Sorry... I have read all the threads on awnings and I am finding it now even more difficult to choose one!!

Firstly, I know its a bit silly but our awning must be grey... don't want to spoil the looks of 'Team Silver' now do we?!
Secondly, we would like for one of us to be able to put it up on our own... well actually, the old man likes to be left on his own to set up camp with his own order of doing things (is this common?!). I usually go explore the site/area, find the shops etc. (or unpack a chair and open a bottle of wine ). Even with 2 it is handy to be able to put it up very quickly as we often arrive on sites late in the day.

I like the Unicos and a video on youtube shows they seem to be easy to put up, but anyone know the difference between the Bologna awning and the Verona sun canopy? I can see the Verona is a bit smaller in depth and has an angled front, making the space a bit less usable in the rain, but is it just as strong/robust and weatherproof? The words 'sun canopy' worry me! We have a newly replaced Fiamma wind out 'sun canopy' on the T5 and are paranoid about wind and rain when its out after its predecessor was blown off the T5 during a storm in Slovenia, wrecking it and damaging the van .

I also like the Walker one (not as much as the Unicos) but how easy are they to put up? Can one on their own do it? Anyone able to offer a comparison between the Unico and the Walker in this respect?

These things are so expensive we don't want to make a mistake. Likewise I don't want us to spend a bit less and then wish we'd spent a bit more. We are unlikely to camp in the winter but we do like the Alps and mountain areas generally, so any awning has got to be quite robust, as the weather can be so changeable.

Happy Friday!

Hi Lesley & Simon we have a Van der horn sneek it ,s the same as a Walker and it would be a pain to put up by oneself it is a sturdy and well made bit of kit ,and easy with two people ,

Hi Leslie and Simon,
We were your neighbours at The Appletree Eribafolk do.
If it's 'robust' you want then it has to be the Unico Bologna.
As Randa will testify, ours stood up to the mistral comfortably.
It is not really a single person job to erect but I bet it could be done. The hardest part would be threading the fabric through the awning channel.
It is significantly heavier and stronger than the other awnings which is why it is more expensive but also more weather proof. It has great design features such as removable mud walls, roll up curtains and opening vents in the front.
The pictures in the awning album in the gallery show ours but without the front wall in place.
Ask away for any other info.
Tony and Frances.

Thankyou guys.

Hi Tony, of course we remember you from Appletree... hic . I was hoping you were back from the US to reply to this, as I saw from the Eribafolk photo albums already that you had a Bologna (we hope you had a lovely time in the US by the way ). At Appletree, of course being UK summer, we just had the wind out awnings in use but yes, the mistral et al need something a bit more robust! ......and this summer France, Switzerland and Northern Italy showed just how brutal the weather can be even in high summer. I like the curve shape of the Verona/Bologna, which looks like less of what I call 'broomstick patrol' is necessary to keep the rain from pooling (which is tedious at like 2 am!).

When I watched the video of the Verona being erected I thought that maybe I (as the tall one!!) might be required to help thread the fabric through the caravan awning channel, but it seemed that then maybe the old man could busy himself with the rest himself, certainly until fitting the front wall, whilst I did the shopping etc. I assume that the Bologna is similar? I see you also have the sun canopy extra too, but how useful is it? It makes the whole thing quite big. Do you get it all on most of the continental sites together with your car? I realise that you wont have room for all that on a med view site or anything with a view in Italy but is it worth the extra investment? We have the wind out on the van, so maybe we don't actually need that.

Really appreciate the help guys :) We are winterising the Triton this weekend but, as its on our drive, we may still just whisk away in it before spring. We need the awning chosen and purchased before we head to Spain/Portugal for maybe 4 months April 2015.

Gawd I love my vans

image.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Here's the Bologna with the front wall in.
On a tight pitch this is how we would configure the awning but in general we have managed the full set up almost everywhere.
I will put some more pics in the awning album.
TonyP

THAT is a very smart awning ! (especially the colour).

look what is behind Frantone to right

nice awning
what is the errrm setting up / build time for a full awning like that.

Which pic?

the one in post 5 this thread
sorry should of said

We reckon it takes us 30 minutes to build the full awning. It then takes another 15 to 30 minutes to put all the pegs in.
Often we don't bother with all the pegs but in windy weather it is the pegs which give the awning much of its stability.

The other Eriiba in the pic in post #5 is one of 60 or 70 other Eribas attending the EOC rally at Charmouth earlier this year.
TonyP

Thanks for all the help guys. Anyone help with the erection time for a Walker? roughly? with an indication as to the ease of putting one up - looks more complicated than the Bologna, but maybe it's not.

Well we are hardly old in our mid 50's (although it occasionally feels like it!) and manage without a mover. At 6' feet 1", I come in handy impersonating a tree whilst holding poles up etc.

Now we've retired proper, we wont be doing all the Euro overnighters we used to - to cram as much into 3 or 4 weeks annual leave. We wouldn't put an awning up unless we'd be staying like 4 days or more or really bad weather. So erection time isn't necessarily a problem but we don't want it to be *really* tedious.

Not actually had a Walker but did have a Van derHorn Sneek which is the same construction.
The Bologna is definitely a simpler construction with fewer frame parts than the Walker.
I'm sure it would be helpful if you could see ours. We will be putting it up somewhere next week, not quite sure where but possibly Bucks and then again 21st November in the Winchester area. Any use to you?

Hi Tony,

that would be really useful, thanks. We have family in Brockenhurst we will need to visit with Christmas pressies and fayre etc, so we might be able to do a round robin 21st November. I'll get back to you on that if I may but also let us know your plans for next week too - the weather is so good/mild at the moment we'd like to take any opportunity to get away.

You and Frances seem to be just like us, active all weather campers, so what suits you is likely to suit us. I'd just like to be sure of the right choice if I can.

Thanks v much for your help :) It is much appreciated.