Fiamma awning with sca pop top
- Thread starter xpfloyd
- Start date
My god I'm losin the plot. I had completely forgot about that thread even though I was talking to you about your brackets in it!! I've read so many threads on various forums about the fiamma that I've lost track. Well from your pics it looks like the Vivaro bracket is an option if I go the fiamma route
Lol - if you want any more specific pictures of the brackets, etc., we are using the van at Ullswater for a week from this Friday.
Yes, the passenger door will catch the roof rails in the Fiamma unless you jack the front leg right up - not a problem for us as when camping we don't use the front doors.
Man the drive away awnings are really good looking! Been looking at all the options for the last 10 mins. I can see myself getting a Fiamma and a drive away in the end. I can see how the driveaway ones will be good when pitched up for multidays at the one location. Ill just have to wait and see if our use of the van is a expected or not before taking the plunge on a driveaway. I think the Fiamma is the first port of call for me though
The only problem with the driveway awnings is the amount of space they take up in the van if you are not going to use - we only put in the van for those trips we know its going to be used.
Yeah I was just wondering that myself there. Thats definately a consideration ill have to take account of
Not 100% sure. Banwy sell the Cali rails and they are almost half the price of the Reimo but they are SWB only so not sure how well they would fit to a LWB (obviously it will be short but not sure how the curved end will work)
Surely the front lines up like the swb and the end length would be 40cm too short? Obvs not sure if this length is important! I prefer the cali rail to the reimo one but I'm really not sure what to go for...awning/shade/tent/drive away... very undecided but we realise that we need some space outside for when we camp..
Yes you are probably right. The second photo down shows a view from the rear so it looks like you could just stop it 400mm short. Not sure how that would look though - California Awning Rails T5 Genuine Black or Silver
Whats the benefit of the Cali rail apart from price? Is it easier to attach and detach the awnings?
Whats the benefit of the Cali rail apart from price? Is it easier to attach and detach the awnings?
Lol - puts things into perspective somewhat!!!Having cut the holes in my van for the windows and having had my roof removed for the pop top, drilling the van no longer fazes me
I'd only ever had bay windows as a camper previous to the T6 so a drive away was the only "sensible" option so I have lots of experience using them but none with the Fiamma type. However the Fiamma type is all or nothing, there's no way you can leave it and some stuff in a campsite and bugger off for the day. A drive away by the look of it may even be easier to pitch and can be left behind. Admittedly if you want a plain canopy you do need a separate bit of kit but they are tiny to store and cheap enough. Another thing I see with the Fiamma type is that they seem to attach to the van with some sort of bracket (even if mounted to a rail) so that leave a gap between the van and awning that can let the elements in whereas a drive away has a virtual seal, the worst we get is an occasional drip. With the sides for the canopy to make it into an awning you still have to carry a large package inside the van so there seems to be little advantage to me.
We got caught in a gale F10 in Brittany a few years ago with our Khyam, no damage and remained water tight throughout, the big advantage there is that it has storm guys that let the awning cope with conditions like that while we sat inside it and read. To me a good drive away is the way to go
Horses for courses I suppose. For multi-night camping in the one spot a driveaway seems like the best option. For a canopy you just want to put out for a bit of sun shade or to allow you to sit with the slider open in the rain then the Fiamma seems like a nice option to me as it doesnt require pegging in and takes up zero room on the inside. the downside being the gap between the van and the awning however if you fit with a Reimo rail this gap is closed and the rail acts as a gutter. The cheaper canvas type canopys that attach to a multirail look OK but require pegging in and guy lines etc which will not always be possible depending on where you park up.
Personally I see myself getting the Fiamma first then adding a driveaway at a later date once I've used the camper more and im sure I need one as last weekend was my first ever trip away in mine and I felt I missed a canopy type awning.
Personally I see myself getting the Fiamma first then adding a driveaway at a later date once I've used the camper more and im sure I need one as last weekend was my first ever trip away in mine and I felt I missed a canopy type awning.
The Fiamma is permanently attached to the van so you just roll it out and roll in as/when required - legs and canopy all included so the only extra bits to carry inside the van is the tie down kit (pegs and straps) for when it gets really windy - the whole thing is deployed and pegged (if required) within a couple of minutes. They also include awning channels/rail so you can attach a driveway awning, or anything else with a beading strip, to them.
I can't speak for how others have installed but on my van there is a filler strip in the gap between the Fiamma and the van so no water/rain comes through (not sure if this is standard or just something Hillside do to tackle the problem you describe - guessing it also helps reduce the wind noise?). See picture below.
We really like our Vango Driveway awning and will be using it again this week - it gives us the extra, cosy, space to use on camp and it also doubles up as a storage and kit drying area when we are sailing. However, if you made me choose just one then the Fiamma would win, especially when just going somewhere for a couple of nights and/or touring. Fortunately though, we don't have to choose one or the other and feel having both gives us the best of both worlds; the Fiamma is always there so we just have to decide whether, for a particular trip, its worth putting the Vango in the van or not.
Happy days
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