270° Awning on Pop-up Camper

[Tanner07]

Hi all,

Does anybody have experience mounting a 270 degree awning to their pop-up truck camper? I am looking to buy a truck camper for 2022 season. I will require an awning and I already own an Overland Vehicle Systems 270 degree awning that I'd like to transfer over to the camper. I am concerned that when it wraps around the back, it will block the rear door and I am concerned about the weight as it's about 70 pounds.

I would prefer to keep and use this existing awning because 1) it is paid for and 2) I am not sure how sturdy the ATC/4WC awnings are, which is concerning because I often camp in an extremely windy mountain pass area and need to leave my awning open during the storms.

Pic of current awning to show the level of sturdiness I am looking for as far as the full aluminum frame, multiple tie downs etc.

 

[smlobx]

I can’t comment on what you’re trying to do as I have a Hallmark Camper. My suggestion is to confirm it with the manufacturer.

On a slight thread drift I am looking to possibly get the OVS Awning like you have for my Jeep Gladiator build and was wondering how you like it.
Thanks.

 

[Tanner07]

It is very high quality and is awesome to use and makes a huge difference in what I can and can't do around camp. To put it one way, I like it so much that it's become a major part of which camper I am going to buy. Besides the item being great the customer service from OVS is top shelf as well.

Cons are it can be a little tough to get rolled back up tight enough (easier with two people), and the design allows water to run in and wet the awning when its zipped up at home during a rain storm. OVS told me that they've never seen this happen and even sent me a new cover for free but I don't believe its the cover I believe the water is running in along the aluminum tracks at either end. After rain storms I go outside and unzip the cover and it dries out, a very minor inconvenience but just for a fair review wanted to include.

Would recommend to anybody definitely.

 

[smlobx]

Thank you. You’ve confirmed what I’ve been able to read about it.

 

[Tanner07]

Any questions that come to mind let me know. Keep in mind that the tie downs and stuff you see in my picture, a lot of that is stuff I have added after the fact but only because I wanted to overkill it being that I need it to stand up to high winds in the mountain passes where I camp, like 60 MPH gusts with sustained of who knows. Just super windy for hours or days at a time. And it has stood up to that so far (only 1 season of use so far). But I plan to keep it on the long term and will re-buy if something fails due to abuse I subject it to.

 

[norcalhusky]

I actually recently put this awning on my camper. I designed some custom brackets to raise the awning up above the rear door and all that stuff. I don't have any good pictures but here is what I do have: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dnWqfUZAfwLB3QtMbMt7

 

[Tanner07]

I actually recently put this awning on my camper. I designed some custom brackets to raise the awning up above the rear door and all that stuff. I don't have any good pictures but here is what I do have: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dnWqfUZAfwLB3QtMbMt7

That looks awesome. How do the brackets fasten to the side of the camper? Did you drill holes right through and pass bolts to the inside with a nut on the inside?

 

[jimjxsn]

I don't have the same awing but I mounted my Rhino Rack Batwing awning two different ways.

First time was with jack bracket mounts which worked great but was a pain to remove to reinstall the jacks.

Like mentioned above, the awning needs to be high enough to clear the door so ends up above the side wall height.

The rear upright was a solid 1x2 aluminum bar and the front one was 1x2 tube.

The current mounts consists of aluminum brackets through bolted to the camper wall.

The 1/4 aluminum angle ended up being super strong. I originally bought enough for 3 brackets but ended up using two.

 

[Tanner07]

Looks cool jimjxsn, I like both ideas. With the second system you mentioned that it's through bolted. As in, you drilled holes from the outside of the camper through the sheet metal and through the interior wall? Is it easy to find a structural member to mount do while doing that or is the weight of the awning supported entirely by the wall and it's materials?

 

[jimjxsn]

The top 6 inches or so of the FWC and ATC campers is solid aluminum. I mounted awnings through the wall on both my old FWC Ranger and my current ATC Panther. I used fender washers on the inside and did not have an issue with inside wall flex.

 

[Dirt Rider]

Saw one installed on a FWC at the showroom in Woodland yesterday, so it is a factory option.

 

[norcalhusky]

That looks awesome. How do the brackets fasten to the side of the camper? Did you drill holes right through and pass bolts to the inside with a nut on the inside?

Yes, I drilled straight through the top were I believe FWC puts a big aluminum square tube with washers on the inside. Two of the three mounting points ended up in the small cabinet above my couch so it worked out really well!

 

[Tanner07]

The top 6 inches or so of the FWC and ATC campers is solid aluminum. I mount awnings through the wall on both my old FWC Ranger and my current ATC Panther. I used fender washers on the inside and did not have an issue with inside wall flex.

Yes, I drilled straight through the top were I believe FWC puts a big aluminum square tube with washers on the inside. Two of the three mounting points ended up in the small cabinet above my couch so it worked out really well!

Very cool info guys, thanks for taking the time to fill me in.

Jeff at ATC had an idea I am thinking about too, to build the camper with a shorter door...meaning you could mount the awning lower overall and still have it clear the top of the door around back. Having a lower awning would make it easier to roll up and put away (my truck has a small lift) and would ensure the legs of the awning are going to reach the ground as well. Jeff said that the standard door is 48" tall and he could build mine with a 46" door or even 44" door.

How do you guys find your door height and do you think that 44" would be too small? And have you had issues with your awnings being mounted so high that they are tough to work with?

 

[rando]

I would be hesitant to shorten the door. The 'hobbit door' is already one of the weak points of pop up campers, making it a bit of a chore to enter/exit . Making the door even shorter seems like it would exacerbate this issue. A small step stool (maybe to the one you use for the entry to the camper) would seem like a more practical option.

 

[jimjxsn]

I'm 6'2", I wouldn't shorten the door. I think my old FWC Ranger was not as tall as the ATC Panther and I always hit my head on the door frame. On the Panther, I only knock myself out every now and then

I use the Little Giant step ladder for entry steps and can use that if needed elsewhere around camp.