If you’re looking to start exploring Australia in 2018 with some friends and family, then you’re probably going to need more space than just a caravan to accommodate everyone and everything you bring along. The most popular solution to add more leisure space are caravan awnings. But before you jump out of excitement that you found a solution and rush online to buy it, there are a couple of important things you need to consider, such as when and how often you’ll use it.
These 4WD camping accessories come in various shapes and sizes. So if you’re going to be touring a lot, the awning needs to be easy to set up and take down, and it shouldn’t be too heavy. However, if you’ll be staying for a couple of days up to an entire season, then perhaps you should consider something more substantial.
However, bear in mind that bringing an awning along on your adventures requires space inside your caravan, so you might also want to consider 4WD camping accessories that increase storage space, such as a roof rack or roof bag. That being said, you should consider the space you need the awning to offer. For instance, if you’re planing to have your meals under it, you need room for chairs and a table, which can take up a lot of space, especially if there’s more people.
That being said, you should always consider how many people you’ll have available to set up the awning. You may be able to set up a small inflatable or a porch awning by yourself, but a full awning will likely require multiple people to set it up, especially if the weather conditions aren’t working in your favor. Speaking of types of awnings, let’s take a look at the three most popular ones.
Full Awning
Full awnings use the full length of the awning rail of the caravan. They’re capable of creating room which can increase the living space inside the caravan significantly. Their depth usually ranges between 2 to 3.5m and they are great protectors from different weather conditions. However, these awnings are heavy and big, especially the models that include steel poles, and they can easily weigh more than 50kg.
Porch Awning
Porch awnings are attached to the awning rail only at the roof level of the caravan. Vertical poles and foam filled padding hold the end panels, and they can be nearly the same size as full awnings. These awnings are faster to put up and much lighter to transport than the full awnings. Moreover, they’re very versatile so there are many different models available.
Combi Awnings
These awnings are a mix of porch and full awnings and they require the full awning trail of the caravan. You get the weather resistance of a full awning, but lose on the versatility of the porch awning, so you can’t move it back and forth. This makes combi awnings less popular than the other two types, but if the idea behind them is appealing to you, you can just buy a smaller full awning and a combi conversion kit.
