Another newbie

Hi to everyone. I am looking into taking the plunge and getting my first Dandy. I have seen a Designer but with no awning. Also seen an awning for sale for a Destiny (probably snapped up by now!) just wondering whether it would fit the Designer? Your advice would be much appreciated

the destiny awning would be too large for a designer,if you need an awning you really need to buy a dandy complete with awning as they are not easy to find on there own.

Thanks Mike

Dandy's with awnings at the right price seem really hard to find full stop! Do you know how much a brand new awning from Riva would set me back?

Hi and welcome to the Dandy Campers, in answer to you question regarding a brand new awning ...... Riva no longer supply them. The best thing would be to buy a Dandy with one as they rarely come up for sale as an individual item.

You can fit other awnings but not with the success you have with the original item,also they would need drying if you brought them home wet,i guess the dogs are the clue you really need a dandy awning if you need it to be escape proof.

The discovery is the same size as a designer just a different lay out inside,there is one on ebay at the moment with awning.

Yes I have seen the one on ebay and have asked a few questions. It is not winterised or has any underfloor heating. Maybe I should just hang on and one with an awning and winterised may come up. Or am I being too fussy?!!

Yes it is a slight giveaway about the dogs

Dogs&Co wrote:Yes I have seen the one on ebay and have asked a few questions. It is not winterised or has any underfloor heating. Maybe I should just hang on and one with an awning and winterised may come up. Or am I being too fussy?!!

Yes it is a slight giveaway about the dogs

The winterised is worth waiting for the underfloor heater not if you always use hook up,but if you buy the right one first it works out cheaper in the long run.

Yes I suppose you're right just that the Designer I have seen seems a good price but if I can't get an awning for it then maybe it's not worth it.

Dogs&Co wrote:Yes I suppose you're right just that the Designer I have seen seems a good price but if I can't get an awning for it then maybe it's not worth it.

As i say you could find a way to fit other awnings but they are never as good,after saying that ime hoping to use a caravan porch awning on my six this year instead of the dandy awning.

The Lowside Destiny awning is the same size habitation area. It then has flaps that are about 18 inches wide to allow the ends to tuck under the sides of the Destiny.
If you are confident with PVC and a heat gun you could rework the awning but at this point you are not properly aware of the differences so it would be a little irresponsible of us to just say you can re work it. Then again if you have skills with PVC or anyone you know does it could be possible.

Tow Itch wrote: The Lowside Destiny awning is the same size habitation area. It then has flaps that are about 18 inches wide to allow the ends to tuck under the sides of the Destiny.
If you are confident with PVC and a heat gun you could rework the awning but at this point you are not properly aware of the differences so it would be a little irresponsible of us to just say you can re work it. Then again if you have skills with PVC or anyone you know does it could be possible.

I think it is also taller at the dandy so may need trimming along the bottom.

Sounds all a bit too complicated to me! Anything for an easy life Initially I was only going to use the Dandy for weekends away and we do have a utility tent. OH won't let me get rid of the Cabanon Stratos, which we would probably still use for longer trips. Maybe I could buy it and hope that an ever illusive awning will turn up. You have put me off a bit though

With a caravan awning which just has sides you can simply peg it out further from the front or back to take up excess height. Then the front can be taken up by raising the legs. But a dandy awning has a back as well which would end up too long. Not sure what to do with this.

A good idea would be to buy one with an awning. I know what you mean about the price though it seems to almost double it. I'm after a Designer my self but want a sun canopy, not an awning.

There was a brown Dandy 5 awning on ebay till today wnet for £25. That would fit. Tne poles would be useful too as you could have had an acylic one made specially to fit.

I think a low side destiny (Dandy 6) would be more suitable for fitting an alternative awning and most would come in your price range with one but in brown not light blue/white. One just sold for £950.

I think if I had an awning it would have to be the proper one just for the fit and warmth. I did see the brown one but didn't think it would go well with the light blue and white (I am a girl after all, it has to match ) I should probably wait I'm not in a great hurry but you know what it's like when you see something! Oh decisions, decisions

I adapted an awning to fit our designer, took a little effort with a pair of scissors and a sewing machine but worked well and the dogs didn't escape from it. Best of all though ..... it looked quite pretty

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Thanks Helen that looks really neat. I'm not that practical though, I could never do anything like that. I will keep looking. Unless someone knows of one with an awning?

I'm sure someone will let you know if they spot one ,,,,, Do you have a budget in mind and has it got to be a designer ?

I think I prefer the Designer as it has the two seats and the table but maybe the Discovery with the bench would be okay but would prefer it to be winterised and not older than the early nineties. Not much to ask! Price would probably be in the region of £1,000.

We're also newbies when it comes to Dandys ( or any trailer tent for that matter ).
Not been on the forum much, but they certainly seem very helpful on here and know what they're talking about

Dogs&Co wrote:I think I prefer the Designer as it has the two seats and the table but maybe the Discovery with the bench would be okay but would prefer it to be winterised and not older than the early nineties. Not much to ask! Price would probably be in the region of £1,000.

Dogs

Prices are low at this moment but you might be lucky to see a winterised Designer/Discovery with a heater and awning for £1,000. Now you can wait or you can decide if you don't need some of the features. The other alternative is to look at the 80's Dandys. If well kept, and condition is always the key it could be every bit as good. If your Designer in blue at the right price appears nothing to stop you selling the first one on. I always encourage patience but you might be a while waiting for what you want.

Thanks Tow Itch, there seems to be alot of people out there looking at the moment, you see lots of ads for people looking for one. I must say I have got addicted to looking at everyone's pictures and how they have added their own stamp on the Dandys. Can't wait to have one now! Why do the awnings seem so hard to comeby. You would have thought Riva would have cottoned on to this and started making them to fit the older style Dandys.

I don't know about the awnings I can only guess. I have a price list from 1991 the awning for a Designer was £530.00 now 22 years later how much would you see the price turning out at and would someone pay that for what is a minimum of a 5 year old Dandy?
I took some pitures last year of an Acrylic awning that TVS did for a late model Destiny and you were looking at £1,000 for that.http://www.dandycampers.org/t1049-tvs-produce-vinyl-awning-for-destiny
Admittedly if it's not a one off and you know the cutting patterns it makes things cheaper but what price would you be expecting?
Ian has the pole steel and the PVC, throw enough money at him and I'm sure he will make you an awning but most peoples pockets' are not that deep.

half the fun of owning the Dandy is the search

I have seen one with the awning but it's not winterised, does it make much of a difference?