I've used my rear awning three times since getting my Hawk last summer with mixed results. On first several day camp out in Oregon Cascades, I put it up just to see how it worked. Worked fine and the support tubes being horizontal proved useful as a clothesline for towels, etc instead of string a line to a tree or between the jack plates.
The second time, was at Fort Stevens SP near Astoria, and it reduced the rain blowing into the camper. The third time was in DVNP for reducing sun coming into the camper. However, a stiff wind came up and while it was easy to crank in the side awning, dropping the rear awning with the top up became a keystone cops exercise to drop the awning without dropping the top.
I have two primary complaints about the factory rear awning. The design is fine but material choices are not ideal. I would have preferred the poles to be aluminum rather than steel and the fly to be coated rip stop nylon tent material instead of the pop up wall material. This would make it better by reducing both the weight and length of the packed awning.
There is no easy place to store it other than across the camper between the front dinette table and the front window. While it can ride there, it interferes with closing the front curtains, opening the front window, and its length (64") is enough to push the dinette back cushions off their velcro attachments on washboard roads as its 11 lbs bounces up and down.
I'm looking to get a boat canopy maker to fabricate two aluminum tubes similar to the factory steel ones that can break down in the center, and to modify a "Quickshade" wall panel to substitute for the heavier vinyl awning.
YMMV as usual.
Paul
