Awnings on vans - any experience?

I considered this one for a while. The pull-out type awnings look useful as they take up no internal space (unless you want sides) but, IMHO wouldn't add all that much function, especially since most of our rain seems to come sideways 🙂

We opted for a drive-away awning. It's a bulky beast so we only take it when we're going to be in one location for a few days. It has a lot more function though, providing shelter, storage and somewhere a bit more spacious than the inside of a campervan when the weather isn't playing ball. It's handy if you're on a site and heading out for the day as you can dump a lot of stuff in the awning. Saves filling up the van each time and means you've "booked" your pitch.

We have recently purchased a converted t5. I use it as a daily driver, short nursery drop off.

We were going to get one but were advised that they are no good in wind or rain. No good for Scotland at least.

We're fitting a awning rail instead for one day adding a driveway awning.

We have a Fiamma on our motorhome. They are great for sitting under to avoid the sun. We've also used ours a lot here and in Europe to sit under when it rains to drink beer, cook, etc etc

They need to be erected correctly so water doesn't collect on top and braced with tie down straps for light winds. In heavy winds they need to be put away.

Edit: the first one perished in an unexpected huge thunderstorm in the Black Forest years ago. It's wasn't forecast and we went to bed thinking it'd be okay. In the middle of the night a huge storm kicked in and the roof collected a lot of water then broke one of the support arms.

They're quick to put out, provide decent shelter from both sun and rain, take up no space in a van and don't need to be dried out if they get wet. A driveway gives you more space and a bit more shelter if the weather is not great.

We bought a driveway but never used it, I wouldn't dream of not having a roll out on a camper.

Hmmmm. Been mulling over this since we bought our van 17 years ago!

I think the rollout awnings look great for rainy evenings. Many's the time I wished we had one for barbecues etc and general stuff.

Or buy a big arsed tent to use as a shelter.

But don't buy a driveway awning expecting to use it as an awning more than once. We bought a kyam awning, fitted a roof gutter at great expense and fitted the tent perfectly to it..... about 5 times in total. Then realised it was a total waste of time

1) took ages to park the van
2) took ages to fit the awning to the van
3) made the van dark and gloomy
4) took twice as long to exit the van
5) usable space in the awning reduced by 60% as we had to keep a walkway clear from the van to the exit.

Complete waste of time.
So we now pitch the awning about 5m away from the van and use it like that. It's excellent like that. All above problems solved.

Would still kinda like a rollout awning though.....

If you're one of those people who see caravanning/ camping as an activity in its own right then ignore what I wrote above, you'll love it. If however you have better things to do than fanny about with camping equipment, then get a rollout:-)

I thought long and hard about this too. I wanted something for sitting in when it got chilly, storing bikes/wetsuits/surfboards when out for the day from campsites, and cooking in when it was damp but didn’t want to cook in the van.

My folks had both a Fiamme (less faff, but flappy and open sided so needed a windbreak) and an attaching driveaway (faffy and hugely expensive, and also flappy in the wind) for their van which put me off those options.

So with this in mind I bought a…

Quetcha Arpenaz Base Camp M tent. Works brilliantly as an awning, has survived some Cornish storms where other awnings were flattened, tall enough to stand in at 6ft 3 and a huge door that clips to my roofrails to create a canopy. Best of all, it’s only £130.

Seen loads of other people with the same idea on many campsites. Far less faff than a true ‘drive away’.

We had a Howling Moon bag type awning for years on our Defender and then Transit. Was light and compact when rolled away but quick to deploy. Not as blingy as Fiamma but far cheaper. Fine in heavy rain and winds.

https://www.trekoverland.com/pages/howling-moon-safari-awnings

We've got an inflatable drive away awning.

Pros: lots of space, keeps your spot in the site, can decant stuff into it and leave it, very weather resistant, if one of you is away in the van the other can wait in the awning*.

Cons: bulky to transport, faffy to put up, needs grass not hard standing.

We don't usually take it for a single night but if we're doing multiple nights in one site it's really good.

*may lead to fall outs depending on length of wait.

@thegeneralist - sounds like it was a shit design. It took us a while to decide what sort of layout we wanted and ended up with a Vango Kela. It inflates in a couple of minutes and there's an adjoining "passage" between the awning and the van which means you're not having to go through it to get out. Re-parking the van is a bit of an art though. I've seen folk deploy a tape "runway" they drive along to get it lined up properly. I've always managed to get it within a couple of cm either way - which is close enough not to have any problems. Sitting in the awning is always brighter than sitting in a van too.

if one of you is away in the van the other can wait in the awning

Ah yes - we've done that on occasion too.

