I got my hands on our shop demo model ExoShell last week and will be running it on my personal 80 for the Fall and Winter. Some initial thoughts and observations.
The ExoShell is a totally new design awning from the ground up, designed and made by iKamper. The hard case benefits, in my opinion, are that they allow you to easily deploy and stow the awning, since you eliminate the need for straps to secure the large amount of fabric. You just swing the arms in to a catch point in the case and tuck the fabric below the arms inside the case. The hard case also arguably can resist scratches and abrasion better than a polyurethane or PVC bag which may tear easier. This specific hard case also has room inside when closed to hold gear, such as all the vertical poles, guy ropes, stakes, straps etc.
The awning fabric and arms are finished very well and seem to be of typical high quality coming from iKamper. The straps to pull the awning taught are nice and work well. They do have walls in the works too, as there are Velcro provisions all around the edge of each side. There are vertical poles that stow in each arm for easy and quick setup if the wind picks up.
I really like the extra shading over the back of the vehicle and just forward of the awning body. They also have an angled bit of fabric that tucks above your roof so that there is no gap between the awning and the hatch of my vehicle to let rain thru.
The awning mounts to proprietary brackets from iKamper that seem very beefy and should mount to most racks and bars. If you want to remove the awning from the brackets, it is a quick loosening of 4 M10 bolts and the awning can pivot and lift off. No hardware removal needed.
I haven’t gotten it out on the trail yet but will be putting it through it’s paces in a couple weeks in Death Valley on our annual Thanksgiving trip.
