88 replies to this topic

[Hayduke]

Does anyone have any awning links that wouldn't cost an arm and leg. The catalinas are expensive. Must be some kind of alternative pull out awning out there for less $
Thanks in Advance

[Brian]

Hayduke...I just found these awnings....
www.fiamma.com they are right around $300 for a 7 or 8 footer.
See what you think. Anyone else with ideas?
Brian

[b team]

I was thinking about one of the fancy ones but thought it would weigh too much

I went with a pouch type awning. Works great and looks nice but I'd be almost as happy with a tarp and home made support poles.

[smileyd]

That's funny you said that because our homemade awning system won't be much more sophisticated. That project will be interesting. haha

[davinski]

I, too, am looking for awnings. want light weight and easy to setup. I think that a home made (non blue!) tarp with attachments to the camper and support poles would work just fine. Cheap, easy, replaceable.

Also, looking for an awning for the rear. Hate to have the door open and get wet here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Again, a home made jobbie is probably the easiest.

Anyone with ideas would be great.

dave

[kcowyo]

I have a few options saved for when I decide to add an awning. Some lightweight inexpensive options -

Shady Boy Awnings - I like this because its freestanding without a bunch of poles and ropes to trip over. It's also small enough to mount on the side between the latches without having to relocate one.

Hummer Awning - I don't know if I want something that says "Hummer" on my gear, but it's an excellent price and they'll throw in 2 chairs and a table too.

[Brian]

I hope you all have more luck with a homemade awning than I did. We have been using "blue tarps" for side and rear for several years now. The wind on the Pacific coast of Mexico made them often impossible to use. The hassle of digging them out, digging out the poles and stakes and setting them up has not helped my attitude about them.
Having had a van with a real awning in the past and watching others using theirs, has finally made me willing to spend the money for an aluminum enclosed awning. It looks like I can get one for something like $300.
I don't see where weight would be an issue for us as we have a "shell" model without all the furniture and appliances and the awning attaches to the lower cabin portion and not the roof.
As far as the rear...I made a pretty nice one out of coated cordura nylon and dowels. I made it after a trip up to see our sons in the Seattle area and spending two weeks in the rain! I will post some pix as soon as I get another camera (I left mine setting on a wall at Palenque ruins in MX like an idiot and of course by the time I remembered it was long gone. Thank goodness it was an old one that I had bought used and I had removed the flash card with previous pix.). I also have to devise another way to attach the rear awning to the roof as I am removing the roof rack that I have no use for now that I am getting a storebought awning.
Brian

[Hayduke]

Thanks everyone for your ideas. Brian, I'll check out the Fiammas.
I have used a nylon tarp off the back w/ aluminum poles, But sometimes, that desert wind comes up and that tarp starts to act like a kite, no matter how hard I tie the thing down.

[davinski]

Wow, this is cool.

I would really like to see or hear about the rear awning as the rain here is making it hard to work on the camper. I have a shell hawk with a wide back door, and was wondering how to make the door not hit an awning when open. I was thinking of putting two hooks on the corners of the camper and putting a sheet of nylon there with grommets. Extend out with collapsalbe poles of some type that would be atttached to the camper jack holes.

Seemed simple. no so.

As for a side awning, something that could block sun is nice. something that can block wind and rain has to be more robust. I like those shady boy ones, but have seen them on VWs. Don't know if it could take the Seattle rain......At least they are right across the border and maybe I could check them out.

dave

[Mark]

New to the site. Just bought a 2004 Hawk for my 2004 f-150 herritage.
Im a kitesurfer so Im always looking for a way to find wind then get out and into some shade! Ive been looking at the Fiamma and decided to just get one. They look like a good comprimise for strength and weight. A little spendy but Whats a couple extra hundy? My wifes going to kill me!
I just scored one of Ebay new for 200 brand new. I'll let you know how it works. I'll put it through the extreme test. I'm from the oregon coast so it'll get lots of wind and rain exposure.

much luck!