Anyone Rocking a Kamook Crosswing Awning?
- Thread starter TRUSTYAXE
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blksubykid
Member
Saw it on kickstarter and looked like a good deal but the production price is expensive IMO nearly the cost of several free standing 180/270 awnings. There's a single review on google that state's it brought on the first use and they cant get ahold of the company
bigdaddy2021
New member
We love our Ironman 4x4 awning. Just a normal 8'x6' setup. Great fabric, stitching, poles, etc. Similar to other brands like ARB, etc. We've had it in very high winds and in inclement weather, and we love the panel room attachment and wind annex that we were able to add on.
We like the pricing at $275, the quick shipping, easy-to-use website (i swear some websites just suck!) and good customer service, etc.
All that being said, I DO NOT think I'd trust the design of the kamook in some of the high wind areas like the Anza-borrego desert, Glacier national park or even up in the local Mt. Laguna area. That setup would likely end up bent up and over the vehicle or would rack up and down.
and compound that with a very high $600 price-point (if i read the kickstarter correctly) - that's would be a no-go for us if we were shopping new awnings.
if we were going to drop $400-600 on an awning we'd probably upgrade to Ironman's 270 degree batwing to cover our rear load area while were camping or fishing so that we don't have to "chase the shade" as much.
We like the pricing at $275, the quick shipping, easy-to-use website (i swear some websites just suck!) and good customer service, etc.
All that being said, I DO NOT think I'd trust the design of the kamook in some of the high wind areas like the Anza-borrego desert, Glacier national park or even up in the local Mt. Laguna area. That setup would likely end up bent up and over the vehicle or would rack up and down.
and compound that with a very high $600 price-point (if i read the kickstarter correctly) - that's would be a no-go for us if we were shopping new awnings.
if we were going to drop $400-600 on an awning we'd probably upgrade to Ironman's 270 degree batwing to cover our rear load area while were camping or fishing so that we don't have to "chase the shade" as much.
blksubykid
Member
True. Maybe early production prototype? Regardless, I dont think I could spend $1k on any awning. TBH my privacy tent gets used more than my 8'ft awning
bigdaddy2021
New member
Oh dang, I read 600 bucks I didn’t know what it was more like 1000. Ain’t no way.
HanginInUtah
New member
It's $700/$900 for the two sizes. But it's still a new product, I bet the price will come down. And I wouldn't worry about any reviews until they actually deliver from the kickstarter.
I like that there is no bag, no zipper, no poles. They have some videos showing how it handles wind, and looks like it will, but time will tell.
The company seems like a good source of quality stuff, but hey... everyone can spend what they want. I personally have a MaxiTrac awning right now, and yup... I have a $100 awning. I don't use it much, so it's fine, but I wouldn't say it's the same quality/endurance of a higher brand or cost awning.
comtn4x4
Senior Member
Take a look at the Eezi-Awn Swift. Frees standing with poles in case you need them. $645. These guys make quality stuff and have for a long time.
This is a tested and proven product with a well known company to back it up. And Equipt out of Utah sells them here and their customer service is outstanding as well
Swift Awning – Equipt Expedition Outfitters
Eezi-Awn Swift - Eezi-Awn - USA
This is a tested and proven product with a well known company to back it up. And Equipt out of Utah sells them here and their customer service is outstanding as well
Swift Awning – Equipt Expedition Outfitters
Eezi-Awn Swift - Eezi-Awn - USA
TRUSTYAXE
New member
I think the main attraction with this awning is deploying it in about 30 seconds or less. Do you guys that don't use your awning much think you would use it more if it was that easy to set up and take down?
If it's a real windy day then maybe its a gamble to deploy any awning, it seems to me like the vertical poles do nothing, unless they are staked down.
The test videos that show the guy throwing logs on top look impressive, but I wish they would have taken it all the way to failure. Overall it does SEEM pretty solid.
The other plus, for me anyway is it mounts directly to factory cross bars, so no need for a heavy roof rack I don't want or need. I would need to put my factory rails back on, probably try to find some black ones though..
I do like the OVS Nomadic 180, the 270's are out for me due to hatch interference. Thanks for all the input.
If it's a real windy day then maybe its a gamble to deploy any awning, it seems to me like the vertical poles do nothing, unless they are staked down.
The test videos that show the guy throwing logs on top look impressive, but I wish they would have taken it all the way to failure. Overall it does SEEM pretty solid.
The other plus, for me anyway is it mounts directly to factory cross bars, so no need for a heavy roof rack I don't want or need. I would need to put my factory rails back on, probably try to find some black ones though..
