As we have not been caravanning recently, we decided to test this at home (but will be testing it again when we go caravanning in the New Year). Well, we haven't actually seen the WondaWedge for a while as our son has comandeered the it for when he is using the X-Box!! He lays on the floor lounging up against the WondaWedge at the perfect level to play and view the TV screen!! He especially likes the fact that he can just turn the WondaWedge over to sit up more and be closer to the TV (when the action gets going and he starts shouting!!).

As we said before, we will be testing this fully in the near future but in the meantime, this is what they say about their new product:

WondaWedge! – an essential accessory for any motorhome or caravan

You will wonder why nobody thought of the WondaWedge before! It is an innovative inflatable lounger that is perfect for caravans and motorhomes. The softly-sueded vinyl finish gives the hard-wearing mat a luxurious finish but it’s the neat, inflatable triangular pillow that offers comfort and lumbar support that gives the WondaWedge its special appeal. Folding down to the size of a small book for easy and compact storage, when unrolled and inflated the WondaWedge becomes a practical and wonderfully comfortable rug. It’s ideal for lounging – reclining and reading books or the Sunday papers; comfortable sunbathing; spectator sports when you want to lean back and watch your favourite team or simply lazing around. WondaWedge is perfect for a day at the beach, picnics, sports days, outdoor concerts – in fact just about anywhere you want to informally relax inside or outdoors.

Available in six different colours, the WondaWedge is waterproof and comfortable, even in the heat (when other basic groundsheets can get a little clammy!) It inflates effortlessly and quickly by blowing with your mouth or using a conventional pump WondaWedge can be filled to optimum capacity for precise personal comfort and is ideal for different situations such as sitting, reclining or lying down. In fact, WondaWedge was conceived by physiotherapists to provide excellent lumbar support and enhance posture.

WondaWedge is available for £14.95 by mail order from www.wondawedge.co.uk.

We have been sent these pegs to test by www.deltagroundanchors.co.uk.

As we have a seasonal pitch we tend to leave our awning up for the majority of the season. In previous years, we have used ordinary plastic pegs. Although these are good, they do tend to lift up on the side where the wind hits the awning and we end up banging them back in on most days.

We used these new pegs on the side of the awning which is usually buffeted by the wind and were amazed at the result!

Our first impression of these pegs was that they are an entirely different design to the standard peg. The angled design not only gives the peg a firm anchor point but also, when fully banged into the ground, end up flush to the ground meaning no-one trips over them and you can mow your grass (yes, we do have to do that!) easily - just going over the top of them.

Having used these pegs for most of the season, not one of them lifted up and needed to be banged back into the ground, whereas usually the plastic pegs need quite a bit of attention.

In our view these pegs are really good and although not as cheap as ordinary pegs, they are worth every penny of the extra investment, especially if you are fed up of continually re-securing the pegs in your awning or tent.

This is what their website says about them:

Recently patented, DELTA GROUND ANCHORS are an innovative new tent peg and effective method of securing your tent or caravan awning.

Delta Ground Anchors have many distinct advantages over conventional tent pegs, including an increased surface area for resistance and a remote point of attachment to minimise leverage.

The rigidity and the durability of both our stainless steel tent pegs and nylon composite tent pegs ensures easy insertion and extraction time and time again. The original and strongest Delta Ground Anchors are produced from tough and corrosion resistant stainless steel channel section. Internal dimensions 12 x 18 x 12 mm, thickness 1.5 mm, standard stainless steel and nylon composite anchors are 150mm X 150mm set at 60 degrees.

This rigid tent peg design was tested up to 200 Kg by 'Marlift' in Plymouth in compacted ground. They have an advised rating of 115 Kg.

The new nylon composite tent peg has been tested at Exeter University at up to 72 Kg, over 1700 times their own weight.

www.selectsolar.co.uk

It has two light intensity options - as shown by the photographs below.

We tested the light - we charged it all day in full sunlight and then put it on that night. The light lasted for a good 7 hours.

We used the light last time we went away in the caravan. Our children slept outside in the awning and found it extremely useful to have their own light. We obviously weren't very keen for them to have an electric lamp out there so this solar light was the perfect solution. They used both light settings on the lamp - one was slightly brighter than the other. The light was plenty bright enough for use at night and was not too over-powering in the dark like some high-powered torches or lamps.

We think this is a brilliant piece of kit and all caravanners and campers should have one, especially if they have children with them!! It puts your mind at rest that they have a light and it is a very safe light for them to use. Plus, of course, this is powered by the sun and therefore uses free power - environmentally friendly as well as no more having to buy expensive batteries.

