Fox Wing + Airtop?

mudshark

New member
Can anyone tell me whether you can fit a Fox Wing awning to a GMC Safari with a medium Autohome Airtop? Thanks.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
The Foxwing can be attached either directly through the side of the vehicle (as on my truck) or to the crossbars on a roof rack. Putting holes in the side of your van may or may not appeal to you, plus it'll require backing plates and careful analysis of how well you can brace it, plus it may foul on the rear doors, plus if you have side windows, there won't (I don't believe) be enough space. And it's about ten times as difficult.

So . . . much better, I think, to mount it off the roof bars holding up the Airtop tent, and with any luck, you've got Yakima, Thule or RhinoRack crossbars, as fitting kits are made for them and make it a relatively easy matter. Another brand of crossbars might also be work to work, but it's not clear. Check out the installation instructions here:

http://www.rhinorack.com.au/rhinoweb/rhinodata/instructions/accessories/31100_foxwing.pdf

if you haven't seen them already to see if your crossbars can be made to work.

If you can use one of the Foxwing fitting kits, then there's the issue of whether the crossbar separation can be made big enough (probably) and whether a medium Autotop is wider than the crossbars you have (seems unlikely).

The Foxwing is a fine piece of gear, so best of luck on making it work.
 

GR8ADV

Explorer
I really like this awning. Scratching how I can get one onto the Tacoma. Better if I were scratching at home instead of at work when I could measure the actual amount of length I don't have to mount this. :smiley_drive: The other option is to mount something off the rear (for some reason it rains at the same time I want to cook, go figure) but I have yet to find a nice trapezoidal awning to provide a reasonable amount of cover.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
The other option is to mount something off the rear (for some reason it rains at the same time I want to cook, go figure) but I have yet to find a nice trapezoidal awning to provide a reasonable amount of cover.
Hey, Ken,

It's a bit of a pain to get set up ('bout ten minutes), but I think the Kelty Carport Deluxe would be a possible option for off the back of the Tacoma. It works well coming off the rear crossbar on my LX470 and gives a lot of sheltered area. Way more grandiose than an awning, and I think you'd still prefer the Foxwing if you can figure out how to get enough length high enough up, but the Carport Deluxe has its own advantages, FWIW.

P1010356.jpg

P1010353.jpg

Best regards,

Mike
 

GR8ADV

Explorer
Thanks Mike. Interesting concept. I am looking for the simplicity of a side awning off the back. A main problem being the truck is so narrow vs how much cover I want for protection. Surprising to me that there is no good answer to this out there. I expect, based on the numbers of pictures of people doing pretty creative things with tarps and poles, there could be a market niche.

Wondering if I can put a Hannibal on the side with some sort of quick release mounting system such that I could, relatively easily, remove it and mount it to the rear for deployment. All sounds easy on paper. I am hoping to have Gabe do some modifications to the rear to fully enclose the area under the tent (now higher if you recall). Possibly I can have his creative genius come up with something.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
I am looking for the simplicity of a side awning off the back. A main problem being the truck is so narrow vs how much cover I want for protection.
You've seen the Shady Boy?

batwing.jpg


Not as simple as one of the pull-out retractable awnings, but about the lowest ratio of attachment point width to area covered. Some of the Sprinter guys put them over the sliding door, as they are light enough (about 15 pounds) to attach to the rain gutters.

Just a thought.

http://shadyboy.com
 

762X39

Explorer
Thanks for the link Mike. I didn't even know I was looking for such an item till I saw it. Just sent a mssg to them for price and availability.:coffee:
 

grimbo

Explorer
Thanks Mike. Interesting concept. I am looking for the simplicity of a side awning off the back. A main problem being the truck is so narrow vs how much cover I want for protection. Surprising to me that there is no good answer to this out there. I expect, based on the numbers of pictures of people doing pretty creative things with tarps and poles, there could be a market niche.

Wondering if I can put a Hannibal on the side with some sort of quick release mounting system such that I could, relatively easily, remove it and mount it to the rear for deployment. All sounds easy on paper. I am hoping to have Gabe do some modifications to the rear to fully enclose the area under the tent (now higher if you recall). Possibly I can have his creative genius come up with something.

Then you'd be wanting a Fred's Arm
http://www.bwidow.com.au/fredsarm.htm
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,534
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top