The Isabella Air Cirrus 400 awning
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 มิ.ย. 2022
- In this video I look at teh Isabella Air Cirrus North 400. Its the flag ship air awning from Isabella, and I look at some of its features, pros and cons of using air awnings.
Later this summer I will borrow this awning and use it as part of a living review, if you have questions or comments on this awning, drop them in the comments below.
For more information on this awning click here : www.isabella.net/uk/caravanni...
![Luftvorzelt ISABELLA Air Cirrus North 400 - aufblasbares Vorzelt für Wohnwagen [Aufbau, Test, Abbau]](/img/n.gif)
We have this awning and absolutely love it, one of the best accessories we have purchased for our caravan.
Hi Dan,
We have this awning and the Annex, we obtained an extra bag for the accessories and use the provided accessories bag for the panels, this makes it a lot easier too move around.
When partially inflated we zip the panels in and finish inflating. Removing them when packing away makes the whole process easier and lighter.
Thats a great tip, i'll bear that in mind when we put it up. Thanks for sharing !
Fantastic Awning, have used for 2 years now, no issues, holds up well in wind and rainy conditions, the annex is a great addition for longer holidays
We just bought this awning a last month.. We found it easier to remove all the side panels before taking it down and then next time the whole thing is much lighter. It then lot easier to lift onto the awning rail.
that is what i have been doing with is awning for the last year much easyer to put in the rail and makes the awing bag lighter if the side panels are in the other bag
I've been looking for the correct method of folding this awning away since I got it. Well done, even if it's just for that small part. It really is a great awning which you could actually use as a canopy since all of the panels come out.
Great looking awning Dan.
it is a good looker isnt it, i think it will look better when i put the curtains in, with furniture and a carpet of some sort
Though we have a different air awning, it was so reassuring seeing someone else to the 'Karate chop' to start the roll and sit on it! :-D Thanks Dan
I’ve had one air awning never again as it failed and I know of some others have done the same. Long live poles.
We've got the three metre version of this and are generally very happy
A few areas of interest for me are;
1/ The instructions provided are ridiculously simplified and omit various useful aspects that make the difference between a struggle and an easy assembly, an example being the fact that the pump gauge only reads accurately on the down stroke; there are several others! TH-cam videos help a lot
2/ I also find it very difficult to peg it down so that the skirt edges get close to the ground. It tends to sit 75mm or so high, the wind then gets underneath and billows it and the carpet up
3/ Getting the grey skirt around the edges to sit well is a challenge; the sections don't seem to overlap neatly and there are always gaps that rain can get through. Combined with the gap mentioned above, this means that the billowing is amplified and we've had to put ballast around the carpet perimeter to combat this
4/ We use a ground sheet that goes under the perimeter skirt trim and the carpet. I've found that cutting the g/sheet smaller than the awning helps, if it's bigger then any rain running from the awning hits the g/sheet edges where they overlap it, and the water then runs under the main carpet and pools there. As the carpet is very open weave, this makes for lots of splashing about inside!
5/ Finally, our site neighbours have Vango and Kampa awnings, which are attached and mounted on the "shoulders" and lower sides of the awning, this seems to make for a very sturdy assembly in the strong winds on our coastal site. While I have no doubts about the robustness of the Isabella, having the peg attachment loops at the bottom only does make for a lot of billowing and flapping of the side walls, which can be unsettling. The front has a set of top mounted guy ropes, which help keep that section anchored
Just a few observations from our experience. Overall though, a lovely awning and very well made
Enjoy yours Dan and look forward to hearing your thoughts, Cheers
Love your videos hope you are all well
Really nice awning, but yes it's quite a price. I have to say that an Isabella awning always stands out on a caravan site - they just look good. Thanks Dan - as always.