I guess it also provides additional sleeping space for the occasional guest, not thet we've had to use ours like that.

I bought a used fiamma for 80 quid.

It's handy but I'd not have paid 800 quid for it.

If you’re one of those people who see caravanning/ camping as an activity in its own right then ignore what I wrote above, you’ll love it. If however you have better things to do than fanny about with camping equipment, then get a rollout:-)

Or get a better / different awning?
We use a Shelterpod (sp?) with our low budget camper. Works well for us so far. We use a magnetc attachment (plus a couple of straps thrown over the van when needed) which means you dont need to be TOTALLY perfect when parking back up - but you do need to be able to park reasonably accurately (I mark where the wheels need to go with a couple of tent pegs - not hard to get the van back where it should be really).

Got friends with a roll out awning and it's nice in summer conditions Super quick to set up, always with you and (really importantly) super quick to put away. Which has to be done in anything approaching a decent wind.
I can see the benefits - just not for the UK in the conditions that we use our van in.

Horses for courses and all that - but to dismiss all drive away awnings as for people who only want to fanny about with camping equipment simply because you couldnt make the one you bought work for you as an awning? Seems a bit blinkered to put it mildly.

Wind out awnings are great in theory but have definite limitations. Mine winds out manually from the side of the motorhome. It gets used a handful of times a year as a sun shade if its baking hot. It's approx 5 m long & can extend out about 3m. It can be supported on legs directly onto the side of the vehicle out to about 1.5m, any further and the legs need to go onto the ground. I've got all the tie-downs and other gadgets for securing the thing down, but if there's any wind and it starts flapping it needs putting away. My two metre kite can lift me off the ground and fully extended the awning is 15 sq m so you can see the issue & the potential forces involved. I've seen about ten of these things flicked up over the top of various motorhomes by fairly light winds & the damage to the vehicle can be spectacular. Great asset in the right conditions & if you invest in the zip-in sides this can help with the flapping and the risk of a gust catching the thing. I'd never leave it extended unattended or at night. Great for sitting under in the right conditions but needs watching.

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The best awning is the one you will use. I have done loads of overlanding with a fiammi (constantly moving and different site every night) and it came out at every lunch/coffee break, either as shelter from sun or rain. Literally seconds to deploy and even less to put back. Although we had the sides they were only used once!. Have also traveled with more complex awnings (I currently have a 270 degree foxwing awning on my van) which only comes out for prolonged stops on campsites as they are a right faff to put up/take down. Have also used freestanding awnings which are great if you are staying on the same site for several days, but rubbish for anything else. Pays your money and takes your choice.

We had one on the T5 and found it really handy for sheltering from the rain or sun. It kind of extended the useful space of the van, handy to hide under when it was raining & the door of the van was open. Never had an issue with flapping / damage etc and it took seconds to put up.

I always thought we’d put one on the new camper which is a Citroen Relay but didn’t get around to it and after using it a lot over the last 2+ years haven’t missed it at all. I think because the van is bigger we don’t need to make extra space, I think we spend a lot more time in the van, with the door open than did it the smaller T5.

So in summary, it depends 🤔

I had both an air inflatable drive away and a wind out for my T6.
I didn’t have the issues listed above and for multi day stays in the same pitch they make sense. They a bit of a faff though compared to the wind out. Lining up the van after you’ve returned…but I’ll also add I’m the opposite of a driving god so that’s probably down to my shoddy parking skills! I also hated having to dry out the tent after a wet week away. But that was down to lack of space, I’d have to leave it drying in the garage and it took up a lot of space.

I’d say it depends on your requirements. If it’s multiple nights in the same place, then I’d go with the drive away. For just rocking up and wanting a bit of extra space / cover while making food and eating, then wind out.

We added a couple of stainless steel hooks (motorbike helmet locks from a bike I used to own) to the unistrut on top of our Sprinter. A sail attaches to these, two king poles for height and it all weighs bugger all.

So I say yes, awnings are great for outdoor cooking in showery conditions, which, lets face it is pretty normal UK weather. Also nice to be able to hide from the sun on really fierce days.

