My Back Porch: Custom Vehicle Awning

[articulate]

If we've shared a road and campsite together, you'll know that my favorite part of a good trip is hanging about camp, telling lies and toasting truths.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you about all the handy benefits of a shade awning. But what about a shade awning that turns into a privacy room? Stand up space to change clothes or shower. Girls like these kinds of things, and I currently travel with two babes <insert="pimp">.

So, here's the enchilada showing what I mean by "back porch":

The tent opens over the passenger side, the awning over the driver side. Making it open over the ladder of the tent would have been more ideal, but not practical with the space I have or mounting options for the awning. As time went on, I realized that awnings also need at least one vertical side to really produce some good shade - the sun is only directly over head at noon. This idea snowballed into turning this thing into a privacy tent.

Materials? Ripstop nylon for the awning sides/top, aluminum tubing for the frame.

(click on any of these pictures for a larger size)

Full privacy mode:


Kinda cool, eh? It measures 5' x 8' and the height is totally adjustable thanks to the Adventure Trailers awning brackets and the adjustable legs. The sides are sewn to the top piece of the awning so I can have just the top, or the top and one side, or the top and two sides, etc, etc, etc.


Kick back pseudo-privacy mode:


See how much fun I'm having?


Folded up:

The hardware that makes this possible are the awning brackets as made by Adventure Trailers for their trailers. I don't know when it hit me, but some time ago I was driving behind someone with a Chaser and when I noticed the brackets the whole thing came to me. Like Doc Brown whacking his head on the toilet and inventing the flux capacitor.


This is your sneak peek into Phase One of My Back Porch. Here are a few things that I still need to do:

• Install the zipper on the front piece for access
• Make a slip on "snuggable" cover
• I'd love to locate telescoping poles that use the twist lock devices, or find the twist lock hardware to install on my own aluminum poles (your advice is welcome)

When I embarked on this project I didn't even think to look at the aftermarket awnings because I didn't think anyone made one with sides for full privacy. Wrong. Eezi-Awn does. While I probably saved a few bucks, I think that buying one with the Recvee panels would have been far easier. But it's really fun tweaking this stuff to your own needs/desires/budget.

I've got to hand it to AT for producing those awning brackets and being willing to sell me a pair.

Cheers,
Mark

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Very nice Mark! .....now I'm starting to think you are my long lost Native American Brother! You know I love this stuff!


That just looks Excellent! ...and Yes!.....I Know how much fun you are having!


Your baby girl is looking soooo cute!




.

 

[ntsqd]

Mark,
Are the telescoping poles those that Cabela's sells? I've not seen them, so if they are not the Cabela's product they might offer the twist-lock solution that you are looking for.

I want to say that I have also seen a twist-lock version of the extendable pole handles used on large floats for finishing concrete slabs. Can't call up from memory where though.....

Another cool product that I've used in making stunt kites is a seam tape used by sailmakers to produce a non-sewn seam in their sails. It looks a bit like 3M's VHB double sided - no foam sticky tape, except that after you have placed everything where you want them you then iron the seam. I never had a stunt kite come apart using it. Might be ideal for putting zippers in.

HTH
Thom

 

[tdesanto]

Lookin' good, Mark; nice work.

 

[Corey]

Very cool and innovative.

 

[Lynn]

Nice work, Mark!

I've been daydreaming about doing something very similar on my someday camper.

Couple o' thoughts:

The Eezi-Awn's are way heavy. Your two-pole setup is much lighter, I'm sure. Also, I had an off-brand one (but I think it was made just as well as the official Eezi-Awn) that got twisted by the wind and it destroyed the framework. Another plus to your setup. However, you can buy the Eezi-Awn walls separately, and they might could be added to a design like yours if you used a 10X10 awning.

Thom mentioned the extendable handles used for concrete work. The ones I've seen are about 2.5" in diameter, and probably heavier than you need. But you could go to Home Depot or the like and check out extendable handles for paint rollers and stuff. I have one that's about 3/4", and I think it would be stout enough, and plenty light. You would just have to figure out how to replace the threaded end with a pin small enough to go through your grommets.