We have had this awning since they first came out and we really like it but it is quite heavy to fit. We are going to try fitting it with panels out to reduce the weight. Very useful video especially with the Isabella guy there to show the proper way to pack it - pity Isabella didn’t do a video 2 years ago! 😀. We have really struggled getting our awning back in the bag to the point where we have attached Velcro straps to the bag to pull it together whilst we close the zip . Hopefully it will be easier from now on ! Thanks for a great video
I agree, we bought ours about 15 months ago and I'm now finding videos with some good tips !
We have the Cirrus 400, it’s by far the easiest awning we have ever put up, we also find it is easier to put the awning on from the back of the caravan and this way you won’t catch the small side light.
On my Vango air awning I can use the pump to evacuate all the air from the legs and beams, which although they are all separate tubes it still results in a flatter awning to fold up compactly.
I started out with a poled FULL awning, but after several hours trying to erect this on my own, I gave up and returned it for an exchange to a Kampa AIR Pro 260 Plus, Porch awning which does the job exactly as we wanted. Extra space and a place for wet gear in adverse weather. Our budget wouldn't stretch to an Isabella, but the Kampa has served us well in the 4 years we have had it. We have also had a bedroom extension added and this works great for guests over-night-ing with us. We usually don't inflate to the reccomended pressure, just to where it feels strong enough. which is usualy around 6 - 7 lbs psi. so never had a 'spot of bovver' wiv it. lol Good luck with the Isabella and I look forward to hearing all about it. Value for money etc. performance in bad weather etc. if you can keep it till Christmas, I'd certainly be interested in a review of it's winter characteristics. Keep up the great work your doing Dan. What's happened to the Mrs?
We've just bought the Isabella Air Cirrus 400 awning and have now used it twice. The two challenges for us are; first, given we're both under 5' 5"getting it on the awning rail and in the right position. And second, packing it away. After our first attempt we opted to take all the panels out before packing. I don't think either of these challenges are unique to the Ait Cirrus 400. We are both highly delighted with the awning and have no regrets about our investment. Next, we are considering the Isabella flooring but haven't been able to view one yet to determine whether it is worth having. Although the pump works fine, we are curious to know if a 12v air pump is worth it. We already carry a 12v pump, it would be interesting know if there are any presta bicycle valve connectors that could be connected.
Hi Dan, i've seen in that past when people have beenfolding up their awnings remove the panel so that they are lest with the roof and limited down part where the poles or air tubes are to try and make it easier in putting up and taking down the awnings it wouls be interseting to know what you think of doing that way rather than leaving the awning as a whole.
Just bout the 400 version converting from Kampa . The quality difference is night & day . We’ve also invested in the roof liner and the Velcro in flooring . That said we have invested in a Royal carpet to add a bit of cushioning. Our first trip is next weekend but I have to say how impressed I am with the quality , silly things like the zips and the zip handles , interested to watch your further reviews
Thanks for sharing, after borrowing one on our trip last year, we decided to buy one - have a look for the “Isabella holiday review” where I use it for our summer holiday.
Hi Dan we have a kampa air awning and mine exploded last year with the heat , and if you read the small print it does state that if the temp is high dont inflate it fully (sorry dont have all the stats to hand ) cost me over a grand to replace ,because it took the material out aswell as the tube. And i have heard of other cases since. and i thought kampa was one of the best?.
We have the exact same awning and have owned in problem free for the past 2 years. On out last trip whilst inflating we heard what could only be described as what we thought was one of the tubes popping. Upon inspection we noticed that the inside left corner of the outside bend of the tube had split its internal zip and was effectively bulging uncontrollably. At no time had we got anywhere near the recommended 9psi. We immediately deflated the awning to asses the damage and noticed that the internal zip that is closed by a cable tie had split down the entire length. We eventually got the zip closed and then closed the outer zip which had not malfunctioned only upon trying to inflate again confronted by the same problem. As the zip was failing the inner tube was expanding uncontrollably due to it not having the restraint of the inner zip. As this was out first night away of a long weekend I sourced some Gorilla tape from a local Screwfix to provide support to the inner zip and once repaired inflated which seemed to rectify the issue of the failing zip. I knew this would be short term fix and would contact Isabella once we had returned home. When i did this we were told that we needed to contact the retailer who subsequently asked us to provide pictures of our problem. We removed the tape and inflated the awning expecting the problem to re occur only for the zip to seemingly hold firm this time without the tape as a fail safe. i am now a bit unsure of what to do as we are going away for an extended summer break soon and although the awning did seem to hold itself I have lost a bit of confidence in what has been a fantastic product that this same problem could occur again.
