Anyone who has an Eriba and doesn't regularly check the EribaFolk Forum is really daft, especially beginners like myself.

Like many others I bought the Kampa Pop Air awning when it first came out but due to dodgy hips have not had chance to put it up or try the gutter strip, beyond a very frustrating fifteen minutes trying to push the strip on. I now have a shiny new metal hip and have had the time recuperating to spend reading all the different threads about the Kampa, awning both the frustrations and the advice from those who seemed to be less unhappy.

Having been given the OK to do more I drew together the advice about fitting the strip to our Troll 540, including the bit about not cutting your wife's lip when the end flicks out!. To our amazement we had it unfurled and on the van in under 15 minutes. The key was the suggestion from I think Frantone and Finwoody about not trying to slide it on from the end.

Someones suggestion to open the fixing slightly wider with a small screwdriver worked really well. Kath held one end to the top guttering whilst I started from the other end. I sat the strip on top and then got my fingers behind the dtrip and simultaneously pulled it outwards and down and it just slid onto the rail.

Someone else suggested cycling gloves had helped so I put one on the hand I was pulling the strip down with - it needed a bit of strength but no lubricant of mallet was needed as it just fitted.

I was dead pleased with myself and then the heavy Lancashire rain started which was a blessing as I could get an umbrella and see how it worked. Within 5 minutes Deeps prediction about water running from the top gutter into the lower one came true and a stream of water pored down the outside of the van near the door - into the awning if it was up. So time to try his idea for blu-tac in the lower guttering below the drain hole and it worked a treat in re-directing the water directly down from the hole away from the awning..

Without the honest sharing of knowledge and tips from our more experienced members I would have probably been still standing in the rain, with sore hands and scratching my head.. Thanks to everyone who contributes and long may it continue. Now to trying the awning! MikeT

sorry Colin - its the medication it effects my memory! MikeT

Quote: eribaMotters wrote in post #2

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Don't give that honourable gent Deeps all the credit, I know he is a genius but I thought bluetack was my idea. Glad it worked.

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It was nice knowing you ! 😱

Are we reading the same forum pages, Roger? No scrapping that I can see; on the contrary, lots of backslapping.

We bought the Kampa Pop Up for our brand new (and absolutely brilliant!!) 320GT - and then read about all the problems. As advised, we also bought the plastic strip - for £30!
Well not fancying the the look of the strip very much we thought we’d see how things went without it. We spent 3 weeks in France in September and experienced some biblical rain in the Massive Central. Maybe we’ve just been lucky but we had no drainage/overflow problems and the connection bead stayed in it’s tracks at both ends. And the awning was just fab. Had we read the comments on the forum before buying we’d probably have bought something else - which would have been a huge mistake!
Anyone want to buy a length of ugly plastic strip??

Quote: Codders wrote in post #8

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As advised, we also bought the plastic strip - for £30! Well not fancying the the look of the strip very much we thought we’d see how things went without it.
Anyone want to buy a length of ugly plastic strip??

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Most good quality awnings need the first down poor to make the material weave close up and become more water resistant. I don't use a water strip on the gutter of my AL/NR porch awning and I don't get any leaks from the awning attachment.

As a matter of interest what year is your Familia, the shorter Eribas seem to fair better with the Kampa awning regarding the fit?