Awning on cap?
- Thread starter mosovich
- Start date
Tbird
Observer
A friend and myself both have Flippac shells on our Tacomas. We nix the idea of spending $500-$1200 dollars on a fancy awning. We are installing "C" channel along the sides and rear of the shells, and are having shades made out of awning material that will slide into the channel...and be held up with telescoping poles and guidewires. They will roll up and tuck away into a very small package when not deployed. We should save a large chunk of change...and have something that works every bit as well as the spendy ones on the market. Plus we won't have a bazooka hanging on the campers full time.
Louisd75
Adventurer
Does the topper come with roof rack tracks? I opted to make a quick and easy setup using some extra pieces from the Yakima towers that bolt to the tracks:
I used a long set screw threaded into the Yakima track part. A large washer and nylock nut hold it in place. I've got one of these posts on each end of the track. I had a tarp made up with grommets spaced the same distance apart. Slip the grommet over the post, apply wingnut. The two collapsible poles hold the other end of the tarp. It's shaped like a trapezoid, so the tarp gets wider as it goes away from the truck. The nice thing about this setup, besides being lightweight, is that if I need to do any work under the truck I don't have to roll around in the mud.
Here was the cheapo prototype tarp I used to test the idea:
Works pretty well, setup time is probably about the same as any of the other awnings that require poles. All told, you could probably do it for less than $50 in material, depending on the poles and tarp.
montypower
Adventure Time!
Here's mine... Had a rack custom built. ARB awning is only like $200. Totally worth the money; great design, quick setup and take down.
jeverich
Luddite
Does the topper come with roof rack tracks? I opted to make a quick and easy setup using some extra pieces from the Yakima towers that bolt to the tracks:
I used a long set screw threaded into the Yakima track part. A large washer and nylock nut hold it in place. I've got one of these posts on each end of the track. I had a tarp made up with grommets spaced the same distance apart. Slip the grommet over the post, apply wingnut. The two collapsible poles hold the other end of the tarp. It's shaped like a trapezoid, so the tarp gets wider as it goes away from the truck. The nice thing about this setup, besides being lightweight, is that if I need to do any work under the truck I don't have to roll around in the mud.
Here was the cheapo prototype tarp I used to test the idea:
Works pretty well, setup time is probably about the same as any of the other awnings that require poles. All told, you could probably do it for less than $50 in material, depending on the poles and tarp.
Weird... I was just going to say you should message LouisD75..
montypower
Adventure Time!
Correct. It attaches to the rack. You could easily adapt it to attach to your Yakima crossbars.
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
My recommendation is 'ShadyBoy'...
Mosovich,
I have a Tundra CrewMax configuration with a 5.5 ft bed. I also have a SnugTop SnugPro topper with a custom BajaRack. I wanted to avoid the awning extending past my bed/topper over the cab. Thus, one solution that I found was the 'ShadyBoy' awning. From my memory, it is 15 lbs and it is housed in an extruded aluminum case. The awning itself is very well engineered and it deploys well. Here are some older pics of my rig with the awning...The awning is very well made and the poles can take a beating. The first time I deployed this, it inverted from the wind ~ it looked like a sail...I thought it was going to break, however, the fiberglass poles held...
To my eye, it is perfect for shorter beds. This awning is just for shade purposes. It will NOT be able to hold panels / mosquito netting walls etc...however, it is an elegant solution to my awning needs...
Hope this helps.
Regards,
BWJ
Mosovich,
I have a Tundra CrewMax configuration with a 5.5 ft bed. I also have a SnugTop SnugPro topper with a custom BajaRack. I wanted to avoid the awning extending past my bed/topper over the cab. Thus, one solution that I found was the 'ShadyBoy' awning. From my memory, it is 15 lbs and it is housed in an extruded aluminum case. The awning itself is very well engineered and it deploys well. Here are some older pics of my rig with the awning...The awning is very well made and the poles can take a beating. The first time I deployed this, it inverted from the wind ~ it looked like a sail...I thought it was going to break, however, the fiberglass poles held...
To my eye, it is perfect for shorter beds. This awning is just for shade purposes. It will NOT be able to hold panels / mosquito netting walls etc...however, it is an elegant solution to my awning needs...
Hope this helps.
Regards,
BWJ