Hi Craig, I would take the tube back to the retailer where you purchased the awning from, they will send it to Isabella for inspection where they will identify what the issue is. Isabella's customer support is superb, but your first point of call must be with whom you purchased the awning from.
Hope that helps.
We only pump ours up 5 - 5.5 ilbs pressure and it's great, vertical tubes next to caravan need alot less.
We've just bought the Isabella Air Cirrus 400 awning 1st job treat your self to a electric pump 2nd job attach a chord to the top awning to assist pulling the awning thru the rail also could you please do a video attaching a annex extension as I haven't seen one and understand it can be tricky thanks
I would like to see how well the awning trims if the van is levelled on on a sloping pitch front or rear high. This has always given us a roof-sag problem on our old poled Inaca. Have a good summer 👍
it works well just the gaps next to the caravan can be fun with a slop
Hi Dan. We've got the 300 version which is slightly smaller. Very pleased. It's a quality product. I'm very interested in the folding and packing technique shown in your video but it was a little difficult to follow due to the breaks in filming. When you review yours after the summer would you be able to show the packing technique again in more detail?
I was going to purchase this awning, but at the show i was recommended to purchase the Magnum. What happens in the real world when you are not on an even pitch. Previously we had the Bradcott modular air awning which was a nightmare.
Hi dan great video about a great awning could you tell me how much the awning weighs thanks Colin
Hello, love you videos BTW! Been a great help!
We have the Cirrus Air 400 with a Coachman Lusso II
We can’t quite get our heads around the 3 sections that are attached to each corner of the bottom of the awning. How exactly are you meant to pin these down? A short video would be great.
Thanks Richard.
Just wondering what the procedure for adding an extension is. At what point do you attach it and inflate it?
Hi Dan. Fantastic review and awning but a bit out of our price range right now. Would you be kind enough to give us some advice on that fabric. Having the Air Y we have tree sap on the top and are reluctant to use awning cleaner. What's the best way to maintain the waterproof yet clean the tree sap efficiently ?
Have a look for “isaclean” it’s made by Isabella and it’s all I use for removing contaminants from awnings.
th-cam.com/video/pk6LjHB9Exk/w-d-xo.html
@@TheTrudgians Thanks Dan. Really appreciated. Will get some ordered.
Having had a magnum pole awning for some years now the look on the inside looks off the new air awning looks very clumbersom, think l will stick with the good old poles
Hi Dan, any progress on the follow up video ? Would be great to get your feedback of the awning in typical use.
Thanks that was interesting 👍. I want too see the bloopers now. (How many times it took you both too fold it up) lol
Does the awning have fly sheets for the windows as our current Vango Varkala does not? Great video thanks x
Front and back windows have very good fly screans !
Hi Dan,
Just a thought, if you are sited on a slope and levelled up the caravan when you put up the air awning your air tubes are a fixed length and the awning will be twisted. On a poled awning the problem is over come by having the effected pole set to a different length. How do you over come this?
thats always been my thought - I will let you know when we use it this summer, as you say with a pole awning you have some adjustment. So - watch this space.
That's a problem we've had a few times. If the ground falls away from the caravan on the awning side, I find then that the roof will foul the top of the door.
