Awnings. How big is too big?

[Vanjiecampervan]

We are the proud new owners of our first campervan and are going to get an inflatable drive away awning. We like the Ol pro cocoon breeze, olproshop.com/olpro-products/cocoon-breeze-products/?_bc_fsnf=1&in_stock=1&wi=off&gclid=CjwKCAjw3cSSBhBGEiwAVII0Z7QtH86M1ykihZ1OPSQx-1_jhRAcQ6TGZ3O4h9jb6MMm1X5stC7-aRoCWu0QAvD_BwE but every time we show anyone (my family are seasoned caravan and motorohomers) they make teeth sucky noises and say it’s massive and do we need one that big. Does anyone have any reassuring or warning thoughts before we spend £600 on the beast? Our thoughts are that me and DH might sleep in awning while the kids sleep in the van, and also we can have a room for stuff/porta potty for smallest dc.

That does look big! Trouble with the air awnings is getting them deflated to go back in the bags. However, if. You are going to use it and need that amount of space then go for it. We have other olpro stuff and it’s well made.
We ended up getting rid of our air one and getting a Khyam Motordome with integrated rapidex poles, so it sort of pops up and folds down really easily - but they are pricey. We only use it if staying in one place for 4+ days or have friends staying in it, (kids have left home now) otherwise we use our wind out awning as tend to move around a lot.
Check the pitch sizes you will need as there is the gap between your van and the living area to account for, and we have seen some that don’t fit on regular pitches. There are of course huge caravans that have huge awnings everywhere though, but they are snug to the van.

Congratulations on your campervan. What type is it? Does it have a name yet?

We got a campervan about 6 weeks ago. I joined a couple of Facebook groups and there's a wealth of knowledge and and advice there. There's a search facility so I can search past posts for a particular key word or brand.

Awning size:
Is the awning small enough to fit in the van when packed away?
Is it small enough to fit on the type of pitch you'll be booking?

If the answer to both questions is yes, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, if it's right for you and your family.

We’ve got one of them. We’re going to sell it this year once we’ve replaced one of the beams.

Size wise it’s absolutely fine, perfect for our two teenage lads and some extra storage / living space. We just put it up wrong once and one of the beams was twisted so is weakened in one section.

DH has a habit of wanting something new every year (does my head in), so bought a new one last year.

Welcome to the camper van club!

What type of campervan is it? We have the dubpod which is massive but amazing! It has so much room plus it can be used as a standalone tent if you're going somewhere unsuitable for vans.

Despite its size, it's really quick and easy to put up as it just has the central pole, and the rest is pegging out.

We have never been anywhere that's its too big for, but it depends what type of site you prefer to visit

dubpod.co.uk/

Thank you everyone, this is super helpful. Ineedsun, please could I ask for your tips on how to Avoid twisting the beams? We got a (tiny) hole in the sun shade when we first played with that so think we are a bit cackhanded!

Good God they are enormous. Are you sure you need such a big one? What are you going to use it for?
We have had a caravan for 15 years. We've had big awnings, medium sized, small. For a long weekend small is best. You only need a big if you are there for a week, going to use it for sleeping, a huge group.

This size is perfect to put a few chairs, a table, and a few bits. You can fit loads in. You'd be surprised. So easy to put up. And down, more importantly.

@Vanjiecampervan

Thank you everyone, this is super helpful. Ineedsun, please could I ask for your tips on how to Avoid twisting the beams? We got a (tiny) hole in the sun shade when we first played with that so think we are a bit cackhanded!

I think the problem was that I went off a bit previous and tried to do it on my own, we rescued it by having someone inside just checking it was straight after that. That said, we have had lots of air beam tents and awnings over the years and only had this problem once so I think we must have put it down twisted