First Impressions Smitty Built Awning

[ManfromSnowyRiver]

So we all see the over landing "trends and gizmos". I was a bit dubious about awnings but ended up with one for my birthday. Esther went with a Smitty Built, quite a surprise considering there reputation for poor quality. But it had some of the better reviews on the market while being cheaper. Part of that has to do with the fact some of the others take an engineering degree to mount and come with out hardware.

So what is an awning good for? Mostly rain. And on its July 4th maiden voyage it did not stop raining for days! We would park parallel to camp and run the awning to the edge of the campfire. Its never fun being stuck in vehicles or tents. While we also had a tarp over the kitchen area, tarps are a major hassle to get tied up right. We had hours into ours.

However with the awning it takes just a few minutes to set up or take down. The pole hardware seems cheesy but works. Will have to see what the long term durability is. Set up and take down is best done with 2 people.

One of my favorite experiences was the dreaded rained out lunch hour, so common in the Rockies. We were able to hop out, set the awning up, and kick back while enjoying the views and eating.

Obviously for beaches, lakes, sunny areas lacking trees, ect this awning will come in handy as well. But so far, its an enjoyable addition.

 

[bikerjosh]

Cool, thanks for the review. Look forward to pictures. Always liked the idea of an awning, but never pulled the trigger due to concerns with durability. -Josh

 

[PA_JERO]

The real test will be the sierras, hopefully it doesn't get munched on dusy with all of its loving trees all over. Hahahahah

 

[ManfromSnowyRiver]

Yeh, going to have to watch the trees

 

[Kevin108]

I've not been able to put mine to use nearly as often as I'd intended, but the quality seems excellent. I think the complaints about Smittybilt are largely overstated so people who've paid more for the same thing with a different brand's name on the cover can feel good about themselves.

 

[AutoXSS]

Anyone have any pics of one mounted to a gen3 Monty? I'd like to see the actual mounting, if mounted to the stock rails

 

[Kevin108]

It comes with u-bolts and L-brackets.

 

[AZPAJERO]

So we all see the over landing "trends and gizmos". I was a bit dubious about awnings but ended up with one for my birthday. Esther went with a Smitty Built, quite a surprise considering there reputation for poor quality. But it had some of the better reviews on the market while being cheaper. Part of that has to do with the fact some of the others take an engineering degree to mount and come with out hardware.

So what is an awning good for? Mostly rain. And on its July 4th maiden voyage it did not stop raining for days! We would park parallel to camp and run the awning to the edge of the campfire. Its never fun being stuck in vehicles or tents. While we also had a tarp over the kitchen area, tarps are a major hassle to get tied up right. We had hours into ours.

However with the awning it takes just a few minutes to set up or take down. The pole hardware seems cheesy but works. Will have to see what the long term durability is. Set up and take down is best done with 2 people.

One of my favorite experiences was the dreaded rained out lunch hour, so common in the Rockies. We were able to hop out, set the awning up, and kick back while enjoying the views and eating.

Obviously for beaches, lakes, sunny areas lacking trees, ect this awning will come in handy as well. But so far, its an enjoyable addition.

Any pics of your setup?