Best Drive Away Awning for Extra Campervan Living Space
★★★★★
If you don’t want to wade through the entire article, we currently rate the Vango Galli CC Air as the best large drive away awning on the market. The materials used are top quality and this awning will keep you warm and dry through the typical UK season cycles.
Vango Galli Air CC
Drive away Awning
The age old controversy as to whether a caravan, campervan or motorhome is the ‘best option on wheels’ for camping trips rages on. To be honest, we’re still none the wiser as to which would win in a head to head scrap – they all have particular strengths and weaknesses. However, campervans and motorhomes have an ace up their sleeve – they can easily be expanded in size using a drive away awning.
Our personal preference for UK camping is to use a campervan over a tent or caravan, but it’s clear that it is a very personal choice. For us, our Mercedes Marco Polo camper works really well due to it:
- Being under 2m in height it can get into car parks and supermarkets whilst away from the campsite.
- It can be used as a daily driver and car replacement at home (we only have one vehicle in the household).
- Can be ready to go off on a camping trip at the drop of a hat – gear can be stored inside at all times.
- Doesn’t need specific storage – we keep ours on the drive.
- Easy to clean inside and out.
- Only one insurance policy and set of servicing needed.
- No stress about tow car weight and suitability.
However, one of the downsides of our camper is that internal space is limited and we constantly have to rearrange chairs and possessions depending on what time of day it is. For example, if the bed is set up then you cannot get into all the cupboards. This can get irritating, especially on longer trips, as well as the feeling that you’re always getting in each other’s way – there’s very little privacy!
What is a Drive Away Awning?
One way around the issues above is to augment the camper with a drive away awning. This can massively extend the flexibility of your campervan at the expense of some storage space when travelling.
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.
This means you can walk into the awning and then walk straight through it into your campervan without anyone seeing you. If it’s raining outside, you also don’t get wet! In effect, the drive-away awning creates an integrated extension to your campervan, and can drastically increase the available living space.
In all other respects, the drive away awning is exactly like a tent, but funnily enough, some campsites will charge you twice if you choose to bring along an actual tent with your campervan, even if you pretend it’s an awning – slightly bizarre, but it certainly pays to buy a real drive away awning if you don’t want that awkward conversation at check-in time!
Advantages of a Drive Away Awning
The best drive away awnings can revolutionize your campervan experience for a number of reasons.
- Extra living space – from a single room to multiple rooms and sleeping pods.
- Time to put up can be fast – we put up an inflatable drive away awning in under 8 minutes, and we weren’t really trying.
- Can move many of your items out of the campervan into the awning – frees up space in the van for general living.
- The awning can be used as a changing room and a place to put on muddy boots when it’s raining outside. It’s essentially a porch for your camper.
- Some people use the tunnel area between the camper and the awning as a place to locate a camping toilet – very useful privacy.
The main disadvantages of a drive away awning are the cost – a decent inflatable drive away awning will be in the £400-£1000 range, but you can often pick them up as a second hand purchase, although you may have to pay close to the brand new purchase price – they hold their value well. Another disadvantage is when packing away in rain – it can be a bit of a slog and the awning may get moldy if stored wet – you will need lay it out at home to dry it thoroughly.
The benefits of the drive-away awning definitely grow inversely proportional to the size of your campervan or motorhome. If you have a large traditional motorhome (say 4 or 5 berth) then the advantages of adding on an awning are less than for a small California/Transporter/Marco Polo sized van. It’s about the relative increase in floor space you gain in our opinion.
Buying A Drive Away Awning – What To Look For
As you can see from the photos in this article, we’ve tested a wide range of drive away awnings for our camper van, from Vango to Kampa to Outdoor Revolution. So what are the best features to look for?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.- Think about how your mains hook-up cable will gain access into the main body of the awning. You don’t always need a dedicated access hatch as they can often just be routed under the main tunnel and into the awning. If you’re using a camping power pack instead of mains then this is not an issue.
- 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.
- Material thickness – we’ve tested some high quality awnings (e.g. Vango Galli) and the material denier can be very thick. Of course, the thicker the material, the better the insulation properties of the awning. This means that if you want to be camping all year round that it’s best to go for a more expensive awning with high denier (thickness). However, the weight of the awning will inevitably rise. We also found that thick material can make the awning oppressively hot in summer (especially abroad) and hence we actually prefer a thinner fabric for most spring/summer camping. If you do choose a thick fabric drive away awning then make sure the windows can be opened to maximize air flow in summer.
