Lots of opinions on Canopies

cottonwoods we’re the BOMB….easy setup, light, and stood up to wind better than any other. What’s wrong with them for not selling it

 

Well might as well throw into the ring, have the CI side tent, Northern Breeze 12 ft...a Kelty (like Alcove)......a Hasika galley canopy......and a 10x10 ez up..

The N.B. 12 is too darn big, when we go it is nice to pack light. The Ez up is ok but ..the compactness of the Hasika & the side tent win out.

 

Its the canopy that measures 137.8 x 41.34 x 94.49 inches

We use the canopy that measures 137.8 x 41.34 x 94.49 inches. I got two suction cups attachments to the trailer.

 

Would you please share some info on how you built that lift for the awning and what parts you have? I am semi skilled at rigging things like this but not so confident in spending the money yet without knowing more about rigging it up and how effective it is.

 

I’d be glad to. It will be the weekend before I can document it. I’m sure there are a few ways to do it, glad to share what worked for me.

 

That is much appreciated and I am sure many here would love to see that. Being new to the group, I was not sure where to look other than here I guess ha.

 

I just saw this shelter this morning.
A teardrop enthusiast we know just sent us this info on this really cool shelter that should work great for our teardrops. Tell us what you think of this.
https://letsgoaero.com/

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/moon-unit-is-an-rv-addition-to-extend-your-glamping-abilities-and-be-one-with-nature-185793.html?fbclid=IwAR3oZj7peJZLUcdNna9rYy_i-4HU8EEh0UEMfyTg0mLHwYv3S4iWYoYG9Tw

Cary

 

Cary, would this be a side tent or galley tent?

 

It was a lot lighter than what I was expecting. Wish it had windows you could see out.

 

The answer would be "yes".

Cary

 

I don't have the ARB awning and room, but this seems like it'd take longer to set up and it's more expensive. Plus no windows.

 

OK, I know I'm not the only one who first thought of Moon Unit Zappa, right?

 

I thought it looked like one of those tunnels the NFL players run though onto the field.

 

This is how I did it. It’s been through a couple camping seasons with no worries! Some fabrication is involved, but one could also get these pieces from a welding or machine shop.

The L-brackets in the pix below are from ARB:
https://www.amazon.com/ARB-813402-Bracket-Pre-Drilled-Gusseted/dp/B071G3V8MF/ref=asc_df_B071G3V8MF

They are attached to Yakima round bars with these two parts:
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Yakima/Y8810006.html
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Yakima/Y8810007.html

I extended the bolt holes by 7” to raise the awning to 6’2.5”. If I recall the minimum suggested height for the 2500 awning room is 6’2”. I’m not sure if it’s the same for the 2000 awning room. My awning is the 2500, which is 2500mm square, about 8’, so is my awning room.

My risers are 3” wide by 1/8 or 3/16” thick mild steel stock from Home Depot. I cut them out of a 30” piece with an angle grinder, perhaps a 12” length (didn’t keep notes, I wanted full contact with the brackets & awning), cleaned up with a bench grinder and some hand filing to get rid of inevitable wandering cut lines and sharp edges. Drilled the 3-hole pattern matching the bracket and awning, both at the top and the bottom of the riser. This is drill press work; it would be very difficult with a hand drill, possibly unsafe.

I hit the risers with a steel cup brush on the angle grinder, cleaned it up, then rattle-can painted in flat or semi gloss black. I hit the bolt heads with black too.

I bolted on with something from Ace or HD, maybe 5/16” hardware. I don’t think I was able to find nylock nuts in stainless steel, so I went with regular steel fasteners for everything since I’m storing in a garage. If I were storing outside I’d work harder to find stainless. IMO nylock nuts are super important on something like this which will vibrate.

Basically very light machine-shop work, with the angle grinder doing the bulk of the work. You *would not* want to cut this stuff with a hacksaw! Power tools are a must. Safety is important, with good clamping and eye, ear, and hand protection.

When I was young it seemed like almost all the boys knew how to do this kind of stuff, but now I’m feeling like a dinosaur with my little shop in a shed in the city. Working with my hands doing light metal work is a happy weekend project!

 

This is extremely helpful! Appreciate the effort you provided and helping explain this. I currently am waiting on a order for the smaller 2000 version which I preferred for my use and the L bracket. I guess I will need an order for those brackets as I also have the round bar but originally expected to use U clamps. Your way was much more finished looking for sure. I do have an angle grinder and some shop experience but may need to find someone with a drill press. May be best to have someone fabricate the steel plate for me as my wife is concerned I will make it look "sloppy". Ha well maybe I will try to prove her wrong.... My grinding skills involve slicing things up and that's about it. I will hopefully give this project a go soon and hope it pans out well.

Has there ever been any issues with rain getting in from camper/roof side of the side room? Does there seem to be much weight or wind issues with the awning attached high and to one side? Wondered how wacky it looked and performed lifted in the air like that.

Thanks again!

 

Yeah, I started with u-bolts. I had to drill the ARB brackets, and those *are* at least 3/16” or a near size in metric. I wasn’t happy with the results; the bolts dented in the (polypropylene?) plastic coating on the bars and might eventually allow water in there, they were difficult to force over the bars, made the bars difficult to slide through the towers, etc. They were basically functional, but I was happy to find those parts from etrailer, which just slid on the bar.

I can’t answer your question about rain etc., as the room is a fairly recent add for us and we’ve not yet had it in a storm. The awning itself needs to be prepared for stormy weather with good guying/staking, and careful thought about which way you want the water to go, as people do lose awnings if they let them fill with water!

How wacky does it look? Our canoe is higher, so people don’t point and laugh on the highway! Once we hit camp and rig the awning nothing looks amiss

I am *so* sold on an awning. I give it 12 out of 10. We don’t have enough experience with the room to really evaluate it yet. We bought it for: mosquitos, privacy for changing clothes & portapotty visits at night, easy dry storage that’s not in the trailer. I don’t know if we’ll ever sit in there in the evenings - maybe.

 

Here are pictures of a tarp tent I used for the first time on a recent trip. Worked out well! Provided coverage to cook and get in the camper without getting rained on.

 

A friend of our uses a system like this at craft and art shows rather than the typically used ez-up. It takes a lot of abuse too...and parts are cheap to replace....tarps being probably the most fragile

 

I am finding the KingCamp coer for the galley is my go-to.

I've used it thrice now, and have come up with the tie down that made is surprisingly solid, thanks to the "roof rack" -- the last night I used it, we had a thunderstorm with moderate wind, and it stayed put with no drama at all. We were away from the camp site when the storm hit, I figured it was a gonner. Got back and it was there --- the guy lines just as solid as when I left....

The side-tent solution I find really difficult to set up wiht 1 person. I need to find the right system...just not there yet.