Considered a wind out but ended up with a Berghaus inflatable 4x4m Airshelter. Up and down in minutes. Sides can be opened or closed, net curtails, usable outdoor stable and windproof space. Stash stuff in it. Cook in it. Driva away / return and no reconnection challenges.

Got a Fiamma F35 and a Vango Keela for my 1974 VW T2. The Keela is great when you’re spending more than a couple of days at one spot, but generally don’t bother if only one night - it has survived 50mph winds. The Fiamma is better for day trips and events - also have front and sides- but does need staking out in even moderate winds. Did have it blown over by a gust whilst taking it down - luckily Fiamma spares readily available.

Lining up the van after you’ve returned

We leave our levelling blocks in place to line up with. If we haven't used the blocks I just place them end on to the front wheels, reverse out and drive straight back in. It does take a few goes sometimes!

I think, in an ideal world, you'd probably have both a spacious, drive-away awning for long-stay campsite stuff - the Vango inflatable ones are ace ime, but bulky and expensive, not something you want in your van full time - and some sort of lighter, quick to deploy, sun/drizzle shelter.

We kind of jerry rig the latter with a tarp and some random poles and it's fine, if a bit less slick - though a lot cheaper - than an integrated, roll-out thing. Maybe you could start with something like that, see how useful it actually is, and consider upgrading if it turns out to be something that fits neatly with real world experience?

Ultimately it's going to come down to how and where you use your van, which may not quite be apparent until you use it.

It's good to have something else if it rains the inside gets soaked whenever you open the door. Weve got one of these https://www.kiravans.co.uk/products/kiravans-railsail. I't does wind pretty well with some thought. I'd rather have an open one like that, an open popup type thing, or a wind out. I'd rather use nothing than an attachable tent. We thought we needed one, used it 3 times, then it sat in the garage tor 3 years until I finally ebayed it. But as above, some like them.

Can you have both?
I've got one of those bagged roll outs and a full tent arrangement for a caravan, so the same but different.
If we're stopping for more than a couple of days and the weather looks like it might be too breezy/bad, i take the tent and it stays up the whole duration of the stay.
Otherwise i leave the awning on the caravan, and roll it in and out as needed.
Only takes ~20 minutes to swap between the two, and i'm guessing a drive away awning is a lot faster to put up than the 20 year old steel framed tent i have for the caravan.

How big is your van Hannah? We still have an inflatable awning from our T4 that is curved to sit next to the van rather actually fastening to it which we need to sell.

We had one on the van from new. In hindsight it could have done with been a metre longer. Gets used most of the time in the UK at race events for something to work under on the bike. At races and on holidays when used it needs to be tied down with the storm strap and we use marquee pegs.

[img] [/img]

When Abigale takes the Tourneo she uses the Decathlon driveaway as it gives more space but takes a bit longer to put up and take down

[img] [/img]

but to dismiss all drive away awnings as for people who only want to fanny about with camping equipment ...? Seems a bit blinkered to put it mildly.

She asked for opinions I'm giving mine. And besides the following is way too much hassle for me...

We use a magnetc attachment (plus a couple of straps thrown over the van when needed) which means you dont need to be TOTALLY perfect when parking back up – but you do need to be able to park reasonably accurately (I mark where the wheels need to go with a couple of tent pegs

If it works for you then great. Stick it in the thread and Hannah can make a decision based on all the inputs 🙂

simply because you couldnt make the one you bought work for you as an awning

I did make it work, by parking it 4m from the van 🙂

When I had the van, I had a C-channel on the side for the small drive-away awning we had (and I think still have in a cupboard) and it was a useful place to sit outside if the weather was a bit shit, or the dogs wanted to be with us.

The C-channel was also useful for bodging on a normal awning or a tarp. I had a couple of extendable poles that seemed to work well enough with some guy ropes for a sun shade.

She asked for opinions I’m giving mine.

And at the same time implying that only people who like messing about with kit as they have nothing better to do could possibly find one useful? Like I said - bit blinkered.

If it works for you then great. Stick it in the thread

Yeh, you may have somehow missed it, but that's what I did.

I did make it work, by parking it 4m from the van 🙂

So you didn't make it work as an awning then? You use it as tent. 🙂
Which is an option, but if you're doing that then obviously you'd be better off with a tent as they wont have any of the compromises that drive away awnings have and will probably be cheaper than an awning of a simlar size (although I've not looked at tent prices in years - so that may be rubbish!).