Hi Dan, looks like a lovely awning and one I’ve been considering for some time! Just the price has stopped me. That said I currently have a Kampa ace air 400, purchased new in 2016. I’ve probably now had to replace 4 air tubes, it’s never the bladder that splits but the outer sleeve. For this reason alone I won’t buy another Kampa. Each season I put the awning up I’m waiting for the next failure. Would this outlast other manufacturers?
This Isabella looks lovely and I really want one, so I’m looking forward to this review in great anticipation. I’m heading to the NEC in October as I’ve been saving for a new caravan, so will review the awning then, fingers crossed. Do you think there will be show deals to be had? Or do Isabella not offer discount? A bit like apple products, that are never in a sale. Thanks. Regards Stuart.
whereas my Kampa Ace air awning is still on its original air tubes 6 years on .... 🤔
Whereas....I had a Kampa Air Ace 390 for about 6 years without ANY pole issues (eventually replaced it because of tears in the fabric) which we then replaced with the current Kampa Air Ace Pro 400 (Pro I think gives thicker, more robust material) which is approaching 5 years - again with no pole issues at all. Single inflation point.
And that is despite leaving the original awning up in a 61mph hurricane. I admit it was a bit "hairy" but the weather forecast was for the wind to drop suddenly at 5pm and it did! Not to be recommended but it did no damage, apart from to my heart rate.
I look forward to the full live-in review.
I have had metal pole awnings. Advantages: weight and the added stability from having the beading going all through the channel almost from ground to ground. Disadvantages: single point inflation air tubes are easier to put up AND if it is REALLY windy the air tubes bend in and then out again whilst metal poles bend and stay bent, or even snap.
We once had an expensive well-made German awning ripped out of the ground by a sudden freak gust. The awning tore apart with most of it flung onto and over the van roof. Some of the poles were launched over the roof, over a caravan behind us, and they were found embedded in the ground 20 yards away, like javelins. Could have killed a person or gone through the side of a caravan, they were flung with such force!
My son had been playing in the awning. He said "I didn't do anything...!" Luckily he wasn't harmed at all. As I said, a fluke sudden gust which also ripped up tents and awnings nearby.
It appears to cost £2,349. Might I suggest this is shared in the video or your introduction paragraph - it could save some of us some time :-)
What is it like in strong wind
A lovely awning Dan, but I’d need to convince Mrs Rim and she would say there’s nothing wrong with ours and she’s right 🥴
Now look Colin. It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Have I taught you nothing? 😂😂. Hope you’re both well.
😂😂
What does this awing weigh in its packed state?
The guy next to us had an Isabella air awning and it exploded one day and was that loud everyone on the site thought it was a gas bottle, still don’t know why it happened.I’ve got a doer a and used the hand pump, never again, I bought a 12 volt pump to run off the car, what a difference!,,
he must have been going some to pop one of these tubes!
@@TheTrudgians he wasn’t putting it up, it had been up for weeks, just bad look I think, I think Isabella took it away for repair as it was under warranty
Hi Dan. Looks great but how much?
£2349 😱
@@jacketrussell £2349 may sound a lot. But if (like me) you use the caravan with the awning most weekends from April to October including 5 night meets , one or two 7-9 night meets and then a monster 26 or so THS.... You will get your money's worth. It's basically a lifestyle choice. One foreign holiday which is ended when you return home, or an awning you can use for multiple weekend stays and longer holidays over several years.
An awning makes your caravan (bought a new one last month - Kimberly Icon Trend 560) into your own mobile hotel with an outdoor extension. Not sure whether it's better when the weather is hot, with panels/doors opened, or when the weather is bad, when it offers protection. But if you want to spend evenings at camp with friends and a few drinks, t he en in the UK an awning is a MUST. Last weekend (first time for ages) we DID sit outside but some were dressed/blanketed as if travelling in the Arctic, so even in June sitting outside in the UK is not always possible (and in Scotland brings The Midge into the equation).
@@raymondporter2094
I do over 100 nights a year on average.
I'll stick with my £99 sun canopy from Towsure.