help needed with campervan awning

[sphil]

We have just bought this awning for our VW camper van (T4 Bilbo Celeste). The van has a Fiamma wind-out awning attached, but the woman in the camping shop assured us that a driveaway awning could still be attached with a 'Safari gusset'. She told us to trap the gusset in the wind-out awning and we assumed that we would then be able to tighten it by adjusting the wind out mechanism. On our first camping trip two weeks ago we found it very difficult to get any tension in the connecting section and consequently it flapped in the wind and kept us awake all night! It was also extremely fiddly to do and took ages, so the idea of it being a driveaway awning is a bit of a joke.

SO - I need to know

1. Have we bought the wrong awning?
   
2. If not, what are we doing wrong?
   
   Thanks - we're going away this weekend and would like it to get sorted. There may not have been any tension in our awning but there was plenty in the air...

[Surfermum]

We have a T4 but no awning, so I have absolutely no idea! But could I suggest you try looking/posting on the T4 Forum.

[skramble]

I wondered about my awning, its fine when you put it up at first, you can stretch it out to keep it all taut, but if I drive away and come back the chances of me lining it up just right are slim, so unlikely to be as tight. Only time we did this we didn't bother reconnecting it so haven't tried.

[sphil]

Well I did as Surfermum suggested and posted on the T4 forum - also did a search of their archives and was pleased to see that other people have this problem too! The most helpful tip was to attach the tunnel section to the van first, then peg out the awning, so you get the tension right. Then, when you want to drive away, put two tent pegs in beside the centre point of the front and rear wheels on the driver's side and two in the same places on the opposite side. Stretch a guy rope from the front offside to front driver's to rear driver's to rear offside pegs, so you get a straight sided backwards C shape. Then when you return the driver can line up the van just by sticking his (and in this case it will be his!) head out of the window.

I think I've got that right . Will try it this weekend and report back...

[Surfermum]

Oh that's great that they were able to help.

We went to one of their meets last year, it was brilliant fun. A whole campsite full of VW enthusiasts (and a very cheap bar ).