More and more of us caravanners are pitching up to caravan sites with an awning in tow!
In fact, drive past the thousands of caravan sites dotted throughout the UK, and you’ll soon see their popularity.
Yet, once used by caravanners as long term solutions, it’s not uncommon to find people using them on odd occasions, such as the occasional weekends and trips here and there.
Recent improvements in the awning industry have made sure that it no longer takes an awful amount of time, and indeed cursing, to get these additional touring items up and ready within a reasonable time frame.
Here at Caravan Helper, we’re all huge fans of travelling with an awning, no matter where we go in the UK. Consequently, has this got us talking about the many ways in which we’ve come across that people address the flooring issues in their own awning.
Doing a little bit of research, we decided to list some of the ways those long term and seasonal caravanners prepare their awning floor space.
Hopefully, this article will provide you with some much-needed inspiration for ways you can boost your own awning area on your next trip.
Table of Contents
Some Caravan Awning Flooring Ideas
Grass on your Pitch
Pure and simple, most people like to opt for a pitch which they know offers a functional grassy area. If you’re after the natural look, you can’t get more natural than the real thing!
By working with the natural grassy pitch you’re placed on, you leave it habitable for the next caravanner and allow it to grow and prosper. Just make sure that you let the grass get a bit of airing during your stay and allow the sun to shine through and the air to circulate.
If the weather’s particularly hot, you may want to think about keeping the ground moist during your stay, so the grass doesn’t start to suffer.
Sitting down on the grass to eat, placing a picnic table over it, or even laying a blanket down on it, the natural grass will always be a winner for many people when they pitch up.
It does pay though to ensure you get some idea of what your pitch will be like before you select it though!
These days, you can ask the site for more information and perhaps let them know of your preferences for setting up the awning over natural grass.
Not only does this assure you’ll find a grassy pitch when you get there, but you’ll prevent the possibility of turning up expecting to make use of the natural environment around you only to find clumpy patches, hay-like grass, molehills or just patchy clumps of what once resembled grass!
AstroTurf / Artificial Grass
If the idea of luscious green lawns appeals more to you visually, and you aren’t so much worried about the feel of it, then maybe the next best thing to real grass here would be AstroTurf or artificial grass.
If you’re just after something that you can hoover and roll up when moving around, many caravanner suppliers are now offering what is referred to as outdoor carpets. These are suitable for both indoors and outdoors and recreate that naturalist feeling of being out in the great outdoors – but without any of the hassle that comes with real grass underfoot!
Though some of us like the idea of the clean cut and smooth looking surface AstroTurf offers when placed in an awning, it pays to remember that this isn’t always the most delicate of surfaces to sit on!
Interlocking Mats
A firm favourite with several of the staff here, interlocking mats are perhaps one of the easier and cheaper of awning flooring solutions. Better still, they offer a natural look while all the while allowing the grass beneath them to breath. Therefore, they’re an excellent choice for many awning owners.
A product which has recently caught our eye is the MP Essentials Floor Mat Tiles which are perfect for awning use and, better still, available in a Green Grass colour!
Resembling that of a giant outdoor jigsaw piece, these are not only lightweight but made using durable composite material.
Completely eco-friendly, they are also water and weather resistant and said to be easy to keep clean.
Featuring an interlinking system, they are quick and easy to set up in the awning, and just as easy to pack up.
You’ll find a further selection of interlocking floor mats that act as floor guards for the awning, but you’ll need to look out for those that utilize the design whereby they have holes for the grass beneath.
There are indeed several mats to purchase, but if you’re opting for those without a way of airing the ground beneath, you will have to think about moving them around and letting the air circulate regularly.
Breathable Groundsheets
We covered these items not long ago on the site, but we still believe that breathable groundsheets, as long as they are used wisely, are perhaps the easiest, cheapest and most practical way to swiftly cover an awning.
Used for many years by seasoned caravanners in their awnings, as long as you ensure that they are in fact breathable, you can still aim to lift them every day and ensure that you look after the ground beneath them as much as you can during your stay.
In fact, you may very well find now that more caravan sites are demanding that all groundsheets used are in fact breathable, in an attempt to keep their pitches looking good and remaining healthy for everyone to benefit from.
A breathable groundsheet in the awning means you can actively work at keeping debris under the surface rather than the awning itself. They’re also considered the simpler of solutions to keep clean.
Long gone are the days of the old fashioned smelly plasticky type groundsheets and in their place, as our article highlighted, are some fantastic looking durable fabric solutions instead.
Kampa Cushioned Carpet
If you’re looking for a groundsheet solution but would prefer one which offers a little bit more comfort and all-around better-looking design than a basic sheet, the cushioned carpet could be your solution.
This is a cosy carpet choice which is perfectly finished for using in the awning and brings a combination of warmth and cosiness to the awning environment.
With a heavy durable but, more importantly, breathable PVC backing, this is designed to reduce that usual ground sheet noise experienced.
You can even throw it in the wash once you’ve finished using it, ensuring a fresher ground solution every time you head out! To ensure safety all-around, it also offers a flame-retardant material.
With a selection of sizes available, these are claimed to offer excellent quality flooring solutions for all awning types.
Once again, we stress, you will need to look at lifting this product type regularly during your stay to allow the grass beneath it time to air.
Pallets with Wooden Boards
Okay, so our final idea is one which we’ve perhaps not seen too much of on UK caravanning pitches, but one which has caught our attention!
This is a debatable solution and one which has most certainly got us talking here at Caravan Helper – but is undoubtedly worth a mention.
A flooring solution which requires a great deal of effort, this may be more suitable for those extended long-term pitches as well as on pitches without grass!
This requires you to take a couple of pallets and screw boards over them in the awning area. This creates an elevated and raised floor solution which you can then choose to carpet over when you’re done for added comfort.
Though we don’t recommend this for short stays or when holidaying, and most certainly not for grassy areas, it’s may be worth looking at if you’re planning on pitching up for a more extended period.
Final Points on Awning Flooring Ideas for Caravans
We believe our readers are the educated and informative type who understand the importance of leaving their pitch in their best possible condition each time they end their stay.
Therefore, we stress that when it comes to selecting an awning floor idea for your pitch, you remember to pay due care and attention to what your choice will do to the ground beneath it.
Too many people forget the need to lift their awning groundsheet daily and, as a result, we see many a pitch out of order sign due to such inconsideration.
Selecting the right awning floor solution is more than do-able and perfectly fine if you bear in mind that it should not be a permanent solution for the duration of your stay and modify it accordingly.
However, we’ve tailored this article to the most common of pitch types which is that of grassy pitches. Therefore, if you do find yourself pitching up on other types, you won’t need to adhere to this information as such.
If you’re interested in having a go at any one of these ideas next time you set up your awning, be sure to check with your campsite before you make any further plans. Every site will have its own rules regarding what is acceptable for use on their pitches. This way, you’ll be well informed before you make your flooring decisions.
Be sure to let us know how you get on.