Actually no. I've done that in the past. I was thinking pretty much what you had done just using the cheaper materials. I already have some old extendable poles.
Ahhh, now I see what you meant
In reality I prefer an easy up or my screen house most times. We usually set up a base camp and the vehicles are in and out wheeling. Makes a vehicle awning impractical a lot of times. In the heavy eastern forests we wheel in the chances of the awning (of any sort) getting caught on branches and brush while wheeling is high as is the damage factor. This is the main reason I hadn't pursured it yet. Might be nice for beach trips though. keep up the good work. Can't wait for your next project.
We have the same issue here in Washington, lots of overhanging branches, narrow trails, and potential for damage. It's one of the deciding factors of doing it 'cheap' if I cause any damage it's not like I broke anything uber-valuable, and replacement parts are easy to find. Here's a link to a video of part of the trip a few of us went on end of July, amazingly enough, after a lot of similar stuff, the cheapo awning survived with a couple scratches but no cuts (whew).
![](http://evldave.smugmug.com/Camping-Outdoors-1/WABDR-July-2011/i-mHkSzmj/0/M/MVI1312-M.jpg)
That said, I'm working on 'protection' to reduce the opportunity for damage. But yeah, it's an issue :smilies27
As for the screen room...bleh, I've toyed with this back and forth...pretty much everyone I know has one, and they are great, very quick setup, portable around camp, and you don't have to put away when you go exploring from base camp (which we like to do as well, hence me getting a trailer). I also do a lot of drive-camp-drive-camp-drive trips, and was worried about the setup/takedown time.
Here's where I ended up (at least for today, this will probably change next time I go camping):
Rooftop awnings v Portable canopies:
PRO Awning
- Always ready to go
- Low footprint in/on vehicle
- 'Expo' coolness factor
CON Awning
- Exposed to elements/damage
- Somewhat complicated setup
- More expensive
PRO Canopy
- Ease of setup
- Portability around camp
- Cost
CON Canopy
- Heavy
- Bulky
From a setup/takedown perspective, it's nearly a wash for time. Once I come up with my cheapo protection, the awning itself will be protected by the roof rack and other stuff. Building it myself made the costs pretty similar.
Ultimately (at least for now), I made my decision on one factor:
The pop-up canopies take up room that can be used to bring more beer :beer::beer::beer:
You're talking screen so I'll give you another cheapy idea. Flexible magnets from refridgerator door seals at the land fill. Easy to sew into the edge of many types of cloth construction. Nice way to seal to the body. I've used them on several projects.
AWESOME IDEA!! I've used velcro and snaps in the past and wanted something a little easier...magnets are the way to go!