awning/awning rooms and wind limits

[hidesertwheelin]

What has everyones experience been with using your awning and awning rooms in the wind? We are supposed to go out this coming weekend, and I was planning on sleeping in the awning room, but the weather channel says winds 10-20 miles. I'm thinking it will hold, as it will be guyed down, but figured I'd ask what you all have experienced.

 

[80t0ylc]

Weather Channel predictions for rural and remote areas are vague, at best, for wind. And can change quickly. Also, a rogue gust can cause a lot of damage. Best to make on site decision. I'd be more concerned with your stakes you plan to use. If you're just headed out on the Mojave somewhere, you'll undoubtable have sandy soil which is tough to stake anything down. What worked for me in Baja are pet tethers. They are available at most pet supply outlets - even pet section in Walmart. About $3 a piece - pick up as many as you need. Easy to set, too. Use a stake hammer to pound in a couple inches, then screw in as far as you feel necessary, using the hammer handle to help for leverage.

 

[concretejungle]

i made a thread about this a couple of months ago.

They are not designed for heavy wind loads regardless of the stakes you use. It's the walls and poles that will suffer.

I've been using the ARB 2500 awning for a while and when i camp out on the beach in NC the winds can get nasty. Last trip was no exception. I had the awning extended and the room installed and had it fully staked out in every possible position. I left with bent poles and a small tear where the awning room where it slides into the channel. I think the winds that night were gusting around 35mph and steady at 15-20mph.

My opinion is anything square is just not good for wind.

Also, there is an app that i use called Windy that is great for predicting winds.

 

[80t0ylc]

i made a thread about this a couple of months ago.

They are not designed for heavy wind loads regardless of the stakes you use. It's the walls and poles that will suffer....

I'll agree that most don't hold up when staked with included equipment, but you can easily reinforce with better stakes, as I've previously mentioned. You can also install additional cords at stategic points on the poles. It's well known that tent poles have very little, if any shear strength, with out some help. So, before anything make sure the original tie down is correct and tight. Then, hopefully you have brought some extra cord & stakes so you're prepared. Now, attach reinforcement cords to the middle of affected poles. You can stake in more than 1 direction if necessary and more than "in the middle" if bad enough conditions. Usually there is a loop of tent fabric or velcro around pole that will keep new attached cord from slipping vertically. Strength of your tent fabric is your limiting factor. If this doesn't help, then you are probably trying to camp in hurricane conditions. Good luck with that...lol :Wow1:

.......I've been using the ARB 2500 awning for a while and when i camp out on the beach in NC the winds can get nasty. Last trip was no exception. I had the awning extended and the room installed and had it fully staked out in every possible position. I left with bent poles and a small tear where the awning room where it slides into the channel. I think the winds that night were gusting around 35mph and steady at 15-20mph....

Steady 15-20 with gusts to 35.....to me....is not a "heavy wind load" or that "nasty", but I guess that's what camping in Baja in December & January will do to you...lol :costumed-smiley-007

......My opinion is anything square is just not good for wind. Also, there is an app that i use called Windy that is great for predicting winds.

I'm assuming you had no cell coverage for this trip since it was not much help....?

 

[concretejungle]

I did and checked the app. Unfortunately the wind over the weekend circled and basically each day came from a different direction. So there was no way to plan without moving camp each day or even a few times a day.

I'm just not going to agree with you about the stakes and the cord tie outs. I personally have tried it and it made little to no difference. The stakes in fact were never an issue, they never came unseated or pulled out at all. It was the tent itself that sustained all the load.

You can certainly stake it out and add additional guy ropes and survive for sure, but in the end when you come home you might find some damage or bent poles. That's been my experience many times.

 

[80t0ylc]

This shower/portable toilet enclosure is not an awning, but is at least as susceptible to wind as an awning room. I've used it in Baja a couple of times in windy conditions. Both times assistance was needed to keep it from collapsing because of the frame's design. It folds up to pack and unfolds to set up, so just a little pressure will get the joints to break loose. Wind is an excellent source of pressure since the walls act as a parachute. Anyway, the rainfly is necessary due to the only staking lines are on it, but they are definitely not enough to secure it in any respectable wind...lol. In 2nd pic you can see a CVT awning room installed on Ace Brown's trailer which at the tme, in this location (Requeson Beach on Bahia Concepcion), was calm. Wind, at other times, kicked in necessitating assistance. At Ace's suggestion, we installed addional stake lines at strategic points on the frame. Ace has a lot of experience & has led many groups, so I trust his advice. The addional stake lines worked, although at times, it was nerve - racking because the walls would be billowed out and contort the shape of the enclosure. Should have taken some pics of this and will next time. Wind is seriously a major consideration while camping, as far as awnings or tents are concerned.

 

[grandpa]

When using the awning and walls; what do you use to block the wind coming under the vehicle from the opposite side?

 

[80t0ylc]

When using the awning and walls; what do you use to block the wind coming under the vehicle from the opposite side?

That is an excellent question! I have not deployed the walls on the awning in windy conditions, yet. I was aware of the potential for insects and cold air, but had not even thought about the exposure to wind until you mentioned it, and now that concerns me! With my experience with other tents and awnings I am sure this would become quite a large issue. I'll have to try and come up with a solution. This is a unique concern with the Alu-Cab wall kit only because it does not have the back wall that most other awnings with wall kits come with. Thanks for posting, grandpa!

 

[grandpa]

That is an excellent question! I have not deployed the walls on the awning in windy conditions, yet. I was aware of the potential for insects and cold air, but had not even thought about the exposure to wind until you mentioned it, and now that concerns me! With my experience with other tents and awnings I am sure this would become quite a large issue. I'll have to try and come up with a solution. This is a unique concern with the Alu-Cab wall kit only because it does not have the back wall that most other awnings with wall kits come with. Thanks for posting, grandpa!

I'm interested in what you come up with since I am looking specifically at the Alu-Cab awning and wall kit.

 

[80t0ylc]

I'm interested in what you come up with since I am looking specifically at the Alu-Cab awning and wall kit.

So as not to hijack this thread, suggest you jump over to this thread: http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/153957-Alu-Cab-Has-Landed-In-The-USA!/page54 Starting on page 54 post #537 I posted some pics of wall kit deployed in my back yard and other users have contributed their questions & thoughts. I'm going to try & pin Alu-Cab down to: What is the intent of their wall kit for the Shadow? IMHO the Alu-Cab wall kit is more for privacy than shelter.

 

[concretejungle]

when i'm camped on teh beach, which seems to be the majority of when wind is an issue with the awning, i end up putting my food containers, fire wood and any supplies i have down on the ground under the truck in an effort to block the wind from coming under the truck. It works OK, but not perfect.

Around the awning room itself, i just push up sand and make a berm around the base of the room. That keeps the wind from blowing under the room.

 

[SoCal Tom]

Wind is tough on awnings. Additional stakes and tie downs just move the stress to the next weak link, the poles and the fabric. I've had RV awnings out in 5 or 10 mph ( with stakes etc), but much over that they need to get rolled up.
Tom

 

[Nd4SpdSe]

Went through some +50km/h winds from a storm that had apparently spawned tornado's earlier. Winds might be faster but the nearby weather station registered an NA for that time, the 54km/h winds were registered 20km away. It handled it well except the poles. They were a twist-lock style that didn't handle the torque from the ropes. Drilled a hole to be able to put a pin through to prevent them from dropping.

 

[dcg141]

When using the awning and walls; what do you use to block the wind coming under the vehicle from the opposite side?

Walls wo a doubt make awnings more stable in wind for just the reason you described. Does not take away needing to be secured but its pretty amazing the difference it makes.