Caravan Awning Pegs Reviewed
Caravan Awning Pegs
This weekend I have treated myself to some new Awning Pegs. We use the caravan all year round and most of the time find ourselves on hardstanding. Hardstanding pitches require a certain type of peg and your standard tent peg just want cut the mustard. Actually they won't break the surface of a hardstanding.
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A hard standing pitch isn't grass. Seems obvious but they're harder than grass. This picture is us recently at Rookesbury Park. You can see we're on a hardstanding pitch, it's similar to Type 1 - compacted gravel for want of another word.
No plastic tent pegs here.
I know what you're thinking "How on Earth did he get the awning pegs in that stuff?.
Instead of plastic tent awning pegs, you need to use metal ones. They're available from all good camping stockists, and some bad ones too. I've spent the last couple of years using these:
Metal awning pegs. Mallet required...
Good sturdy metal pegs. You pop them through the rubber loop attached to the awning and give them a good old whack. Minding your fingers of course. These work really well. If you look closely they have a small thread at the bottom and as you hit them they screw themselves in. They are a bit tricky to get out and on a couple of occasions I've pulled my back, or done some kind of injury - awningitis probably, as well as the odd hammer rash hitting my thumb. However, they are good pegs and I'd certainly recommend them. They aren't cheap but are worth the money
Blue Diamond Pile Driver Pro Pegs by Blue Diamond
As I said at the top of the article, I did treat myself to some new pegs. It all came about because I'd also bought myself a new cordless drill. I've always used a cordless drill to put the stays (corner steadies) up and down and the battery was always running out. Recently I've been taking the charger as well, which is all added weight.
Wouldn't it be great if you could buy metal awning pegs that you could screw in with a cordless electric drill/screwdriver. I was pretty sure some bright spark would have them on the market. I mean who wouldn't want them?? I know I would.
Praise be to the God of Awnings.
There is someone up above the clouds..
OK, they look good, but will they actually work? Well, this weekend I tried them.
You even get a little hex head to attach to your drill/screwdriver, which looks a lot like this.
They were a little bit fiddly to start with, if you use too much speed they churned up the gravel and made a reasonably sized hole, so care and precision is needed. You need to be directly above it and push a little, but not too much. They don't always work the first time but putting them in isn't the best bit.
Just wait until you pack away to go home. This is where I've hurt my back by pulling the sodding things our of the hardstanding. The whole purpose of these pegs is so that your awning doesn't fly away in the middle of a gale and snowstorm or whatever the British summer throws at you! So, I'm glad they don't come out easily, at least that is until I need them to come out. On grass, it's easy, just a tug with a hock, or maybe the fork end of a hammer. With the metal ones I prize them out this a hammer until I'm red in the face and they've only moved 2 mms.
Awning Pegs Removal
Removal is just like removing a screw, albeit a large one. So, just position the head on the top of the peg, set your drill to anti-clockwise and press the button. The unscrew easily and without any effort at all.
The only problem I have with these is that putting them in can be a little tricky, however, everything is made good with these once you come to the removal. I'll definitely be using them next time, I'll also pack the bang in type, just in case my battery runs out.
One thing that just occurred to me. How to get them out if your battery is flat when you try to extract them. I'm probably worrying unnecessarily.....