Question about Regular vs. Foxwing Awnings

[encryption]

I'm still about a year away from starting to build my overlanding rig but am in the process of gathering intel to make an informed decision. Just curious to know why would you buy a regular awning vs. a foxwing awning, pluses / minuses of one over the other, from those who have owned one or both.

 

[encryption]

Apologies if my post wasn't clear. I guess I was trying to get an opinion from the more experienced folks on here what their opinions would be when comparing a run-of-the-mill one sided awning vs. a 270 degree foxwing awning. The reason I'm debating this is because I've seen numerous videos where folks have installed both types and while they certainly seem to have their pros and cons (size, weight, setup, cost, functionality, etc.), I haven't reached the stage where I am convinced of one over the other and so was wondering what people thought of their own purchases and why they went with them, in the hopes that one of the opinions would provide more insight and assist in making my decision.

You do make some good points and I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Thanks.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

eatSleepWoof pretty much got it. There's so many different styles, even ones that are legless, or ones that you need poles to hold it up.

Myself, I wanted as much roof over my head as possible, and closing in the sides was also a must-have. I got a Chinese Foxwing style with the full side section and love it and does set up quick. I do love having full sides on it cause it's awesome in poor weather. The floor had only been used once because I had people sleeping in it.

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Just to give you an idea. With the size, we have a kitchen and a small eating area with a tarped off showering section. Still working on the details on the shower setup, and will be more efficient when I get a proper slide out kitchen done.
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I've also integrated LED lighting into it, and love it. No fighting with flashlights, and I can have them turned on during setup and take down.

 

[encryption]

Wow that looks pretty solid and certainly cozy. I was looking at the ARB awning and the ability to convert it into a room if need be but I felt it would limit the ability to have an outdoorsy feel when hanging around the camp site if it was closed off and would unnecessarily increase effort in rolling / removing the sides up / off. I saw an OZ tent Awning that has an attached room that fits beyond the awning and gives you the ability to have an enclosed area AND have an outside shaded area to hang around. I think they (or RhinoRack) also have a foxwing awning with the ability to rooms in sections to it, which would kind of expand on the use of it but would increase time and effort in setup / removal.

How easy is your's? What brand did you get?

 

[tgreening]

That's the fanciest damn doghouse I've seen in a longggg time.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

Wow that looks pretty solid and certainly cozy. I was looking at the ARB awning and the ability to convert it into a room if need be but I felt it would limit the ability to have an outdoorsy feel when hanging around the camp site if it was closed off and would unnecessarily increase effort in rolling / removing the sides up / off. I saw an OZ tent Awning that has an attached room that fits beyond the awning and gives you the ability to have an enclosed area AND have an outside shaded area to hang around. I think they (or RhinoRack) also have a foxwing awning with the ability to rooms in sections to it, which would kind of expand on the use of it but would increase time and effort in setup / removal.

How easy is your's? What brand did you get?

It's reasonably solid, and is cozy. The downfalls is that the twist-lock poles could be better and 1 or two have a hard time when the tie down ropes are too tight, but I want to drill a hole to be able to lock them with a pin. It's really only an issue with HEAVY rain or HIGH winds, like the remainder of a storm that spawned a tornado on the first time out using the awning. The sides and floor are installed optional and stored in a bag on the side. The floor has only been used that one time so far. I didn't need it, but for the extra $50 for the floor, might as well get it while placing the order. I have installed the sides for even a one-night's stay, it's easy to set up and down, but I'll only use it as I need it, which is dependant on weather, or for longer stays where we setup the shower. It makes for decent shade too, especially being a 270* awning, there's much less time where it's useless because of the movement of the sun. It's also handy for the beginning and end of the camping season, when the humidity drops when the sun goes down. Setup is easy as one person, but if there's some reasonable winds, of course 2 is a good idea. I ordered it directly from Sunday Campers. It's was ordered as a "sample unit" and was $750US shipped.

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

If I were to do the awning thing again (and in the future I just may), I think I'd do what Nd4SpdSe did: cheap foxwing awning from China w/ bug nets and solid walls. Reasonable setup, and optional walls for when/if you want them.

It's a good setup for the price, and really I found the only 270* awning setup with sides available North America. I did think about going with 2x ARB with the sides, but the rear awning from ARB would technically be too wide, and I also lose the space in between (that I gain with the foxwing style) unless I made something custom to bridge that gap. So far I'm on it's second year with the awning, and I've been very glad to have i
t.

 

[superbeef]

I ordered and used CVT's 270 foxwing awning that looks like they're not selling anymore but have seen similar styling in other people's post including Nd4SpdSe's. My friend did a DIY awning from canvas that covered the back of his jeep only so we got a chance to compare the two. We've been on a 3 week trip up north with lots of rain as well and I've had the foxwing go through snow and sleet...but more about that below.

Pros:
1. Having the extra dry footprint was awesome. Especially if you have an RTT drop down one side and the foxwing wrap around the other side and back, I couldn't imagine a better way of staying out of the elements. I did all my cooking, on the road repairs, etc. from the back off my tailgate. I also have a dual swing arm tire carrier in the back so all my work tables and space are there so covering the back was a no brainer. I have a topper over my bed with windoors so having the sides covered either by awning or by the rtt was awesome at accessing the cab all the way around without getting soaked. My awning didn't quite reach to the second cab door so in and out of the cab was still a bit dicey.

2. My awning came with all the walls included. If you're moving around everyday, not practical to put walls up unless you're desperate for an element free zone. To be honest I've never put them up but they're available if I need them. I put up my RTT annex if I need that space. If I was in one place for longer, the walls would probably go up.

3. Holds up in moderate wind after tying everything down (no walls).

Cons:
1. Construction was poorly engineered. All the poles bolt onto this thin and flimsy piece of aluminium on one end of the awning. It bent the first time I deployed it in dry conditions without any wind. The weather stripping and fabric itself ripped after 3 weeks of almost daily setup, take down, and use. I believe this would be manufacturer dependent, though.

2. You're screwed in sleet/ice. I used it once where it snowed during the day but turned to sleet overnight which caused a layer of ice to build up. I was able to wack most of it off but the cover will not contain much more than the fabric and poles so I wasn't able to zip it all up when I left in the morning... bring spare ratchet straps.

3. Sometimes, the holes don't all match up to stick the posts and crossbeams together. Again, design dependent.

4. Sometimes placement can be finicky - ie. getting the back portion to line up with a tailgate. CVT now sells rhino rack's foxwing that seems to use a strap to cinch it up straight which looks like a good idea I'm planning on mcgyvering onto my current setup.

5. More space, weight, and money.

Summary:
Yes, I'd get a foxwing. Having that extra footprint was worth the issues. I got a new one covered under warranty and am currently doing some mods to reinforce the flimsy parts and will copy rhino rack's cinching system to get it flush with the back of my truck. Given that all the walls were included with mine, to me, it was worth the money. Are there better quality ones out there? Absolutely. Eezi-awns looks amazing. Had a chance to see how it worked with Xoverland's setup and it seems durable as well. Certainly better designed and built. My suggestion would be to find places where actually witness and try out the awnings from mounting to setup to take down and balance that with cost. Hope this helps!