Enthusiast III
I had a similar issue with the zipper on my trailer awning bag as well. Sprayed some WD40 and it worked fine again. Sometimes the zipper could be sewn a couple of mm off and you always have tension on it. Thanks for the feedback
Foxwing/Batwing Awnings - Your Thoughts?
- Thread starter OLgadgets
- Start date
Use a bit of paraffin (candle wax) on the zippers it last longer WD 40 is not good for the fabric and will attract dust.
Last edited:
Enthusiast III
I looked at this one as well and my initial thought was that it has a much better and more durable pivot hinge that isn't made of plastic that repeatedly breaks. However, they won't be releasing the passenger side awning until the end of August, which is the side I need for my setup. Initially, I thought of just taking the tradeoff of the price of RR's awning over the plastic hinges breaking, but remembered that the reason I wanted a 270 awning was so that I can easily swing the awning out in one process and be half done with the setup, and without any issues. That was the convenience I had originally intended for the awning, but after reading and watching many video reviews, I saw that this was the same part issue that had occured since RhinoRack made its FOXwing awning(which the current Batwing awning replaced). A plastic pivot hinge costs $8 to buy. A complete pole with the pivot hinge costs $39. To me, why didn't they just make the pivot hinge out of metal or something that isn't breakable? They already make the bracket that the hinges go into out of metal, so why not just reinforce the entire component? Perhaps, it's just easier to change out a small part vs. an entire replacement pole? But the fact that it's an repeating issue across two models of the same awning concerns me, and makes me hesitate in the purchase decision. Not sure I'm ready to settle for potential problems to come.
However, this OVS awning looks like the pivot hinge is made of welded metal material and appears to be very sturdy, even without any tent pole legs supporting it. And for the price, it's still pretty competitive. Thanks for bringing this up.
Advocate I
I have a Rhino Batwing 270. I set it up at home 3 times all went well. I went to Nevada and set it up and 2 of the hinges broke. Fortunately I had brought the spares and was able to effect repairs. Upon Contacting Rhino I was told there was a bad batch of hinges made that were not cured properly. Also that the hinges are designed to break before the lightweight arms bend as the arms would be more expensive to replace. They would replace my 2 bad hinges for free, that was 2019, I'm still waiting, despite 2 more "reminder" calls. As others have said you MUST use the support poles as you set it up since the hinges, IMHO, can not hold the weight of the awning without them.
You can see them break in my video at around 9:48, WARNING, the sound is loud at the start;
Or you can read about it on my blog; Roaming Nevada 2019
I have purchased more hinges and actually made one from a piece of plastic, plus I am very careful when setting up and always staking it down. I have not had issues with the zipper. However closed it is not waterproof.
You can see them break in my video at around 9:48, WARNING, the sound is loud at the start;
Or you can read about it on my blog; Roaming Nevada 2019
I have purchased more hinges and actually made one from a piece of plastic, plus I am very careful when setting up and always staking it down. I have not had issues with the zipper. However closed it is not waterproof.
Enthusiast III
Thanks genocache! When I first considered the batwing awning, I said "I better just buy some extra pivot hinge replacements now" even though they now include 2 replacements. But the idea of just being able to swing out a freestanding(without the poles unless it's super high wind) awning would be a dream.
Advocate I
- 1,958
- First Name
- Randall
- Last Name
- Treloyn
- Member #
-
5615
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- VK7VWK
My Foxwing had the original metal hinges. Now I have gone to the plastic ones as I managed to bend 2 of the arms in a 60kmh (37mph) wind. One bent back the other needed to be replaced.
The arms are a lot more rigid than they look as they are not just tubes but are a "phi" section with a section in the middle.
Dave K
Rank IV
Off-Road Ranger I
I have this one from the Bush Co. Bad ass so far!
www.thebushcompany.com.au
270 XT Awning Mk2 - The Bush Company Australia
The 270 XT Awning Mk2 sets new benchmarks for a free standing shade awning in terms of overall strength, wind resistance and durability. The 270 XT Awning Mk2 provides an incredible 8sqm (86sqft) of shade around your 4WD for you to set up your camp kitchen, swags or just a shaded seating/chill...
www.thebushcompany.com.au
i just did a cargo trailer conversion and im just going to go with a blue FEMA tarp...we get a LOT of hurricane damage down here and i swear there are blue tarp roofs that have been up for the last 10 years. rhino batwing awnings can suck it....
