Awning, pop-up canopy, tents, or plain ole tarps for off-road/camping? Preferences?

[workingonit71]

Haven't camped much with my trailer yet, nor have gone off-road either, but I'm preparing to be able to take quick trips with little prep. I'm experimenting with set-up and take-down of various pieces of gear I thought I might need in the future, and am divesting myself of things I don't actually need. The experimenting will also involve evaluating observed utility vs "I might need it" stuff. I have a small trailer, lighting and cooking gear (dual-fuel Coleman stuff),with onboard generator,120vac or 12vdc power, A/C and heat, water supply (up to 14 gallons), porta-potty (sometimes you just can't do it the old Boy Scout way), an Easy-Up, and two side-tents. I want to get an older XJ, WJ, or XTerra, and have it ready to go when the mood strikes me. Then, at the destination, or off-the highway enroute, easy set-up and easy take-down are my goals. It isn't much fun if you spend too much time fiddlin' with the gear, and not just enjoying the surroundings. Sorta reminds me of the latter days of my dragracing...I'd spend days preparing, packing up, and travelling, then half a day unpacking gear, a few hours competing, then up to a day returning home and unloading. Not worth it, especially since it was a labor of love, not done for money. I want to get out there and enjoy nature, not worry about the paraphenalia. The question here, today, is about awnings, canopies, side-tents, and tarps: what do you guys prefer (I know there is a section for RTTs, but I'm talking about the campsite covers, not the sleeping site)? What I am currently doing is to park at the site, put up my Easy-up (1/2 covering my 4x8 trailer, 1/2 serving as a covered sitting area), and set up the port-potty/standing up changing room side-tent (it's hard to change clothes laying down, at my age). I have two versions: one is a pyramid shaped pop-up without a floor (two minutes up or down!) or the dedicated (attaches to the canopy) tent, with floor, that could house people or gear on it's own. Fifteen-thirty minutes up-down (depending on wet/wind conditions). Did I mention that the Easy-up is pretty easy up, unless its dark, raining, or windy? And my preference to have it straddle and cover the trailer (helps cooling in Texas sun), makes up-down procedures even harder, since I'm usually alone. I've read here about ARB awnings and similar, but I'm just a beginning camper (after 35-40 years since I last did this), and want to perfect the procedure before I invest in the best equipment. And there's always the chance that I won't be able to do this much at all, at my age (64). So, in lieu of a poll (is there a poll section here?), what do you guys prefer to use, do you use different gear for differing time frames or situations, or is it all good all the time? And how much time do you spend on set-up and tear-down? How much gear do you carry that you've never needed, nor probably will need? You guys are the hard-core...I wanna be, but am so inexperienced that I'm trying to get ahead of the curve by asking too many questions, since I'm trying to catch up....And I thought of attaching a bag-type awning, or rig atarp on a roller or PVC pipe, so I can pull it over my trailer (easily), and protect both trailer and my sitting area in one swoop... from what I've read, no one makes a bag awning the right length to do this (at least 10-12 feet long x 8 wide.

 

[uscg2008]

I have gone through 3 versions. And version 3 and 2 are the ones that I will continue to use. But version 3 will be primary for sure since the ease of set up

Version one

Version 2
My wife, daughter and buddy enjoying the shade

Version 3

 

[fubar]

I Love my Tepui awning. 1 minute set-up/tear-down. 3 minutes if it's windy and you need to stake it down. Recommended.

 

[teotwaki]

I highly recommend awnings. I have a Fiamma on the trailer and an ARB that I can put on the truck when needed. They have enough of a frame to pull the awning almost rigid so there is no flapping in the wind. If it rains the water doesn't pool and bulge down in the middle. Also you can adjust one leg a little lower than the other and pick the direction that you want the water to drain off. My Fiamma has even had snow on top of it so they are good for more than just rain or sun. This type of awning with a frame means that you can hang lanterns or other lights where needed. If you have foldable solar panels you can lay them out up on top of the awning.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I really liked the Fiamma awning but do to the durability for offroad travel I went with the ARB bag awning. Both can be set up by one person viewed as a plus for a solo traveler like myself.

