The first day we arrived at a site in Arras just as it was getting dark and set the van and awning up. We had already had a quick practice the previous day in the UK without pegging down, just to make sure we knew what to do.
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All was well until the wind picked up in the middle of the night, then the slightly baggy tunnel started slapping about a bit, keeping us all awake. I tensioned it using an elasticated washing line, and all was well.
The next day we purchased a load of 80cm bungees in preparation the for pitching that night near Creil, just North of Paris.
This time we used the bungees to tension the tunnel in multiple directions...
This worked OK, except for reducing the tunnel diameter quite a bit. I'll be getting some custom bungees made that fit a lot better.
The tunnel detaches from the Bongo easily enough...
We never tried reconnecting it as we were leaving early the next day, I suppose we would have marked where the wheel were with tent pegs and just parked in the same spot.
We couldn't get the tunnel to stow properly...
and we would also recommend using the front door wherever possible, particularly in inclement weather, the side doors are secured best from outside. If you don't do this, you risk them coming open...
... and that lets in quite a bit of water !
Never mind, short, sharp shock and all that.
In all I like the awning, except for the tunnel, and that's not a major issue and was known about in advance anyway from reading the forum. I'd say it's good value for money, very practical, and adds a large amount of private space to the Bongo.
they make a frightful noise in the wind(I know you are supposed to roll them up if it gets above a breeze but no one does.)
