Cheap Awning Option

[Rod S]

I was wanting to attach a awning to my cargo/camper without drilling holes or breaking the seal in the roof cap. I tried some of the figure of 8 awning channel and it seems like it is going to work OK. My trailer is a Wells Cargo and it has a small gutter rail of about 1/4 inch. The figure 8 slide right over it and I can slide my awning in the opposite side open channel. I haven't got to camp test it out yet but the channel attached to gutter seems plenty solid to me. I'm just sewing a small diameter rope in a light tarp to slide into the channel. I have under 18 bucks in the channel delivered so thought I would throw this out there in case anyone is considering a cheap awning option for their trailer.

F8.jpg (83.13 KiB) Viewed 6916 times

[Rocky5000100]

Very nice. Please post pics of the full setup when it's all done!

[tnriverluver]

Terrible idea if you want to keep that gutter. Wind or ran load will snap that right off.

[Rod S]

Terrible idea if you want to keep that gutter. Wind or ran load will snap that right off.

You could be right, but I don't think it will. It sure seems a lot stronger than what I have used in the past that worked fairly well. This is only a 5x8 trailer and if the tarp is angled and put up right I'm not worried about water at all. Wind on the other hand can do some strange things that's for sure. I wouldn't bet on strong enough winds doing a lot of things. If I think the wind is going to be strong enough to rip things off I will take it off like I would any other awning. I'll tell you what tnriverluver, if it gets torn off I will come on here and tell you it did, and I will thank you for giving me the advanced warning.

[dustboy]

Looks good to me, easy on, easy off. I'd like to see how the whole awning shapes up.

[backstrap bandit]

Why not just take off the drip rail and screw an awning rail there they make one that basically acts as a drip rail too just google awning rail all kinds of configurations good luck

[dales133]

What you want is a sail extrusion.its like what you've got but single sided with varying leg configurations to rivet to your trailer

[backstrap bandit]

That's where I saw them sailrite

[Rod S]

If the figure 8 doesn't work like I want my plan B is the awning rail that bolts on. I was trying to get a simple on and off awning and not breaking the seal it has now on the cap. Nice to have a back up plan though. Thanks for the replies.

[JaggedEdges]

Just had an idea, might take some massaging...

Super cheap awning rail for sorta holding a sorta awning to your sorta camper... grab ye one or two of those expandable curtain rods, and a 1/16 drill... pry them open a bit, maybe need to take end caps off that are there to stop them spreading. Get some brads and a brad/pin driver, hold rod onto surface by favorite method, clamps, tape, wife, drill a hole, mash brad into it, pin other end same, then go about every 3" down it... Hopefully you've used some nice round headed brads so you've mashed them pretty smooth. This stuff will probably rust, so use favorite avoidance method, paint, grease, wife. Then you can insert sorta awning...

You might wanna rub the sharp off the edges, don't know how sharp you'll find them.

I'd say this would be goodish for shortish awnings. Probably most acceptable for "gasketing" a framed canopy, tent etc, that has it's own structure so it's not loaded too bad.

Now if you wanted an excuse to put an inch square hoop of beech all round your drop, you could use a router with a dovetail cutter to put a slot in it, then round out bottom with ball cutter, then treat that with linseed oil or something.

[Hader]

Rod,

Any update on the awning hack and if it worked for you?

[McDave]

Here's something...
http://www.wayfair.com/12ft.-W-x-10ft.- ... K1013.html
PDF right here..
https://secure.img1.wfrcdn.com/docresou ... 274736.pdf.
and this...
http://www.wayfair.com/10ft.-W-x-8ft.-D ... K1017.html
It seems a lot more reasonable than the Carefree or dometic types. Quality and performance for our purposes is unknown at this time, however, this could be a great start. Some mods and field engineering are inevitable. The price seems right.

McDave

PS. It says "Free Shipping", the shipping alone on a carefree unit is more than the price of this one . Just sayin'.....

[Hader]

[quote="McDave"]Here's something...
http://www.wayfair.com/12ft.-W-x-10ft.- ... K1013.html
PDF right here..
https://secure.img1.wfrcdn.com/docresou ... 274736.pdf.
and this...
http://www.wayfair.com/10ft.-W-x-8ft.-D ... K1017.html

Thanks McDave. The prices seem very reasonable.

[lrrowe]

Here's something...
http://www.wayfair.com/12ft.-W-x-10ft.- ... K1013.html
PDF right here..
https://secure.img1.wfrcdn.com/docresou ... 274736.pdf.
and this...
http://www.wayfair.com/10ft.-W-x-8ft.-D ... K1017.html
It seems a lot more reasonable than the Carefree or dometic types. Quality and performance for our purposes is unknown at this time, however, this could be a great start. Some mods and field engineering are inevitable. The price seems right.

McDave

PS. It says "Free Shipping", the shipping alone on a carefree unit is more than the price of this one . Just sayin'.....

I just came across this post again and found the timing very good as I am shopping for an awning.
I wonder how it mounts to a CT and how it sets up. Has anyone had any experience with them? The manifacturer's website is weak with information.

[Charly]

Awning made with painter's poles.

http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threa ... s-than-100