Vango Kela Pro Air Review: Which Height, and Is It Worth £700?
The Kela has been Vango’s campervan awning for more than a decade, and the current 2026 version is the Kela Pro Air. The part of this purchase people get wrong is not the awning at all — it is the height band and the connection kit. We have put both where you can see them, alongside what owners and one hands-on tester actually found.
Where the reviews line up
Evidence on this awning is thinner than its reputation suggests. We built this page from three places: Vango’s own specification for the 2026 Kela Pro Air, checked against six UK retailer listings; Camping Secrets, a camping blog whose author used an earlier Kela Air over several weekends; and owner threads on Motorhome Fun and the VW California Club forum. None of them contradicts the others on the basics.
Three things come up everywhere. It goes up quickly — Vango quotes 8 minutes to pitch and 4 minutes on the hand pump, and the blogger says inflation takes “a minute or two at most”. The fabric is the selling point: Vango’s Sentinel fabric with a 6,000 mm hydrostatic head, which the blogger calls “surely the best fabric for awnings on the market”. And it is expensive — both reviewers say so, and at around £700 it still is.
The gripes are about detail rather than failure: one cable entry point, a carpet sold separately, no double zips and Velcro rather than a full-length zip on a side door, and a lower inner-wall edge one owner kept tripping over. Nobody we could find has reported how the current model behaves in a strong wind, and no UK retailer we checked had a single buyer review of it.
The decision that matters is the height band. Measure from the ground to the point you will attach to — the rail, gutter or roof bars — and buy Low for 180–210 cm, Mid for 215–255 cm or Tall for 255–295 cm. Then decide whether you want true drive-away, because the twin kador kit (the figure-of-eight strip) that lets you unclip and leave is not in the standard box.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Vango and six retailersThe 2026 specification, and the places where retailers print different weights, pack sizes and guarantees.
- Camping SecretsHands-on blog review, 9.5/10, of the earlier third-version Kela Air on a small Eriba caravan.
- Motorhome Fun and VW California ClubOwner threads on the Kela V, Kela II and the original Kela Airbeam. A handful of owners, not a sample.
Before the review: which Kela is current
The name has run through Kela, Kela II, III, IV, Kela V (also sold as Kela 5 or Kela V AirAway), the Kela Air TC and an Edition 60. The model on sale new for 2026 is the Kela Pro Air in Low, Mid and Tall. Vango’s own Low page lists it at £700 but showed it out of stock on 6 October 2026; Funky Leisure and Attwoolls both list the 2026 Low as in stock. There is also a heavier poly-cotton Kela Pro TC, which is a different awning. Older Kela V listings are still live at some retailers — check the name and year on the listing in front of you.
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Fits attachment height | Low 180–210 cm · Mid 215–255 cm · Tall 255–295 cm | Vango (Low); Jacksons Leisure (all three); Towsure (Tall) |
| Footprint and height | 310 × 370 cm, 213 cm high (Low); connection width 240 cm | Vango. Attwoolls gives the living area as 235 cm deep, 370 cm with the tunnel |
| Frame | 2 AirBeam main beams, 1 bracer beam, 1 alloy porch pole | Funky Leisure listing |
| Pump | AirBeam hand pump in the box; Vango quotes 4 minutes to inflate | Vango. Towsure describes it as having a pressure dial |
| Pitching time | 8 minutes | Vango’s figure, repeated by retailers |
| Packed weight | 20.4 kg total, 18.9 kg main bag (Vango) · 19 kg (Funky Leisure) · 18.3 kg (Attwoolls) · 19.3 kg (VW California Club shop) | Sources disagree — plan on about 20 kg |
| Pack size | 93 × 31 × 34 cm (Vango) · 90 × 32 × 34 cm (Funky Leisure) · 78 × 32 × 34 cm (Attwoolls, Jacksons) | Sources disagree by up to 15 cm on length |
| Fabric | Sentinel Eco Pro, 420D double ripstop, 6,000 mm hydrostatic head | Vango’s own rating; every retailer repeats it, none tested it |
| Groundsheet | Fully sewn-in, with external storm skirt. Not breathable | Vango; breathability confirmed in an Attwoolls Q&A |
| Connection | Pre-attached 6 mm kador (260 cm per Vango, 248 cm per Funky Leisure), 8 m over-vehicle straps, roof bar tabs, sleeve for pole and clamp | Vango |
| Drive-away kit | Not in the standard box. Twin 6 mm kit or pole and clamp kit sold separately, or in a bundle | Funky Leisure |
| Guarantee | 2 years (Vango page) · 2 years plus 1 on registration (Outdoor World Direct) · 3 years when registered (Attwoolls) | Read the registration terms before you buy |
| Price, 6 October 2026 | £689–£700 for the Low; Vango lists £700 | Four retailers checked — see below |
Vango and six retailers
On paper this is a compact two-beam tunnel awning: a 310 × 370 cm footprint, 213 cm high on the Low, with a 240 cm connection width and a sewn-in groundsheet with a storm skirt round the outside. The AirBeam pump is in the box, alongside steel rock pegs, a pack of ten sky hooks and a carry bag. Vango quotes 4 minutes on the pump and 8 minutes to pitch.