 

[highlandercj-7]

I use an easy-up I have a kinda rare 12x14. When I was staying longer and expecting rain, I used to cover most the camp and trailer with a 28x32 blue tarp in the trees.

 

[Anonymous Coward]

How much of an angle can you pull the ARB and the other various awnings away from the mount? I could mount one low on my trailer, but would then want to pull it out and upwards from the trailer to be able to sit under it. Most of the photos I see them pulled out almost completely parallel to the ground. Is it possible to draw them out and set them up at just about any angle, or is there a limit to it?

 

[teotwaki]

I really liked the Fiamma awning but do to the durability for offroad travel I went with the ARB bag awning. Both can be set up by one person viewed as a plus for a solo traveler like myself.

My Fiamma has been mounted to my trailer for years and durability is not an issue at all. If anything the aluminum shell is superior to the vinyl bag of the ARB because the ARB gets poked by branches that the Fiamma shrugs off. The legs of the Fiamma are easier to deal with when open the awning by myself.

 

[teotwaki]

How much of an angle can you pull the ARB and the other various awnings away from the mount? I could mount one low on my trailer, but would then want to pull it out and upwards from the trailer to be able to sit under it. Most of the photos I see them pulled out almost completely parallel to the ground. Is it possible to draw them out and set them up at just about any angle, or is there a limit to it?

You will have no problem deploying it upwards. The negatives are that rain water will sluice backwards towards the mount and you could get less shade unless you position your vehicle correctly with respect to the sun.

Adventure Trailer solved the problem by designing the mounting posts such that they can telescope upwards and raise the level of the awning's mount. I have a pair of their very nice posts on my trailer.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

My Fiamma has been mounted to my trailer for years and durability is not an issue at all. If anything the aluminum shell is superior to the vinyl bag of the ARB because the ARB gets poked by branches that the Fiamma shrugs off. The legs of the Fiamma are easier to deal with when open the awning by myself.

I was all about the light weigh small design of the Fiamma F35 just prior to my purchased I leaned my CampTeq into a tree...that would of been the end of a Fiamma. Take your fist and whack the side of a Fiamma F35 and it will never close correct again. Your model may be more robust but at 1/2 price and larger then the Fiamma 35 I take the ARB over the Fiamma where I travel.

YMMV

ARB legs like most are adjustable ~82" - ~48"

 

[kpredator]

@ landcruiserphill

nice looking rig you have there,looks as it needs to be put in a container and shipped to cape town.
good luck
kp

 

[teotwaki]

I was all about the light weigh small design of the Fiamma F35 just prior to my purchased I leaned my CampTeq into a tree...that would of been the end of a Fiamma. Take your fist and whack the side of a Fiamma F35 and it will never close correct again. Your model may be more robust but at 1/2 price and larger then the Fiamma 35 I take the ARB over the Fiamma where I travel.

YMMV

ARB legs like most are adjustable ~82" - ~48"

Yes, we all lean our CampTeqs into trees or punch awnings with our fists to test for durability. A more practical test is to drive through the tree branches and see how the ARB's fabric cover holds up. After you buy a second replacement ARB your price advantage vanishes. Anyone can design a biased scenario to support their purchases. Someone in the desert will never care about trees or rainproofing. Some guys use a Harbor Freight tarp and two painter poles and are smugly happy with the cash still in their wallets. I have both the ARB and a Fiamma side by side, offroading and camping all over the western states and the Fiamma wins hands down.

 

[ExploringNH]

Yes, we all lean our CampTeqs into trees or punch awnings with our fists to test for durability. A more practical test is to drive through the tree branches and see how the ARB's fabric cover holds up. After you buy a second replacement ARB your price advantage vanishes. Anyone can design a biased scenario to support their purchases. Someone in the desert will never care about trees or rainproofing. Some guys use a Harbor Freight tarp and two painter poles and are smugly happy with the cash still in their wallets. I have both the ARB and a Fiamma side by side, offroading and camping all over the western states and the Fiamma wins hands down.

