Air awnings are a relatively recent innovation in the caravanning world. As I explained in my blog post, Air Or Pole Awning, air awnings are typically an excellent piece of caravanning equipment. They are easier to put up and generally more stable in poor weather than pole awnings. If you’ve decided to purchase an air awning, you just need to know which air awnings are the best. And that’s what I’ve written this blog post for: to tell you which air awnings are the best.
I have looked at several air awnings that could be considered for use in a caravan. After researching several, here are 4 that I recommend for various reasons:
| Air Awning Model | Width | Depth | Weight | Price | Rating out of 10 | Link to purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella Magnum Etna 400 | 250cm | 400cm | 32.23kg | £1,771.99 | 8.5 | winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk |
| Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390 | 390cm | 300cm | 28.56kg | £1399.99 | 9 | campingworld.co.uk |
| Dometic Club Air All-Season 390 | 390cm | 275cm | 31.3kg | £1,874.99 | 10 | campingworld.co.uk |
| Dometic Ace Air Pro 400 | 400cm | 325cm | 21.9kg | £1,649.99 | 9.5 | campingworld.co.uk |
All prices are correct at the time of writing. If you do purchase an awning using one of our links, we earn a little commission at no extra cost to you. Every purchase helps us if you like our recommendations.
Now I’ve gone over my recommendations; I’m going to look at each of them in more depth while also explaining why I’ve made the recommendations above. I’ll also explain the full criteria that I’ve judged these air awnings on.
Here are the best air awnings available:
- Isabella Magnum Etna 400
- Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390
- Dometic Club Air All-Season 390
- Dometic Ace Air Pro 400
There are a few things I’ve considered with my recommendations. First and foremost, I chose air awnings that would fit the majority of caravans. There’s no point recommending massive awnings that are only suitable for a small number of caravan owners. Secondly, these are all currently available brand new, so you don’t have to spend hours searching for them.
Before I explain all my recommendations individually, I thought it would be a good idea to answer some frequently asked questions about air awnings. If you don’t want to read this section of the blog post, please click here to skip to the in-depth look at the awnings I’m recommending.
Air Awning Frequently Asked Questions
There are a lot of questions I regularly hear about air awnings:
- Are air awnings universal?
- How do I know what awning will fit my caravan?
- How do air awnings work?
I’ll answer these questions before we get into an in-depth evaluation of the best air awnings currently available.
Are Air Awnings Universal?
One of the biggest questions of all: are air awnings universal? The last thing you want is to purchase an awning that doesn’t attach to your caravan, especially considering how much they cost!
Yes, air awnings are universal unless otherwise explicitly stated. However, you still need to make sure you pick an awning that will fit your ‘van.
Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to determine whether or not an awning will fit your caravan. There are two measurements you need to know:
- Height from the ground to the awning rail
- The length of your caravan
With that information, you’ll be able to choose an awning that attaches to your caravan.
How Do I Know What Awning Will Attach To My Caravan?
This links in slightly to the last question. All awnings will fit your caravan unless it’s explicitly stated that the awnings are for a specific caravan. Although this does depend on the type of caravan that you have. For example, universal awnings may not fit a folding caravan.
If you have the dimensions you need (height from the ground to the awning rail & the length of your caravan), you can search for awnings with those parameters in mind.
For instance, the Isabella Air Cirrus North 400 (one of the best air awnings, as I’ll explain soon) fits caravans with a rail height of between 242 – 255cm. The awning’s 400cm wide, so the straight section of your awning rail will need to be at least 400cm long.
Getting these measurements is as easy as getting out a measuring tape and literally measuring them. Alternatively, you can find the information online from a dealer or your caravan manufacturer.
How Do Air Awnings Work?
This is an interesting question. In my experience, people are essentially asking how you actually put the air awning up.
It’s pretty easy, fortunately, which is the whole point of air awnings. First and foremost, you feed the beading through the awning channel as you would with a pole awning. Afterwards, peg the awning at the back (next to the caravan, slightly underneath. Next, you need to inflate the awning.
