Misc Bunduawn

[pbaker2225]

In May I made the trip across country to Kansas and then up to Wisconsin camping and visiting relatives. I picked up my roof rack in Washington state and had to go to two different places to get everything. I hauled it all back to Necedah. I had them check over my trailer and add the roof rack and the Bunduawn 360. I really appreciate that Cary and Craig not only showed me how to set it up and stow it but also had me stow it on my own even though it was late in the day and they should have been home with their families. I was a little bit worried about handling it on my own and needing a step stool to stow it as I am short.
I didn't set it up on the way home as I was staying mostly at truck stops. After I got home and parked it in the shop I set it up. It took me until the next day to get it put away. Yikes! Hate that learning curve. So every day I set it up and stowed it. It went up in about a minute or two. After 10 times I timed it and it took me 11 minutes to stow it.
I just got back from a week camping trip to Eastern Wa. Early Winters campground just over the hway 20 pass. So enjoyed having the easy shade. Got a bit of wind and staked it down in a couple of places. My camp site was the place to be on this trip. It is where we hung out, played games, fixed meals and were very comfortable. Thank you Cary and Craig. I enjoyed my visit with you and appreciate all you have done. Your new sign is a work of art.

 

[Sweeney]

In May I made the trip across country to Kansas and then up to Wisconsin camping and visiting relatives. I picked up my roof rack in Washington state and had to go to two different places to get everything. I hauled it all back to Necedah. I had them check over my trailer and add the roof rack and the Bunduawn 360. I really appreciate that Cary and Craig not only showed me how to set it up and stow it but also had me stow it on my own even though it was late in the day and they should have been home with their families. I was a little bit worried about handling it on my own and needing a step stool to stow it as I am short.
I didn't set it up on the way home as I was staying mostly at truck stops. After I got home and parked it in the shop I set it up. It took me until the next day to get it put away. Yikes! Hate that learning curve. So every day I set it up and stowed it. It went up in about a minute or two. After 10 times I timed it and it took me 11 minutes to stow it.
I just got back from a week camping trip to Eastern Wa. Early Winters campground just over the hway 20 pass. So enjoyed having the easy shade. Got a bit of wind and staked it down in a couple of places. My camp site was the place to be on this trip. It is where we hung out, played games, fixed meals and were very comfortable. Thank you Cary and Craig. I enjoyed my visit with you and appreciate all you have done. Your new sign is a work of art.

Those guys are fantastic -- I ALMOST get tired of saying how well they treat their customers --- more like their friends.

 

[Andrew Cushingham]

I found this video helpful. 3:22 starts the fold up procedure.

 

[pbaker2225]

Thank you for that. I did watch a video after my first attempt at stowing the awning. It was very helpful. I knew when I closed the first side that I needed to toss the material over the support bar but didn't remember it needed to go over all three of them. Once my memory was refreshed it went pretty smoothly. Each time I stowed it I tried a new way to fold it. I am really happy with this purchase. I am going to make a detachable wall out of shade cloth to be used when the sun gets low in the sky.

 

[rmbrowder]

I can typically stow the awning in less than 5 minutes. Opening is about 2. I have had a rare memory lapse that makes me start over. I take great care to watch the “wires” that fold to form the peak. I get more comments on the awning than the CI, probably because it is all one sees until they realize there is a camper under the awning.

 

[pbaker2225]

There was no difference at all in handling. I tow with a chrysler mini van. I have all my gas receipts but haven't figured it out yet. The instrument panel didn't register a change that was noticeable.
The trailer does disappear under the awning.
Amazing video of the sand storm. Yikes!!

 

[Dmitry]

Do you think the Bundu-Awn is worth it? I’m building our potential 560 and not sure we would find it useful. Where we live in the NorthEast, the campgrounds are in the wooded locales. Does the Bundu-Awn allow for the privacy tent, if we were to lash it to the side of the trailer?

