Dometic vs. Fiamma – Which Awning Is Right for You?

Dometic and Fiamma are leaders in the awning market. If your home improvement, construction, or RV customization project involves awning procurement, you may have to decide between the two options.

Dometic awnings are better than Fiamma awnings despite being slightly more expensive as they have an extensive product range and accessories allowing you to replace parts and customize your awning easily. Dometic is known for its excellent customer service, and high quality, long-lasting materials.

In this article, you’ll learn more about finding the right awning, including what you should look for when shopping for it, the accessories you may want to buy, and which brand is best based on your needs.

What Should I Look for in an Awning?

Awnings have become a staple for households as well as for people owning outdoor spaces. Saving you the hassle of building a unit for a particular area, you can get one installed in chic styles that amp up your space without much effort. 

Not only does it elevate the outlook of your room, but it also acts as an excellent shield in the face of adverse weather conditions. Moreover, it adds protection to your furniture, windows, and paint jobs. They are a perfect tool for restaurant and cafe owners to fully utilize the spaces, pulling in more people. Outdoor dining serves as an attraction to many people, and awnings do so if used tactfully.

While shopping for an awning, there are a couple of things you need to keep an eye out for. 

1. Material

The material of your awning makes up for how long it will last you. The covering sheet itself is commonly made up of vinyl, acrylic, and polyester. Whereas the frame is made up of aluminum, so it does not rust. When investing in this product, you need to be mindful of its ability to bear all kinds of weather conditions. 

Living in an area where the temperatures are high most of the time, you need a material that would protect you from the UV rays, with a frame that will not heat up too much. Similarly, you should consider a water-resistant material for an area where it rains excessively, so it keeps dry. Correct material selection would make your awning last longer.

2. Quality

The quality of a product is truly tested when it is put to use. Having your knowledge of the types of awnings offered in the market, the pros and cons of each type, you could score a good one even if it is your first time. 

The higher quality does come in at a higher price tag, but it is sure to last you longer, with less expense on the upkeep afterward. Understanding your requirement has got to be your first step towards purchasing an awning. For severe weather conditions, go for a high-quality awning that promises durability and high resistance. 

For decorative purposes, however, a low-quality awning would do you just fine. Another way of making sure you are purchasing the right quality of an awning is to look out for a stamp of approval by a standardized quality assurance mechanism. 

3. Price

The price varies with the quality and the style of the awning you are going for. A higher-quality product is priced higher. Understandably, the higher a product offers, the more it will cost you. However, it will seemingly be a considerable sum but will cover you for a more extended period. Some even last for years without needing any repairs or touch-ups.

4. Convenience

An awning comes in several different kinds of designs. Some are retractable, which can be pulled off or folded up according to your need. Bear in mind that the retractable ones, albeit they look fancy, are not made to withstand harsh weather conditions. 

So, when the rain hits, be sure to retract it back to protect it from damage. They are either automated or manual ones from which you can choose according to your convenience. The other kind is fixed, like a built-in unit, to your desired space. They are suitable for when you want to shield off an area permanently. Stationary awnings are best for patios or places you want to section off for dine outs or merely sit outdoors. 

Freestanding awnings are also a common type used mostly for businesses as they also act as advertisement canvas. 

What Is a Dometic Awning?

Dometic has been a veteran in producing awning primarily used for travelling by people who are frequently on the move. Their story dates back to 1919 with two young engineers who had an idea of using heat to produce a cooling effect. Fast forward to the present times, Dometic has made its name worldwide with a variety of products focusing mainly on the equipment needed to travel or camp. 

Dometic specializes in outdoor awnings, providing solutions to seasoned travelers. Dometic awnings are the way to go from truck drivers who travel out of their profession to families who take leisure road trips. 

Sorting out popular vehicles travelers use has made it possible for the company to curate awnings that would best complement them. Not only that, but they have also succeeded in offering accessories that go with the awnings to give a complete experience to its user. 

Vehicle-Mounted Awnings

Vehicle-mounted awnings are a quick and easy fix of sneaking out from under the sun. Easy to set up and take off, they provide a cool shelter from the sun and any climatic adversity, bugs, and mosquitoes. They are also an excellent shield for your vehicle. 

The best thing about these awnings is that you do not need to drill special holes to put them up. They slide into the tent rail of your motorhomes or caravans. Their frames are made up of aluminum, which ensures a long, rust-free life with minimum aftercare. 

Static Awnings

Static awnings are somewhat of a Dometic specialty. With almost ten different categories and 51 other products, they have made sure to cover every possible need and aspect of a traveler. 