There are two ways to inflate an air awning:
- Manual pump
- Electric pump
The choice is yours when it comes to inflating the air awning. Every air awning as far as I’ve seen comes with a manual pump as standard. However, you can use an electric pump if you’d prefer. An electric pump will inflate the awning at a relatively slow rate, but it saves you the task of manually inflating the awning using a standard pump.
There are electric pumps designed specifically for inflating air awnings. I would personally purchase one of these for inflating an awning with an electric pump. One benefit of purchasing an electric pump designed for inflating awnings is the automatic cut-out when the correct pressure is reached.
Now I’ve answered those frequently asked questions, let’s have a look at the best air awnings for caravans!
Best Air Awnings For Caravans
These are some of the best awnings that money can buy. They fit the vast majority of caravans, although you should double-check the measurements I mentioned in the last section of this post before purchasing an awning.
Select which air awning you want to learn more about to be taken to the relevant information:
- Isabella Magnum Etna 400
- Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390
- Dometic Club Air All-Season 390
- Dometic Ace Air Pro 400
Isabella Magnum Etra 400
| Air Awning Model | Width | Depth | Weight | Price | Rating out of 10 | Link to purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isabella Magnum Etna 400 | 250cm | 400cm | 32.23kg | £1,771.99 | 8.5 | winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk |
The Isabella Magnum Etra 400 is one of the best air awnings that money can buy. It’s exactly what you’d expect from Isabella: innovative, durable, and made of the finest materials available. This awning has unsurprisingly gained a lot of attention over the years, and it’s easy to explain why – which is what I’m going to do now.
- Revolutionary IsaFix system: The IsaFix is a great feature that makes this awning perfect for windy days when you might worry your awning pegs won’t hold. This IsaFix has strong clamps that have been proven to hold your awning up in some of the windiest camping conditions, allowing you to enjoy your caravanning trip without any wind-related disruptions.
- Made of the finest materials – Isacryl: The Isabella Magnum Etna 400 is made of Isacryl – Isabella’s well-known breathable, durable acrylic material. The density of the weave prevents water ingress whilst remaining breathable. Isacryl really is an impressive engineering feat, so it’s great that Isabella has used it to make this awning.
- CarbonX fibreglass frame: This framing design is made from carbon fibreglass, which is some of the strongest materials available on the market, making this a real contender among the strongest current caravan awnings. The materials used in the frame of this air awning mean it is incredibly robust and durable.
It’s easy to tell why this Isabella air awning is one of the best-received air awnings in years. I would recommend this air awning to any caravanner looking to purchase a new awning for their caravan who doesn’t mind paying a higher price for high quality.
You can purchase the Isabella Magnu Etra 400 air awning at Winfields Outdoors. Find out more and buy today on the Camping World website.
Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390
| Air Awning Model | Width | Depth | Weight | Price | Rating out of 10 | Link to purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390 | 390cm | 300cm | 28.56kg | £1399.99 | 9 | campingworld.co.uk |
The Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390 is another particularly impressive air awning. Again, this is one of the best awnings that money can buy. There are many benefits to detail, so let’s get right into it.
- Created out of Weathershield Pro fabric: The iconic Dometic fabric used extensively throughout the awning range has proven quality in diverse environments. With the look and feel of traditional fabric but weighing far less, Weathershield Pro continues to be the definitive choice for tourers worldwide, offering many notable qualities, including waterproofing and durability. The fabric is strong and built to last.
- Airframe for durability: The Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390 awning uses the Single Point Inflation AIR Frame awnings, which inflate entirely from just one external inflation point, creating an exceptionally strong structure which ensures greater stability all year round. No matter how poor the weather is, you’ll have a stable awning that’s built to last.
- Impressive features: One of my favourite things about this awning is the number of useful features it includes, such as the heavy-duty Quick Pitch webbing straps that can be pegged out in seconds. It also has a Dual-Pitch Roof which increases headroom, ensures effective wind deflection and sheds rainwater. In addition to all this, it also has a Multi-Height System that ensures a precise fit for your vehicle.