I think, in an ideal world, you’d probably have both a spacious, drive-away awning for long-stay campsite stuff – the Vango inflatable ones are ace ime, but bulky and expensive, not something you want in your van full time – and some sort of lighter, quick to deploy, sun/drizzle shelter.

Indeed, and this is what we have. Little one lives in the van as it packs down to the size of your standard 'deckchair in a bag' (if not a bit smaller), big one (not that big though, see below) comes with us if we're away for more than three nights

Light, quick to deploy, pretty inexpensive

https://www.funkyleisure.co.uk/sun-canopy-awnings-200-c.asp

Bigger/driveaway - pays your money, takes your choice. Ours was pretty cheap and uses poles not airbeam, the cheapness shows in some ways build quality wise but it works fine for us. It's not massive either, probably about the size of the interior of the van again, and we don't mess about with carpets/groundsheets, so it goes into a not-enormous bag. It's an older version of this

https://www.wowcamping.co.uk/productDetail/easy-camp-shamrock-drive-away-awning-2023/

IMO it all depends on your intended use. Driveaway awning great for longer stays in one location due to the extra faff involved, but gives you much more usable space compared to a simple wind out awning. However, wind out awning is sooooo quick and easy to use. At a cost.

We had a Khyam pop-up driveaway awning for longer stays plus a simple sun canopy that slide into some C-channel with adjustable poles. A bit more faff than a wind out but far cheaper, and but far less faff than a driveaway awning.

Then - because you can never own too much camping shite - we bought a hOutdoor Revolution Tech Canopy, the older version of THIS. Basically an awning without a front, or a sun canopy with proper sides, depending on your viewpoint. The sides made it much more usable than just a roof, it was less faff to use than the full driveaway but more than a wind out would be.

If I was doing it again I'd save for a wind out for the ease of use, PLUS have some sort of driveaway awning for longer stays.

We use a SheltaPod on our Caravelle when stopping for a weekend or more. Attaches to a C-rail in the roof gutter. Its very much a tent/awning hybrid, providing shelter, storage and seating space. It was also more comfortable sleeping in it when there were two of us than on the Caravelle bed and my wife was suffering from a knee injury.
Recently purchased a lwb VW Shuttle and I'm waiting on new awning rails being delivered this week.
I'm considering a simple awning like the kiravans railsail, or Wild Earth awning, or Debus sun canopy

Another issue with a wind-out awning is that it advertises your vehicle as a camper, which may make it attractive to the wrong type of people, and it is much heavier and will increase fule consumption

Which is an option, but if you’re doing that then obviously you’d be better off with a tent as they wont have any of the compromises that drive away awnings have and will probably be cheaper than an awning of a simlar size

Yep, totally agree. Big arsed tent FTW

On some campsites they won't let you use a separate tent as an "awning", it has to be attached directly to the van (this means we can't use our old Decathlon Base to store crap in).  It started before COVID at some sites but then the self-contained rules made it easy to enforce. I think it's faulty way to deter riff-raff from getting on campsites but even riff-raff can have lots of cash and toys.

We have a driveaway awning which is great but only use if we are staying 2+ nights. We have a side rail (that we use for the awning) and I have a Stitches and Steel awning i can slide in there. Hardly use it as we are out all day walking so dont leave it up in case the wind gets up. They dont provide much protection from cold or wind and I wouldnt be bothered putting it up just for a few hours in the evening just to take down before bed (see above reason) so really they are not that practical for us. I certainly wouldnt pay big money for a permanent one on the side of my van.

Hardly use it as we are out all day walking so dont leave it up in case the wind gets up. They dont provide much protection from cold or wind and I wouldnt be bothered putting it up just for a few hours in the evening just to take down before bed (see above reason)

Worth saying that the sheet awning I linked to is really sturdy in wind/rain as you can adjust the poles/guys so it's going nowhere.

Another thing to consider with the drive-away is that they tend to have one big slabby side (where it adjoins the van). Can be an issue if it's very windy and the van isn't there to shelter it.

On some campsites they won’t let you use a separate tent as an “awning”, it has to be attached directly to the van

Ah yes, that's definitely a thing too in some places.