I run the newer batwing 270 on our Jeep and the Darche 270 on our trailer. If you KNOW you will be trying to open solo in tough weather, spend some $$ on something more robust. Ours, being on the tow rig, is opened less frequently as the trailer is our basecamp. I have a total of (6) replacement knuckles with us on our trips but have not had to use them yet. I also bought the wall kits for both awnings.
I can say you definitely get your money's worth with the batwing. Spending the premium $$ on the Darche for the one we HAVE to deploy made sense. Saving a bit for the Batwing since it is really a "luxury" item for our kit was worth every penny.
Cover & Zipper - Most of them suck. Spending the time to properly stow the material before trying to zip goes a long way in reducing frustration....
Have the extra knuckles in your kit and have a PLAN to try to deploy or stow in rough conditions. Have a sack full of anchor lines and dont trust the anchors in the feet of the poles. I also use a Milualkee impact driver and 12" lag screws instead of standard stakes to speed things up and they hold through hurricanes, lol.
I can say you definitely get your money's worth with the batwing. Spending the premium $$ on the Darche for the one we HAVE to deploy made sense. Saving a bit for the Batwing since it is really a "luxury" item for our kit was worth every penny.
Cover & Zipper - Most of them suck. Spending the time to properly stow the material before trying to zip goes a long way in reducing frustration....
Have the extra knuckles in your kit and have a PLAN to try to deploy or stow in rough conditions. Have a sack full of anchor lines and dont trust the anchors in the feet of the poles. I also use a Milualkee impact driver and 12" lag screws instead of standard stakes to speed things up and they hold through hurricanes, lol.
Pathfinder I
Put my batwing up last weekend so the kids could roast some marshmallows over our propane fire pit camping in the side yard. This is not a complaint, more of an update on longevity. I installed my batwing in 2016 and it’s at well over 200 nights camped/deployed at this point some of which were in absolute horrid conditions. The factory guy-lines are about toast. They aren’t mechanically failing but the nylon jackets have given up the ghost to UV exposure and are now leaving white dust everywhere when the tarp is pitched. I’m evaluating replacement options now. May be some retired 6mm static utility line I have around.
Attachments
Shelter is the most important issue for me and I've looked at all options out there for mounted set-ups. In the end nothing beats a nylon tarp with good grommets...as well as suction cup anchors that can be installed anywhere on the vehicle. That is in my humble opinion of course ;-)
Many times the area around the truck has been limited so deploying an awning would be impossible, regardless of what side you want to protect. Mountain camps can have winds whip up without a moments notice and create havoc no matter what you have going, and I've come across many who have had their awnings almost destroyed because of this. Also, catching water is paramount for us at times and a tarp allows for full use of the area.
Our trips last months and I have a fair amount of experience with adverse conditions....just thought I'd pass this along.
Many times the area around the truck has been limited so deploying an awning would be impossible, regardless of what side you want to protect. Mountain camps can have winds whip up without a moments notice and create havoc no matter what you have going, and I've come across many who have had their awnings almost destroyed because of this. Also, catching water is paramount for us at times and a tarp allows for full use of the area.
Our trips last months and I have a fair amount of experience with adverse conditions....just thought I'd pass this along.
Attachments
Look up Blue water ropes. UV light is what kills rope, polyester and spectra are less subject to it but some polys are stretchy. I use nylon and replace every few years.
Pathfinder I
Oh I’m familiar with UV breaking down ropes, but under a year worth of intermittent use shouldn’t generally deteriorate the jacket to this extent. Heck if falls don’t retire our BW 2 11mm rescue ropes early we generally hit the ten year mark and retire them due to age. I use BW 3mm niteline on all my other tarps years ago and some of them are approaching 20 years in service with nary a concern about the tie out lines. Generally in my experience the seams/fabric of a nylon tarp itself will give up before my guy-lines need replacing.
I have said so many times that the guy building or sourcing you gear really doesn't care about you.