I'm toying with a design that has the tops of the walls permanently attached to the awning. If you don't want to use one (or all) of the walls, they could be folded to the inside and bungeed to the poles/roof rack on the opposite side (think double roof). For this to work, I think that the pole grommets would have to be on tabs extending an inch or so beyond the awning. Otherwise the poles would be in the way. I want to be able to fold in all three walls, then roll the whole thing up to store it.

With extra poles the sides can be raised to extend the awning if desired.

 

[paulj]

Having done most of my camping in wet climates (Pacific NW), the first thing that I noticed about this awning was its flatness. Great as a sunshade, problematic in rain

 

[Martyn]

Having done most of my camping in wet climates (Pacific NW), the first thing that I noticed about this awning was its flatness. Great as a sunshade, problematic in rain

There is a way to put double vertical extenders on the AT brackets, that would lift the inboard end up an other 6-8 inches giving a good pitch to the roof line.

Where Mark is camping he's is more concerned with shade than anything else I would think.

 

[articulate]

Rain: true, uh, the design is problematic. I think I can use one of those telescoping tent poles in the middle to give it some shedding.

Something I didn't emphasize is that this awning is self supported - it doesn't need guy lines and ground stakes. And as such, no tools (like a hammer) are needed either.

And the poles I've used are simple aluminum tubing I purchased from a metal store; I located those handy push button things you see in some nested tubes and did the same thing (at least on the arms). Those horizontal arms swing out and extend. A solid pole across the "front" connects the two legs and the arms; kind of erector-like. Where the legs attach to the arms is a tube connector that uses a threaded handle to secure the leg at the height I need, given the ground conditions. Anyway, the nylon awning just rolls out and is always affixed so it sets up rapidly.


It's those goofy legs (you can see them sticking up in the air); these are a product of what I had available to me. I'd prefer a nested telescoping type leg for those. Maybe those $20-ish telescoping poles I linked to above would be just fine .... ? They'd certainly be smaller. What you see in the pictures above is 1" alum tube.

Lynn and I are on the same page:

I'm toying with a design that has the tops of the walls permanently attached to the awning. If you don't want to use one (or all) of the walls, they could be folded to the inside and bungeed to the poles. . .For this to work, I think that the pole grommets would have to be on tabs extending an inch or so beyond the awning. Otherwise the poles would be in the way. I want to be able to fold in all three walls, then roll the whole thing up to store it.

I'm not sure what you mean by the poles being in the way without the grommets being on tabs.

If it helps, the sides here are sewn to the top in the same fashion you are describing -- so the sides could be folded in, or rolled up, or what ever. By the way, it's important to use a poly thread for this stuff that's going to see the elements.

 

[articulate]

There is a way to put double vertical extenders on the AT brackets, that would lift the inboard end up an other 6-8 inches giving a good pitch to the roof line.

There's another good idea!

 

[tdesanto]

...The Eezi-Awn's are way heavy. Your two-pole setup is much lighter, I'm sure.

Certainly the nylon is lighter than canvas; however, the Eezi-Awn's are not that heavy. The framing is all lightweight aluminum and the design is very well done.

 

[FourByLand]

Cool, Mark... glad to see you using your imagination!

I can't wait to see the final set-up.

 

[Atticus_1354]

If you do go for collapsible poles with twist locks I would be careful as I have seen several of those locks break leaving you with half the length. This still beats my setup that is just two collapsible poles salvaged from my parents old popup, a tarp and two stakes.

 

[highlandercj-7]

PSST.:sombrero:

Wally World and ********'s sell the sides and replacement tops for these to for the do it my self kinda folks, but at 80.00 or so it's so much EZier to get it and forget it. I have a huge 12x14 that I use for everything. When it's in it's bag its about a 10" square 4' long. I cover my entire trailer to keep the weather off the canvas.

 

[kcowyo]

As much as it pains me to do so, I must applaud not only your ingenuity but your perseverance in seeing your idea through. And the brackets from AT? Absolutely inspired.


:clapsmile

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