While we were away we had brilliant sun on most days so the lamp was particularly good - we are not sure how long you would need to charge the lamp should it be cloudy - we will be testing this next time we go away.

If you would like to find out more information regarding this solar lamp, CLICK HERE to take you to their website. They also have many other useful solar products and gadgets available. Take a look.

April 2009 - We are currently testing a product called "The Streaker" which is from a company called Caravan Innovations. It is called "The Streaker" because it is designed to prevent the black marks which appear down the sides of your caravan.

The Streaker is a moulded rubber strip which you insert into the caravan’s awning rails. It deflects rainwater away from the caravan sides which therefore prevents those horrible black streaks.

	It comes in a handy drawstring fabric storage bag and includes detailed laminated instructions.

	You can just see the black marks starting to appear down the side of the caravan.
	A freshly cleaned caravan with The Streaker in place.

June Update

	We have replaced the Streaker on the Wyoming as it was not long enough! Here you can see the correct Streaker length, so it carries on partly down the sides to take the water away.
	This is a recent photograph of our caravan (the Indiana) of the side which does not have a Streaker. You can see that already there are a few black marks appearing.

Update - October 2009

We have now had The Streaker on our caravan since April of this year and it has been brilliant!! The sides of the caravan have kept incredibly clean - no black marks from the rain at all! WE have had so many people asking what the "red things" are on our caravans and when we tell them, they all think it's a brilliant idea!

Here are the latest pictures of our caravans taken at the end of October 2009:

	This is a picture of The Streaker on the side of the Indiana. Can you see any black marks?
	This is a picture of the Wyoming taken at the end of October. Again, no black marks!

Another Bailey Senator caravan pitched near to us for the Half Term week and we couldn't resist taking a picture of the side of their caravan - do the sides of your caravan look like this? If they do we recommend you try a Streaker!

We are carrying on the test over the winter months and will add more pictures soon.

If you are interested and would like more information regarding The Streaker, CLICK HERE to take you to the Caravan Innovations website.

We have today received the following e-mail from David regarding The Streaker:

Thank you for the information regarding The Streaker, after seeing it on your caravan. I did order a set on Tuesday and paid by PayPal. I received confirmation from them the next day and today (Friday) received them in the post. This is very good service. Please include me on your website as as very satisfied customer - something hard to find today.

Awning Companion
The easy way to get your caravan awning & trailer tent tight.

We were asked to test the Awning Companion by the makers, www.awningcompanion.com.

Having used a Hercules awning tensioner before, I was rather sceptical as I found the Hercules fiddly to use.

However, my views on awning tensioners have now changed!!

We erected our Dorema awning and all the poles were in place but not tightened – so out came the Awning Companion to finish off the job of tensioning the poles.

It comes in a handy plastic carrying and storage bag.

I could not believe how simple this device was to use, enabling one person to tension the awning. It has two pole clamps and is operated by a ratchet system to enable you to use it with one hand. You simply attach the Awning Companion to the poles by tightening the thumb screws and then squeezing the trigger to tension the poles, then let go of the Awning Companion and tighten the awning pole. Loosen the thumb screws and place it on the next pole to be tensioned – it's that easy!! After tensioning the front poles of the awning (being careful not to over-tension because I have fibre-glass poles) I then proceeded to tension the roof poles, which was just as easy.

Once fully tensioned, I pegged down the awning and stood back to admire my handiwork (together with the Awning Companion, of course!).

I truly have to admit that the awning had never looked so good – not a saggy bit in sight!

Some of you may think that putting up an awning and just hand-tensioning the poles is sufficient, but there is nothing worse than an awning which is not tensioned properly and looks just saggy and droopy! Not only does it look bad, it can also be damaged if the weather gets wet and windy.

All in all the Awning Companion is very easy to use (by one person) and if you want a safe and smart looking awning then this is a must-have piece of kit. After all, awnings are not cheap so buying the Awning Companion is well worth the investment. We thoroughly recommend it!!!

We have also given the Awning Companion to caravanners to test where we keep our caravan. We have not had a single piece of bad feedback about it - only comments such as "It is a great piece of equipment, especially if you are getting older and cannot grip so well" and "I can now tension the awning by myself without asking the wife to try and hold the poles steady!".

To purchase your Awning Companion just CLICK HERE to take you to their website which gives you all the details, prices, delivery, etc.

Alternatively, call free on 0800 804 7174.

