caravan awning

There are plenty of good reasons to invest in high quality caravan awnings. If you require more space when on holiday with your caravan, motor-home or campervan then maybe it’s time to consider a caravan awning by Dorema. Caravan awnings can increase your holiday space dramatically and are weatherproof too. They can double as an additional room.

Caravan awnings start from around £250 and one of the quality brand names to look out for is Dorema. You can pay up to £1000 for top end Dorema caravan awnings. Caravan awnings come as tall annex or standard annex, you can also buy a porch, which is effectively the same thing only smaller than a full sized awning.

Awnings provide an extra room attached to your caravan, or motorhome, they offer wonderful value for money and can be fitted to either side of your vehicle.

Showerproof

Caravan awnings are often weather proof, the roof of an awning is usually made of polyester with cotton sides. More elaborate awnings are all-season grade. The material will be quite strong, easy to clean and shower-proof. The awning fabric is coated polyester.

Windows

An awning comes fitted with windows and a door. These are either roll down or zip up in design, some being both. Zip up doors and windows can help to keep insects out in summer months. If you do need some extra ventilation then look out for awnings with a zip panel vent.

Dorema Strength

Dorema awnings will be either steel framed or lightweight aluminium and they are held together by support poles which come as legs and roof supports. Some frames come with additional triangular bracing for extra strength, this is well worth the effort in windy conditions. Some awnings come with locks too.

Awning Floors

For the ultimate comfort one should consider adding flooring. Flooring comes as in tiles and ground sheets. Ground sheets offer good protection from damp and wet conditions and also help keep worms and bugs at bay. Gound sheets are often breathable and are usually sold by the metre here in the UK. The breathable fabric also helps to keep the grass alive beneath your temporary campsite. A close weave will allow the air to circulate but also reduces insects, worms and worm casts from penetrating through. Ground sheets are quite tough wearing and rot proof. They are easy to clean with a quick hose down. For an complete luxury you can even buy carpet for your awning which can make it a home from home.

Accessories For Awnings

The most useful awnings accessory is an ‘inner awning’ which turns your awning into a tent which is attached to your caravan, motor-home or camper-van. These will have a zip entrance and are useful if you have guests as it offers a bit more privacy.

Other accessories include items such as the pole suction pads and awning hangers made from tubing, which can provide more wardrobe space.

If you want to create more room on your next caravan and camping holiday then you should consider investing in a Dorema awning. It will give you the luxury of extra space for eating sleeping or just relaxing come rain or shine.

Article by Simon Lucas

This can be partly resolved purchasing a mixture of caravan accessories and camping furniture. The purchase of such items can help bring the comforts of home away with you on your holidays.

Comfort of Furniture

If you’re going away in a caravan then most likely you will already have all your table and chairs to help make your time away more pleasant, in fact some caravans now have these items already fitted. However, if you have a caravan awning or porch then you may have the extra space to set up some more furniture creating an additional room to your caravan.

For campers, a table and chairs could be classed as luxury items, providing a much needed bit of comfort after lengthy car journeys and being cooped up in a tent.

Furniture can come in the shape of tables which are usually fold-able. Fold up tables or ‘trestle tables’ as they are also known offer a rigid surface for preparing food, eating and drinking or general use for games or drawing for bored children. The fold up tables are great at space saving too and will pack away neatly.

Camping chairs are also very portable, nearly always folding up, camping chairs are used by fishermen, campers, caravan enthusiasts and generally people who enjoy the outdoors, including beach goers.

Camping chairs are usually either padded for comfort or breathable to reduce sweating in the summer time. There are various other types of camping furniture which are used these days such as camping kitchens and cupboards.

Camping Accessories

Caravan accessories are also very useful. These fall into categories such as electrics, furniture and covers.

Caravan electrics are essential items, such as camping lights, fridges, heaters, torches and other such items which will help bring a little bit of comfort from home away with you.

Covers and awnings are also useful providing protection from the elements and creating extra space when camping or in your caravan.

It is really worth considering investing wisely in caravan accessories and camping furniture to help make your holiday a comfortable one.

Caravan covers are slightly different to Motorhome covers in shape and dimension, although they both offer similar features to protect against the elements.

Waterproof

Waterproofed covers will offer good protection during wet weather and they prevent an accumulation of mold and grime.

