Motorhome advice: How to banish awnings draughts

Words & Photos by Sian Williams

When you have a caravan awning, it usually comes with a skirt that slides into the bottom awning rail to stop the draught through the underside and wheels of the vehicle. 

But a motorhome doesn’t come with a draught skirt. So, I decided to make one.

I sourced a suitable thick plastic material from Kingswood Canvas (kingswoodcanvas.co.uk) in Bristol. 

I bought probably twice what I needed, which cost £60, so this should cost anyone else £30.

I made a paper template by putting paper against the motorhome with masking tape. My husband, Dave, held this for extra security and help, so a second pair of hands is probably wise.

I gently traced around the bottom of our motorhome with a pencil; around the wheelarch and door bottom, etc. After cutting out the template, we put it against the motorhome to make sure it was a good fit.

I placed the template onto the plastic material laid out on the lounge floor and cut around it, like you would any pattern, for all you dressmakers...

I added an extra layer of plastic on the bottom edge as this would be the piece that would be under the awning carpet. Some hardstanding pitches are stony and I didn’t want them piercing the plastic if it were walked on. This was stuck on with PVC super glue.

I finished the edging with bias binding, which I machine-sewed on. This was more so for its aesthetics, but also to stop any damage. This grey bias binding cost £2.10 for 7m.

I then used double-sided click-together eyelets, on which I also put some glue for extra strength. The blue self-sealing eyelets were purchased from a retailer at the Malvern Western Motorhome Show last summer. However, you can also buy them from Amazon at £3.20 for a pack of 10.

These eyelets are for the ‘limpets’, which work wonderfully against any motorhome surface and keep the skirt in place. I chose Kampa Limpets, which cost £20.99 for a pack of eight. You can buy cheaper versions but I have found that they are not as strong. It is important not to over-tighten them!

We use our Kampa Motor Air awning even in windy weather as extra room for wet coats, etc, as it is very stable. (Ed: Kampa is now part of the Dometic Group.)

The skirt is a huge success. It stays in place and stops all the draughts. Without it, the awning would be blown about from the inside, too!

For all little four-legged owners (we sadly lost our beautiful little jack russell terrier, Poppy, last May), it stops them escaping from under the motorhome when not on a lead in the closed awning.

The project

What was spent
£85.29 for materials and fixings - but I estimate it could be done for half that amount.

How long it took
It took me an afternoon to make, once my husband and I had marked out the template.

Project summary
I couldn't find an awning skirt for my driveaway motorhome awning, so I custom-made my own. I am not a professional seamstress, but I had a vision and it worked.