I don't see a justification for charging for an awning as you're not costing the site owner any more than you would if you didn't have one.

Hi Monoboard

I no longer try to use the PopAir on grass pitches because of uneven ground and always use on a hardstanding.

If you are on a hardstanding you need to buy some Hard Ground pegs - the ones that come with awnings are only usually any use for grass (and then not if the ground is baked)

I quite like the Hard Ground tent pegs that Aldi sell for £7.99 in a box of 20. I get a new box each year to ensure that we have enough for our various awnings and tents. The Range do something similar.

Some people like the hard ground pegs with a thread that come with a head that you can use a drill to screw in and out of the ground. I,ve stopped using them as I find them a pain.

I have just got a new box of pegs from Aldi this week & I will attempt to attach a photo

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MikeT

Quote: eribaMotters wrote in post #31

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Likewise. C&MC do not charge, but CL's and independent sites often do. This is another one of the filters I use when deciding who will get by business and hard earned cash.
Colin

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Heck Poptop320 that takes me back - the age of innuendo
MikeT

Hi Mike T

It does seem a bit of a bugger(pardon my French) when a new air awning wont cope with uneven ground with in reason. 90% of the time i use CL sites for somewhere quiet. As you can see from this pic I've got a levelling wedge under the wheel so of course the awning rail is higher & probably more at one end than the the other. Does anyone think the air awnings will cope with this?

Hi Colin

I hear what your saying, we had it facing the sea view tho. Nice when we had the table & chairs + vino out

hi Monoboard

This is how Kampa struggled on a really uneven grass pitch in North Wales. The site was very busy but they had saved the last electric hook up for us but the grass was undulating like a roller coaster.

You can see from the photos why we ended up putting the awning back in the car...............and why we now book hardstandings

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MikeT

Well there’s no polite way to put this, i thought the air pop was daylight robbery for the 290 at £825 + the extras compared with the vango go outdoors air version at £250. BUT of course the air pop has the multiple air beams so a higher ceiling & far nicer looking place to sit & better looking with the side windows & hopefully no water pooling in the roof. I’d want a local dealer (with in reason) so if there’s any problems I’m not trying to post a very expensive brick to the other end of the country. Can’t find a dealer anywhere near Cumbria & now I find out they can’t cope with a slight undulation. The picture of our last outing was one of our more level cl sites. I’m going to Scotland at some point for a week on a site & all reviews say take levelling devices. So that now looks like I’m back to square one, I had been thinking I’d have to buy a Air pop, now it’s looking unlikely
On the picture with the gravel not only is the wheel on a wedge but from the back of the caravan to the front is also a slight difference and on the picture on the grass the ground is dropping away

I would also be tempted to pitch so the door was always on the higher side and the step wasn't too deep.

The trouble is with the door to the high side I’d normally be looking into a hedge or wall, the view from the grassy pitch was stunning which changed from morning to evening

We've had the following :

Soplair (with our previous Triton) lovely for long stays, which we don't really do,a frab to put up and a pain to dry in a wet pack. In twelve years I think we put it up four times - we let it go with the van when we sold it.
Khyam Motordome - bought shortly after discovering the frab with the soplair. The tunnel connection often looks like Norah Batty's stockings but oh the ease of putting it up (and down) being freestanding it's as level as the ground it stands on and no worries about drying it out at home after a wet pack. Now in it's 15th year it needs to have the eyebrow canopy (second roof) that we bought for £30 to protect the roof from the UV degradation it has inevitably suffered but it has stood up unbowed to some of the worst weather mid Wales and the Northumberland coast can throw at it and we fully intend to replace it with a Khyam Dub Hub or similar when this one finally gives up.

Isabella canopy - came with our Troll and frequently used for overnight stops lovely simple piece of kit we don't leave home without it.

PopAir Pro - also came with the van used it once - hated almost everything about it (exception was the lovely big sturdy bag it came in) too heavy, not enough ventilation in hot weather, poor curtain/blind design needed a perfectly level pitch to look anything like decent - sold it
Also have a skirted fishing umbrella which is just big enough for two chairs and a small table this comes with us on almost every trip for the wind protection it provides.
We love the look of the Unico Bologna but cannot justify the outlay knowing that for our style of touring we wouldn't get enough use out of it but for extended stops it looks the bees knees.

So that's our rundown we liked the theory of air awnings but didn't get on with the one we had at all

Denise & Phil

I'm assuming that it's a fixed bed van without a nearside window then.

No it’s not a fixed bed but when we have table & chairs out for drinks & meals we wouldn’t want to have to walk round the caravan for every in out or put it with the table & chairs facing a wall or hedges. It just always seems to work that if the door is facing the view we need to use a levelling wedge. I do like our shadow canopy for what is. For me the whole thing about the eriba is a simple life on nice little cl sites with stunning views & not fighting trying to put a 1970’ frame tent on the side of my caravan. Certain leisure products, the values seem to be all over, I can get a complete vango air awning from go out doors for £250 and yet Isabella windbreak Flex thing thing can be £200+ For a windbreak!,!There’s no rhyme or reason. Looks like my week in Scotland will be just under a shadow sun canopy with either wind for company or midges😂