Newbie mistake?

[bobupanddown]

 

[bobupanddown]

put the awning out and the wind got under it and ripped it
i had thought i could simply shorten it to the rip , but don’t think that will allow the arms to lock out
does anyone know best place to find a new awning fabric?
just wondering if i can go custom and have some choice words on it . many thanks bob

 

[Winger]

If you were not too fussy a company who make tarpaulins and curtain sides for lorries could repair it

 

[jockaneezer]

You can get repair tape specifically for those awnings. We bought a second hand one off ebay (but it was actually Brownhills who were selling it) Once I'd got it installed, we wound it out to find it had a similar tear which had been patched previously.
Contacted the seller and negotiated a partial refund.
We rarely wind it all the way out anyway.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Yes, as above, the arms do not need to be locked out. Luckily for us, our friends had a camper before us and did exactly that with the awning going over the top . We have therefore always been forewarned!

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[bobupanddown]

Oh i hadn’t realised the arms don’t need to fully extend, So i could go for my first thought of just shortening it , i did take the canopy to a local sheet maker and he said he could weld a patch on or make a new one but didn’t seem very keen to make new (awaiting price)
i’ve got a bit of a hankering for a safari room some time down the line so is i shorten it i guess that won’t work?
I didn’t anchor the legs down
when it ripped is it standard practice to so ?
thanks for your input regards bob

 

[Spriddler]

I didn’t anchor the legs down
when it ripped is it standard practice to so ?

Anchoring the legs with straps and pegs is not successful for anything but a light wind even then it will keep you awake at night with flapping and banging. I always wind mine in at night regardless of how calm it is when I turn in as squalls and winds can come up very quickly. You'll only need to experience fighting a thrashing awning at 2 a.m. in the pouring rain once.

As for the safari room...........fine if you intend stopping for a few days but they take up a lot of space (and payload) when not in use and consider why they are often advertised as 'Only used once' or 'New condition. Little used'.

 

[bobupanddown]

Thanks for this info
i had got the impression that safari rooms attracted new owners not old hands

 

[Lenny HB]

Hill View awnings can supply a new canvas they are not cheap.

 

[Swifter]

Thanks for this info
i had got the impression that safari rooms attracted new owners not old hands

If you get the safari room , please let me know where you are camping so I can come and watch . We had a couple opposite is at Ludlow attempt one . It was a truly amusing experience.

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[Lenny HB]

If you get the safari room , please let me know where you are camping so I can come and watch . We had a couple opposite is at Ludlow attempt one . It was a truly amusing experience.

Tuggers normally do a good caberet.

 

[PaulOH]

My van has no awning installed - sometimes I feel like I was the only one not to get one at the freebies conference.

I try to park door away from the sun but considering that Fiamma products are out of reach and there seems to be no such thing as secondhand, I was seriously considering one of these;

Marquesinas

EN STOCK : productos de Marquesinas al mejor precio. Gran oferta y entrega rápida en toda España.

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Don't know if it would rip (probably), not too sure of the weight (too heavy) or the practicality (super awkward), but at least I'd have the awning (toldo) I've never had??!

 

[irnbru]

Sorry you ripped your canopy. We used to have a safari room but too big n bulky. We now have windblockers from Lilly pad leisure, a good lightweight alternative and they would be easy to alter if you decide to shorten your canopy.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Oh i hadn’t realised the arms don’t need to fully extend, So i could go for my first thought of just shortening it , i did take the canopy to a local sheet maker and he said he could weld a patch on or make a new one but didn’t seem very keen to make new (awaiting price)
i’ve got a bit of a hankering for a safari room some time down the line so is i shorten it i guess that won’t work?
I didn’t anchor the legs down
when it ripped is it standard practice to so ?
thanks for your input regards bob

Like Spriddler said, anchor the legs and put straps on everytime. We never leave out if the wind gets up and very rarely overnight but if we are confident it is calm then we put the tensioning bars on to prevent booming of the awning.

 

[SM0129]

Replacement covers are quite easy to change.

PATIO DIY MANUAL AWNING GARDEN CANOPY SUN SHADE RETRACTABLE SHELTER TOP FABRIC | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PATIO DIY MANUAL AWNING GARDEN CANOPY SUN SHADE RETRACTABLE SHELTER TOP FABRIC at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

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[AndyPK]

put the awning out and the wind got under it and ripped it
i had thought i could simply shorten it to the rip , but don’t think that will allow the arms to lock out
does anyone know best place to find a new awning fabric?
just wondering if i can go custom and have some choice words on it . many thanks bob

Or, as an alternative, why not consider not putting the wind-out awning back on your ‘van, and fitting an awning rail instead….? That way you could attach any number of different awnings of your choice, from fully-enclosed ones (like a safari room then!) to open-fronted ‘porch awnings’ - not having the wind-out fitted would also save you some payload.

 

[bobupanddown]

Replacement covers are quite easy to change.

