What Are Drive Away Awnings?
A drive away awning is, put simply, a tent which attaches to the side of your caravan, camper van or motorhome. They differ from a regular caravan porch awning as you can easily unclip them and drive away in your vehicle, leaving the awning standing as it is for when you return.
What Is A Drive Away Awning For?
Drive away awnings are a very popular bit of camping equipment. But, what are the reasons for getting one?
Drive away awnings are designed to offer a number of ways to improve your camping holiday experience, such as:
- Providing extra sheltered space outside your caravan, motorhome or camper van
- Giving you some living space to relax in when weather conditions turn for the worse
- Offering further storage space so your caravan or motorhome doesn’t get cramped or cluttered
- Making a sun canopy for bright days
- Allowing you to use your motorhome to travel around while keeping your awning in place for when you return
What Drive Away Awning Do You Need?
Whether you are looking for motorhome awnings, camper awnings or a van awning, there should be a drive away awning to suit your needs.
To find a drive away awning appropriate for you, the attachment height is the most important feature. You need to make sure the height of the awning matches the height of your vehicle - there is usually some room for adjustment, so it doesn’t have to be exact. Many models are available in a range of sizes for you to choose from.
How To Fit A Drive Away Awning
There are a few different ways to fit a drive away awning depending on what type of vehicle you have.
Some motorhome and campervans already have a rail to attach your awning onto. A drive away awning can be fitted straight onto this, but it won’t be very quick and easy to remove. You would need a figure of 8 strip to clip on to the beaded tape to be able to conveniently drive away.
If you have a vehicle with a gutter rail, a figure of 8 strip should be able to clip straight onto it. See our drive away awning fixing kits for everything you need to fit your awning. If your vehicle has no rail or gutter whatsoever, you can buy magnetic strips to clip it to.
You can find out more about how to fit one in our Drive Away Awning Buying Guide.
What is the Best Drive Away Awning?
There are a number of features to look out for when choosing the best drive away awning for your needs.
Vango are known for producing high quality camper, caravan and motorhome awnings. Their AirBeam inflatable drive away awnings are very popular, with many featuring their SkyTrack system, which allows you to conveniently hang lanterns and storage.
It’s not just Vango who sell the best drive away awnings though. Kampa, Outdoor Revolution, Sunncamp and Zempire also have great options. Shop our full range here at Winfields Outdoors for a selection of some of the best drive away awnings.