Awning or tent on its own - debate?

How many campers out there have a tent rather than an awning attached to the van?

Which is better................?

I've just seen some fab deals on some great family tents and I'm torn now.................

As a novice camper, how much space do yoû get at most campsites to pitch your tent/awning plus parking your van?

I use my Khyam Motordome as an awning and as a stand alone unit. It depends on the trip and the company I'm in.

You can't beat the connection between Kombi and awning when it comes to the UK weather though: rain!

We have a tent. awning and a toilet tent and the toilet tent gets used the most.

We have a khyam tourer and I agree with Tim, a connection is good for wet weather!

I think most campsites would be able to fit a campervan and a free standing tent, i suppose it depends on the size of the tent. I wonder if it would be a different cost, camper and tent verses camper and awning. Maybe someone else can advise on that one?

My experience is that most campsites expect a campervan to have an awning and include that in the pitch price. Once you add more units, that's when the cost rises.

This is all good advice.

Question (and sorry it's a novice question!), but if you have a stand alone tent, dont you get charged for the van as well, as it'll be parked next to it?

Can you guys give an idea of what is an 'acceptable area of land' to cover????

Or is it different between sites................?

When you book your pitch, you would normally state that it's a campervan pitch that you're after. The general expectation of a campervan size would be approximately 5m x 2m. An accompanying awning (that you wouldn't have to pay extra for) would be approximately 3m x 3m.

Anything on top of that I would normally expect to pay extra for. But all campsites differ and if space isn't a premium you could get away with lots more.

Thanks Tim

We stay at Eastfleet in Weymouth a lot and the pitch size is 6m x 8m.

I would think that if you went with the tent you will eventually regret it. Having an attached awning comes in very handy. Plus if you want to use the awning as a tent you can. Not so easy using a tent as an awning

kiteman wrote:

I would think that if you went with the tent you will eventually regret it. Having an attached awning comes in very handy. Plus if you want to use the awning as a tent you can. Not so easy using a tent as an awning

Good point that. I've had my awning up in the garden as a tent for my girls.

Good idea. Thanks guys.

Can I ask, in addition to either the figure of 8 or pole and clamp, does anyone ever add extra ropes and tie them to the awning and then up and over the camper to put them in the ground on the other side??

EvoFylde wrote:

Good idea. Thanks guys.

Can I ask, in addition to either the figure of 8 or pole and clamp, does anyone ever add extra ropes and tie them to the awning and then up and over the camper to put them in the ground on the other side??

Nope! a) why? and b) ropes over your BraziBay?!! One word: paintwork!

It was just something a friend does over his motorhome to add more stability and even less chance of it all blowing away in high winds.

In our experience the figure of 8 always comes undone in windy conditions pole and clamp is the way to go.

TimV wrote:

paintwork!

I can hear the scratching now, make it stop, make it stop

Skytiger wrote:

In our experience the figure of 8 always comes undone in windy conditions pole and clamp is the way to go.

TimV wrote:

paintwork!

I can hear the scratching now, make it stop, make it stop

I know ... I'm breaking out into a sweat at just the thought of it!

EvoFylde wrote:

It was just something a friend does over his motorhome to add more stability and even less chance of it all blowing away in high winds.

There's a keyword in your sentence there .... MOTORHOME. You are part of a CAMPERVAN club! Totally different set of rules and attitude. Ish.

Only a motorhome owner would worry about his vehicle blowing away in the wind.

I use figure of eights with plastic inserts in them and they do not come off, only problem we have is when it rains it drips inside the van when the door is open where there is a join in the figure 8. The main reason for this is when my roof is up it is wide than the channels on the side of the van so all the water off the roof just drips straight into the van or onto awning. We very rarely join upto the van as you loose the fresh air, openess, and freedom we tend to use the canopy and toilet tent more.

We have an awning, and we find that when it is wet and windy, then the tunnel section has to come down as that is the weak spot which always fails.

Another thing to think about is parking up the camper to the awning needs pin point accuracy to get the damn thing in the right place.

Finally, a lot of the awning tunnels are set up for a left hand sliding door. We have a right hand sliding door, not a serious problem, but another pain in neck in parking up.

absquatulation wrote:

Finally, a lot of the awning tunnels are set up for a left hand sliding door. We have a right hand sliding door, not a serious problem, but another pain in neck in parking up.

I don't get it - surely you just have your awning to the rhs of your BraziBay and park whichever way is necessary, dependent on which side the area for your awning is?

I think what he means a lot of sites you pitch van to the right of the pitch then the awning to the left, which then means you have to drive into the pitch

Dennis wrote:

I think what he means a lot of sites you pitch van to the right of the pitch then the awning to the left, which then means you have to drive into the pitch

In all of the sites we've visited, we've never been told which side of the pitch to park. And in any case, what's the issue driving on?

Our awning (Outlaw from campershop.co.uk) has a telescopic 't' bar pole that supports the roof of the tunnel connection and helps any water to run straight off.

We use a pole and clamp and we've used it in some fairly serious rain and wind conditions without any problems although we should probably apply some seam sealer before we start using it in 2013.

Tallulah wrote:

In all of the sites we've visited, we've never been told which side of the pitch to park.

LAWBREAKERS!!

Me too.

The issue can be when you look out all you see is a hedge !!!!