This is one of the most impressive caravan awnings I have come to, which offers so many useful features in one awning. it is also reasonably priced when compared to the previously mentioned Isabella Air Cirrus North 400, which also offers some amazing features.
You can purchase the Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390 air awning at Camping World. Find out more and buy today on the Camping World website.
Dometic Club Air All-Season 390
| Air Awning Model | Width | Depth | Weight | Price | Rating out of 10 | Link to purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dometic Club Air All-Season 390 | 390cm | 275cm | 31.3kg | £1,874.99 | 10 | campingworld.co.uk |
The Dometic Club Air All-Season 390 is very similar to the previous Dometic air awning mentioned in this blog post, both in terms of its appearance and features. However, this Dometic Air All-Season 390 has even more incredible features to offer, hence the price difference.
- Created out of Weathershield Pro fabric: The iconic Dometic fabric used extensively throughout the awning range has proven quality in diverse environments. With the look and feel of traditional fabric but weighing far less, Weathershield Pro continues to be the definitive choice for tourers all over the world, offering many notable qualities, including waterproofing and durability. The fabric is strong and built to last.
- Airframe for durability: The Dometic Club Air All-Season 390 awning uses the Single Point Inflation AIR Frame awnings, which inflate entirely from just one external inflation point, creating an exceptionally strong structure which ensures greater stability all year round. No matter how poor the weather is, you’ll have a stable awning that’s built to last.
- Impressive features: As mentioned above, just like the previously listed Dometic Grande AIR Pro 390, this awning also has an impressive amount of useful features, including heavy-duty Quick Pitch webbing straps that can be pegged out in seconds. It also has a Dual-Pitch Roof which increases headroom, ensures effective wind deflection and sheds rainwater. In addition to all this, it also has a Multi-Height System that ensures a precise fit for your vehicle. It also has an integral inflatable wet weather canopy with apex mesh ventilation, which improves comfort by increasing air circulation and reducing condensation.
You can purchase the Dometic Club Air All-Season 390 air awning at Camping World. Find out more and buy today on the Camping World website.
Dometic Ace Air Pro 400
| Air Awning Model | Width | Depth | Weight | Price | Rating out of 10 | Link to purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dometic Ace Air Pro 400 | 400cm | 325cm | 21.9kg | £1,649.99 | 9.5 | campingworld.co.uk |
The Dometic Ace Air Pro 400 boasts a long list of great features and quality materials, making it an outstanding choice for caravan awning. It has a unique integrated inflatable canopy that increases the open, airy feeling of this awning. Let’s look at some of the features it has in more detail.
- Windows and skylights: The Dometic Ace Air Pro 400 has large full-height windows and skylights that are built to offer beautiful views during the day and a perfect view of the stars at night. The extra light that comes in from these windows and skylights during the day helps to illuminate the awning making it feel open and airy. The perfect place to relax and unwind.
- Use of Dometic fabric: The signature Dometic fabric has been used extensively throughout the awning range and has proven quality in diverse environments. It has the look and feels of traditional fabric but weighs far less. This means you can easily travel with your awning without having to compromise on the quality and protection that a good awning should offer.
- Weathershield Pro technology: The Weathershield Pro technology continues to be a popular feature that makes this awning great for use in heavy winds. It also has a Dual-pitch Roof System that works to deflect the wind and shed rainwater efficiently to prevent puddling on the roof and enhance performance.
The reason why I had to include this air awning was that it has several impressive features, including the windows and skylights, which add to the open and fresh ambience inside this awning. The fabric used to make this awning is another reason I included this awning due to how strong and weatherproof it is.
You can purchase the Dometic Ace Air Pro 400 air awning at Camping World. Find out more and buy today on the Camping World website.
Hopefully, this has given you a really good idea of the best awnings available. I hope you can use this blog post to purchase the caravan awning of your dreams. And remember, we update this blog post every year. As new and impressive awnings are released, we’ll update this post with all the latest!