Howling Moon Swing awn vs Alu-Cab 270 Shadow Awn

[wagon boy]

Hi brains trust,

I'm looking for a new awning to hang off the side of my Defender 110 with Front runner rack and I can NOT decide between these two units. Both look like they'll do the job quite well...
I had my heart set on the Alu Cab but the Howling Moon has just been released here in Australia and I don't see many (any) comparisons on the internet!

If anyone with either model could chime in with what they love/hate about it i'd be really appreciative. The alu-cab costs ~$1800 here and the Howling moon will be about ~$1400-1500 so it's a lot of money. Several hours drive in each direction to check one out in the flesh.

Thanks guys!

 

[Dozer Dan]

Really interested to hear from anyone with any first hand experience with the HM swing awn at all.

 

[dfinn]

I only have experience with the alucab awning, I plan on buying one. I spent a couple weeks in SA recently and rented a camper from Bushlore. It included the alucab shadow awning. It's super high quality, top notch materials. It sets up in about 10 seconds. We had it in pretty good wind and rain and never needed to bother staking it down, it's very sturdy on it's own even without the leg down.

 

[aero]

I have only used the Alu Cab, but it worked quite well. Easy to deploy and pack up and is lightweight for as large as it is.

It was deployed when it started to get windy (40-50mph winds) and I was not worried about the awning itself, I was worried about the roof rack that it was attached to. It is a very nice product!

Pre increased wind storm... the straps worked well for keeping it from moving with the 15mph or so constant winds.

 

[wagon boy]

I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and go the alucab. I spent a bit of time on the phone to the distributor here and the mounts don't sound quite as substantial. The unit itself looks great, but it appears to be lacking the centre support pole that helps drain water off too. We have our national 4x4 show here this weekend, and the howling moon will be on display apparently - a shame the alucab won't!

THanks guys for your opinions!

 

[Dozer Dan]

I'd love to hear your feedback and see any pictures of the HM if you get a chance to see it in person.