Inaca Elba 250 seasonal awning
Web www.awningdeals.co.uk
The Inaca Elba 250 is a seasonal awning, designed to be left on the caravan from early spring to late autumn. It is available in sizes to suit caravans with ground-to-ground measurements of 800cm- 1075cm (26ft 3in-35ft 3in). Its depth is a standard 250cm (8ft 2in), and the canopy extends this by a further 30cm (12in). It comes with a 12-month warranty and is available from branches of Barrons Awningdeals, the sole UK dealer for this Spanish-made range.
We tested a model with three front panels, each with a large window, plus a large door panel. This number will vary with awning size. Larger models, for example, have an extra window panel and two door panels.
All the windows have zipped covers, which protect the windows during inclement weather or when the caravan is unoccupied for long periods. The covers provide privacy, although there's nothing to prevent anyone from unzipping them.
The front panels can be zipped out and arranged in any order you wish. The side panels are also interchangeable, can be opened in two places and have an insect/ventilation screen behind the single large window.
The frames are available in 25mm (1in) diameter galvanised steel or fibreglass. However, as this is a seasonal awning and you never know what the weather is going to be like when the caravan is left unoccupied, we believe that the steel frame is the better option, despite its considerably greater weight. Bear in mind, however, that you will only be erecting and dismantling it once per season and not every time you stay in your tourer.
Besides weight, there is another disadvantage of the steel frame: it requires more effort to erect than the fibreglass version. Still, this is compensated for by the zip-out panels. Once the roof has been fitted, simply zip the panels into place. And despite the extra weight of each window panel, given the inclusion of its zipped cover, there is little difference between erecting the Elba and any other make of awning.
There's one feature that we did not like: the use of thumbscrews to secure the roof and vertical poles. This design demands that you extend the two poles and hold them both in place while trying to tighten the screw. This is a job that requires three hands, the Hercules Twin tensioning tool or a new product we recently came across – the Awning Companion (tel 0800 804 717, www.awningcompanion.com).
The roof, front and side panels, and zipped covers are made from PVA polyester, while the mudwall is PVC. However, the awning is available in only one colour combination: blue and silver. Keep in mind that, although the Elba is a seasonal awning, tie-down straps are not standard kit, but are an optional extra.