What could possibly be better than packing up the wife and kids after a hard year of work and going on a travelling holiday in your motorhome for a couple of weeks? Every year families all over the country leave their homes and go on a traditional migration to new and exciting places. It is a time to get reacquainted with each other, and spend some quality time together. Any holiday as important as this needs to be planned carefully, so that it runs as smoothly as possible. I’d like to discuss with you the motorhome awning, as it is a place that you will be spending a lot of time under during your trip away.
Motorhome awnings have a lot of benefits. The most obvious is that it protects you from the weather, while still allowing you to enjoy the outdoors. It goes without saying that any good holiday will be marred by at least one rainy day, it’s just Murphy’s Law. With any luck, the whole holiday won’t be a washout, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for those days when it is. If you’ve already enjoyed the benefits of an awning on your motorhome, then you will know that most meals are eaten under it, rather than in the confines of the vehicle. It can get awfully squashy in there after a long days drive, and it is much more pleasant being able to watch the waves roll in when you finally settle in. After dinner, you can clean up the dishes and have a game of cards with the kids, all in safety and shelter.
There are two basic types of awnings for motorhomes; automatic and manual. The automatic style is a little more expensive to set up, but makes life a whole lot easier, especially if you are setting up camp somewhere new every night. 
The mechanism that lowers and raises the awning is motorized, and can be operated with the press of a button. This is particularly useful if you have to set up in high winds. There is nothing worse than trying to tie down your awning while gale force winds rip all around you.
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The manual awnings are a little more work, but obviously a fair amount cheaper. The awning, when not in use, is stored on the side of the motorhome, and even though you have to manually unroll it, the operation is not all that difficult. The awning usually locks into place using supporting arms that run down either side and attach to the side of your motorhome. It’s these support arms that are going to hold the majority of the strain on the awning, so you want to make sure they are strong enough to hold the weight. Most good supporting arms are stainless steel. This is important because the majority of motorhomes will spend at least some time near the coast, and the salty sea air will make a mess of normal metal in a short amount of time. Your awning will become rusted and need replacing much sooner than otherwise necessary.
There are three main styles of awning for motorhome use. The first is the simplest one that just covers the top, creating a roof for you to shelter under. This is the cheapest option, and one that will do the job if you are on a budget. If you would like a little more protection from the midday sun, the next best option is an awning that includes side panels on either side. Quite often the sun is on such an angle that it will shine through the sides, and a couple of side panels will help alleviate this problem. The final and most expensive option is the full awning with walls and all. This style creates a whole separate room outside of your motorhome, and while it isolates you from the outside world a little, it gives you the most protection; both from the elements and from the mosquitoes that love to come and bother campers at night.