Real word opinions of 270 degree awnigs

[phlfly]

Hey all
I got a roofnest awning in the end .
My personal and honest opinion after opening a few time and closing, I wish they used more fabric at 90 deg bent, at rear of the car, so it would true 90 deg angle.
The beams are made of composite, and I think that will help to absorb a wind as graphite is flexing with a force when aluminum is not. Just want a hockey. They played with composite - graphite material sticks.
One issue is my Ikamper lid opens that is hitting a bracket, so I have moved to the side even more. It looks funky. Look a picture. Maybe some other roof rack- platform for budget. The track system is a very standard. Any solution?
It's easy to put away, metal enclosure has sufficient space ans even for a tool bag that is came with awning.

I made telescoping mounts for my awning so that it could tuck in tight next to my iKamper and slide out 6-8” away from the shell as it leans out. If it helps the DIY build is under the DIY forum here.

Wow nice what is a tread name
?

I got it. Thanks. Interesting idea. I guess telescoping. Only that has to be a very tight fit, almost like it's needed to be a gas strut with a locking mechanism. Otherwise, it's too much play already plus tubing.
Another idea is to use ball bearing rail with a hard locks.
It has to be zero play system.

 

[PapaDave]

I got it. Thanks. Interesting idea. I guess telescoping. Only that has to be a very tight fit, almost like it's needed to be a gas strut with a locking mechanism. Otherwise, it's too much play already plus tubing.
Another idea is to use ball bearing rail with a hard locks.
It has to be zero play system.

I thought about a slider that lays flat but as it’s exposed to the elements they would likely rust fast. Mine is overbuilt for sure, as I can hang off each mount, but it is incredibly solid. Often you’ll see damaged awnings as the L brackets bend easily.

Not sure what you mean by zero play system, but I’ve got redundant safety catches and knob screws to take out any rattle on the trail. Once unlocked I slide one side out about 2or 3 mm, then I slide the other 2 to 3 mm and then it all comes out evenly. I have probably about 500 dirt miles on this set up and it works great. You just have to remember to slide out the awning before being confused why the tent won’t open. Ask me how I know!

DIY 270 telescoping awning mounts for rack with an iKamper RTT

I am working on adding a 270 awning to my rack that has an iKamper. The challenge is that an iKamper shell HEAVES out to the drivers side on its hinges as it opens to the passenger side. So one can’t place the awning too close to the tent (on the drivers side) or they will interfere with each...

www.overlandbound.com

 

[phlfly]

I got it. Thanks. Interesting idea. I guess telescoping. Only that has to be a very tight fit, almost like it's needed to be a gas strut with a locking mechanism. Otherwise, it's too much play already plus tubing.
Another idea is to use ball bearing rail with a hard locks.
It has to be zero play system.

I thought about a slider that lays flat but as it’s exposed to the elements they would likely rust fast. Mine is overbuilt for sure, as I can hang off each mount, but it is incredibly solid. Often you’ll see damaged awnings as the L brackets bend easily.

Not sure what you mean by zero play system, but I’ve got redundang safety catches and knob screws to take out any rattle on the trail. I have probably about 500 dirt miles on this set up and it works great. You just have to remember to slide out the awning before being confused why the tent won’t open. Ask me how I know!

DIY 270 telescoping awning mounts for rack with an iKamper RTT

I am working on adding a 270 awning to my rack that has an iKamper. The challenge is that an iKamper shell HEAVES out to the drivers side on its hinges as it opens to the passenger side. So one can’t place the awning too close to the tent (on the drivers side) or they will interfere with each...

www.overlandbound.com

View attachment 279773View attachment 279774View attachment 279775View attachment 279776

Zero play. I meant tubing has a tight fit when it's extended.
But I see you a screw knob that shoud do a job. I need to make something like this

 

[PapaDave]

I got it. Thanks. Interesting idea. I guess telescoping. Only that has to be a very tight fit, almost like it's needed to be a gas strut with a locking mechanism. Otherwise, it's too much play already plus tubing.
Another idea is to use ball bearing rail with a hard locks.
It has to be zero play system.

I thought about a slider that lays flat but as it’s exposed to the elements they would likely rust fast. Mine is overbuilt for sure, as I can hang off each mount, but it is incredibly solid. Often you’ll see damaged awnings as the L brackets bend easily.

Not sure what you mean by zero play system, but I’ve got redundang safety catches and knob screws to take out any rattle on the trail. I have probably about 500 dirt miles on this set up and it works great. You just have to remember to slide out the awning before being confused why the tent won’t open. Ask me how I know!

