What awning do you have on your Vario or other high MB truck?

[olafboswijk]

hi guys,

what kind of awning do you use on your Vario or other high MB truck?
we used to have a Fiamma, which got damaged on our trip in Central America so we got rid of it.
now considering getting an ARB, which is pretty much the only thing we can get here in Colombia but
the problem is the height of our truck which makes it nearly impossible to roll up the awning.
as far as we know ARB does not have a lever or system to roll it up automatically.

let me know if any of you have any great solutions or other brands we should check out.

thanks!
olaf

 

[Sitec]

Following with interest. I'm planning on building a recess into the side wall under the living windows, so an awning could be reached at a similar height to a normal Fourby...

 

[nick disjunkt]

I got mine from these guys:

http://theawningcompany.co.uk/

I've got the GH Jumbo, which winds out with a long pole. The only need to get up the awning is to screw in a knob which holds the awning from coming out when driving. I've forgotten to install it a few times and the awning hasn't moved a mm so I'm not sure its necessary.

They are heavy and expensive but the quality is very good, apart from the decorative plastic end caps (which don't survive tree branches well).

Having a 3m extension is fantastic, but honestly if I was doing it again, I'd probably use something smaller and simpler that can be clipped onto the side of the truck when needed.

 

[jostein]

Interesting topic, I am going to purchase one for my Vario not to far ahead.
I would like to have the possibility of attaching sidewalls.
Another thing that would be practical, especially for trucks without walk-trough from cab to camper, would be a solution which also covers the area above the trucks cab doors.

 

[olafboswijk]

thanks so far guys. is anybody using the ARB awning? the ARB one was sidewalls I think, at least mosquito netting type side walls if I'm correct.

 

[jostein]

For info on the ARB awnings i think you should try search other
parts of this forum for more info, since they are primært ment for SUV's. They can obviously be mounted to a truck as well, but you will probably not be able to mount it og above the entrance door due to height.

 

[olafboswijk]

thanks Jostein. I've been through the forum and the ARB website a few times. just wondering if someone did find a way to use the ARB awning on this type of truck. it's probably the only type of awning we get down here...

 

[olafboswijk]

thanks Jostein. I've been through the forum and the ARB website a few times. just wondering if someone did find a way to use the ARB awning on this type of truck. it's probably the only type of awning we get down here...

 

[Ozrockrat]

Maybe the answer is to use an ARB but grab a couple of these type of steps so you can roll it back into the cover. I have a couple of the same bag type awnings on my land cruisers in Australia and the one on the 6 wheeler is a pain to use because of the height. I do use a stick with a hook on the end to run the zipper along but you still need to do a balancing act to roll the awning into the cover and secure it.

 

[olafboswijk]

not a bad idea!

 

[Ullie]

This is how we do it. Just a airline rail on the outside with attaches and than a canopy. No problem with branches ore anything while driving and put up just as fast.

 

[rossvtaylor]

[/img]

This is how we do it. Just a airline rail on the outside with attaches and than a canopy. No problem with branches ore anything while driving and put up just as fast.

Hi Ullie, any chance you've got closer photos or any info on the "airline rail" you're using?

 

[Ullie]

This is the kind of attache

This is the kind of rail I have

The canopy is hooked to the attache with this

The rail and the attaches stay always on the truck. So to fix the canopy, it's just hooking in.

 

[Kiomon]

We have a Fiamma which we have also damaged While it still works, we have been exploring with some solar shade fabric. Its cheap $30 vs $800 of the fiamma, and it sheds winds, so it doesnt flap around too bad. Its killer against the sun, but does allow some rain through,so not great to sit under in heavy rain, but we just go inside for that. Here is a pic, the first day we got it. We string it out to a tree, or a peg in the ground. We are still refining it, and plan to post once more once we dial it all in. This particular one is cut as a triangle, we are also testing a square, but honestly the triangle is nice because its just one tie off point. We can deploy it just a tad slower than cranking the fiamma. Forgive the less than epic camping spot. ha ha





I don't think any awning, that isnt recessed into the side of the camper will be safe on a big rig and branches. Due to the way our box is mounted, it moves independent of the cab, so as i am threading us through the narrows, its impossible not to have something scrape in the narrows.

 

[thebigblue]

Right on! I´ve using a triangular sun-sail from our local hardware shop (Silvan), it measures 5 by 5 m. and is dirt cheap

It´s easy to put up and is independent from how you park your truck, for the pole I used and expandable rod made for mounting painters rollers on....