- Vehicle Attachment – most drive away awnings come with multiple ways to attach to your campervan or motorhome. Typically this will be a simple drive away kit which is a two-sided ‘Kador” strip with piping which can slide into the awning channel of your campervan (check you have this feature on your van), and the other side connects to the awning. These are not always included with the awning, so be sure to check. Alternatively there may be awning straps which can be thrown over or attached to your campervan, or clamps which can attach to the guttering.
- Awning Height – most models of drive away awning come in multiple heights, so be sure to choose the right height for your van, otherwise the tunnel section may not attach correctly to it. The smaller campervans such as the VW California/Transporter or Mercedes Marco Polo will use a “low” awning (perfect for vans in the 180 – 210cm range). Large motorhomes will require a “Tall” size which typically ranges in the 245 – 295cm range. Mid-height vans will use a “Standard” or “Midline” height in the 205 – 245cm range.
- Awning Orientation – finally consider what side of the campervan your main entrance is and then where the main side door of awning tunnel is located. Do you want to be entering the awning from the front direction of the campervan or the boot area? Personally, we prefer the boot because that is typically where we go to get gear and our bikes. Some drive away awnings come in two orientation options (mirror images) and you will need to choose the correct one to get to the part of the campervan you most use.
Drive Away Awning Recommendations
If you’re thinking of buying a drive away awning, then we’ve put together a list of our top recommendations based on many years of camping experience and testing. The majority of these awnings are inflatable, and encompass different sizes depending on your preferences. The range of prices on offer is quite wide and you will need to carefully consider your particular budget and in particular the material you wish the awning to be fabricated from (cheaper polyester vs more expensive polycotton) as discussed above. We wish you luck in your search!
Vango Kela Air
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 Kela Air is a cosy drive away inflatable awning which gets the key features very right:
- large, clear windows with overhead skylights – check!
- Two tunnel doors – check!
- Mains hookup access panel – check!
- Two big doors at front and side of the awning which can give great air flow.
If you ignore the tunnel section then the dimensions of the main living space are 235 x 310 cm – this is big enough to get a few chairs and a small table in, but not much else. The advantages of this size are a quick set-up and pack away and this is an ideal drive away awning for weekends away. Packed weight of the polycotton TC version is 22.4kg which drops to 18.4kg for the thinner polyester version (which is still great material!).
The Kela Air comes complete with pump, pegs, carry-bag, over-vehicle webbing straps and a 6mm kador strip. If you need roof bar attachments then you will need to purchase these separately.
Kela Awning In Use
Our friends Al and Geb use the Vango Kela Air with their Eriba caravan, and I’ve had many evenings sampling Al’s whisky collection in his Kela whilst looking at the stars overhead. They soften the interior by using the fitted carpet which really helps make the awning a nicer area to spend time in, and it feels lovely underfoot.
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 Vango Kela Air is a great option if you need a small, compact drive away awning for a weekend away or slightly longer. You need to be cognisant of the dimensions as the 2.35m depth is not huge and may limit how many people can fit in. We would say it’s perfect for a couple of people and has that Vango quality which we always enjoy. Definitely worth seeking out if you can find one in stock.
Check out our full Vango Kela Air review if you’d like to see more information on our experiences with it.
Pros
- Portable and quick to set up
- Usual high quality of materials from Vango
- Four external doors in total is more than adequate
- Sky hook rail allows lanterns to be hung up from the ceiling
- Very clear windows are a joy to look through
- Useful cable access hatch
Cons
- Cannot be extended with an annexe
- Expensive for the size
- Front lip is a trip hazard
Vango Kela Air - Polyester
Vango Kela Air - Polycotton (TC)
Kampa Cross Air - Best Compact Inflatable Awning
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
So what’s so good about the Cross Air? Well firstly the square shape with steep walls and high head height maximizes the internal volume, but it’s really the flexible, modular design which really impresses.
Of the three outward facing doors, each has a very large pair of windows with individual blinds for each. More importantly, two of these doors can be fully zipped out of the main body of the awning and the third partially unzipped and tied back to create a full gazebo structure. On top of this, the groundsheet can also be fully removed to get the grass under your feet. With the doors out in this way, you can add optional sleeping pods to create almost a tent structure which is full connected to your campervan via the tunnel segment. This is as good as it gets in some ways!
Check out our video below showing our first unboxing and set-up of the Cayman Cross Air with the optional sleeping pod.