I’ve got a few options depending on length of stay/expected weather.
Fiamma Caravan Store with side, Outwell VW Camper Trip Air and a Outwell Hillcrest Tarp (middle bottom pic) That is really good for a quick shelter from sun /rain.
All of them also give you somewhere to put a clothesline to dry towels etc.

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I'm in the have both camp. The order in which you buy them depends on how many nights you stay in one place I think.

Years ago we had a Renault Trafic campervan and it was only used for short stops so the roll out awning made sense. Kept us out of the sun and occasionally was really nice in summer downpours.

Now we have a small camper and need extra sleeping space so we have a decathlon air awning which is a very useful space when the weather is a bit poor but as others have said it takes up space and is more of a faff. Very handy for leaving things in when you go out. It is surprising how well these things stand up to winds as well.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/6-person-inflatable-camping-shelter-air-seconds-base-connect/_/R-p-310023?mc=8561168

I've got a Stitchesandsteel.com Bawdsey inflatable awning. Quick to put up and gives enough shelter for a couple as long as the rains not coming in sideways. Self supporting when pumped up as well, the guys just stop it taking off in the wind.

Doesn't any awning with a flat roof result in either (a) a central puddle or (b) a gutter effect off one corner? I guess it's not too bad if it's draining away from the van. That curved S&S one looks to avoid the (possibly imagined) problem.

I use a driveaway, just basically a free standing tent. Sacked the rail off and just tied cord to the flappy side and chucked it over van roof and tie onto wheels. It's lasted 13 years with no problems though and gaffer tape has fixed its age issues. Put it up in 10 minutes. Just use it as a dining room, bike store really. Cheap tent = more money for bikes and holidays! Unlikely to want to stay on campsites that have issues with this, it's camping!

<p>We have a simple tarp, f35pro and full vango airbeam awning.</p><p>most used is the f35pro to be honest. Quick to set up and take down. Provides shelter from rain, we also use a blocker panel for extra protection in sideways rain. Airbeam is good if staying put for a week or so but we rarely do that these days.</p><p> </p>

Have seen too many awnings either kill themselves, nearly kill someone or damage a vehicle. Saw one ripped from the side by a branch.

Driveways are a faff.

Use a decathlon tarp with extra long poles. Find it is more versatile. Usually stand out away from the van to provide shade and/or wind protection. Have suction cups if I want to attach it to the van to cover sliding door from the rain if we wanted, but rarely do.

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I had this debate with the new van...

The old van had a Fiamma wind out awning that we did use in Europe and when it was properly hot.

Without sounding overly shallow, I cannot stand how they look. You have a nice looking van and you whack something that looks like those things plumbers use to carry pipe in on the side.

Very handily some friends had a drive away inflatable awning tent thing they wanted out of their spare room which they gave to us.

However, it is bloody massive (it's a cylinder that is 4ft long by about 1.5ft) when packed away and I tried using it with magnetic Kador rails but they weren't great in anything over a light breeze so I got a proper Reimo Multirail fitted.

The driveaway awning is overkill for most trips and the time it takes to pull up and down means that unless you're staying somewhere for a week it's not worth the hassle.

For shorter trips or when it's just the kids and I going somewhere to ride bikes we have a Debus Sun Canopy which packs down to the size of a couple of baguettes.

The multirail and sun canopy seems to be the best mix of function and aesthetics.

I have a drive away awning and a sun canopy awning. Latter is very quick to put up but obviously not as convenient as an attached awning

We use the drive away awning a lot when camping with the family.

I have thought about buying an attached awning but put off by costs

Have seen too many awnings either kill themselves, nearly kill someone or damage a vehicle. Saw one ripped from the side by a branch.

In ten years i've seen exactly no awnings kill themselves, someone else or damage a vehicle.

Well, except for that time a storm hit the campsite, the upside down caravans were more of an issue than ripped awnings...

Funnily enough I saw just that happen a couple of weekends ago in Patterdale. Guy (didnt look competent)nearby was pulling the awning out of the roll on the side of his van, the wind caught it and flipped it over the top with attached poles whacking his van several times then bending. Tried to help him but it looked like an expensive mess....

We have a huge blow up awning which is great but as I said above its too much effort for less than 3 nights. I had a Decathlon blow up one which you could sling over the top of the van, didnt have an awning fitment and it was quite good. Sold it when we got this one and regret it a bit. Now looking for a teeny tiny awning just big enough to keep us and the dogs warm of an evening when it gets chilly without us having to climb into the van at 7pm when we get a bit cold...

