THE SPACE RACE

ONE OF THE main attractions of the caravanning lifestyle is the hygge effect: the sheer cosiness of settling down in a small, warm space, somewhere that you feel safe and secure.

This is indeed a wonderful thing, but many families find they need a bit more room for convenient caravan living – for accommodation, storage or practical daytime activities. They could buy a bigger caravan, although that might be more challenging to tow and store, and there is a better solution that’s simple and relatively cheap. The answer is a caravan awning. Awnings are fabric structures that attach to the side of your van, delivering extra usable space to suit your requirements.

Caravan awnings are available in a huge range of sizes, split into two groups: full awnings – which cover the entire side of the caravan (often doubling your living space), and porch awnings, which cover a section of the side of the tourer.

Porches might be as small as one to two metres in width –