Awning Options - I'd Like Your Opinions

[mtbtim]

Hey Dudes, I did find a thread on this subject that was started in 2014 but instead of bringing that thread from the dead, I decided I'd start a new one since there's probably more options available now.

There's ARB, Tempui, Ironman, and some others. There's also homemade options. I'm not really interested in the homemade options. I'd just like to know what you have, what you like or don't like about it, and what size awning you're running.

I'm also curious how they attach to whatever rack you own. I have a custom made roof rack similar in construction to a Gobi. If you could provide pics of how it attaches, that would be awesome.

 

[TM531]

I have the CVT Standard Pioneer awning (I believe that's that name at least). Pretty sure mine is about 50" wide. It's great! Has held up to heavy wind and rain and is a breeze to set up. If I were to do it again I would move to the next size up (about 70" if I remember correctly) just to have more room to move around in the rain and get better coverage for more people as mine only has coverage for 1-2.

As far as mounting goes it connects to the cross bars of my Rocky Mountain Rack with L brackets. They came with the awning. Four 1/4 bolts slide into the tracks of the cross bar and through the bracket, then two bolts from the bracket to the awning (awning - bracket hardware was included). I will grab pics of the mounting tomorrow since it's dark here now.

And also a word for CVT customer service - they're super responsive and helpful. My awning was dropped and had a hole through the outer cover and bent the rail on the end of the awning for attaching the wall. I believe it happened before shipping and wasn't noticed as the box was fine (slight oversight on their part but no biggie). I sent an email, was sent a brand new one and able to keep using this one until the new one arrived. Swapped them out quick and had the original on its way back. Ideally it would've arrived perfect the first time, however they were quick to correct the situation and very helpful and pleasant the entire time.

 

[Jetcycles]

Please excuse the lengthy post, this forum has provided me with so much information that I'm being overly informative in an attempt to give back to the community. I'm running an ARB2000, mounted to a Rola roof rack (attached to the factory rails) using cheap light bar mounts, and illuminated with an LED strip (that I pieced together, powered by the 12v socket in the rear cargo area) on the underside when deployed. I decided on the ARB over a few lower priced alternatives due to their reported customer service, although I have had no need to contact them. I have deployed this awning at least 25 times in the past 6 month, by myself, and I have no complaints. I'm glad i chose the 2000mm length as I personally feel that it "fits" the 4runner lengthwise without interfering with any of my doors, and it provides sufficient usable shade for me to throw down a mexican blanket and allow my family of 4 to escape the hot Texas sun and rain when necessary. I had a pair of Vans BMX grips laying around, so i cut a piece of grip and wrapped it around the Rola rack lower tubing to act as an "insulator" in an attempt to prevent metal on metal contact/wear between the mount and the lower rack tubing. I have provided links below for everything that I used. It is worth noting that I mounted this awning to my Rola rack using cheap light bar mounts (I had to drill one new hole in the mounts to match the awning channels) as a temporary solution to get me through a camping trip. I decided on light bar mounts after finding the Rola tubing dimensions here. https://www.etrailer.com/question-17958.html As of yet the mounts haven't budged (installed April 1st, 2018) and I haven't upgraded my mount setup. As of the time of writing, I have zero complaints about any of these purchases. All hardware has remained in place, but I did add a small bit of blue loctite to the mounting hardware.

Rola Rooftop Cargo Basket
https://www.amazon.com/59504-V-Tex-...F8&qid=1536756819&sr=8-2&keywords=Rola+basket

ARB 4x4 Accessories Awning 2000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MI3V7YA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1.5" bullbar mounting bracket
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074PS94SR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Waterproof LED flexible light strip, cut to size and modified to use a two prong trailer light plug for quick and easy power without running permanent wiring outside of my T4R
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSF66JO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

10' 12v cigarette lighter plug to SAE plug power cord. (NOTE: the cable that I purchased seems to be unavailable through amazon, as is often the case with these no name electronics, but this one should work in exactly the same manner.)
https://www.amazon.com/Cigarette-Li...ywords=10ft+12v+cigarette+lighter+plug+to+sae

 

[mtbtim]