The listings disagree more than you would expect on two figures that matter to anyone loading a van. Vango gives 20.4 kg in total with an 18.9 kg main bag; retailers print anywhere from 18.3 to 19.3 kg. Pack length runs from 78 cm (Attwoolls, Jacksons) to 93 cm (Vango). The shorter figure matches the older Kela Air that Camping Secrets measured, so we suspect some listings carry over earlier specs. Vango’s page also gives a “rail weight” of 15.0 kg, which it does not explain. On the guarantee, Vango’s product page says two years; two retailers say registering adds a third.
On attaching: every Kela Pro Air comes with a 6 mm kador already attached, plus over-vehicle straps and roof bar tabs, so it will go on almost any van. What it does not include is the twin 6 mm kit — the figure-of-eight strip that stays in your van’s rail so the awning can be unclipped and left standing while you drive off. Funky Leisure sells that, or a pole and clamp kit for guttered vehicles, separately or in a bundle.
Watch: Vango Kela Pro AIR Driveaway Awning Review - The BEST-SELLING Driveaway (2025)
A walk-round of the Kela Pro Air, labelled 2025. The fabric and layout carried over into 2026, so this is the closest video match to the specification above.
Watch on YouTube ↗Camping Secrets
This is a camping blog, not a magazine test, and it reviews an older awning: the third Kela Air, used over “several weekends away” on a small Eriba caravan. We include it because it is the only hands-on review we could find that gives measurements, and the core design — tunnel, two main beams, Sentinel fabric, 6,000 mm head — has carried through.
The author rates it 9.5/10. Inflation “takes a minute or two at most” with the double-action pump supplied, which is faster than Vango’s own 4-minute figure for the current model. The fabric gets the strongest praise, all seams are taped, and the layout earns credit: four doors in total, a rollback front door with mesh, a skylight and a track for hanging things. The criticisms are honest and still relevant — only one cable entry point, a carpet sold separately, and a price “towards the upper level”. The review does not mention wind.
Watch: *Vango Kela Air V Low* Driveaway Awning Review (2023)
This shows the previous Kela Air V Low, not the current Pro Air. Useful for seeing the tunnel layout and doors the blog describes.
Watch on YouTube ↗Motorhome Fun and VW California Club
Forum evidence is thin and all about older versions, so treat it as a list of things to check rather than a verdict. On Motorhome Fun, an owner of a Kela 2 Tall says they can put it up alone with the help of steps, and that “the longest job is pegging it out”. Their advice is to practise in the garden first. Others in the thread rate Vango awnings as good quality but expensive. One owner sold theirs after about two months because they “disliked the internal wall lower edge, kept tripping over it”.
The VW California Club review, by a single owner of an earlier Kela Airbeam, finds it “quite sturdy” and quick to inflate, but picks at the doors: no full-length outer zip on the main side door (Velcro patches instead), a fly screen zip that starts on the floor, and no double zips anywhere. None of these owners talks about wind, leaks or beam failures — which is reassuring or uninformative, depending on how you read it.