A caravan cover not only keeps the damp weather out, it can also act in a breathable way. “Air-Breathable” covers allow water vapour escape, and they stop water penetrating and staining the shell of the caravan or motorhome.

Heatproof

Some covers provide UV protection, which is important for protecting against ultra-violet rays. UV protection keeps external bodywork free from discolouration and fading, whilst protecting internal furnishings from the fading effects of the sun.

You may also find that a cover which is weather resistant and breathable will protect against snow, dust, bird lime, tree sap, air-bourne pollutants and heat build up. Generally, covers should offer all year round protection.

Additional Features

Before you start shopping around, it is important to know the dimensions of your caravan or motor home before looking to buy so as to ensure you purchase the correct size. Some covers are adjustable whilst others offer a universal fit. It’s advisable to discuss this with the sales person before purchasing.

Don’t forget to measure taking into account any bike racks or other external fittings to your caravan or motorhome.

High quality covers have strengthened corners, and zippers can be useful for fast access to the door without having to take off the whole cover. It’s also worth purchasing non abrasive covers to protect the paintwork when fitting.

Covers are usually secured with straps which pass under the vehicle, and if you opt for a lightweight cover fitting will be much easier to handle.

Cover Features worth looking for:

• Non abrasive – to protect paintwork.

• Lightweight – for easy fitting and storage.

• Waterproof – protects against severe weather.

• Extended UV protection – to prevent fading inside and out.

• Breathable – lets moisture escape.

• Finish – consider for minimal visual impact.

• Corner Zips – for ease of fitting and easy access to caravan door.

• Quick Release Buckles – for easy installation and removal.

• Storage Bag – for convenience and safe keeping.

It’s always best to ask for advice when choosing a cover for your motor home or caravan, if you value your portable holiday home then don’t leave it out to the mercy of the elements.

mummy style sleeping bag

Which sleeping bag should you choose when going camping? It’s a question that most of us have contemplated at some time or other, In this post we look at some of the different type of sleeping bags available on the market today.

Sleeping Bags will vary in quality depending on the how much you are willing to spend and what type of conditions you will be sleeping in.

If you’re camping in a warm climate you can get away with a lightweight compact sleeping bag, but for colder conditions you’ll need a high-tech sleeping bag which will keep the frost bite out.

Making The Right Choice

It’s best to consider what time of year and where you’ll be needing your sleeping, here’s some tips:

• Size/Shape: It’s best to consider your height and size, being inside something which restricts your movement can be uncomfortable. A mummy style bag may offer the most warmth, but if you’re using the sleeping bag inside or in warm conditions a semi rectangular bag will offer far more movement inside and will be less claustrophobic.

• Storing Away: Will you require something small and compact with a pouch for travelling light? Or will it be used in-doors where weight or packing away are not so important.

• Season/Temperature: Sleeping Bags are rated by season and degrees Celsius, it is always important to check with the supplier which will be most suitable for your need. As a rough guide: 1 will be for summers months (around 5 degrees Celsius), 2 will be for spring into summer (0 degrees Celsius), 3 will be for spring right through to autumn (around -5 degrees Celsius), 4 will be for winter (around -10 degrees Celsius) and 5 is rated for expeditions in colder climates (around -15 degrees Celsius).

• Outer Lining: Inside or outside use? Using it in harsh weather conditions? Down sleeping bags are usually more expensive than synthetic sleeping bags and generally last longer, however, these would not be ideal for wet or damp conditions. For wet or damp conditions the ultralight shell fabrics are more suitable as they often possess a durable water-repellent coating.

• Inner Lining/Insulation: Will you require something that is light and breathable for really warm climates, or are you camping somewhere really cold where you will need to be cocooned inside? If you will be in dry but cold conditions then down sleeping bags are effective, they possess a high weight to warmth ratio (down insulation is measured by one ounce per cubic inch with 900 being the around the highest). For machine washable and damp resistant sleeping bags, those with synthetic insulation work best.

• Hood: Will your sleeping bag need a hood for really cold weather or to keep insects out? Other related features may be draft collars and draft tubes behind the zip, combined, these all act as effective draft insulators.

When you’ve made you choice, you may want to consider sleeping bag accessories too. Items such as sleeping bag heaters are great for emergency or really cold situations, mats to help cushion the ground and insulate from cold beneath are useful, travel pillows can add comfort and sleeping bag liners offer extra insulation in cold weather.