Please excuse the lengthy post, this forum has provided me with so much information that I'm being overly informative in an attempt to give back to the community. I'm running an ARB2000, mounted to a Rola roof rack (attached to the factory rails) using cheap light bar mounts, and illuminated with an LED strip (that I pieced together, powered by the 12v socket in the rear cargo area) on the underside when deployed. I decided on the ARB over a few lower priced alternatives due to their reported customer service, although I have had no need to contact them. I have deployed this awning at least 25 times in the past 6 month, by myself, and I have no complaints. I'm glad i chose the 2000mm length as I personally feel that it "fits" the 4runner lengthwise without interfering with any of my doors, and it provides sufficient usable shade for me to throw down a mexican blanket and allow my family of 4 to escape the hot Texas sun and rain when necessary. I had a pair of Vans BMX grips laying around, so i cut a piece of grip and wrapped it around the Rola rack lower tubing to act as an "insulator" in an attempt to prevent metal on metal contact/wear between the mount and the lower rack tubing. I have provided links below for everything that I used. It is worth noting that I mounted this awning to my Rola rack using cheap light bar mounts (I had to drill one new hole in the mounts to match the awning channels) as a temporary solution to get me through a camping trip. I decided on light bar mounts after finding the Rola tubing dimensions here. https://www.etrailer.com/question-17958.html As of yet the mounts haven't budged (installed April 1st, 2018) and I haven't upgraded my mount setup, even though I have more mounts sitting on the work bench. As of the time of writing, I have zero complaints about any of these purchases. All hardware has remained in place, but I did add a small bit of blue loctite to the mounting hardware.

Rola Rooftop Cargo Basket
https://www.amazon.com/59504-V-Tex-...F8&qid=1536756819&sr=8-2&keywords=Rola+basket

ARB 4x4 Accessories Awning 2000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MI3V7YA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1.5" bullbar mounting bracket
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074PS94SR/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

1.5" tube clamp mounting brackets (not currently installed as of the time of writing, currently sitting on the shelf as the upgrade has proven to be unnecessary)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M18IWWW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Waterproof LED flexible light strip, cut to size and modified to use a two prong trailer light plug for quick and easy power without running permanent wiring outside of my T4R
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSF66JO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

10' 12v cigarette lighter plug to SAE plug power cord. (NOTE: the cable that I purchased seems to be unavailable through amazon, as is often the case with these no name electronics, but this one should work in exactly the same manner.)
https://www.amazon.com/Cigarette-Li...ywords=10ft+12v+cigarette+lighter+plug+to+sae

Awesome! Thanks for sharing all of this. Could you please take pictures of how your mounts attach to the awning and post them back in this thread? With the other mounts you bought but never used, were you planning on putting one mount on the the upper bar and another on the lower bar of your roof rack so you could attach it to both channels on the ARB awning? I saw a video from ARB and saw the awning has two channels you can attach to.

 

[JohnMc]

Don't have one, can't comment on quality or practicality, but I think the Batwing awnings are awesome: Batwing Awning (RHS) - #33200 | Rhino-Rack

Covers so much more ground. But, pricey and probably heavier.

 

[Jetcycles]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing all of this. Could you please take pictures of how your mounts attach to the awning and post them back in this thread? With the other mounts you bought but never used, were you planning on putting one mount on the the upper bar and another on the lower bar of your roof rack so you could attach it to both channels on the ARB awning? I saw a video from ARB and saw the awning has two channels you can attach to.

I plan to take more pictures and update my post when possible, those photos were on my phone and i rarely have time to post lengthy informative posts, so I did the best with what i had when the opportunity presented itself. The bull bar mount that I used can be viewed in greater detail on Amazon, doing so prior to reading the rest of this may help it make more sense. As you can partially see from a few of those photos, the mounts that i used are clamped to the top 1.5" diameter tube and "hang" down. If you look at the stock photos, you see that the mount has multiple predrilled holes to accomodate a multitude of spacing options, but none were quite far enough to accomodate the ARB channel spacing of 1 15/16" (center to center, info was found on this forum but I'd double check prior to making any modifications). I measured the 1 15/16" spacing that I needed, used a spring loaded center punch to mark my location, and then a drill to add one hole to each mount. From there, it was only a matter selecting my mounting locations and adjusting the mount to sit where I wanted prior to tightening all of the supplied hardware. There are many options out there, but it was hard for me to justify the cost of some of the awning mounts on the market, hence the route that I chose to take.

 

[mtbtim]

Don't have one, can't comment on quality or practicality, but I think the Batwing awnings are awesome: Batwing Awning (RHS) - #33200 | Rhino-Rack

Covers so much more ground. But, pricey and probably heavier.