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We were asked by Care-avan Ltd to test their caravan polish which we agreed to as we had never used it before but had heard quite a few good comments about it. We used my father-in-law's caravan for this test as we have put overwintering fluid (see below) on our own caravan.

I first gave the caravan a wash using warm water but no soap. The purpose of this was so that the black streaks that had accumulated were still visible. Remember though, you can’t use this polish in direct sunlight.

Once the caravan was completely dry I started to apply the polish with a clean and soft cloth. I applied the polish to one panel at a time (as recommended on the bottle) - the polish was quite thin but went on very easily - and then left it until nearly dry. I then buffed it off with another clean and dry cloth and, guess what, the black streaks disappeared with ease using hardly any effort! I was amazed!

I carried on polishing until I had done the whole caravan and now the caravan looks like new again! The shine is absolutely brilliant! Needless to say, my father-in-law was extremely pleased and well impressed with this polish!

I have now used this polish on my car as well and found that, not only was it extremely easy to apply, it did not leave any white residue when buffed off and left a super shine.

This is, quite simply, the best polish I have used and would highly recommend it to any caravan, motor home or car owners.

£9.99 for a 500ml bottle (inc UK p&p) from www.care-avan.co.uk.

SUPERIOR POLISH FOR USE ON BOTH NEW AND USED CARAVANS/MOTOR HOMES.
(Also gives fantastic results on: Cars, Vans, Jet Skis, Boats)

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We were asked to test Fenwick's Blu John Toilet Fluid and Fenwick's Lily The Pink Toilet Flush Fluid by SOAPY SMITHS. Here's our product reviews of these two caravan products:

Fenwick's Lily The Pink

It says on the bottle:

"Has a long lasting fresh citrus fragrance. Helps maintain a germ free toilet. With added slip and lubricity agents it has a long lasting performance. Our active ingredients result in a clean germ free environment.

Dosage - add 100ml of Lily per 15 litres of holding tank capacity and fill with clean water."

Our Review:

The first thing we noticed was the strong fragrance when we opened the bottle. We thought maybe it would be too overpowering in the caravan but, in fact, we only noticed the fragrance when flushing the toilet. When diluted in the toilet flush tank, the fragrance is not too chemically smelling - perfect to keep your caravan loo smelling naturally fragrant!

Another thing we first noticed was that it seemed very "watery" compared to our usual pink toilet flush fluid. The Fenwick's, in fact, worked better than a thicker fluid as we normally get lots of pink "blobs" in the flush which very annoyingly stick to the sides of the toilet. As the Fenwick's pink flush was much thinner there was no sign of the thick blobs plus it still did the job just as well as a thicker fluid!

We thought this was an extremely good product and will certainly be using it again!

Fenwick's Blu Jon

It says on the bottle:

"Has a long lasting fresh citrus fragrance. Easily breaks down solids, with long lasting performance. Our active ingredients out perform formaldehyde by over 8 times, resulting in a clean germ free environment.

Dosage - add 120ml of Blu John per 20 litres of holding tank capacity and prime with 2 litres of clean water."

Our Review:

Another great product from Fenwick's. Nice fragrance and, like the Pink Toilet Rinse, this is not as thick as other products which makes it easier to fill the measuring cup on the holding tank without making too much of a mess! It broke up the toilet paper with no "pyramiding" of the waste in the holding tank. Well worth buying!

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We were asked to test the above product by : Here's our product review: If, like us, you get fed up of spending hours cleaning off green algae and the general winter build-up of dirt on your caravan then this is the product for you ! I personally think this is a brilliant product which will save you hours. After giving my caravan a good wash down, I simply spray the overwintering fluid all over the caravan using an ordinary garden sprayer (although you can use a sponge or cloth but this will obviously take a lot longer). This will then provide invisible protection all over your caravan. When your caravan comes out of hibernation in the spring, you simply need to give it a quick wash and you will be amazed how easily the build up of dirt washes off and there is no sign of green algae. I gave some to my father-in-law last year because he was always complaining about the number of times he had to clean his conservatory roof because it became covered in dirt and green algae. He used it on that and it worked a treat over winter. The main plus points: Invisible winter protection Easy to apply Washes dirt off very easily Also protects against pollution, acid rain and bird lime Easy to apply using a garden sprayer Competitive price A once-a-year job! Other uses, e.g. conservatory roof Remember, you can buy overwintering fluid from www.soapysmiths.com.

Any product reviews you would like to see on this page? Click here to let us know what caravan products you would like us to test.