Begin assembling your awning by placing the groundsheet in approximately the right position
- laying out the poles and awning over the groundsheet will minimise the chance of them getting dirty during assembly. Lay the poles out in roughly the right positions and remove the awning from its bag onto the groundsheet. Ensure the awning is the correct way around before you feed the beading into the awning rail.
If sliding the beading along the rail proves difficult, it may need to be lubricated. There are products available to prevent the beading from snagging, but spray furniture polish works just as well. Spray some into the rail, avoiding the awning itself, to help the awning's bead slide easily. If this doesn't help, the rail may have been damaged. Check for any dents and in particular for sharp edges that could damage the fabric of the awning.
Once the fabric is all in place, you can assemble the frame. Manufacturers recommend putting the central ridge support pole and leg in place and tensioning that first. Follow with the two side-end poles and legs.
If your awning has end or side panels that unzip, these should be partially undone for tensioning. Before putting any pegs in the ground, ensure the awning is level and the side panels have been zipped back up. Start pegging the corners next to the caravan before moving on to the far corners and then the sides.

Cleaning and caring
The best time to clean and maintain an awning is when it is up, just because it's easy to get to each corner. Most awnings can be cleaned with plenty of water and a soft brush. Anything harsher than that may damage the waterproof coating and leave you with a soggy groundsheet next time it rains. The best approach is to spray water onto the canvas, loosen the dirt with the brush and remove it with a steady flow of water. Exposed parts, such as roof, sides and corners, need careful attention. Give the awning this kind of thorough cleaning twice yearly.
The same goes for the PVC windows; anything too harsh, such as spirit or polish, could turn them misty, which is unsightly and makes them difficult to see through. If your windows are already damaged in this way, try Renovo Plastic Polish, which is used by classic car enthusiasts to remove cloudiness from plastic windows in the hoods of convertibles. If this doesn't work, take the awning to a repair centre to have the windows replaced.
As important as the awning itself are the pegs and poles, which must also be looked after properly. For pegs, cleaning off mud is generally enough to preserve them, but replace damaged ones as you come across them to ensure you don't have problems next time out.
Caring for awning poles is straightforward; just shake out sand and grit from moving parts and ensure that joints and fixings are intact. Fibreglass poles just need to be wiped with a damp cloth and inspected for damage, in which case they must be replaced. Steel or aluminium poles on the other hand may corrode if not cared for. Once a season, spread the poles out on the floor at home and give each a polish with car wax or silicone furniture polish. It'll help prevent rust and will also make them move more easily against the awning fabric when setting up and stowing away.

Storing and moving
Many caravanners dread taking down the awning, not because it represents the end of the holiday, but because it appears to be a laborious task. However, it won't be if you set about doing it in a methodical way. First, empty the awning of all its contents, close the caravan windows and doors and tell the family to stay in or outside the van while you work.
Most models are taken down in reverse order to their assembly, so start by pulling up the pegs from the front, then the sides, front corners and finally the corners by the van. Cleaning the pegs is a good job for the kids; give them half a bucket of water and a nail brush. Some caravanners throw the pegs in the dishwasher when they get home. The rafter poles come down next, followed by the end supports and legs, and finally the central poles. With that done, you can feed the awning back around the awning track and onto the groundsheet, ready for folding.
Folding the awning is not the difficult bit; it's getting the 30kg bundle of fabric back into a bag that's tricky.
To make things as easy as possible, work out the size of the awning bag's opening, and focus your folding on getting the awning through that gap. The roof needs to be spread flat, ceiling side down. Fold as little and as straight as possible, and aim to get a rectangle that is no wider than the opening of the awning's storage bag. When you've got that, roll the awning from the front towards the rear edge so that the bead, which may be dirty from the rail, is outermost and won't mark the rest of the awning. Everything should then fit nicely into the bag.
There are other ways of folding awnings. You can separate the side panels and zip-out sections or leave them attached, but do try to ensure that the awning windows aren't folded twice, because the plastic may stretch or split where the folds intersect. Fold the panels once to get them to the right width, and then roll them up in a gentle curl with the rest of the awning. When packing the poles, it is generally easier to put in angled and cross poles first, leaving the straight poles until last.
You've taken care to avoid splits and tears, but one thing can ruin an awning more than anything else: putting it away while damp. When it's raining, you have no choice. In such circumstances, fold it loosely and pack it as best you can. Back home, as soon as the weather is fair, unfurl the awning so it can air dry. If you have a large clean garage, open it up inside, but take care to avoid snagging it on anything sharp. Once it has dried thoroughly, repack it so it's ready for use next time. Remember to dry out the bag, too, or your dry awning will become damp again.
Now, where do you store it? Like so much else, awnings ought to be kept in a cool, dry place with little variance in temperature. Inside the caravan is OK, but a cool, dry garage and out of reach of mice is preferable. Awnings are heavy, so owners will be tempted to cut corners when moving them about. So, unless yours is lightweight or a small porch awning, get someone to help you shift it. Having a person at each end of the fabric will make you less likely to drag it along the floor or force it into a too-small space. Such treatment can tear the material, which will then need professional repair.