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

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 Can move many of your items out of the campervan into the awning – frees up space in the van for general living. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.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 Sewn in ground sheet plus mosquito netting on the doors makes for a comfortable bug free night sleep. 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. 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. 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.

We specifically went for this tent as it comes with a fully enclosed porch area but with the versatility to remove the doors. The porch has its own footprint and we used this area for our kitchen. It can be used as a daily driver and car replacement at home (we only have one vehicle in the household). 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.

Preview

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 Berghaus Drive-Airway 300 Campervan Awning has a fully waterproof flysheet tested to a hydro static head of 6000 mm. The PVC plus air tubes are really strong and an air pump and repair kit are included.

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. 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. Better quality components that make up the fibre glass rod structures and stitching of the rod channels is generally more robust to prevent tearing. The Berghaus Telstar Drive Airway Awning is a very large inflatable Motorhome extension. It adds 2 bedrooms and extra living space to your camping setup. This luxurious awning is built to the same high specification used on the Berghaus range of air tents. The flysheet is fully waterproof with taped seams and the fabric has been tested to a hydro static head of 6000 mm. The groundsheet is sewn in to keep water and draughts out.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. 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.