Lots of opinions on Canopies

Here's one we just bought, the Coleman Mountainview Screen Dome. I was looking for one that could be used over the galley or set up on its own as a shade structure, also with removable screens for better airflow. I was looking for something smaller and lighter than an EZ-up type. This also comes with two solid sides for privacy/rain/wind. I've only set it up in the backyard so far, but it does seem promising for what we want. It takes a bit to set up with one person, but with two it should go much faster. It is pretty sturdy and looks like it will stand up to wind/rain pretty well.

 

I would love to see photos of the canopy nestled up to your galley.
For $150, looks intriguing
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I wouldn't say the setup was easy, but not bad. It does take a lot of space to set up because you have to have room to slide the poles in from the sides. You can easily pick it up to reposition it, and that is our plan. It will definitely fit over the galley hatch on an SUV height CI. Dome style tents are the best in windy conditions and this one seems very sturdy. the fiberglass poles are much larger in diameter than a smaller dome-style tent. One issue is that it only comes with two side panels. I contacted Coleman and they said that additional panels were not available. It seems like a great item for the price.

 

Could someone with an ARB awning mounted on top of a 560 do me a favor and measure total height after the awning is installed? We have a short garage door and I had a sudden nightmare that the teardrop won't fit after installing the awning.

 

Mine is right at 6'2" but I think this will vary depending upon your mounting system.

I used these

I did need to spend a litle extra on screws and mounting hardware as well -- watch closely some of the mounting parts are plastic --- they aren't clear in the descriptions some times. I have no interest in trusting my hundreds of dollars worth of hardware to $.02 plastic parts that they sell for 100 times that....

 

Did you order a 560 with the SUV option? That would make a big difference in height.

 

Good point, yes we have the SUV option.

 

Mine *would be* about 6’ even, except I added an 8” riser to better pitch the ARB Awning Room underneath it. So, I’m a little under 6’8”. On a 560 Ultra/SUV.

I’m using:
Yakima round bars on Yakima Control Towers/saddles
A little 7/8” rise from the mounts
ARB 813402 awning brackets
Fabbed 8” risers
ARB 2500 awning

What awning brackets will you be using? If they’re the fabricated brackets from CI, I think they have a little more rise than the ARB bracket.

 

I can’t speak to the ARB but we have a rooftop tent on top of an SUV heigh 560 and can fit ours in a standard garage. But, we cannot fit if the tongue jack is not fully lowered. That means we have to park the camper in the driveway, unhitch, lower the tongue jack all the way, and push it by hand into the garage. We therefore also cannot hitch up to the camper while it is in the garage and tow it directly out of the garage.

So all that to say: even if you can’t put the camper in/out of garage while hitched up, that isn’t a guarantee that it won’t fit another way.

 

I just measured ours at 73.5 inches from garage floor to the topmost point of the ARB awning. This is with the ARB 814201 - ARB4402A (2000mm x 2500mm) awning in the fully-stowed postion, ARB 813402 mounting brackets, and the SUV option (on a Camp-Inn 560) with stock tires.

 

Thanks! We have 78" of clearance so we're good to go. Phew!

 

The extra few inches could be helpful if you want to raise the front of the trailer while it's in your storage location. Good luck!

 

78" is just the garage door. We actually have more space inside so we're good to go. Phew I was afraid I was going to have to return this roof rack.

 

I suppose it's also worth mentioning that we have the Yakima HD bars on top. I think there might be some slight differences between the different bar heights.

 

Completely unrelated to height --- if you buy mounting hardware --- read the description carefully. Cheap plastic is not something I would ever want to tryst an expensive piece of kit, like this, too.

We've set our ARB up now 4 or 5 times --- I really like it. WIth the enclose room, we leave the door open, and I think the AC works better...it isn't short cycling as much and I think it dries out the air better.

Of course, 70 degrees at 100% humidity after a day of rain --- not much you do do with that. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we do ours.

 

You didn’t ask me but… (When I took my CI to the nest last year Cary was somehow able to restrain himself when he saw how many holes I’ve punched in the skin, I can never use the term “pristine”).

 

It looks cool, but I like things simple, so I've rigged up a 8x10 plastic tarp with bungee cords and two tent poles. It was easy, and waterproof.

 

The Kamp King works great overall. I've used it on most trips especailly when I don't have a lot of shade or expect rain. If I am under a canopy of trees on a nice day I don't set it up.

Setup is simple and can be done by 1 person, but having an extra set of hands to help stabilize things is helpful. Once I came up with the tie down I use...its easy.

I need to set it up and take some pictures of the tie down I came up with...just a 3 connections to the trailer -- one leg from luggage rack, 1 leg from the front of the fender, the 3'rd from the back --- these 3 hold the "trailer end" securely so it doesn't move much. Then 2 poles on the other end and your set. Total setup time is probably in the 5-10 minute range.

Its been through moderate to high rain and winds and survived nicely. The key to this is tie downs....keeping things from swaying goes a long way

Search for "SUV Tent" or "SUV tailgate shade" -- and you'll find a couple versions starting at about $100

 

If anybody is interested, Lightspeed is having a 20% off, Labor Day sale. Their changing tent is $112 plus tax with free shipping. I love the easy open pop up design. It's obviously not a tent or awning to hang out in/under, but I like the idea of being able to change or clean up during the day while standing up. And I love the super simple set up and tear down.

I had been considering one of these for a while and decided to bite the bullet during this sale. Somebody has to try and bring back this economy even if only $112 at a time. lol ;-)

3-in-1 Privacy Tent (Changing Room, Outdoor Shower, Camp Outhouse) - G

 

I wonder if the construction is strong enough to support the solar shower bag hanging from the top... Bag, when full, weighs up to 5 gallons.
https://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-Solar-Heated-Camp-Shower/dp/B000VNITQS?th=1&psc=1