PATIO DIY MANUAL AWNING GARDEN CANOPY SUN SHADE RETRACTABLE SHELTER TOP FABRIC | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PATIO DIY MANUAL AWNING GARDEN CANOPY SUN SHADE RETRACTABLE SHELTER TOP FABRIC at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

Thanks but i’m struggling to find the size i need 5.85meter
i’ve only found one so far on back order and £750 which seems a lot to me for 20m2 of fabric?

 

[bobupanddown]

Or, as an alternative, why not consider not putting the wind-out awning back on your ‘van, and fitting an awning rail instead….? That way you could attach any number of different awnings of your choice, from fully-enclosed ones (like a safari room then!) to open-fronted ‘porch awnings’ - not having the wind-out fitted would also save you some payload.

that’s a thought but would like to
at least try living with it as was

 

[SM0129]

Thanks but i’m struggling to find the size i need 5.85meter
i’ve only found one so far on back order and £750 which seems a lot to me for 20m2 of fabric?

At that price I would consider making one myself- it is just some (suitable) material with a hem??? Sewn at each end that you can slide the tube in.

I had one on my house in France. The previous owner had left it unwound by a foot- this had gone rotten but the rest if the blind was fine. I took it off and my mother cut a foot off and sew a new hem/ slot in

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

If you get the safari room , please let me know where you are camping so I can come and watch . We had a couple opposite is at Ludlow attempt one . It was a truly amusing experience.

Conversely, watch DavidG58 erect his safari room, it’s like a slick, well oiled, military operation which completes remarkably quickly.

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[AndyPK]

At that price I would consider making one myself- it is just some (suitable) material with a hem??? Sewn at each end that you can slide the tube in.

I had one on my house in France. The previous owner had left it unwound by a foot- this had gone rotten but the rest if the blind was fine. I took it off and my mother cut a foot off and sew a new hem/ slot in

A bit extreme, don’t you think………?!?

 

[vin0114]

View attachment 622393

We haven't put the canopy out for ages because of the noise and rattling during the night and snow tearing damage. We tried a Safari room but what a hassle and ages to setup. Finished up with a Quest stand alone Screen House that goes up in minutes, only 7 pegs and solid as a rock - been in some very nasty gales without any problems but you have to peg down properly - it's very popular with funsters as can be seen on FUN events. Especially handy for cooking in and you have the option to drive off and leave it on your pitch. Also a much cheaper option against a professional repair.

 

[nicholsong]

Thanks for this info
i had got the impression that safari rooms attracted new owners not old hands

I think you could be right.

When I bought our Arto privately the owner wanted to sell me a safari room and said I would regret it if I did not buy it. I resisted. I have not regretted it.

 

[mikebeaches]

Our first van (used) came with an awning, but we only put it out once during first season - mostly to see what it was like.

We then bought a new van, which we swapped for another new van after five years. So we've had the current one 6 years. We haven't bothered with an awning on either of the new vans.

Have travelled extensively in southern Europe, and been perfectly OK.

Admittedly, there have been one or two occasions when I thought an awning might have been handy, but very infrequently for us.

I did try hanging a very lightweight nylon canopy left over from our camping days, attached to the hooks on the roof. Worked fine. Carried it in the van for six months in Spain (pre Brexit), but didn't use it. (note the folding aluminium step for reaching up to the roof ).

 

[bobupanddown]

At that price I would consider making one myself- it is just some (suitable) material with a hem??? Sewn at each end that you can slide the tube in.

I had one on my house in France. The previous owner had left it unwound by a foot- this had gone rotten but the rest if the blind was fine. I took it off and my mother cut a foot off and sew a new hem/ slot in

Yeah my ideal is to find the correct fabric in a size that’s right, local sheet maker could do the hemslot
so would save the mother in laws
limping,
i lived in a rv in usa for a year and would use the awning for sun shade, which is still in mind not for shelter from rain as might be case here

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[bobupanddown]

Thanks for everyone taking the time to give advice, it’s very much appreciated,
in most circumstances i don’t think the safari room would get much use as 747 has plenty of space for the 3 of us ,
but on some occasions i can see it being the mother ship for group camping festivals / motorsport
so fancy having one in my locker even if that locker is mostly at home

 

[Swifter]

Conversely, watch DavidG58 erect his safari room, it’s like a slick, well oiled, military operation which completes remarkably quickly.

No doubt with practise it can be done . The structure itself is very well designed . What sort of time does this take you to “ get it up “ DavidG58 ?

 

[DavidG58]

No doubt with practise it can be done . The structure itself is very well designed . What sort of time does this take you to “ get it up “ DavidG58 ?

Oddly even with increasing age , erection is happening more quickly , typically ready for use in 15-20 mins , but the real plus is how long it stays rigid without further attention

 

[Geistguy]

As previous posts - the rails don't need to be locked but you should have a separate adjustable, extendable bar for putting in the centre, this locks the awning in place and helps prevent run off in the rain.

 

[gus-lopez]

i’ve only found one so far on back order and £750 which seems a lot to me for 20m2 of fabric?

here it averages about 35€ per linear metre in 3m width .if you are a machinist you can just buy 6m linear & machine to suit .