Hiya,

We use a Isabella Sun canopy attached to the awning rail of our camper van, works really well, rain or shine, so well in fact that we never use our Vango Airbeam Awning because it is too much hassle to use, in comparison.

https://www.awnings.co.uk/isabella-shadow-touring-sun-canopy.html

You can get them for £176 and ours has lasted 4 years with little to no maintenance, We used in Scotland and France with the differing climates. It can handle quite some heavy winds, its too much easy to fold up and store.

BTW we use a pop up tent for storage as between the two far better for two person camper-vanning, now the sproggit has flow the roost 😉

JeZ

In ten years i’ve seen exactly no awnings kill themselves, someone else or damage a vehicle.

It was a classic bit of STW hyperbole that wasn't it?

Wouldn't be without a wind out awning, but, as people have said, you need to keep an eye on weather, both heavy rain and strong winds. That being said they are quick to put out / in and can also be wound out half a meter to protect the door area.

Our proper drive away awning has only been used three times I think. It's quite a lot of faff so only gets used if it's a two night stay or more

I have a tarp/canopy (the Debus one) that can be attached pretty quickly so has been used for single nights or even the odd proper stop (i.e. a lunchtime stop)

I do like the idea of a roll out awning but agree that they don't like very nice. Would be even quicker to use than the tarp

My van is a Kombi with twin sliding doors and I have a c channel rail on both sides of the van. I can put the canopy on either side, which is really handy, and I can also use the awning on one side and the canopy on the other at the same time

The drive away awning is an inflatable Vango job and it's pretty big.

Anyone got a driveaway awning they want to sell?

We're thinking of getting one for our van.

@stwhannah - pretty clear then eh? &#x1f61c

FWIW, despite having the drive-away I'm tempted to rig up some sort of tarp that would use the existing channel. Mind you, given my DIY skills it's probably going to be better to just buy one recommended on this thread.

By the time I looked at the faff involved with attached the strip to the tarp, getting one the right size/shape (depends on your van), plus appropriate poles etc, it was easier to just buy one

Which sounds ridiculous considering how many tarps I already have!

Yep. Same story here.

When we had a van we had both a Kyham driveway awning if we were away for a few days and a tarp for overnights and weekends.
We could have got a tarp, got an awning strip sewn on etc. but went lazy and bought a funky leisure one.
It worked fine, quick to slide onto the rail etc. Still works now as a trap and poles now we don't have a van.
I think this is the current equivalent, ours is a blue one to match the old van:
https://www.funkyleisure.co.uk/debus-vw-t4t5t6-sun-canopy--anthracite-grey-6770-p.asp

I had a Decathlon blow up one which you could sling over the top of the van

I have one of these, bought it second hand from FB Marketplace for a couple of hundred quid in as new condition. I've used it a few times and no-one has died or even been mildly maimed.

I think it's the law when owning a VW van (T4 owner here) that you have a ridiculous amount of kit, much of which does the same job!.
As a result, I have an awning rail attached to the van (which actually is a necessity as saves the hassle of dealing with fixing awning of choice to the van). I then have:
Sun canopy - which i use if weather is good and only out for couple nights on my own or with wife.
Khyam quick erect (ooh) awning - which is brilliant, really big and is great to use if family holiday, longer breaks or when may need to use the van.
Smaller Awning - not a drive away but can use for few nights when dont plan to move van and just me and the wife are away.

Watching this topic with interest as I'm after an awning for our high top T4. It's already fitted with a rail. Looking for something to house the family (4 of us). We'll likely sleep in the van, adults on the r&r bed and the kids 'upstairs' but may consider the option of a bedroom in case it doesn't work out!

Intrigued to see peoples set ups as there's so much choice!

In that case you want to make sure that there's a corridor of some sort between the awning and the van, otherwise van-dwellers need to walk past awning-dwellers if they need a pee etc.

when we got our van it came with a Khyam Motordome that the previous owner described as divorce inducing. Haven't used it yet but plan to try it this weekend

Thanks folks, as always. Got a borrowed van with an awning to try next week so that might help inform things. New to us one lands the week after, exciting stuff!

Generally interesting thread, speaking as an active van researcher. We have a T6 booked for next week for our first ever van trip

What I’ve learnt is that awnings are as N+1 as bikes. I assumed you made a choice and stuck with it. How naive