Awnings - to buy or not to buy?

Many people buy a Motorhome and have seen people using awnings of different types, and assume that they're a necessary accessory. I'm here to tell you they're not. Well, they might be, but be sure you really need one before flashing the credit card.

Awning types

Covered outdoor space for a Motorhome falls into broadly four categories

Wind-out awnings (canopies)

These are attached to the side of the Motorhome, and wind out a bit like a roller blind. The edge furthest from the Motorhome will be supported on legs that fold out and extend from the edge of the awning, and should be pegged down.

Pros:

• Quick and easy to wind out and back again in response to changing needs or weather conditions

Cons:

• Permanently (to all intents and purposes) attach to the Motorhome, so they're always part of your payload.

• Can usually only be fixed in a particular position, where there's enough strength in the bodywork to support their weight

• Should not be left out in windy or wet conditions. They can be used in light, non-windy rain - drop one corner to make sure the water can run off easily - but should always be dried out after use to prevent mildew.

The most common brands are Omnistor, Thule and Fiamma.

These awnings almost always have a channel on the outside edge into which you can thread a connecting tape and "figure 8" connecting strip to attach a privacy panel, reaching from the awning to the ground.

You can also get side panels for them to convert the space to an outdoor room. These can be anything from more lightweight panels, with a pole to hang them from to a heavyweight, sealed "Safari Room" - usually made by the same manufacturer as the canopy, and you'll also probably want a short "skirt" to stop the wind whistling from underneath the Motorhome if you want to keep it cosy.

Lightweight front and/or side panels

Pros:

• Fold down small and lightweight (typically no more than a tote bag that you can lift with one finger for a full set), so you can afford to carry them everywhere, and decide whether or not to use them.

• Light weight makes them easy to put up and remove any time you need to drive somewhere

Cons:

• Only suitable as shade or a windbreak. Not robust enough to keep the outdoor space warm.

Full Safari rooms

Pros:

• Cosy enough (when used with a skirt on the Motorhome) to make additional warm outdoor space.

Cons:

• Heavy and bulky to store, so unless you have loads of garage space, you'll really need to decide ahead of each trip whether to take them or not ... and use them if you do

• More time-consuming and difficult to put up and take down, so less suitable if you want to take your Motorhome out for day trips while you're away

Drive-away awnings

As the name implies, these are like a tent, but with an additional shaped panel that attaches to your motorhome (or via straps thrown over the Motorhome and pegged down on the far side) to form a tunnel from the tent part to your habitation door.

Pros:

• Largely weatherproof space expanding the enclosed space on your pitch

• Can easily be disconnected and left behind when taking the Motorhome out for the day

• Act as an obvious pitch marker when you're not there

• Good for expanding usable space if you have a small Motorhome / Campervan

Cons:

• May be bulky / heavy to carry (depending on style) and take a while to put up - so like Safari Rooms you probably need to decide whether or not to take it with you, and use it if you do

• If taken down when wet, they must be put up (or hung up) somewhere to dry when you get home, otherwise they'll develop mildew

• Design need to be tall enough to allow the hinged habitation door of coachbuilt or A-class motorhomes to open into the tunnel

Air awnings

These are increasingly popular with caravan and motorhome owners. You use a pump to blow up the supports, which are air-filled tubes rather than metal struts to form the rigid parts of the structure.

Pros:

• More lightweight to carry and easier to put up than driveaway awnings

Cons:

• Have to be taken down when you want to drive the vehicle

• If taken down when wet, they must be put up (or hung up) somewhere to dry when you get home, otherwise they'll develop mildew

• Design need to be tall enough to allow the hinged habitation door of coachbuilt or A-class motorhomes to open into the tunnel

Standalone covered spaces

This is a broad category, covering anything from a lightweight pop-up toilet tent (think of these as a mobile shed, for storing things in, rather than for sitting in) to a large gazebo.

Pros:

• Can be left behind when you drive the vehicle

• Act as an obvious pitch marker when you're not there

• Can be whatever size you need, from tiny to as big as a standard camping pitch can take, without needing to "fit" your Motorhome

Cons:

• Not attached to the Motorhome, so doesn't act as a protective porch

• Depending on design and size, may be heavy and bulky to transport, so you may need to decide whether or not to take it with you, and use it if you do

What do we use?

When we had our first two panel van conversions, we were mostly going to weekend canine competitions, camping in a field with minimal facilities, and with dogs. We had a drive-away awning, and if we decided to go out anywhere with our fellow competitors as a group at the end of a day's competition, we cadged a lift in the car of a caravan owner. Our motorhome provided warm indoor space for us, and the awning added outdoor space for dog crates camp chairs, etc.

Then we started using our motorhome for longer holidays on campsites (a weird idea, I know) and were inspired by a couple that we got chatting to who were staying on the pitch opposite ours. They had a small coachbuilt Motorhome and travelled light, with no awning, and left a couple of camp chairs behind on the pitch when they went out for the day (pegged down to stop them blowing away). When they got back, they could be relaxing with a cup of tea within 5 minutes of arrival.

This was a game-changer for us. After we'd had a tour of their interior, we knew that their exact model and layout wasn't for us, but we were determined to simplify things. We bought an elderly coachbuilt Motorhome (which we used for the next 9 years) which had a wind-out awning and with a very flexible internal layout. Our dog at the time was easily provoked by seeing other dogs, so we used windbreaks to keep people and other dogs out of his sight, and used the wind-out canopy for additional shade when we needed it. We bought a "toilet tent", and used that as our "shed"-come-pitch marker when we went out for the day. After our dog died, we stopped taking the windbreaks with us too. So we've now reached the happy stage where we can find a pitch, get the Motorhome level, put the steadies down and have the kettle on in very little time at all.

For ad hoc additional space, we still have a (replacement) lightweight pop-up toilet tent, which can be carried with one finger when folded away into its storage bag, and a set of lightweight wind-blocker panels which we can attach to a wind-out awning if required. We use the front panel far more often than the side panels, but even then, not all that often. However, they are small enough and light enough to fold down into a standard tote bag, and can also be carried with one finger, so we're happy to leave them in the MoHo permanently, so that we have the option to use them when we want to.