I do like the OVS Nomadic 180, the 270's are out for me due to hatch interference. Thanks for all the input.
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TRUSTYAXE
New member
What privacy tent are you using? I've been eyeballing those so I don't have to do the towel thing when changing after a sweaty MTB ride.
blksubykid
Member
Yes and No. I would probably deploy it for the shear fact that it only takes 30s vs 5-10min (solo). But for the most part, we are constantly on the move to the next trail or camp spot and we dont arrive until late afternoon/early evening. We've hit a majority of the trails on our bucket list, so going forward we are going to try camp more and enjoy each location.
Prior to buying the CVT awning, I had purchased the OVS 180. But the 56" Mt Hood made it nearly impossible to mount onto my roof rack and the awning mounts for the Mt Hood arent designed for the larger awnings so I had to sell it.
I have an early production CVT privacy tent, which is mounted to my Mt. Hood RTT. I like that cross brace is metal as i've noticed that not all of them are. I can deploy it in a matter of seconds and it rolls up nearly as fast. It fits pretty snug in the bag so i don't hear it moving or bouncing around on the trail, cant say that about the awning lol. My one gripe is that there is an alignment/locking hole for the arms (on one side) to stay deployed but it doesnt come with anything. I keep a small allen key in the bag and use it to lock the arms out (maybe they addressed it since). It does have webbing on the bottom for stakes, but I am too lazy to do that...
Shower Awning
I have the exact one shown on the website. Looks like they increased the price since I've bought it a few years back.
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comtn4x4
Senior Member
Just a heads up on the OVS 180, it interferes with the hatch as well. If you stand behind your rig with the hatch open and line up the side of your rack you'll see that the back pole will hit the hatch. The 270 may actually interfere with the hatch less than the 180. I had one and after a lot of playing around I realized the only way to mount it is very high so it wouldn't interfere with the hatch which I didn't want to do. On top of that the supplied mounting brackets were awful. They would either need to be gusseted or replaced with something more stout. Mine bent so much it cracked the powder coat off. As well the droop of the awning under it's dry weight was crazy, it really couldn't be used without it's poles. So ultimately I sold it.
My experience/challenges with awnings is two fold. Wind and rain(or snow). I don't think there's any awning that wouldn't ultimately have a problem if there's enough wind and need to be staked down. And staking without poles doesn't work well. Then rain, your standard rectangular awning doesn't shed water almost at all, it pools in the center. If you use a spreader pole you can improve the rain running off but that's an additional purchase. Then if you combine both wind and rain which usually come together.... Fast pitch is a cool idea but at some point your probably gonna need the poles so I wouldn't get one that didn't have them at least as an auxiliary.
I have been looking at the OVS 180/270 for a while but wasn't sure if its durability or how much actual use I would get out of it if situational. I use a smittybilt XL with the annex and its been great in wind, rain, snow etc.
Do you currently use any awning at all and find it useful? or is it just more trouble than it's worth and can only be used in ideal weather?
comtn4x4
Senior Member
Regarding the OVS, I think the general build quality was ok, a bit on the light weight side maybe. My issues were the brackets sagging and the hatch contacting the awning bar.
If I was going to get a 270 I'd seriously consider a Quick Pitch awning
Quick Pitch Weathershade 20 Sec Awning '-' Quick Pitch USA
I have had an ARB 2500 for about 5 years and it's worked really well. I have the side wall set also. (Room with no floor, not made anymore) It would be nice if it was bigger. I added a spreader bar which helps it shed rain and snow much better and if you tilt the front of the awning strategically you can get the water to shed a bit better
CURVED 2/2.5M AWNING SPREADER POLE - Drifta Camping & 4WD
On that same site, Drifta, they have some good looking awnings (and other gear too). However, getting their stuff here from Australia is challenging and exspensive. If you decide you want to deal with them I can give you a few tips, however, it'll be a wait no matter what
Thanks for that info. The quickpitch awning looks nice but is also 2x the price of the OVS. Does the ARB awning actually provide significant cover during rain/snow and from sun? or only if the weather is coming from directly above with no wind?
comtn4x4
Senior Member
Yeah unfortunately you get what you pay for.
ARB like any awning is only a "ceiling" when used with the sides it works great. But yes any awning by itself only provides protection from directly above. That's why I generally add at least one side to my awning deployment and stake it out on an angle. For snow/cold weather I use all the sides and it works quite well.
blksubykid
Member
blksubykid
Member
Talked to a gentleman that had one on his 4Runner on Broken Arrow a few weeks ago. He had nothing but positive things to say about it. I personally went with the eezi-awn swift
