How to choose a camper awning

A Camper Awning can add loads of space to your campervan conversion.

We're going to go talk you through the choices you have with a Camper Awning. There are loads of different options to choose from. The main variations include:

Wind-out awning
Blow up awning
Awning Rail
Traditional Awning

WIND OUT CAMPER AWNING

Starting with the most popular option, the wind out campervan awning. It's basically a canopy rolled up inside a cassette and this Campervan Awning is permanently mounted on the side or roof of your campervan. You could wind it down either by hand or a 12v motor depending which one you have purchased. The extended support legs are inside within the cassette and they pull out when the canopy is fully extended. Brands that offer this awning include:

Fiamma F45s
Thule
Dometic

They are all pretty similar. They might have a slightly different profile. They come in the standard colours (grey, black red) It's a personal preference but I would let the deciding factor be price and lead time.

The Camper Awning is fixed to the upper part of the van with reduced height because of the lowered brackets. As standard it comes with a deep black case box and royal grey fabric. It unrolls in an overhand motion to guarantee fabric tension.

You'll need to buy a different size depending on if your van is long wheel base (LWB) or short wheel base (SWB)

VAMOOSE AWNING RAIL

The Vamoose Awning Rail comes in a powder coated textured finish complete with all fixings and general instructions. These are designed specifically for:

VW T4
T5
T6
T6.1

The bar is made of malleable aluminium, which means it has greater flexibility. The Vamoose Camper Awning rail that we supply is a specific version that fits to the left hand side of the vehicle, please bear this in mind when purchasing.

Awning rails are used to secure a Camper Awning to your van by sliding the awning through the groove. It will work with most of the popular manufacturers including Vango.

Check out our blog that goes into more detail on the Vamoose Awning Rail.

MAINTAINING YOUR CAMPER AWNING

Maintenance is key if you want your Camper Awning to last for a long time. Knowing the type of fabric that your Camper Awning is a huge help. They can be acrylic or vinyl awnings. Generally, acrylic fabric awnings allow air to circulate more and are not waterproof but dry in a few hours. Whereas vinyl Camper Awnings, easily collect dust and dirt which can lead to mildew and tend to be susceptible when exposed to high heat.

Before you set off travelling in your camper, make sure you have checked your awning for any rips and tears. You don’t want to be at your destination and then realise that your Camper Awning has a tear and can’t be used! Never leave your awnings unattended. We recommend always rolling your awning and tucking it away before you go to sleep for the night or when you are not near your campervan, as they don’t withstand a large amount of rain or wind.

This can become costly if you have bought your Camper Awning recently and then it got damaged while you are camping. If you can see that there is a big storm rain coming then please do roll your awnings back in, you don’t want the fabric to get too wet and if they do get too wet, let them dry before rolling them back into the cassette case.