The packed size of the Cross Air is quite reasonable at 76 x 35 x 35 cm and the weight is an excellent 16.15kg. The Weathershield 68D fabric is not as thick and insulating as the Vango Sentinel Pro, but it does feel good to the touch and is certainly not a budget fabric. The Weathershield is resistant to ultra-violet radiation and we have seen no signs of degradation in over a year of long-term tests.
There are two inflatable airbeams for the Cross Air, and the valve system is the only weak point on the awning. You need to screw an adaptor on to the end of the pump before attaching to the valve (this took us a while to work out in the video above!). This adapter can come loose when you’re pumping which is irritating, but certainly not a deal breaker. You cannot beat the Outdoor Revolution valve system (see the very similar Cayman Air awning below) if this is a concern. Because the airbeams are relatively thin, they don’t take much effort to pump up and then it is quite a simple task to connect the tunnel section to the campervan using the driveaway kit which requires a separate purchase. Bear in mind that the tunnel section only has one exterior door, so you will want to buy the orientation of awning which gets that door on the correct end of the van for you. The door into the awning from the tunnel
In Use
This is a fabulous awning for enjoying both hot summer evenings and colder autumn nights. In the full sun, the option to remove all sides of the awning and the groundsheet really gets you close to nature at the campsite. We were very impressed.
In cooler weather, we found that you could keep the doors attached, but half unzip them to let in maximum amount of air and light. The flexibility of this design excels itself at every stage of the year. The material used in the Cross Air is thick enough that it provides decent insulation in the autumn/winter, but is thin enough to not get to sweltering in the summer.
There is a single fiber glass pole included with the awning which is used to create a rain/sun canopy at the front of the awning. This means you get some protection when entering or exiting the inner sanctum.
Conclusions
Overall, the Kampa Cross Air is an excellent drive-away awning which is fairly compact, but totally useable for short or long trips. There are only a few small niggles which drop it down from utter perfection (see the ‘cons’ list below). We were so impressed after reviewing it that we bought our own and continue to use it with our Marco Polo campervan. Definitely check one out if you are on the lookout for an awning of this size.
Be sure to also check out our full review of the Kampa Cross Air.
Pros
- Highly flexible design for summer or winter
- Can be turned into a gazebo
- Great head height
- Sleeping pods are really useful for extra berths
- Lightweight when packed and perfect for a weekend away
Cons
- Tunnel only has one external door
- Need to buy the driveaway kit separately (only £20, but I just don’t get it!)
- The valve adaptor for the pump is a bit fiddly
Kampa Cross Air awning
Vango Galli CC Air - Best Large Drive Away Awning
The Vango Galli CC Air has had multiple updates since its first release (currently on Mk III) and it is still the best large drive away awning on the market in our opinion. We tested one extensively with our Mercedes Marco Polo over a full year of use and were very impressed with the design and high quality materials used by Vango. It felt like it could survive anything nature could throw at it which did wonders for our peace of mind and comfort. Let’s dig into what makes it our top pick out of the large-sized awnings.
Design and Layout
The Galli Air is a large drive away awning, available in both “Low” and “Tall” variants, for different heights of campervan – we’ll concentrate on the more popular “Low” version in this summary.
The Low Galli Air CC is available in Vango’s excellent Sentinel Pro 430D Double Ripstop fabric or their ‘Pro’ technical cotton. The latter is around 30% more expensive, but we are not convinced it is definitely worth the additional cost unless you are travelling to hot climates often. The standard fabric is such a high quality, thick fabric with 6000mm of hydrostatic head waterproofing that unless you need the superior cooling available with the TC material, we would likely stick with the cheaper option for UK use.
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.
The tunnel section which connects to your campervan is also of generous proportions and features a door on each side for access from either the front or rear directions when walking back to your setup.
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.
Total packed size and weight of the standard fabric Galli is 78 x 39 x 44cm and 28.95kg. Total packed size and weight of the TC model is 78 x 45 x 49cm and 35.6kg. It’s a bit bulkier and heavier to use the technical cotton, so please make allowances for that.
Setting Up
Our review Galli Air was the Low version made from the standard Sentinel Pro material. The awning comes with a pump, generous carry bag, rock pegs for securing to the ground (good quality) and ten sky hooks which allow items to be attached to an internal rail above head height in the awning – useful for hanging a camping lantern to or clothes – great attention to detail.
The Galli has four airbeams to pump up, and this is a fairly simple process, which gets the blood pumping. It’s around two minute’s work per airbeam and so you can have a self supported structure up in around 8 minutes, and then it just needs connecting to your campervan and pegging out. The Galli comes with multiple ways of attaching to your campervan including straps, roofbar tabs and a kador strip – we used the latter on our Marco Polo.