DIY 270 telescoping awning mounts for rack with an iKamper RTT

I am working on adding a 270 awning to my rack that has an iKamper. The challenge is that an iKamper shell HEAVES out to the drivers side on its hinges as it opens to the passenger side. So one can’t place the awning too close to the tent (on the drivers side) or they will interfere with each...

www.overlandbound.com

View attachment 279773View attachment 279774View attachment 279775View attachment 279776

Zero play. I meant tubing has a tight fit when it's extended.
But I see you a screw knob that shoud do a job. I need to make something like this

Yes, the screw knobs take out any movement and make it very solid, both extended and stored. I’m not saying it’s a perfect design, but it’s worked really well for me. You could probably get away with a smaller square tube, but my local metal shop had a lot of hitch receiver sizes so I went with that so I didn’t have to ever worry about it.

 

[PapaDave]

I have my rack and tent off the truck right now, but I just took a picture of how tight I can get the awning to the tent. They don’t hit each other going down the trail either.

 

[loper]

I have a 23Zero on the van. Haven't used it a lot, but I like it. It's a little high to unzip/put away, but that's because of the van, not an awning fault.

I had to build angled brackets to compensate for the slant in the uprights of the rack. They might be a little overbuilt, I have 2 U-bolts on each bracket, 4 bolts into the awning in each bracket, and a total of 3 brackets. It doesn't move.

 

[GumballF355]

Do people find the 270s much more ideal than 90 degree awnings?

 

[MOAK]

We considered one, only briefly. They really don’t cast that much shade as they are narrow. In the best case scenario you’d mount one on the passenger side and park the vehicle in a north westerly direction for optimal shading in the afternoon. Rain and wind? Forget about it. We went with this instead. It increases the outdoor living space, it keeps things dry even in a wind driven rain, it provides excellent shade, no matter how you park, and it’s held up really well in heavy winds with gusts up to 25-30 mph.

 

[grubworm]

the wadded up mess is my Rhino Batwing 270 awning. it was ok for blocking the sun, but a bit of a pain to deploy and secure properly. pretty flimsy and a fairly small gust of wind hit and broke several of the plastic pivot joints, so it wasn't able to go back into storage properly and I had to lash it with 1/4 poly to get it back home. I'm sure other awnings are better built...this one was $500 and definitely NOT worth it. after taking it apart to repair it, I saw just how crappy it is.

id go simple and more rugged with a good 90 degree awning. if you want a side and back to be covered, I'd wo with two smaller awnings rather than the big 270 degree one.
the set up @MOAK just showed is what I'd go with

 

[smritte]

I absolutely love mine. In my group we had a few of the major brands, 23 zero seems to be the best. I had a regular arb awning on my Cruiser and my trailer. They work well but are a bit of pain to deploy and fold up. My first experience was with the 23 zero 270 on my friends Tundra. He had the full wall kit installed. It was cold and wet out. We stuffed about a dozen people inside with two small propane fire pits. It rocked. Later, I got one for my trailer. It takes about 30-45 min's to set up and stake down the walls but its well worth it if I'm staying any length of time. The top comes out about seven feet and the walls push out about two foot more. I have my bathroom/shower attached off the back corner so you seamlessly enter while still under cover. Makes midnight bathroom breaks easy.

I've had it for about two years and in my opinion, its the best investment I've made for my equipment. The one flaw everyone points out is wind. About all of them advertise "free standing". If its calm to slightly breezy, I'll pull it out. For lunch stops it comes out and folds away faster than my ARB ever did. The trick with them is learning how to properly fold it away. it took me a bit to figure it out. now its a non issue (this is the second "flaw" everyone complains about).

I've seen most of the brands out there and so far 23 zero seems to have the best hinge's and bars. Any awning will turn into a parachute in the wind. Staked down with the walls deployed, its held up well. I dread the day I need to fold it up in high wind though. Odds are I wont set it up.

As you probably figured out, I use mine more as an extra big room off my trailer. One of the nice features of my 23 zero is the walls have large screened windows you can zip covers over. In the pic below you see the side window and the two front doors. All of them have roll up screens. Between a couple of us, these tend to be the gathering place when were camping in cold and rain.

My only complaint is, they don't have a panel to close off either end. If the breeze is just right, it funnels in through the ends. I have an industrial sewing machine and made my own. I still cant figure out the exact material they use and talking to them hasn't gotten me anywhere.

There was a guy on here who traveled in a kitted out van (those of you who remember Road). His was the first I saw of these. I don't know the brand but it was as large as mine with the walls set up. That enclosed room is what I wanted for my set up.


Edit: found one of the pic's. Not very good but it was while we were setting up. My wife is 5'9" so that gives a little perspective.

 

[smritte]

Going back through this post, there's mention of a type of bracket to slide the awning away from the vehicle. I so don't recommend this if you ever end up in rain. Mine has a small flap that somewhat seals that area and I added another small cover into it. Now I'm good for heavy rain.
My first experience in heavy rain was with my buddies on his 4runner. the amount of water coming down the side of the vehicle and splashing outward, narrowed down our "safe area" considerably.