroll the awning on top, orientate it and peg it down. Then pump up the air beams and peg down the securing lines. Once up, it is very rigid and sturdy even in all but the roughest of weather. Once practiced, it all takes a very short time to have it up and secured.

One thing though. I have found connecting the awning to the van rather a faff and IMO, the benefits aren't worth the hassle involved. Also, you'll have it all to do again if you decide to go out in the van. Frankly, they are better left as a stand alone unit.

Packing away is also a faff since it will either have just rained, be raining or be about to rain. Under such circumstances our usual course of action is to open out a tarp to cover the interior of the van before stuffing the whole screwed up soggy mess in and slamming the side door shut. Under such circs, the wretched thing has to be re-erected again at home to dry it out before packing away properly. If in the unlikely event of the awning being dry when it comes to packing it away then just let all of the air out and go for a cuppa. When you return you will have to roll it into a long thin sausage about 7 - 800mm wide. It's at this point that those of us who are big boned score significantly. You have to roll along the sausage in a very inelegant fashion in order to expel all the remaining air. You may expel some yourself in the process. You may have to unroll and give it a second go in order to get it to a suitable size to go in the bag. What fun..... not!!!

During the whole process you may notice a small crowd of sniggering gawpers gathering around eager to take photos of the spectacle on their telephonic devices. Anyway, once you've lost your composure and probably your rag as well, the packed away awning will take up most of the rear compartment unless like us, you buy a small trailer.

The other thing to bare in mind is that if you have a large awning it will have alot of space to fill with other assorted items that you could probably do without, such as tables, chairs, carpets, food safes, kids, dogs and knitting etc.

So unless you really need one don't bother.

Actually being deadly serious, we have enjoyed some fabulous times with cali friends in our Air Beam awning/party tent which makes it all worth while. On many occasions we have had up to ten chortling chums joining us to help us chomp and quaff the latest shared feast on hand. We have missed these meetings with our chums greatly over the last year.

 

[andyinluton]

I wouldn't touch another air awning with a barge pole. Ive had two. Neither lasted more than 2 trips without a puncture. 2nd one, when the beam was unzipped to patch the tube the zip broke. Neither seemed to blow up straight, and unlike a poled awning there's not a lot you can do about it.

The fabric part of the tent was marginally bulkier when packed & the pump took up more space than a few slim poles would have done.

So traditional awning for me every time.

Currently using an outwell - similar to the milestone just two poles that crossover at the top. can put it up & down in a couple of minutes on my own.

 

[steverob55]

I wouldn't touch another air awning with a barge pole. Ive had two. Neither lasted more than 2 trips without a puncture. 2nd one, when the beam was unzipped to patch the tube the zip broke. Neither seemed to blow up straight, and unlike a poled awning there's not a lot you can do about it.

The fabric part of the tent was marginally bulkier when packed & the pump took up more space than a few slim poles would have done.

So traditional awning for me every time.

Currently using an outwell - similar to the milestone just two poles that crossover at the top. can put it up & down in a couple of minutes on my own.

Which Outwell model do you currently have please?

 

[Borris]

I wouldn't touch another air awning with a barge pole. Ive had two. Neither lasted more than 2 trips without a puncture. 2nd one, when the beam was unzipped to patch the tube the zip broke. Neither seemed to blow up straight, and unlike a poled awning there's not a lot you can do about it.

The fabric part of the tent was marginally bulkier when packed & the pump took up more space than a few slim poles would have done.

So traditional awning for me every time.

Currently using an outwell - similar to the milestone just two poles that crossover at the top. can put it up & down in a couple of minutes on my own.

Sorry to hear that. What make were they?

So far ours has been used on very many occasions without any issues at all. I'll grant you that we may have been lucky though. I've no experience of other makes or models but just our Vango Galli.

 

[Amarillo]

Hi
We are looking for a decent sized air beam awning (preferably full length of the van) for our T6 Beach and the recommended choices seems to be either:
The Vango Galli III or
Outdoor Revolution Movelite T4.

Both of these models have sewn in PE groundsheets and I read on another thread that it is best to have either breathable or removable groundsheets?

Are there any other makes that have this feature?

Are there any other models / makes we should look at?

Thanks for any help or advice that you can give.

Rob

We have had four awnings, all bought second hand.
1. Vango Kela III
2. Comfort awning panels
3. Thule Residence
4. Vango Hexaway

2 and 3 are awning panels.
1 and 4 are Airbeam driveaway awnings.