In Use
The Galli Air is a dream driveaway awning to spend time in, and if you can afford it and have the storage space when travelling we highly recommend it. It’s hefty to shift when packed and moving into position, but you can always share the load with a partner. What immediately strikes you is the quality of the Sentinel Pro fabric (we’ve not tested the TC version yet) and the clearness of the windows. The airbeams provide a very solid structure and the view of outside from within is excellent.
Light simply pours in, and Vango have fitted some ‘skylight’ type windows above the main windows and above the porch which helps with this. If you want privacy then there are zip-up blinds on each window which were useful.
One thing I would mention is that we took the Galli Air to France during a hot summer and found the thick fabric made the inside of the awning extremely hot, even though there are several ventilation meshes. Note that the windows are not removeable and so airflow is achieved through the meshed front door and other ventilation meshes at the rear and side. In the UK, getting too hot was never a problem, but we would definitely suggest going for the TC version if travel abroad is in your future.
Conclusions
In summary, we were very impressed with the Vango Galli Air. The Sentinal Pro fabric is almost unrivaled in our opinion (108 g/m2 thickness of the Sentinel Pro fabric vs ~60g/m2 for other manufacturers) and the double rip stop gives extra durability. It’s not going to fade quickly (Vango use a patented ‘ColorLock’ process), and there is plenty of room. We like the carry bag (easy pack down) and the porch area is lovely for an evening drink. Recommended at all levels!
Pros
- Class-leading Sentinel Pro ripstop fabric – warm!
- Great windows
- Tunnel section has two doors from outside and one into awning
- Nice porch area
Cons
- Heavy to lift
- Expensive
- Can get hot in still air in summer – choose TC if that’s a concern
Vango Galli Air Awning
Outdoor Revolution Cayman Air - Best Budget Inflatable Awning
There are several compact driveaway awnings on the market, and the Outdoor Revolution Cayman Air is one of our favourites at the lower end of the price scale. It scores points on packed size/weight, great airbeam valves and flexibility with regard to opening up entire side panels for excellent airflow. The Cayman Air can also be extended with an optional sleeping pod annexe which must be bought separately.
Design and Layout
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.
There is just a single inflation point for the entire awning which makes set up and packing very quick, and we really like the valve system which Outdoor Revolution have designed – it works very well. The pump comes supplied with the awning along with pegs and a carry bag.
One of the things really like about the Cayman Air is that the 120 HDE high density fabric which is used by Outdoor Revolution is extremely light yet strong. This means that even though it only packs down to a fairly large 82 x 47 x 35 cm, it’s weight is only around 17kg which is very light and easy to handle. The awning comes in ‘Low’ and ‘Midline’ variants for different sized campervans.
The tunnel section has a door facing each end of your campervan as well as a large zipped door for entry into the awning. This door cannot be fully removed, and must be rolled to one side and tied up with a couple of toggles. It has screens incorporated which can also be rolled back to let light in.
Of the three other doors which are outwards facing, each of these can be unzipped and rolled back to make a gazebo-type structure. One of the doors can be completely removed to allow an optional sleeping annexe to be zipped in – instead – really useful for extra sleeping space.
In Use
The Cayman Air is a great drive-away awning if you want to head off quickly for a week-end away and need to be able to quickly set up and tear down. Bigger awnings can sometimes feel like a step too far for one or two nights (our main camping duration), but we really liked the space that was on offer. It really augments a small campervan well without feeling like overkill.
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.
That being said, we were generally very happy with the Outdoor Revolution Cayman Air and would wholeheartedly recommend it if you don’t want to be spending up towards the £1000 mark. For around half that price (and in fact the previous model is even cheaper if you can find it) it’s a really well designed awning option for your adventures.
Pros
- Very lightweight for quick set-up and tear down
- Great value for money
- Highly flexible – can create a gzebo
- Tunnel section has two doors from outside and one into awning
- Sleeping pod can be attached
Cons
- Velcro on bottom of doors not ideal
- No cable access port
- Not as thick fabric as Vango awnings – good for summer, bad for Winter
Outdoor Revolution Cayman Air
Check out our video of setting up the Outdoor Revolution Cayman Air in under 8 minutes – we weren’t even rushing!
We hope you enjoyed our roundup of the best drive away awnings which can be purchased to extend your campervan living space. Please let us know if you have any other suggestions for better choices – email us on info@campingsecrets.co.uk
