In the pictures you will see how adding poles and cross braces can help your awning stand up in any weather. Incidentally this is by no means intended to disparaging to Dorema, prior to the wind blowing it down the awning was excellent and we were very pleased with it and as I said in the OP my first though appears to be the correct one, I have recieved a lesson on the risks of leaving an awning up in the wind! If you’re on wet and muddy ground, you might want to peg through your groundsheet to help keep your awning cleaner.

It doesn't mention anything about wind speeds in the spec or instructions, nor can I find anything on the Internet. If you have a seasonal pitch awning you might want to add extra support poles in the roof and definitely add storm straps for extra stability and to make it more rigid.

You might like these products

For maximum stability, it’s crucial to get good tension into your awning poles. You can do this by hand or by using a tensioning tool like the Hercules, as well as power grips. Our collections by our couriers are happening as usual. As it stands, delivery times are not being affected too much. Please be aware though that Royal Mail and other couriers are sometimes prioritising essential items so please bear with us if your delivery takes slightly longer than expected. We've always removed our panels and kept them seperate from the canopy, therefore they go in last when erecting the awningand come out first when striking it. This allows any wind to blow straight though unitl you've secured the canopy with pegs etc leaving you in control We've always rolled our awnings up upside down, lay it on its roof then after sorting out any loose bits, fold the front toward the caravan side twice then roll it up so you end up with the convertor rail exposed on one end. This allows you to insert this convertor rail into thevan andunroll the awning straight into the awning rail on the van without having the canopy unfolded and able to blow about. Pegging it down as you go and finish off by putting the panels in or taking them out dependant upon where the wind is coming from. We had a Dorema Montana and had an issue with the metal poles corroding after one outing. Replaced under warranty. Secondly the eyelets where the pole spikes go through came apart and this was done under warranty. On both occasions they tried it on with us. Then work your way out from the centre, placing the poles into the correct positions. Once the main body of the awning is up, make sure (if your model has them) to place the canopy poles in.

All in all I think what I am hearing is what I thought, it will be hard to prove the awning wasn't up to the job and from reading the responses to another thread I started about the costs of claiming on the insurance I will most likely put a claim in, although my dealer is taking the awning to Dorema to see what they say, so I will wait for their response before doing anything. Later we bought a Dorema Escada and we found that awning to be excellent value and exceptionally well made. My SIL now has it and is very happy with it so maybe you got a "Friday" awning. We would buy another Dorema awning. The main point is to stop the roof poles from collapsing on the caravan side and the awning falling inwards towards the caravan . Once your awning is in the rail, make sure the awning is in the centre of your caravan if it’s a full awning.

The draft skirt was pegged out and the wheel arch was secured with adhesive pads, in fact it was the only part of the awning still erected when I got to the van!

Even on a touring awning, bad weather can strike at any time, so we’d recommend always fitting storm straps. When attaching the storm straps follow the manufacturer’s instructions on attachment, placement and distance. For stabilty and strength the awning is supplied with a 25mm easygrip steel frame (optional frame upgrades are available). We would like to use our awning but I am a bit nervous as I've read things about them getting ripped off in high wind and doing big damage to the 'van. If you set up your awning correctly it will help to protect it against unnecessary damage should the weather turn windy.Lay your poles out in front of your awning and then insert all the poles through the canvas as per the manufacturer instructions, usually starting with the front centre vertical leg pole and centre roof pole. This will give you space to work underneath your canvas. My advice on getting the awning up and down in the wind is as follows. It's going to be a bit long winded but it's never let us down in many years of caravanning on beach front pitches in some serious gales with units around us losing theirs. Is it better to forgo using the awning (it is a full size one, a dorema) or is there a way of getting it really secured down and minimising chances of an incident? For the latest information and advice on COVID-19, please refer to the latest updates by the UK Government. I tend towards agreeing, if the manufacturer has given no advice about its limits or given any maximum wind speed.