Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

crttaz wrote:Where do you plan on putting the 200-300 lbs of weights needed for the 10x10 canopy?

I've seen too many 10x10's mangled. Even ones with four tires/wheels (race car rain setup) will get blown around.

back4more wrote:

crttaz wrote:Where do you plan on putting the 200-300 lbs of weights needed for the 10x10 canopy?

I've seen too many 10x10's mangled. Even ones with four tires/wheels (race car rain setup) will get blown around.

Thanks for pointing out the need for weights on the canopy. Wouldn't the same winds mangle an ARB awning (with or without room)?

BTW, I'm in Florida and it gets pretty windy here sometimes. Summer thunderstorms are a mess when camping.

• For years, I wanted to switch from using canopies to using an attached bag-style awning, or two, but found them to be too-expensive for the limited usage they'd see. And, I tried to design a tarp-based substitute, that I could make myself, to perform the same functions, but also found my designs to be too expensive and complicated for my liking, so I remain in the canopy-usage "camp", probably forever. Though I desired the quick deployment of awnings, in lieu of the longer set-up/take-down of canopies (even Ezy-Ups aren't that easy for one person with a bad wing).
• I use one or two 10x10 canopies (actually only 8x8 coverage), primarily because they are low-cost. Both were bought at Academy Sports: Ezy-Up $49.95 in 2013,and a Z-Shade Everest I $79.95 in 2018 (stated to be more UV, fire, and water-resistant than the other, for use over my cooking area), and I bought two accessories when I purchased them, too. An attached side-tent for $20 in 2013 (the $40 Ozark Trail ConnecTent at Walmart is the same), and a sidewall for $15 in 2018 (the $15 Ozark Trail Sun Wall at Walmart is the same), give me options as I set up camp.
• I normally use just my original canopy, with one side pulled close-in to the street-side, with the other side extended 4-ft past my curb-side door(my preferred entrance), while the 4x8 trailer is completely covered by it. That way I have a covered sitting area, with easy access to my side-table, & cooking stand(s) (2 different ones, if needed), and to my $25 ? teepee-style pop-up potty tent (doorway tucked under the overhanging canopy, and lashed to one canopy leg, and the other to the trailer frame). The legs of the canopy are bungee'd to the street-side frame, while I use 25 lbs of old weights on each of the other two legs. Last trip, I used the sidewall to block sunlight thru my curb-side window, and to block the wind. In case the campsite requires it, I can reverse the set up. Or I can use the side-tent, bought in 2013, but lost in my garage for 4 years, and have a floored 10x10 foot room to replace the teepee.
• I also have the option of covering the cooking area, now that I've got the second canopy. My "galley" is actually just a storage area, without any true "galley" space for food prep. Previously, I set up my food prep area under the hatch in inclement weather, but preferred not to, due to fuel tank/generator proximity, or crowded in under my canopy-covered sitting area. Now, I can use the second canopy, set up as a remote cooking area, during bad weather (using additional weights and bungee-attachments).
• As to the weather affecting canopies, I've observed other campers getting theirs' mangled at several campsites, but (so far) I haven't had problems (other than one canopy dumping rainwater into an-unsealed door, once). And every trip I've gone on has had at least one night of T-storms, several very severe, and one trip was a three-day monsoon. Even if damaged or mangled, my total investment in 2 canopies + 2 side-tents + 1 sidewall = $165 (prices paid), or about $210 (replacement costs, max), versus the $272 (Amazon, for the "2000" model, just for roof/sitting area coverage) or more for an ARB awning. Might be worth it, if bare coverage of the sitting area alone was all I needed, but a damaging windstorm could prove quite expensive (if awning is left deployed). For my usage, no, but maybe for a standy or cargo conversion (where one could withdraw inside for sitting all-day during storms), but I must (or I choose to) stay outside. If I had a larger trailer, I might get an awning, but as it is, the cheaper cost, moveability, and quick and easy replacement of canopies (available nearly everywhere), make using canopies a viable alternative for campers.