All have their pros and cons.
1., 3., and 4. are heavy and bulky.
1. Is the best if you want an additional bedroom.
2. Is too small for a cooking and dining area.
3. Can be heated with the diesel heater so long as you have wheel covers and a side skirt.
4. Has a removable groundsheet, is bright and airy and has a single inflation point. Although not the full length of the van it is big, and our favourite, but not suitable for sleeping unless you don't mind being seen.

 

[Amarillo]

Sorry to hear that. What make were they?

So far ours has been used on very many occasions without any issues at all. I'll grant you that we may have been lucky though. I've no experience of other makes or models but just our Vango Galli.

Our Kela III was used for ~250 nights in one year on our trip around Europe: up and down perhaps 50 times. The most significant problem we has was bird poop. Also some colour fading, and small water pools dripping in very wet weather.

 

[Borris]

Our Kela III was used for ~250 nights in one year on our trip around Europe: up and down perhaps 50 times. The most significant problem we has was bird poop. Also some colour fading, and small water pools dripping in very wet weather.

I've no experience of other Air Beam makes however like you our Vango Galli hasn't given us any problems since we've had it. Whilst we haven't used ours anywhere near as much as you have with yours, our has been well used to date. The Vango build and material quality seems very good to me.

 

[steverob55]

I have never owned an awning before, my only experience was when hiring last year. We had a Khyam Excelsior, which is a poled awning. It was pretty easy to put up/take down but I just hate poles. Years of camping has done that I guess.

I visited a Vango stand at a show last year and the difference in quality from the Khyam was obvious. Just felt. much better product.

I am going to need a reasonable sized awning for putting a bedroom into. The trade off is obviously going to be transporting it. I don't have my Cali yet, awaiting build & delivery, so please forgive my ignorance but would you not just slide the rear bench forward to make enough space in the back to fit the awning in?

 

[Nick.C]

Sorry to hear that. What make were they?

So far ours has been used on very many occasions without any issues at all. I'll grant you that we may have been lucky though. I've no experience of other makes or models but just our Vango Galli.

No problem with ours either - touch Wood - so far

 

[Amarillo]

I have never owned an awning before, my only experience was when hiring last year. We had a Khyam Excelsior, which is a poled awning. It was pretty easy to put up/take down but I just hate poles. Years of camping has done that I guess.

I visited a Vango stand at a show last year and the difference in quality from the Khyam was obvious. Just felt. much better product.

I am going to need a reasonable sized awning for putting a bedroom into. The trade off is obviously going to be transporting it. I don't have my Cali yet, awaiting build & delivery, so please forgive my ignorance but would you not just slide the rear bench forward to make enough space in the back to fit the awning in?

With the bench seat on the rails in the correct position for lowering to the bed position, there is ample space in the Beach boot for an awning.

However, if travelling with two monstrous tykes, like ours, there is a second purpose for taking a super large awning. Rest it upright on the central position on the bench seat, and use the seat belt to hold it in place. Tyke #1 goes one side of the awning; tyke #2 goes the other side. Fighting between tyke #1 and #2 will be significantly reduced.

 

[andyinluton]

Which Outwell model do you currently have please?

One I've got looks similar to the Outwell Milstone as in the club shop, they seem to tweak the design & change the name every year. Only went for that as the 2nd air one I had was an outwell & I could reuse the matching carpet & footprint. First air one was a Vango.

 

[andyinluton]

I am going to need a reasonable sized awning for putting a bedroom into. The trade off is obviously going to be transporting it. I don't have my Cali yet, awaiting build & delivery, so please forgive my ignorance but would you not just slide the rear bench forward to make enough space in the back to fit the awning in?

Yes you can slide the seat to fit it in, depends on how you use the van though, some trips we have multiple stops & only put the awning up if we are stopping for a few days.
How many of you are there? we bought the van so we didn't need to sleep in a tent.

 

[Ferryman]

We borrowed a kela last year pretty solid awning and stood up to some pretty severe winds. Kind of saved the holiday giving us extra space during the frequent rain and pub wasn't an option due to covid! First and only awning I've used but I thought the pack size was enormous and it was a faff putting it up and down every couple of days as we moved around. In the kela we un-cliped the bedroom during the day and pushed it back to repurposed the space which worked quite well for us.

I was wondering about going the opposite way with a small poled awning for pack size. The storage things an issue though if you want to have some overnights and have no where to put it.