Awning questions (again)

[brett13]

So, I've been thinking about the Shady Boy and have a few questions for anyone:

1. Does it fit over the rear of the camper, above the door?
2. Where did you buy it?
3. Cost?
4. How hard is the install?

 

[davinski]

i have a shady boy mounted on the passenger side of the camper, above the Hawk window. Works well, a little of a pain to setup, as you have to open it, then place the fiberglass rods in place, then tie it down. BUT it only weighs about 7 pounds. Nice weight savings. The other awnings are easy to deploy, but weigh a lot more....

1. Won't fit over the door on my camper. Also, really too wide for this location. I thought about a customized one for that local, but the setup really isn't good for quick deployment like in the rain to access the door. I'd really like one of those truck camper awnings by carefree modified to fit this area with a really quick deployment scheme. If I had the extra cash, would get one and modify to such.

2. I bought mine from the guy in canada that makes them. Went to his house over the border near Vancouver, BC to pick it up. He was really nice and explained all about it!

3. Cost.....I can't remember. Near about 120 bucks or something like that. Might be wrong on that as It was about 2 years ago.

4. Install was fairly easy. You can buy mounting brackets designed for VW van....maybe should have used them. Turns out, the short fiberglass poles that shoot out from the side of the awning actually angle toward the camper. I could not put these in if the awning was flush with the camper. You don't notice this until you have it mounted and can't get the rods into the holes. Sucked when I did this the first time. So, used some aluminum scrap pieces to put about 3/4 inch spacing between the awning and camper. I put Stainless screws through the awning, spacers, and the camper with a large home made washer inside the camper. Not too bad. I can get some photos one day, but will be going to the WA coast this AM for 4 days. Using the factory mounts would have been easier than fabricating my spacers, in hind sight.

I use this awning a lot on either really sunny or rainy days. Gives enough space to sit next to the camper and truck easily. Like all awnings, not so good in the wind.

Overall, I like this light and elegant solution for an awning.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Dave in seattle

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I Have no experience with the shady boy awning, but here are pictures I have saved.

I'm pretty sure I got em' from WTW, so I bet there is a thread burried somewhere on this topic.

This rear awning might be "home made", not sure ?







.

 

[brett13]

Thanks guys.

Stan, do you know of any awning for over the rear that isn't homemade? I'm not so good at fabrication (remember my tank of a dolly?). And I just don't have the patience for mounting poles and such.

It would be really nice to have an awning for the back that is fast and easy to deploy.

 

[Puffins]

Stan you saved me from posting my own pics.

The rear is custom made with 6X8 tarp, pvc pipe, and adjustable tent poles. Bought the shady boy local from my local VW shop.
http://www.van-cafe.com/home/van/page_255_125/shady_boy_awning.html

Price seams to have gone up in the last couple years.
Mine went with the camper to ronshon, sad to loose it.

I installed with the supplied brackets bent to fit. In the second photo you can see the mounts.

Ron's in Parker CO if you want to check it out?

 

[RonSchon]

Brett,

I'd be more than happy to give you a look see. Friday through Sunday is out, as that is my work week, but anytime Monday through Thursday I can usually be around.

Mike put the KISS on the rear awning - simple yet functional.

The Shady Boy I have yet to open up - we went through it once when I picked up the camper, but I think I could do it again in a pinch.

 

[brett13]

I guess I'm puzzled why the brackets, as long as they need to be modified anyway, couldn't be bent in such a way to hold it above the rear door and in front of the top (so the roof can clear it on the way down). Here are the brackets, what am I not thinking of? How far apart are the brackets? I'm thinking they could straddle the door frame and hold the awning just above the door, but out a 1/2" or so, so that the roof would close.

 

[Puffins]

I don't see any reason you couldn't mount off the rear. It would give you wings off the rear sides that might actually be good. I forget who on WTW did it but one put the bolts in from the interior through the wall. The body mounts with just 2 standard bolts.

 

[dsrtrat]

Shady Boy Mounting

Here is how I mounted my Shady Boy awning. I bent the factory brackets in a u shape and mounted them to the camper frame with 3 -1/4 stainless self tapping screws. On the ATC there is a strip high enough to catch the screws. I used sealer under the brackets. I wanted to be able to remove the awning so I made some u shaped stainless brackets that I mounted to the awning case with pop rivets.These slip over the brackets. A 1/4 stainless bolt secures the awning case.
I can remove the awning body in about 5 minutes.

If you decide on the Shady Boy don't buy the optional front poles. They are pretty weak and hard to use. I invested in some sturdy sectional poles and stakes.
I find I need to guy the awning DOWN it has a tendancy to rise up in any sort of wind. I stake out the front ploes with two lines each and also run lines from the corners of the awning to a jack bracket and the front wheel of the truck.
Works fine. I will try to find the picture of it deployed. I haveone somewhere.
Dsrtrat

 

[dsrtrat]

Awning

Here is a picture of the awning deployed. This is with the factory poles and only one line. I now use two lines per pole and take the lines from the corners to the jack bracket and front wheel.
Dsrtrat

 

[BenG]

Brett13 have you ever thought about a "bag awning"? that is what I did for my rear awning, you have to install an awning track, then the awning just slides into track and you unroll it and your set, just remmber to install awning before raising camper unless you want to stand on step stool, not on my computer now so no pic but if you do a search on here youll find some pics