If you don't lean your awning into trees or run it down tight, forested roads, that is fine, but realize that many people do. You are in the west and what works well out there doesn't necessarily work well out here in the Northeast. I need a durable awning and a Fiamma would end up in the trash after a single run. The Fiamma is a great unit and if I was more gentle on the truck, I would probably have one. Everyone has different needs. If there were a perfect product, everyone would be running the same thing and questions like this wouldn't have multiple replies.

In regards to your statements about the ARB cover not being durable; I have no idea where you get your information. The ARB cover is INCREDIBLY resistant to tree branches. I've used my ARB awning as a tree slider multiple times and dragged it through hundreds of miles of off-road trails this year, all in the Northeast with tight trails, tons of trees, and all on full size truck. My cover is still in fantastic condition with no holes or rips. The cover is absolutely durable.

Typical trail:


Current state of the awning (last weekend):




I have the 8' ARB on my truck and I had a different 8' ARB on my Defender. They are very hard to set up alone. The shorter ones are pretty easy but I am short, have a tall truck, and I just can't reach all the things I need to at the same time to set it up easily. I would like something a little easier to deploy, but I do not want to give up the length.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Yes, we all lean our CampTeqs into trees or punch awnings with our fists to test for durability. A more practical test is to drive through the tree branches and see how the ARB's fabric cover holds up. After you buy a second replacement ARB your price advantage vanishes. Anyone can design a biased scenario to support their purchases. Someone in the desert will never care about trees or rainproofing. Some guys use a Harbor Freight tarp and two painter poles and are smugly happy with the cash still in their wallets. I have both the ARB and a Fiamma side by side, offroading and camping all over the western states and the Fiamma wins hands down.

Sorry I did a poor job on my post and it hit a nerve. The point I was trying to make was the Fiamma is a great product it just was not durable enough for the trails I frequent. Again I like the Fiamma and it wins with its lightweight and sleek design but when compared to the ARB for durability we do not agree.

It is nice when your friends share you same needs in an awning and they can be combined. Providing 16'+ of shade for the same price as one Fiamma.

 

[teotwaki]

Sorry I did a poor job on my post and it hit a nerve. The point I was trying to make was the Fiamma is a great product it just was not durable enough for the trails I frequent. Again I like the Fiamma and it wins with its lightweight and sleek design but when compared to the ARB for durability we do not agree.

It is nice when your friends share you same needs in an awning and they can be combined. Providing 16'+ of shade for the same price as one Fiamma.

Ain't got no nerves about Fiammas or ARB awnings but what I do have are unemotional facts and direct comparisons of both over years of use. I own both and use them side by side unlike someone who chose one and vigorously defends only one based on some odd parameters: slamming their angry fist into it, carelessly slamming a tree into it or opening it next to their buddies' trucks. As an ARB goes on in life it starts to break down. The internal plastic tensioners of the telescoping poles have a tiny screw that tears out. The vinyl bag starts to discolor and delaminate where UV takes its toll. All of the half-priced Chinese awnings such as ARB, Ironman, Black Widow and Bangz-U brands share the same shortcomings. Fiamma has been selling in the US since 1980 and continuously refined the design. Two years from now ARB won't even have a manual for today's awning let alone spare parts. Whatever local beach trails you and the ARB go on are not much of a selling point once your factory ARB brackets crack like mine did. I custom made some new ones from 6061 aluminum angle stock and replaced the rusting nuts and bolts too. My Fiamma lives on my trailer which is towed over lots of hard trails in California, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Nothing has broken on it and it is older than the ARB. I realize that we live in a throw-away society and a cheaper ARB can be tossed when it breaks down but for the Fiamma I can order parts and keep using it for many more years.