• Club air: Club air mashes up the need for an awning with smart features that opens up your vehicle space so much so that you could even host people in there. Broad in its size and strong in its built, it is easily set up, and flexibility in its configuration allows you to open the awning up into a veranda style.
• Grande air: Grande air is one of the largest family of awnings, with a width of almost 4 meters (13.1 feet). Being inflatable, it is easy to set up with your vehicle and even easier to take down.
• Ace air: Ace air is a unique type with an inflatable set up, featuring full height windows and skylights for fantastic views of the surroundings. You can be safe in your awning and still lie down and stargaze through the night. With Ace air, Dometic made sure you never miss out on a view.
• Rally air: This awning is perfect for when you are taking a long trip. It brings you the closest to having a lounge of your own while you are out there, exploring. Fully secure from all sides, it is lightweight and made to bear all kinds of weather conditions.
• Winter air: Winter air is known to be the world’s first purpose-built inflatable winter awning. As the name suggests, it is built to get you through the extreme winter weather conditions.
• Leggera air: Leggera is said to be extremely lightweight with weather protection from all points. It is perfect to set up on adventurous trips.
• Sunshine air: A more exposed, open awning with a smarter frame comes with an airframe in place of metal ones.
• Mobil air: Designed especially for Adria action, it offers staple Dometic features for the best experience.
• Pop air: These inflatable awnings have a considerable headroom and are suited best to popup caravans. Having clear windows, you can enjoy the great outdoors while being cozy.
• Rally: Rally awnings are made from high quality, lightweight fabric. They come with aluminum and fiberglass poles to ensure durability. As it is made to withstand any weather conditions, it is easy to set up and take down.

Dometic has a brief guide on their website to your needs and the product that fulfills them best. If you are still confused, you can reach out to their support lines at any time. 

What Is Fiamma Awning?

Fiamma became a leader in producing awnings for class B motorhomes, capturing the market strongly with a clear understanding of where the gap lay. Started in Italy in 1945, it later moved on to the European markets and then on to the American market. 

From thereon, it has been making fierce progress by expanding to other market places and acquiring ISO certifications for its products and its state-of-the-art factory set up in Cardano al Campo. Today, Fiamma has a worldwide distribution and is known for its outclass products.

Making the outdoors feel like home is many people’s goal as it speaks to their aesthetic tastes. However, to do so when out on the roads is a pretty challenging task. However, Fiamma is a perfect choice for you if you take your RV out for a spin in the mountains or the fields. 

Fiamma offers awnings in several different styles for you to choose from, depending on your need, along with the type of vehicle in your use. Fiamma has always been keen on innovation. It has paid due attention to different kinds of vehicles needing different types of awnings and further went on to produce accessories to go along with them. 

A clear understanding of people’s needs away from home has made it possible for Fiamma to put out all the things necessary to have a comfortable time out while taking care to be tech-friendly. 

The products under Fiamma’s brand name can range from awnings to spare parts and accessories. Fiamma awnings are perhaps the most popular of all the products, known for their impeccable quality, quick and ease of use, along with smooth installation and aftercare services. 

Fiamma Awnings

Fiamma awnings are offered in a wide range with something for everyone. Whether you are using an RV or a camper van, Fiamma has you covered. 

Roughly 14-15 different kinds of awnings are produced and offered, of which each one can be handled manually or automatically. Fiamma is known for manufacturing awnings with soundless openings, which are credited to the winch safety system.

Along with these smart features, you get to choose your awning in the color that best compliments your vehicle from the following list of color offered:

• Royal blue
• Evergreen
• Deluxe grey
• Blue ocean
• Sahara
• Royal grey
• Pearl grey
• Bordeaux

Fiamma awnings provide a perfect shelter from the rough outdoor weather. Be it rain, wind, or just very harsh sunlight, Fiamma awnings will have you covered. Their smart technology will adjust to the temperature outdoors to give you only the right heating necessary. The comfort offered by Fiamma awnings will make your camping trips with friends or family twice as fun.

Fiamma Awning Accessories

Understanding that there are still several accessories needed with the awnings themselves, Fiamma has a range of products to go along with and provide a broad experience to its consumers. The entire idea is to extend the RVs and caravans’ space to make it feel like you are sitting in your lounge, in the comfort of your home. 

Led lights and wall brackets are some of the most popular accessories sold under Fiamma’s name. Each is offered in different shapes, sizes, and colors to give you an array to choose from. 

What sets Fiamma apart is its fast-forward attitude in its operations while maintaining a high standard of quality. Being accredited by ISO makes it a safer choice for the consumers. 

What Is the Difference Between Fiamma and Dometic?

Fiamma and Dometic have somewhat of an identical range of products. Their targeted customers are frequent travelers and caravan users. Hence, their products are nearly the same. Both the brands date back to the mid/early 90s with a firm grip on the market they have established for themselves worldwide. 

