Been busy today...
Well, I have been using a nylon tarp for a rear awning. Works ok and I attached it via rope and grommets to the Rack on top of the Hawk. Some expandable poles held it out and it had to be guyed out well with stakes to keep it from falling. Worked OK. Not fast to set up. Held up to light winds only, but kept that pesky rain off.
Then I saw this awning at Cabelas that others have pointed to. Got me a gift certificate, so what the hay. You can check it out at these links:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0019861521201a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=awning&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=awning&noImage=0
Or at the manufacturers web site:
http://www.sportshade.com/
It has had some not so good reviews, but it is relatively cheap and seemed easy to setup.
A few caveats....it is a sun shade. I really want it for rain. We'll see how it works. I do like the fact that it is about 6 feet wide, just about right for the back of the Hawk. It extends about 7 feet, well enough for the door. It is portable, so I could set it up on the side as well. I already have a Shady Boy on the Passenger side, so that side is covered! (The Shady Boy does work very well......except it doesnt cover the rear door)
I received it last week and opened it. Not the best construction. Flimsy metal case. Plastic end pieces. fabric is a very thin plastic or vinyl. Silver on the top, darker grey on the bottom. Mine has a few blemishes from the case on it....no holes though. Tie downs, stakes, screws are all cheap metal. Expect much rust soon. Sewing on straps is already coming undone. Guy lines are very thin nylon "string" that automatically retracts into the case. This is nice, but the stake is cheap metal. I don't know what will break first, the string or the retraction mechanism. Mine came with two nylon bags that can be filled with rocks or sand and used as guy anchors. There is also a small piece of canvas that can act as a sign if you choose. It also serves as the case for the entire unit. Velcro is used to attach it and it does have sewn in handles that are already coming apart. End poles are metal. When retracted they are held by plastic clips....They don't hold the poles well. I'll probably replace with a velco strap soon.
OK. Set up was easy. Not fast, but easy. See the website for a video. Below, I have pictures of the setup. Since it weighs about 10 pounds, it ain't too bad. Don't think I would trust it for long trips or in bad weather. Since the mechanism pulls away from the rig and is lower than the rest of the awning, I would assume water would run right into it. Probably need to make one leg higher so water will run off. I have yet to test this.
I set it up with the camper down....didn't have time to test it up. This might make a difference. Will try next sunny spell before taking it out in the rain. I wouldn't even try snow with this thing.
Overall, looks like the bag awnings out there. In fact, the bag awnings might be better. I'll see how it works on the next few outings. I suspect it will work for sun, maybe rain. I think I'll probably have to look for something more robust in the future. What I'd really like is a light weight, easy to use awning for the rear. Haven't seen one yet.
Here are some pics. Anyone else have any new rear awnings not yet discussed here?
First few pics is of the packaging....
Then one with the awning attached to my Yakima rack system on the Hawk.
Then one with a closeup of the end with leg and guy lines visible.
More pics in next post....
Well, I have been using a nylon tarp for a rear awning. Works ok and I attached it via rope and grommets to the Rack on top of the Hawk. Some expandable poles held it out and it had to be guyed out well with stakes to keep it from falling. Worked OK. Not fast to set up. Held up to light winds only, but kept that pesky rain off.
Then I saw this awning at Cabelas that others have pointed to. Got me a gift certificate, so what the hay. You can check it out at these links:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0019861521201a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=awning&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=awning&noImage=0
Or at the manufacturers web site:
http://www.sportshade.com/
It has had some not so good reviews, but it is relatively cheap and seemed easy to setup.
A few caveats....it is a sun shade. I really want it for rain. We'll see how it works. I do like the fact that it is about 6 feet wide, just about right for the back of the Hawk. It extends about 7 feet, well enough for the door. It is portable, so I could set it up on the side as well. I already have a Shady Boy on the Passenger side, so that side is covered! (The Shady Boy does work very well......except it doesnt cover the rear door)
I received it last week and opened it. Not the best construction. Flimsy metal case. Plastic end pieces. fabric is a very thin plastic or vinyl. Silver on the top, darker grey on the bottom. Mine has a few blemishes from the case on it....no holes though. Tie downs, stakes, screws are all cheap metal. Expect much rust soon. Sewing on straps is already coming undone. Guy lines are very thin nylon "string" that automatically retracts into the case. This is nice, but the stake is cheap metal. I don't know what will break first, the string or the retraction mechanism. Mine came with two nylon bags that can be filled with rocks or sand and used as guy anchors. There is also a small piece of canvas that can act as a sign if you choose. It also serves as the case for the entire unit. Velcro is used to attach it and it does have sewn in handles that are already coming apart. End poles are metal. When retracted they are held by plastic clips....They don't hold the poles well. I'll probably replace with a velco strap soon.
OK. Set up was easy. Not fast, but easy. See the website for a video. Below, I have pictures of the setup. Since it weighs about 10 pounds, it ain't too bad. Don't think I would trust it for long trips or in bad weather. Since the mechanism pulls away from the rig and is lower than the rest of the awning, I would assume water would run right into it. Probably need to make one leg higher so water will run off. I have yet to test this.
I set it up with the camper down....didn't have time to test it up. This might make a difference. Will try next sunny spell before taking it out in the rain. I wouldn't even try snow with this thing.
Overall, looks like the bag awnings out there. In fact, the bag awnings might be better. I'll see how it works on the next few outings. I suspect it will work for sun, maybe rain. I think I'll probably have to look for something more robust in the future. What I'd really like is a light weight, easy to use awning for the rear. Haven't seen one yet.
Here are some pics. Anyone else have any new rear awnings not yet discussed here?
First few pics is of the packaging....
Then one with the awning attached to my Yakima rack system on the Hawk.
Then one with a closeup of the end with leg and guy lines visible.
More pics in next post....