 

[SethB]

For our use a teardrop-mounted awning is great for sun and drizzle, and we’d rather have that than a side tent.

We do have an ARB 2500 (8’) on the passenger side, and raised it up about 8 inches so that we could pitch ARB’s awning room underneath. We’ve pitched the awning room, but I can’t say we’ve used it much at all.

We almost always put up a lightspeed privacy shelter - goes up super fast - and put a small stool and sometimes coolers / food box in there when we’re away from camp. New news, there is now a rainfly that Lightspeed sells for it.

1) A teardrop mounted awning, no matter which one it is, is a super cool thing on our CIs.
2) Such an awning does not need to be packed or unpacked, it’s always there when you need it, and it pitches fast.
3) We camp in the west, mostly the NW, where there is generally more privacy in campsites than people get in some other areas of the country. There are certainly some campsites where a side tent would be nice, but we have the Lightspeed; big and fast.

Everybody’s needs/uses will be a little different.

It seems like a 6’ awning is more to scale than our 8’, and its awning room would definitely be a better fit, not so much interference from the wheel well.

I believe that CI is currently supplying the Yakima Slim Shady? To me it looks just like the ARB. Or, the ARB looks like it. Those are a great design.

We tend to camp where there are picnic tables, so our large canopy goes over there when needed. A must have in the PNW for our kind of camping. So we don’t have a lot of motivation for a Bunduawn or other 270-deg awning. They look really nice though, and would seem to be just the thing for setting up camp around your trailer!

 

[Andrew Cushingham]

We have a Bunduawn and love it. We don't use it every trip, but I'd buy it again. Here are some of my thoughts.

Likes:

1. Unbeatable convenience in setup. The awning is always with the camper and out of the way. It sets up in less than 2 minutes, and provides a large amount of protection from sun or light rain.
2. If it gets put up wet while on a trip, super easy to re-set up to dry out at home.
3. Does not require support poles unless high winds, or setting up walls. This was important to us to keep a clean campsite, free from as many legs and guy lines as possible. There are guylines integrated into it, which can be quickly deployed for breezy conditions. We keep the stakes and a hammer in the "garage" (the forward storage in the lower part of the tongue box). I think I've only used the guylines once in 2 years.
4. Unlike ARB's, it has an elevated ceiling design that gives another foot of headroom after deployed. I am 6'2" tall and this alone sold the Bunduawn over other ARB type options.
5. Durable construction.

Dislikes

1. It forces your shade/canopy to one side of the trailer. A portable shade tent offers more flexibility on where you setup the shade. Of course, with such a small trailer, we can typically orient the trailer to allow the shade where we want it.
2. Don't always use it! We live in Tennessee and most of our camsites in the Southeast are shaded. One of my purposes for our trailer was fast deployment to spend more time out, and less time in setup and teardown. That means if we don't need it, we don't set it up. But when we do need it, it is there, fast, functional.

Other thoughts.

• We bring a small popup shower/potty tent (3'x3' footprint) that we can setup for privacy of bathroom or changing. It fits under the Bunduawn. Bunduawn does have "walls" that you can make into a room, but that requires poles and guylines and makes the setup a bit more of a production than I am interested in. The portable smaller tent is preferable to us because it can be put up under the canopy, or nearby under a tree. Flexible but still quick.
• I do think this is something you could add later. If I was building a 560, I would get the factory installed roof racks so you have the option of accessories in the future.

Here are some pictures of us using it:

EDEBE0DB-F716-4222-926F-A35A0E4B0928

• Andrew Cushingham
• Apr 18, 2021

Campsite at Tim’s Ford Lake State Park, TN, 1

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• Andrew Cushingham
• Apr 18, 2021

Campsite at Tim’s Ford Lake State Park, TN, 2

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• Andrew Cushingham
• Aug 17, 2022

Awning over table

 

[Dmitry]

We have a Bunduawn and love it. We don't use it every trip, but I'd buy it again.