Both brands have international recognition with significant market shares on their portfolios. It has been a constant tussle between the brands themselves and the users as to which one is the better among the two.

The only slight differences between the two powerful brands are the following:

1. Innovation

Dometic has taken the lead when understanding the shift in the customer’s desires with the changing times. They have come out with products that youngsters can use when camping with their friends. 

It has also made awnings portable and smaller in size. In contrast, Fiamma is still putting out conventional products that might not appeal to younger people who are always on the lookout for smarter, more portable options. 

2. Price

Dometic has been incorporating smart features and different elements in its awnings, which might be the reason that it is priced slightly higher than Fiamma. Awnings from both the brands essentially look the same but being priced lower, Fiamma becomes a choice out of the strain on the pocket.

The higher price tag is somewhat justified considering Dometic’s features are greater than those provided by Fiamma in their awnings. They have incorporated the latest technology in their products that have made them weather-resistant, no matter the conditions, and their set up is noise-free thanks to the latest technology they use.

3. Range

Fiamma has followed a stringent product line, which has restricted the kinds of awnings it produces. The choice you get when going with an awning from Fiamma is quite limited compared to the many different types of awnings offered by Dometic. 

Dometic has successfully comprehended the many kinds of needs of people who might travel and explore different places than the other typical ones. Therefore, it has been able to come out with countless products for different occasions. 

Dometic has come out with a wide range of awnings and has made a number of different accessories to complement them, which interests the buyers even more. 

4. Website

Another place where Fiamma falls behind Dometic is the outlook of its website. Fiamma has failed to make its website user friendly, whereas Dometic’s website is engaging and oozes with colorful pictures. 

Fiamma needs to realize that creating a welcoming image on the company website convinces the visitor that they do need the product, even if they do not actually need it. Dometic has a complete guide to what would fit your vehicle the best, even without direct customer support.

Visiting Dometic’s website is an experience on its own. They have managed to capture the essence of traveling beautifully in the content that they have used. It is convincing, but it also gives a perception of engagement and a sense of understanding between the customer and the company. 

On the other hand, Fiamma’s website is more product-focused, which gives off an image of disconnection. It makes the customer feel that beyond selling their products, they are not concerned with you. 

These are some of the differences between the brands. Even with these slight differences, both are exceptionally well and give each other and the rest of the brands a tough competition.

Which One Is Right for You?

Dometic and Fiamma are high-quality, high-standard brands producing some of the best products offered in the market. They have been in the business for a reasonable amount of time and have grown exponentially. 

Both of the brands have been ISO certified multiple times. However, when going out to buy an awning, we would choose Dometic over Fiamma. Our choice is driven by the fact that Dometic has a wider variety of products and seems to understand the changing needs with the times better. 

Dometic offers something for everyone with a wide variety in their styles. From stationery to retractable, they seem to have several options in both types. Different categories of different kinds of awnings are displayed on their online store, and the vast choice even confuses you. On top of that, they hold a complete range of spare parts in house to go with their products. 

They seem user friendly as they claim to be light and easy enough to be set up by a single person. Their inflatable awnings are also good options because of the lesser effort that goes into setting them up. Inflatable awnings are still somewhat rare and only offered by a few brands out there. Considering how convenient they are, Dometic is doing exceptionally well.

Although Fiamma would be lighter on the pocket for its pocket-friendly options, it would still be a second choice because it would be a settlement for lesser features and an old, traditional awning. We would rather spend a little more and get something that serves its purpose and is also smart, compact, and looks nice with my vehicle.

Dometic has something for everyone, whether it’s a truck owner, a boat owner, or a caravan owner, and they understand that with traveling, there are needs that need to be met. From lounging outdoors to hosting guests, cooking, cleaning, and even sleeping outside of your vehicle, they address all of the activities, and it shows in the products they have put out on the market. 

They have incorporated the latest technologies in their awnings and made them noise-free and compatible with any kind of weather conditions. Owning a Dometic, we would be confident that we would have a comfortable experience no matter where we decide to travel. Moreover, one could buy the accessories such as lights and portable furniture in the house, making it even more convenient to go with Dometic.

As a brand, they come out as a responsible organization as they talk about sustainability. They are conscious about the materials that they put in their products and how they dump their waste. 

They talk about recycling and lesser emission, all of which strike a personal note. There are very few brands in today’s time that are conscious in this regard, and our choice is always to support the ones who do stand for this movement.

Moreover, the easy to use website makes us believe that their service would be equally good, and you would be provided all the assistance you would need in selecting the awning and then installing it correctly. 

All the brands are supportive when purchasing their products, but very few are there for you even after exchanging products or services. The reviews from Dometic’s users and their website have supported that they are engaged with their customers to date and are responsive to their users’ queries.