There are perhaps a couple of good reasons why awnings aren’t as popular among motorcaravanning folk as they are among touring caravanners.

For one thing, motorhome owners like to think that they are much more get up and go, and so don’t have time to put up and take down an awning.

Second, there is the hassle of what you do with the awning when you want to drive off just temporarily – how do you detach it from your vehicle and attach it back afterwards?

All of that is perhaps enough to put a lot of people off.

But what if you had an awning that was shaped to fit against your motorhome, but didn’t actually attach at all?

That’s the thinking behind Outwell’s new Milestone Pace awning.

What makes this motorhome awning different

From a distance the Pace looks pretty much like any other drive-away motorhome awning, with a canopy that simply extends a little over the motorhome roof to provide sheltered access.

But this canopy is supported by the awing itself – it doesn’t rely on attaching to the vehicle for support.

At just over two metres, it’s really only going to be relevant for camper van owners.

And, because it doesn’t actually attach, there will always be some kind of a gap that a draught (and maybe some horizontal rain or a pernicious insect) could get through.

But it does provide a shelter of sorts, and it clearly saves you the trouble of having to match up your camper van’s door exactly to any tunnel.

What’s more, because this rear area can be completely sealed up, once you drive off you effectively leave behind a fully functioning tent – one that can take a force 8 gale.

Poled or inflatable

The Pace comes in a regular £330 version with glassfibre poles; or, as tested here, as the £630 Milestone Pace Air – it features Outwell’s Rigid Air System, which is made up of inflatable tubes.

It could be inflated relatively speedily with the help of the hand pump that is supplied.

The 2.80m-wide awning itself is made from polyester taffeta with a fairly entry-level hydrostatic head of 3000mm.

Taped internal seams help to keep things watertight, while windows are tinted and come with toggle curtains.