To be sure that you are spending your money wisely, it’s always best to ask the advice of someone with a bit of knowledge on the subject. Camping-Online are one such company who will be happy to offer free advice and point you in the right direction whatever your need: Camping-Online.co.uk

The Winner is

.details coming soon

Camping Online UK offers you the chance to win igloo maxcold 50qt ice chest cooler, all you need to do to with this super cooler is to answer the simple questions below by commenting on this blogpost.

More about igloo maxcold

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Question is what make of van does B A Baracus drive in the original A team TV series

A) Dodge Ram
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We will pick a winner at random on the 20th of sept

Unfolded folding bike

Win a folding bike worth £139.99

Win this uber cool Pyramid Folding Bike with super portable 16 inch alloy wheels . The bike comes with 6 gear shimano system. Apart from the fact that you can fold this bike, it is also very light, it is made from alloy that is almost as light as aluminium.

Because this bike can be folded and its so light, it is ideal for camping trips as it will takes very little space. It is also ideal if you cycle to work or live a a flat where storage space is tight. You can easily fold it and take it into tube, trains and other public transport. Camping Online is giving you an opportunity to own one free of charge, you just need to answer a simple question and the bike is yours.

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- You must be resident in UK
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- This contest closes on the 20th of August.

Caravan for sale

As the unusually harsh winter gives was to the mild warmer than normal spring, this is the perfect time for people who are new to camping to start thinking of starting. If you are not already into caravanning, the chaos caused to air travel and the resulting inconvenience to people on holiday caused by the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull should give you a strong incentive to consider buying a caravan, one of the best places to look should you decide to go down this route is the Caravans for sale website Caravan Selecta.

If you are completely new to camping, you will be surprised by how much fun it can be. You will experience a great deal of freedom compared with going on a package holiday where you are not in control of your schedule. This article does not deal with how to get started on camping but it give you a tantalising glimpse of the possibilities and opportunities camping especially using your own caravan offer.

If you are camping for the first time, the best place to start is to decide how you will camp, are you going to take a tent and the other equipment you need, put it into you car and head for a campsite or are you going to invest in a caravan and go camping. Naturally, you need to be sure you and your family enjoy camping before making a major investment like buying a caravan. As a start, perhaps you should hire a caravan for your first camping trip, if the first experimental camping and caravanning trip goes down well with all the family, then it may be time to start thinking of buying a caravan.

• the camping type as if it is only hiking, then a small light weight tent should be sufficient
• number of people expected to occupy the tent
• is it only for sleeping or also for personal gear storage
• the area you propose or go most often to for camping
• the weather conditions

Keeping all the above factors in view, the tents designed by SunnCamp have proven to be the most popular and many people have endorsed its spacious comfort. Their latest offering which is the Invader 600 is a tent designed to hold six people and yet has enough room for storage of personal gear. The tent is fortified with double seamed zippers and a solid sheet foundation. The tent has two separate bedrooms and since its poles have been made out of fiberglass, the tent is light but extremely tough at just twenty one kilograms. Its inner portions are made out of polyester that allows for a lot of ventilation.

The other features of the Sunncamp Invader 600 include a hydrostatic head, a removable wall organizer and a removable curtain that can be used to partition berths. The bedrooms have storage pockets as well. The front windows have been fitted with curtains and there is extra protection by way of the mud wall.

The tent has a tidy look about it and it is not a surprise that it is fast becoming very popular with campers.

Yes, the reference is to touring holidays on a caravan and while the experience is not only economical, it is also quite adventurous. Obviously you need to equip the caravan with the bare necessities required for such a trip and the top most essential item in the list is the electrical supply unit. You have to get a hook-up lead for the electric requirements and depending on the country you are in, you will require adaptors to make sure that the appliances work properly.

You will also require various lengths of hook-up leads that will help you connect to the campsite mains electrical supply. The popular recommendation is to go for the 25m mains hook-up lead as with it, you should be able to cater to most of the points in the caravan and not struggle to use any of the electrical items. This kind of cable can also be connected to the electricity at the camp site if the need arises. The campsite electricity facility can thus be used to run all your electrical appliances using the appropriate hook up cable

With regard to TV and satellite points, most campsites provide for them and all you require is a hook up with a cable of the right length.