# Instead of an Awning



## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

We don't have the typical roll out awing on the side of our camper. We mostly wild camp and only stay a night or two in one spot. But there is the time when some shade would come in handy. I've been thinking of attaching a couple of hooks up high on the side and just attaching a tarp there and then some tent poles on the other side of it. What do you think? We can't really afford the 700 euro or more for an awning.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

You might be better off attaching a length of awning rail as used on caravans.

It would not look out of place and would open up a lot of possibilities . . . including a proper, but inexpensive sun awning. 

These are quite often for sale second-hand at caravan dealers, when a trade-in has come with an awning which doesn't fit the new van.

Worth thinking about I'd say. :wink: 

Just my opinion.

Dave


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## Pollydoodle (Aug 18, 2005)

We decided not to pay £500+ to have a roll out blind on the van as on the last one we only used it about 5 times in 2 years (too wet and windy) so we spent the money on Gaslow.  
Instead, we have a garden umbrella, a base filled with water - sometimes - and strapped the whole lot to a chair. On the whole it worked very well and gave reasonable shade.

We did consider having an awning rail put on the van as we have a SunnCamp Ultima and nothing to fix it to, just havent got round to it yet


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Awning*

Any Use?

Look here!

TM


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## flobin (Mar 1, 2007)

*instead of an awning*

hi jhelm we once had a small transit we converted ourselves and had a tarp set up as described with hooks tent poles etc however the slightest breeze and the noise became irritating and as i recall we only put it up a few time then bought a proper tent awning. it was just to difficult to keep tight on uneven ground.
robin


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes (Jul 21, 2007)

Zebedee said:


> You might be better off attaching a length of awning rail as used on caravans.
> 
> Dave


It is called a C section rail. We had something called an easi-canopi, sold like hot cakes but they are not made anymore unfortunately

Peter


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

I think your idea would work but, instead of making it from heavy tarp material do as we did and make it from lightweight waterproof nylon - the same stuff that cagoules and foldaway anoraks are made from.

I got yards of it very cheaply from an online mill shop- dark blue-, found it very easy to sew and reinforced all the seams and corners with black cotton tape- 2 inch wide. I punched holes, sewed on tape and reinforced these holes with the hammer-in type metal hole reinforcers ( don't know the name)

It weighs practically nothing, folds into a tiny space and we use it, attached to our awning, as a sun shade for either the front or the sides. You could attach it very easily to the van as you suggest and guy it out. It's also waterproof.

Two big panels cost me about £7 and some work.

G

These are the people I got the fabric from. One panel is the width of the awning when fully out and the other is about half the length of the front.

http://www.croftmill.co.uk/

G


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Our current idea is a large square of UV resistant off white material tied to the camper, with two adjustable stiff ally poles to maintain height on the egde furthest from the camper, then guy ropes down to pegs. If the two poles were put each side of the middle it could be a free standing A-frame.

We happened across an outdoor material suppliers in High Bentham, Lancashire who had some boat cover material for £13/m ( http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/catalogue.asp?sID=4 ), and are making us a square of about 3.6m by 4m, with guy attachments at 100%, 75% and 50% of the way down the sides so it can be but up in 4 different widths and any angle you like, so around £150 total but smaller would be cheaper of course!? Not finished yet though. Pam was dead helpful, and also made us some custom spare tyre covers from the same stuff which fitted perfectly despite never doing anything like it before . They also have Scottish midge proof netting which is finer than any we've seen. We have a future plan to make a box room from this to hang under our sunshade.

To attach to the camper we have some dent pullers. These are cheap on Ebay or elsewhere, don't weigh much, and you can have big or little singles, doubles or even triples which will fix really well to glass if your paintwork isn't too smooth, or anywhere you like otherwise.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...&field-keywords=suction+dent+puller&x=16&y=20

On the corners where it or the guylines might rub we have some 3M paint protection film that you may have paid loadsa £ to someone to cover the front of your 911 or Caterham 7 to protect from stonechips? Or from http://www.lamin-x.co.uk/shop/paintprotection.htm in the item they call a bonnet bra is the only form I've found it for sale at a reasonable price in a size you can cut to suit all the different areas you may want it (headlights, under key holes, bonnet leading edge, nearside windows where they get scratched from hedges etc). Big sections can be hard to get all the bubbles out, but small bits with plenty of mildly soapy water are easy, it lasts forever and does exactly what it says on the tin


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Zebedee said:


> You might be better off attaching a length of awning rail as used on caravans.


I was advised against having an awning rail screwed onto side of motorhome by Crossleys, our local motorhome/caravan bodywork repair specialists. Their view was that if held on only by screws, an unexpected gust of wind could catch the awning, tear out the screws and irrepairably damage the van. Instead, to meet our desire for an awning rail they bolted using countersunk bolts into the bottom lip of our Fiamma. (To answer the question of why not just use the rail that's on the Fiamma anyway, that would have left the porch awning we occasionally use standing 2 inches proud from the bodywork, whereas Crossley's solution leaves it flush).

Of course, not much use to the OP who's trying to avoid having a Fiamma in the first place...

Paul


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

Thanks to all for the good suggestions. The dent puller may be the easiest option for my occasional use without having to screw anything to the camper. Maybe another option is using some sort of glue to attach some hooks. Locally they sell these plastic light weight tarps reinforced with what looks like fiberglass strings. They are cheap enough that they could easily be replaced should something go wrong with them. In a camping section of a large store, SME, I found some very short bungie cord like circles attached to some hooks. I believe, I've seen tent people using springs, that using something can stretch will help keep it tight and allow some movement should the wind come up, and reduce stress on the camper wall. This is probably something that has to be taken down in the event of heavy rain and/or wind. I think this idea also lends itself to using trees instead of tent poles should they be available.

We have a cheap gazebo 3m x 3m that we have used for the same purpose, but it takes up a bit of storage space and requires half an hour or so to put up.


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

A diy tarp sunshade fixed to the roof rack brackets on a VW Caddy.


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## Senator (Apr 24, 2008)

Interestingly (for me!) we are in exactly the same predicament. We don't have a wind out Fiamma, but after a hot weekend away decided we needed something.

I have checked pricing and it looks like it is around £550 fitted (F45i @ 3.5m). The issue I have is how often we would realistically use it. Certainly over the last two years I have only wished we had one once.

However, at the end of the month we go to Lake Garda  and hopefully it will be nice and hot and a Fiamma would be put to good use. But still it is a lot of money for what could be limited use?

Therefore, rightly of wrongly we have decided to opt for a decent windbreak (not a massive overpowering one I might add) and a new umbrella sun shade.

We will see how this works out, but if anyone knows where I can get a Fiamma F45i at 3.5m for next to nothing please let me know!

Mark


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## jhelm (Feb 9, 2008)

Yeah, the VW solution is about what we are talking about. We too do not stay in one spot long enough to really use an awning often enough to justify the cost, added weight, maintenance, etc. 

Yes you will need lots of shade at Garda; it's not likely to be cool.


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