Watch: Vango Kela V Tall AirAway Drive Away Awning
The previous Kela V in its Tall height, the version the Motorhome Fun owners are discussing. Worth watching if you are buying the Tall, to see the step-ladder job of attaching at roof height.
Watch on YouTube ↗Prices on 6 October 2026
Vango lists the Low at £700. Funky Leisure has the 2026 Low at £699 (marked “was £775”) and in stock; Attwoolls has it at £700 in stock; Jacksons Leisure lists all three heights at £689; the VW California Club shop has the Low at £699.99 on a waitlist. Towsure lists the Tall at £749, “was £825”, out of stock. Funky Leisure’s bundle — awning, groundsheet protector, skyliner and your choice of drive-away kit — is £719, marked “was £1,009”.
Ignore the “was” prices: Attwoolls quotes an RRP of £965 on the same awning Vango sells for £700. In early October, end-of-season discounting on the Kela Pro Air is close to nil — the price has settled at about £700 everywhere, and stock is thinning, with Vango’s own page and Towsure both out on the heights we checked. If you want drive-away anyway, the £719 bundle is the best value we found, since it includes the kit for £20 more.
Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- Quick to pitch: 8 minutes by Vango’s figure, and one tester inflated an earlier version in a minute or two.
- Pump in the box; you do not need to buy one.
- Sentinel fabric with a 6,000 mm head, praised by the one hands-on reviewer.
- Fully sewn-in groundsheet with a storm skirt, so no draughts or bugs underneath.
- Three attachment methods included — kador, straps and roof bar tabs — so it fits most vans.
- Three height bands, so tall vans and low campers are both covered.
What people complain about
- Expensive, and the price barely moves at the end of the season.
- The twin kador drive-away kit and the carpet cost extra.
- One cable entry point.
- Door details: no double zips and Velcro on a side door (on an older model).
- A raised inner-wall edge that one owner kept tripping over.
- Around 20 kg packed, with listings disagreeing on the exact weight and length.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you have a campervan or small motorhome, want a quick-pitch room on the side that you can leave on the pitch while you drive out for the day, and value a well-proven fabric over the lowest price. It is the default choice in its class for a reason, and every height band is covered.
Look elsewhere if you are not sure of your attachment height yet — measure first, because Low, Mid and Tall are not interchangeable — or if you want evidence of wind performance before spending £700, because nobody has published any on this model. If you only need a tent for a festival or a few nights away, a poled tent such as the Vango Soul 200 is a fraction of the price — our festival tent guide covers what to look for.
What we could not check
- Wind. No source we found reports pitching or living in the Kela Pro Air in strong wind. The forum and blog reviews do not mention it.
- Buyer ratings. Attwoolls, Jacksons Leisure, Towsure and Alpinetrek all showed zero reviews of the Kela Pro Air. Amazon blocks us, Camping World returned an error and B&Q’s page did not load its reviews. There is no buyer rating with a sample size on this page because we could not find one.
- Independent editorial test of the current model. We found none. Camping Secrets tested the third-version Kela Air; the forum owners have the Kela 2, Kela V and original Kela Airbeam.
- The guarantee terms. Vango’s product page says two years; two retailers say registration adds a year. We did not find Vango’s own guarantee terms page, so confirm before you buy.
- Weight and pack size. Five different weights and three different pack lengths are printed. We cannot tell which listings carry over older specs, or what Vango means by its 15.0 kg “rail weight”.
- Kador length. 260 cm per Vango, 248 cm per Funky Leisure.
- The Mid height band (215–255 cm) comes from Jacksons Leisure; we could not open Vango’s own Mid page.
- Groundsheet waterproofing. No hydrostatic head is published for the groundsheet. The 6,000 mm figure is Vango’s own rating for the flysheet; nobody has tested it independently.
- The videos were confirmed by YouTube search listings, not by opening them. Two of the three show the previous Kela V, and none had a channel named in the listing.
Sources last checked 6 October 2026. Prices and stock change quickly at the end of the season — check the height band and model year on the listing before ordering.