I was wondering which is the best awning to have? I noticed some of you guys have Fiamma F45 awnings, are they good? I have (as you might know) a Chevy Express RB with sliding side door... I am not too sure about dimensions either... especially the length, if you have any tips they would be most welcome
I have also looked at side tents that can also have accommodation for 2 or 4 extra people... do any of you use these?
Cheers
__________________
New ride: 2000 Chevy Suburban 1500 4WD 1998 Chevy Express 2500 past project
+ 1990 Mitsubishi Pajero V6 3.0l
+ 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero Hirsch
+ 1972 Saab 96 V4 (not running)
+ fixed house (Argh)
I have the Fiamma awning as do most people with SMB built vans. I think you will find a wide range of comments ranging from "I wouldn't be without it" to "I never use it and plan to remove it". I personally like the functionality of the Fiamma awning and use it nearly every time I camp. It is very quick and simple to set up and take down. It is particularly useful in when camping in the rain.
It is however very heavy which is the biggest drawback to me.
The mid-west is not sunny California. We always take our awning. The Fiamma self contained awning looks nice. The price of that awning I think though is a draw back. Ours stores on the side of the van but must be manually un-rodded and rolled up. The advantage is it is about 1/3 the price of the Fiamma. When we get a new awning it will most probably be bigger then the present one. More shade, more bad weather outside room..... but..... taking it down on a windy day? That already is a two person job.
My 2¢, I want an awning but I want a longer one than the standard SMB version. One of my todos. I'm sure that if I had the SMB standard I'd be happy, but I figure if adding, why not make it BIGGA.
We have the Fiamma and love it. Its very easy to deploy, one person can do it easily! We do a lot of beach camping, so we use it all the time. Here is a pic of it in action!
Thank you all for your ideas and experience sharing
I also had a look at the Fiamma F35 pro seems to be cheaper than the F45 but I can't quite see the differences apart from the lighter weight...
But over here need to budget at least 700-800 USD for an awning and sides... Side tents are cheaper around 400-500 USD for similar sizes to the awnings...
__________________
New ride: 2000 Chevy Suburban 1500 4WD 1998 Chevy Express 2500 past project
+ 1990 Mitsubishi Pajero V6 3.0l
+ 2001 Saab 9-5 Aero Hirsch
+ 1972 Saab 96 V4 (not running)
+ fixed house (Argh)