Olpro View 300
The Worcester firm has made a fine debut in caravan awnings, says Peter Baber
THE VIEW IS the first range of caravan awnings from Olpro, a company that is still less than a decade old, but has made a name for itself producing tents and campervan awnings with often very innovative designs.
The View seems to carry on that tradition, in being a porch awning, making it relatively easy to assemble and take down, but with an additional porch annexe that you can fit either side. So you can really adjust it to fit the layout and geography of whatever caravan park pitch you are on.
This is an air awning with multiple inflation points. The 300 model we tested has two front panels and includes three main support beams and four roof beams. Even with multiple inflation, it wasn’t the huge effort to set up that we might have expected.
Although admittedly we were working with seasoned Olpro staff, the total assembly time from taking it out of the bag to putting in the final peg was no more than 30 minutes.
The 150-denier material has a 5000mm hydrostatic head, which is more than adequate.
Unusually for an inflatable awning, the fabric curtains hang loosely at the bottom, making things look that little bit more homely inside.
The interior benefits from a tinted skylight in the roof.
And although this is a fully functioning awning in winter, all four panels can be removed in the heat of summer, to make it more like a canopy.
There are no verandah poles as such, but the windows are opened by U-shaped zips, which will achieve a similar effect.
The design still includes poles where the awning meets the caravan itself, but these come with padding to prevent any damage to the van walls.
‘In summer, all four panels can easily be removed, to make it more like a canopy’
We were very impressed with the fluorescent guys outside; these are straps, rather than ropes, and are therefore that much more visible at night. No more tripping over on your way back from the campsite bar!
It’s good to see that draught skirts and a single wheel-arch cover all come as standard. Olpro has also brought out an ingenious £8 tool, the Peg Puller Pro, which combines a plastic shield with a hook to make pulling pegs out of hard ground a relatively quick and pain-free process.
Finally, this year, as a result of coronavirus, Olpro will not start the two-year warranty on any awning bought before the end of April until July.
VERDICT
This is a great debut product by Olpro. No wonder it was a runner-up in our Tourer of the Year Awards last year!