Berghaus Telstar Drive-Away Awning for Extending your Van or Motorhome Space, Inflatable Awning for Campervans and RVs, Part of the Berghaus Air Range, Grey, One Size

Product Information

There is plenty of space inside the Galli Air, with usable internal floorspace dimensions of 320 x 385 cm with a generous head-height allowance of 210cm. On top of this, there’s a great front porch area which is covered and enables you to sit out with your cup of tea, even if it’s raining. The internal floorspace has a sewn in groundsheet, and it’s worth using an additional footprint or segment of tarpaulin to protect it on gravel pitches. We love the windows and doors on the Galli Air – there are three large, clear windows on the main outer length of the awning and some smaller side windows either side of the main door at the front. There is also a useful hatch from the tunnel into the main living space to poke your electrical extension cable through.

In a similar way to the modern world of inflatable airbeam tents, we would highly recommend taking the plunge with an airbeam drive away awning. They are simply much easier to put up, have less separate parts to break or lose and typically have a lifetime guarantee against problems with the air valves.

We’ve thought long and hard about which product is the best drive away awning with a compact layout. In terms of the combination of price vs performance vs flexibility we really can’t see beyond the Kampa Dometic Cross Air awning. It uses excellent fabrics with clear window technology and can be very easily rearranged to adjust the layout to exactly how you want to use it. In our view, it’s close to perfection for short to medium length trips. Design and Layout We tested the 2019 model on a VW T4 and it worked extremely well. As with most drive away awnings, it works best on flat land although can be pitched on a slight slope with a bit of patience. Sewn in ground sheet plus mosquito netting on the doors makes for a comfortable bug free night sleep.

We found that the Cayman is perfect for camping in the spring and summer months, but the material may be a little thin for 4 season usage unless you use a camping heater. A small negative we encoutnered is the use of velcro along the bottom of some of the doors instead of extending the zip around the whole perimeter. There was sometimes the risk of water getting in when raining because the velcro did leave some small air gaps. You really cannot go wrong with a Vango drive away awning, and the Vango Kela Air is a great compact product with that traditional quality feel which we’ve come to expect from the team. It’s available in a more budget-friendly ‘Sentinel Pro’ polyester version as well as a more expensive polycotton or technical cotton (TC) Kela Air which is longer lasting and cooler on scorching hot days. Design and Layout The Telstar 8 is a traditional tunnel tent with a large front porch area that can accommodate up to eight campers and comes with four breathable Nightfall bedrooms designed to keep the early morning sunshine at bay. Can move many of your items out of the campervan into the awning – frees up space in the van for general living.The Skandika adds and extra 3m X 3m living space to your set up and is compatible with all models of VW Transporter. Comes with straps that can be used around the Transporter if you do not have a piping fitting kit to the side of your Transporter however this is best used when the wind is low as it does not give the best seal and wind can get under the join.. In contrast to the Outdoor Revolution Cayman Air and the Kampa Cross Air, none of the side-walls or doors on the Kela Air will zip out, and this is the only reason we rate it slightly lower than those alternatives. The large front door on the Kela can be rolled away to give fantastic air circulation and there is also a fly mesh layer here to keep zipped in if you don’t want bugs getting in. It’s worth noting that there is always a lip at the bottom of the front door aperture and you can occasionally trip over that if you’re not observant (or if you’ve had too many single malt whiskies!). Conclusions

The tent itself is tunnel style with 5 air poles and a fully sewn in groundsheet. It took less than 10 minutes to inflate all the poles and have the tent upright. It took probably another 5 to 10 minutes to peg out the brailings and corner and storm guys to pitch the tent perfectly. Material type– the main options are polyester and Technical Cotton (TC) (also known as polycotton). In general we would recommend TC/polycotton as it breathes better and lasts longer, but is often around 30% more expensive than the same awning in polyester.Protection from the weather is provided by the 6,000mm hydrostatic head flysheet and the 150 denier polyester fabric is reassuringly durable. The rear cowling has awning piping that is compatible with the Transporter fitting kit here which gives a really nice seal between the Transporter and Drive away awning. So what exactly is a drive away awning? Well it is simply a tent-like structure which differs from a tent in just one crucial area: it can be temporarily attached to your campervan or motorhome to create an entrance tunnel into or out of your vehicle. Awning Size – are you after maximum floor space or just a porch extension to your campervan? Equally, do you typically just go away for a weekend or camp for weeks at a time? The answer to these questions will determine what size of awning you should buy. A massive awning will take longer to put up and use up more storage space when travelling. Our camping is typically for a weekend with the occasional week thrown in during school holidays, and so we don’t need the biggest awning on the market. If you’re interested, we currently primarily use the Kampa Cross Air with additional sleeping pod and are very pleased with it. The Cayman Air is a classic design which offers 300cm x 300cm of usable floor space with doors/windows on all three of the outward facing sides and excellent head height. The ground sheet is sewn in and cannot be removed.

Look for as many doors and windows as possible to maximize access and let in light. Watch out for velcro on the doors as this can let in air and water – much better to have full 2-way zips on all doors. Mosquito netting on some or all windows and doors is also useful, as are curtains.They say big is beautiful and that’s certainly the case with this new addition to the Berghaus range. Removeable doors are fantastic – they help create a modular design of awning whereby you can choose how to structure the layout. For example, on hot days you can create a gazebo-like structure. You can also then add on sleeping pods if required. The awning piping is suitable for a 4mm or 6mm drive away kit to create a strong water tight seal between the Transporter and awning. It can be used as a daily driver and car replacement at home (we only have one vehicle in the household). Front porch area for cooking and dining; A bright and good-sized living area; Flexible bedroom arrangements that can be organised to suit your requirements; Good ventilation throughout