That Batwing is pretty damn cool. It weighs almost 50 pounds. Looks like a great way to go because it gives you way more coverage than the other ones but it is more than double the cost too.

 

[Silver Supra]

I vote for the ARB 2000 as well. Very high quality like everything ARB sells.

 

[Scramble]

Get a tarp any size you want from HF or HD. 2 or 3 tie wraps to the roof rack. Buy 2 or 3 tent poles (depends on tarp width) ) from your favorite camping store...Bamm! Saves you hundreds! :banplease:

 

[GhostRing]

Get a tarp any size you want from HF or HD. 2 or 3 tie wraps to the roof rack. Buy 2 or 3 tent poles (depends on tarp width) ) from your favorite camping store...Bamm! Saves you hundreds! :banplease:

I know you are likely kidding, but properly guyed out, this option does work fairly well..!

That being said I did eventually get a Rhino Rack Sunseeker 2000 (same length as ARB) with side additon and have been thrilled ever since.
Pretty similar to ARB, but I feel ARB has better add-ons (rooms, walls, etc.)
One of the best additions to my '98.

The Batwing is bad-ass, but as noted is a heavy mofo and you need to choose side specific.
There's the Foxwing Eco 2.1, a shorter, lighter version, that may be a cool option?

 

[habanero]

I'm using a bus depot Ezy awning plus. It is not the kind you leave on your roof rack, but put together rather like an unwieldy tent and in my case use velcro to attach to either truck's roof rack or sometimes trees, depending on where it needs to be. One side has legs and the domed top means no water gathering up there. The leg heights are adjustable. It gets used as needed but otherwise sits inside the truck in a bag. With a little practice we've gotten pretty quick at setting it up, but it is not what I would call convenient.

stumbled across this pic today...

 

[Bundutrailer]

I'm using a bus depot Ezy awning plus. It is not the kind you leave on your roof rack, but put together rather like an unwieldy tent and in my case use velcro to attach to either truck's roof rack or sometimes trees, depending on where it needs to be. One side has legs and the domed top means no water gathering up there. The leg heights are adjustable. It gets used as needed but otherwise sits inside the truck in a bag. With a little practice we've gotten pretty quick at setting it up, but it is not what I would call convenient.

stumbled across this pic today...

A more refined product called the moonshade looks similar but easier to set up

 

[Brian.]

I've been going through the different options with my van (main camping rig), with the one Major point being that I don't want something attached full time. After running through a few options, I've settled on holes in my rack with clevis pins at the right spacing for a 12' tarp (custom rack). Pull the pins, put them through the grommets and back through the holes in my rack, then guy-lines and tent poles on the far side. Not only stupid cheap (like $50 total), but doesn't hang on the side of the vehicle full time, and I'm not sure it takes any longer to deploy than several of the other options pictured above.

Sure, the full-on RV's with their powered awnings have an easier setup, but they're also stuck with the thing mounted full time and paying north of $1000. Since I don't have a money tree, and $1000 is my food budget for 3 months, that's a non-starter.

I do recommend and use the silnylon tarps (silicon impregnated nylon), they're very lightweight, pack small and shed water well enough for any rain/storm where you'd leave an awning up.

 

[habanero]

A more refined product called the moonshade looks similar but easier to set up

The bus depot awning definitely took a little practice to make set-up easier, but at the price point for the 8x11' ($150 now, less when I bought it) I've had no complaints in the 5 years I've had it.

I don't use it as much any more, unless the campsite won't allow the use of this OVS 180 degree awning...
Can be used without tying down or even poles in calm weather, but it was quite windy that day...

and it's been handy and quick to deploy.

Thanks to my husband, who knows I'd have a hard time justifying the expense for my ownself and who also knows it's something we'd use a lot.

 

[Bundutrailer]

The moonshade sets up with a magnet or suction cup, 8lbs only in a carry bag, have it on order for I like a clean look

 

[zacharyallott]

ARB 2000 is great, I have it with the LED strip and mounted with Sherpa crossbars.

 

[Kwikvette]

Tough, sometimes we use our EZ UP, the awning, or both...but that's dependent on where we're at and if something else isn't taking up the awning's spot on the roof rack -

 

[Riceye]

This awning at NAPA has had many great reviews from other vehicle forums. And, it's only $105 USD.

NAPA awning