Check out the shadyboy if you get a chance. It is in tune and in scale with the vanagon, light weight, easy set up, looks good. It's like a westfalia vs. a winnabago difference in approach compared to those RV vintage ones. harald_nancy wrote: > > Just came back from checking out a Fiamma F35 awning at at a local Sports > Rack store. > http://www.gearonthego.com/ > There was a 6 foot Fiamma F35 mounted to a suv in the store that we could > play around with. > Things we like about the Fiamma: > 1) It's lightweight, about half the weight of the Catalina. > 2) It looks very attractive. > 3) When set up, it seemed quite sturdy. > Things we didn't like about it: > 1). Couldn't set it up partially extended. It had to be fully extended for > the fabric to be taut. > 2). There's no spring tension on the fabric. > There are 4 clip positions, and you manually tension the fabric (kind of a > hassle). > 3) You have to manually roll up the awning while holding the roll in your > hands. > The legs and side brackets fold into the roll, so all the weight rests on > your arms. > We found it awkward. > 4) There are many little plastic push buttons and clips to adjust. > > We decided against purchasing the Fiamma F35, because it didn't > seem appropriate for quick setup and repacking. > Like if you're tired from driving, and on the go a lot. > > The A&E Catalina Awning (Dometic): > I have seen the Catalina Awning on a friend's vanagon, and > the ease and speed of the setup is impressive. > It can be partially extended (good if it's very windy). > The Catalina can be easily set up or packed back up by one person without > straining. > It has scissor-type sliding brackets under the fabric, which prevents > sagging when it's raining. > There aren't so many clips and things that you have to adjust. > The drawback of the Catalina is that it's almost twice the weight of the > Fiamma F35. > Fiamma does offer a more expensive awning, the F45 that comes with a crank. > Haven't seen that one closeup yet. It looks like THE awning for lazy people, > like myself. > Main drawback, probably the price. Has anyone tried Fiamma F45 with a crank > on a westy? > Before buying an awning, get some hands-on experience with the > different brands, because they are all constructed quite differently. > Harald > still awning less > '90 westy |
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