Do you put your patio awning out?

[Chucker1]

Does anyone know if the ‘19 Ventanas have a kitchen slide awning? Specifically the 3709?

Thanks.

[scbwr]

I don't have any slide outs on the patio side. But when it comes to awnings, I can add my 2 cents worth. Our last travel trailer had one of the newer light weight electric awnings. Yes, they are very convenient but so sensitive to wind. Last year when we went to Florida, I finally started doing something I had never been keen on doing and that was I bought a tie down kit. It enabled me to leave the awning out pretty much all of the time when we were at the site. Whenever we left the site, I would quickly disconnect the tie down straps and retract the awning.

With the Bay Star, we have the old style manual awning. When we head to Florida (very soon), we'll be using the awning with a Vista Shade. I bought the electric version so I can quickly unzip the larger panel and tie down straps and retract the awning when necessary. The manual awning takes a bit more time to extend or retract, but I do like the stability and feel comfortable leaving it tied down except when weather dictates otherwise. If I had a slide out on the patio side, I'm pretty sure that I would do the same.

[Bill Hunt]

We had Newmar install the kitchen slideout awning on our 2017 Ventanna LE 4037. Works much better than the full awning.

[gkebb]

Originally Posted by mfredm

walmart sells these steel corkscrew in dog leash holders. i screw them in and use ratchet straps to anchor the awning. it works in even real high winds.

I used the same system on my Tiffin Open Road. Worked very well and no longer wondered if our awning was ok while we were away from the coach for an extended period of time.

[Nevermind Me]

Originally Posted by mfredm

walmart sells these steel corkscrew in dog leash holders. i screw them in and use ratchet straps to anchor the awning. it works in even real high winds.

My Awning has a wind sensor that is supposed to automatically retract the awning during strong winds. I don't expect that using tie-downs would be a good idea with this system but someone tell me I'm wrong.

[scbwr]

Originally Posted by leesimonson

My Awning has a wind sensor that is supposed to automatically retract the awning during strong winds. I don't expect that using tie-downs would be a good idea with this system but someone tell me I'm wrong.

As posted above, I've done it with an electric awning but it didn't have a sensor. If the awning is secured, it won't move enough to trigger the sensor or you could possibly disable to wind sensor by removing it's batteries if it is battery operated. Now, I wouldn't leave the awning tied down when not at the site or at night. That's why I used a strap system with a loop and hook so it was easy to remove the tie down strap and just retract the awning. Otherwise, you may find out that even in slight breezes, the awning starts bouncing up and down....I found it to be really annoying while in Florida last year. So, the tie down straps took care of the problem, and if done properly, will make you a lot happier and have no negative impact on the awning.

[srh]

I hardly put put my awnings. Learned that from our first experience - had a Jayco Seneca (Super C Class). On one of our very first trips when we went to the FL Pan Handle. Shortly after we got setup, my wife put out the large patio awing. We went out briefly to shop. While at the store, we had a cloud burst - rained real hard for a short period (8 to 10 minutes). When we got back to the camp site our awning had shattered into pieces due the weight of the rain water. That was a $2,500 experience in 2007! We learned our lesson.

[TUCSONRAIL]

To the OP. You have Girard ownings so you can just extend then a couple of feet to cover the slide. You can always disable the wind sensor if the awnings come in without permission.

[Boomer]

Camp at the beach a lot and now getting concerned. In our Canyon Star we left the awning out whenever we felt like, when the winds got unreasonable it would just retract itself. On gusts it would really move, but I was told by the factory this was how it was designed. When water would build up it would just dump itself (funny watching someone almost get it before we knew about this feature).
Haven't had a lot of experience with the new Ventana awning (coach only 3+ months old) , but everyone makes it sound like trusting things to work as designed is a bad approach. Are these thing designed that badly that worrying about them (awnings) is a full time job.
If the auto sensors don't work, why do they add the cost to install them?
Just an observation.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Camp at the beach a lot and now getting concerned. In our Canyon Star we left the awning out whenever we felt like, when the winds got unreasonable it would just retract itself. On gusts it would really move, but I was told by the factory this was how it was designed. When water would build up it would just dump itself (funny watching someone almost get it before we knew about this feature).

Haven't had a lot of experience with the new Ventana awning (coach only 3+ months old) , but everyone makes it sound like trusting things to work as designed is a bad approach. Are these thing designed that badly that worrying about them (awnings) is a full time job.

If the auto sensors don't work, why do they add the cost to install them?

Just an observation.

What you have works great and according to design.
However, gusts of wind can be severe, in multiple bursts, and much faster than a retracting awning.
I’ve seen many fast, messy awning demolitions, some where the “secure” stakes were ripped from the ground.
It’s just the weather and physics!
I try to get a site that faces West. That way the shade is on the patio side. If it isn’t raining, the awning can stay in.

[scbwr]

Related story to awnings: Years ago, we had a manual awning on our Sunline and were camping outside of Detroit for the purpose of seeing the Henry Ford museum. One evening, our awning was extended. DW had gone to the bedroom to read and I was sitting in the living/dining area killing time on the computer. My wife shouted out to me that "the wind seems to be kicking up" and before I could even get to the door of the trailer, it was blowing a gale. My wife went out with me and I told her to hold on to the tube of the awning while I started dropping it down so I could roll it up. The force of the wind was such that it lifted the awning also lifted her off the ground. With a little luck, we got the awning rolled up. The next morning, I walked around a bit and there were several trailers and rvs that had badly damaged or destroyed awnings. Stuff such as kids toys were all over the place and people were trying to get stuff to the rightful owners. That one incident was enough to teach me that stuff can happen very, very quickly!!

[cavie]

I am in a seasonal campsite in MA. My awning stays out 24/7 for four months. never take it in. 3 years now.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by cavie

I am in a seasonal campsite in MA. My awning stays out 24/7 for four months. never take it in. 3 years now.

Be patient.
Everyone deserves a good gust, or a double gust!
I had mine. The awning was IN. My neighbor? [emoji30]

[lensming]

Originally Posted by HavingABlast

It would be a real eye opener if Newmar insisted that their design, purchasing, and production staff spend a week on the road with a coach (preferably with an owner) so they could see and experience just how we use our coaches in real time. We might then have a whole new level of coach coming off of the line. I have no real big complaints myself. Just had a few “what were they thinking” moments.

If you've ever talked to some of these folks or taken a factory tour, you might be surprised to find out how few of them are RVers or have EVER used one of their own products. It would make sense to me to have people interested in the use of the product be the ones designing them, but that never seems to be the case...