That's a well-reasoned explanation, thank you. Have you the walls that BunduTec sells? I hadn't realized it was so tall. Wondering if I could eliminate the need to have the netted shade enclosure and the privacy tent , and just use the Bunduawn with the walls that have netted screens, and a door... One reservation that I have is that the BunduAwn is so wide. Not all the campsites we've been to would allow the 16 feet of width of the Bunduawn, and the approximately 7-foot wide, 14 foot long trailer itself. From this perspective something like the ARB nicely described by SethB is a more moderate and liberalizing option, albeit ostensibly smaller at 8x8 feet. The BunduAwn does look impressive on your photographs. Kids must be having a ball in the tent! I would've been on cloud nine, were I their age!

 

[GlampingOn]

Wow, Andrew thats an outstanding testimonial write up, right there!

I have to say, for camping in any real hot sun without shade, something like the Bundawn is perfect.
Fast enough putting up by one to not to be a PITA*, and fast enough coming down if the wind comes up...
in a storm front gusty passage for example...

I also Like the I-kamper kids RTT tent sized cutout too. Years of adventures ahead!

*there are some related conversation points in the "canopies..." thread but one option I've tried is the Northern Breeze 12x12 which is pretty versatile - can actually be setup to cover whole CI roof...but the NB top roof panels are NOT dense enough to give real shade on a super hot sunny day...For that I'd need a second layer like a rainfly but then thats another whole set of guylines and stakes, ie more PITA...

So instead I've done creative parking...
Boondocking in 100 degree sun, tucked in the shade of desert "shrubs" and other times only with shade in spots...byuse of SunBrella, another time stretching out a tarp or poncho...
not nearly the coverage as awnings on racks, and some assembly and guy lines required.

Sales point: the Bundawn appears to be thick/sun dense enough to accomplish same: shade the CI roof well, in one step, far less PITA.

I've only used this new tome used CI for 8 months and so started simple,tempted but decided NO to roof racks, awning, Roadshower on CI rack, etc....
First by wanting to keep the CI slick for best mpg,
and Second minimize any awning or roof bars shading of the roof solar option...

BUT I can imagine changing my mind here at some point,
especially as the roof solar does so well even in partial shade...really happy with that refurb option!

Hmmmm...is a side trip to The Nest in the near future?
For me: All depends on projected time outwest in the Great Cathedrals of our National Parks back country...
and the even more wide open BLM and USFS lands there...maybe next year...or maybe after CICO post party work settles out...if there is a high plains hunting trip to deserve it.

 

[SethB]

Although the SW deserts are a foreign land to me, I can certainly understand the need for maximum shade like the Bunduawn! I’d be looking at it and solar if we were camping in the direct sunshine.

 

[GlampingOn]

Although the SW deserts are a foreign land to me, I can certainly understand the need for maximum shade like the Bunduawn! I’d be looking at it and solar if we were camping in the direct sunshine.

+1 Seth. You denizens of the great northwest rain forests I do admire...
Olympic Peninsula is a bucket list bugout for someday...remember that Amazon? Series on Mick the Wildman?
Who needs a Bundawn when you can live in a hollow tree?

Srsly, tho all poking fun aside; Yep, as I noticed re-reading the owners manual, the AC can only do so much in direct sun, so even if one HAD a generator to power it, one would be "cooked" so to speak if plan to hide out during the day inside the cabin...in the sun.
Or in the TV with AC on full blast... tucked under a handy shrubbery. Uff da! This is where plenty of ectra water comes in handy, plus lite beer!

There are times of the year and places I wont go, without a plan to bugout to a shaded spot, park with power and shade, or a hotel...
Phoenix and Prescott Valley area in early June was 100 degrees plus 30 kts of wind, 6% rel humidity...,bout the only thing to do was get outta town, Brown.

Time to make like a desert creature and go below ground until sunset...ya need the excavator attachment option, along with hot tub, chilled... thats on the secret development lab section of The Nest...maybe next time I go to Necedah.