Vango Kela Air Review – A Compact Drive Away Awning
Does the usual Vango quality translate across to one of their smaller driveaway awnings? We take an independent look at the Vango Kela Air and find out….
Why we like the Kela Air: Quality materials; Waterproof and warm; Quick to put up
What we don’t like: Fairly pricey;
If you’re the owner of a small caravan or campervan then it makes alot of sense to bring along a driveaway awning. They can pack up reasonably small but then inflate to create a separate room or suite of rooms to use when camping in less than 10 minutes – what’s not to like? Doctor Who can’t even do that!
For us, the key features to look out with drive away awnings depend on whether you’re expecting to be using one all year round, or just in the warm(ish) summer months. It also depends on whether you plan to sleep in it and how much budget you have in the kitty. There is a noticeable difference in the thickness (denier) of the waterproof fabrics in construction as you outlay more cash on the purchase and we would certainly recommend seeking out thicker materials for use in winter.
We’ve had considerable experience with Vango tents and their larger awnings such as the Galli 3 in the past. We’ve always been impressed by the materials used and we were extremely keen to get our mittens on one of their smaller options to see if the quality is maintained. Step forward the Vango Kela…
Options and Layout of the Vango Kela Air
The Vango Kela Air is a compact drive away awning which uses a pair of inflatable airbeams to provide structure and support to the awning in place of the traditional fiddly fibre-glass poles that are still commonly used on lower-priced options. We think the extra price of airbeam technology is worthwhile because it massively improves the time to put up and take down the awning, leaving more time to relax. Risk of punctures is low, and the main disadvantage is a slightly higher packed weight over a pole-based awning of the same design – however, this is really not a problem in most scenarios.
The Kela Air comes in two main flavours which are designed for different height vehicles – the ‘Low’ and the ‘Standard’. We were testing our review awning on a small Eriba caravan and so were using the low awning – this caters for campervans and caravans in the 180 – 210cm range. The standard is for larger caravans and campers in the 205 – 245cm range. The actual Kela awning living space is unchanged between these two though. The Kela we were testing was the 3rd version of the awning and Vango are now on the 5th (labelled the ‘Vango Kela Air V’). However there is very minimal difference between the two.
Dimensions and packed weight and size
For a fairly small awning, the pack size of the Kela is fairly big at 78 x 32 x 34cm. This will take up a reasonable amount of boot space, but it’s not over the top. The reason for the size is the thick Sentinel Pro double ripstop fabric used by Vango. This is a really good insulating tent fabric and means that the Kela is suitable to use all year around, especially if you have a good camping heater. The downside of the thick fabric is that the packed size goes up and the weight is fairly substantial at 18.4kg.
The Sentinal Pro is very waterproof and has a hydrostatic head of 6000mm which is excellent. All seams on the tent are taped and we experienced no problems at all with water, even under heavy rain. The Sentinal Pro is also UV resistant at greater than factor 50 – you’re not going to get sunburnt inside.
There are two airbeams on the Kela and a pump is supplied which you would expect at this pricepoint. The pump is one of those clever ‘double action’ ones which can pump air in when inflating or pump air out when deflating. Inflation of the airbeams is very quick and takes a minute or two at most.
Once up you’re treated to a roughly square floor area comprising:
- a tunnel section between your van and the main living space – this measures 135 x 310 cm
- The main living space with a 235 x 310cm area. This has a flat roof section and a sloping section which constitutes the front wall of the awning.
There’s a single cable entry point on one side of the awning if you want to direct a mains electric hookup from your distribution point into the awning. It might have been nice to see a second cable entry point on the opposite side – surely adding another cable point doesn’t add too much to the cost Vango?
Attaching the Kela awning to your van
There are multiple ways of attaching the Kela to your van. The simplest is to use the double kador strip which comes with the awning. This is one of those classic fabric strips which have two beads which are attached to your caravan/camper runner and the other to the awning itself.
Alternatively, you can use the supplied universal over-vehicle webbing straps. These simply stretch from the awning, over your caravan or camper and are then pegged down in the ground on the opposite side of your vehicle, securing the awning in place. We’re not massive fans of this approach as there is risk of scuffing the paintwork on your campervan roof.
Finally there is the Vango pole and clamp kit which is probably the best solution if you don’t have an in-built gutter or runner on your camper. This has to be bought separately, but the Kela does come with a sleeve for it to hook on to. There are also tabs for connecting to roof bars so you’re pretty covered whatever your specific situation.
Doors and Windows
You’re spoilt for choice in terms of the doors and windows on the Kela – Vango have really gone to town here.
- The tunnel section of the Kela has a door on each side which is really useful. You can enter or exit the awning when approaching from either the front or rear of your vehicle.
- The main living area also has a further two doors, making four in total for the awning
- The front of the awning has a massive door which can be rolled away to create a fully open frontage – lovely to sit out when it’s warm. This main door has a mesh layer to stop insects getting in. You can also attach some King poles (not supplied) to the front door and suspend it like a canopy – nice!
- A side door allows simple access in and out of the main area. Also has a mesh so you can be fully protected from bugs when in the main living space.
We found that if you roll back and secure all four doors at the same time on a hot day, you can get a quasi-gazebo feel from the Kela which is really great for feeling like an extended space from the van. You get great air flow but also protection from extreme sun or even the odd likely rain shower.
For natural light, the Kela has a large window and skylight on the side of the main living area adjacent to the rear of your campervan/caravan. We really love the skylight feature – it lets in light from above to really heighten the camping experience. The big front door also has a huge window for gazing out over the vista. All windows can be covered up with a roll-back blind for privacy or protection.
Driving Away
A drive away awning is of limited use if you cannot easily drive away from it. Luckily Vango have got you covered here with the tunnel tent which is designed to roll away when you need to leave. Obviously you have to first undo the securing section of the awning from your van, but then it is very easy to drive off.
We recommend roughly marking where your van was parked so you can then drive back after your trip out and put it exactly back where it was previously parked. Reattachment of the Kela is then straightforward.
In Use and Overall Impressions
After several weekends away, we’ve been impressed with the Vango Kela Air awning on a number of fronts. The Sentinel Pro is surely the best fabric for awnings on the market at the moment. It’s so thick and reassuring that you feel like it could survive a monsoon.
Vango have supplied the essential extras with the awning, from the pump to the pegs to the storm straps. Sadly no carpet is included in the price, but that can be purchased separately. We would recommend buying the Kela carpet as it really makes the awning feel luxurious underneath, especially if you’ve been unhappily situated on a gravel pitch.
We liked the visibility from the clear windows and also the Skytrack system across the beam at the top of the awning. This enables you to hook items like a camping lantern up which is useful and often ignored by other awning manufacturers.
The facility for opening up all four doors is also a great feature with the Kela – this turns the awning into what is effectively a full-on gazebo. It’s not quite as flexible or modular as the Kampa Cross Air Low Driveaway Awning in this respect, but the Vango has superior materials in our opinion.
Downsides of the Kela
It’s tricky to identify downsides with the Vango Kela. The packed size and weight is slightly higher than you might expect, but as discussed this is due to the quality of fabric used in its construction – hardly a negative. The price is towards the upper level of awnings this size, but it is certain to hold its value well on the second hand market. Just check Ebay to see how well the prices hold up.
Conclusions and Verdict
Overall we can’t really fault this awning – Vango have done it again! If you don’t want to bring along the full-on Galli 3 then the Kela is a great compact alternative. Perfectly suited to expanding your living space for a weekend or longer.
Be sure to check out our round-up of the best drive away awnings on the market at the moment and read the buyer’s guide included in that article.
