What's Best Reasonable Quality Awning

[hooperdoski]

Hi! I need to replace me awning. I'm looking for recommendations on which awning gives those most bang for the buck. It doesn't need to be the Cadillac Model and I don't want the cheapest either. Just looking for something in the middle that gives the most mileage per dollar.

Any help and/or opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[dons2346]

Manual model: ZipDee
Auto model: Girard

[wilco1]

Originally Posted by hooperdoski

Hi! I need to replace me awning. I'm looking for recommendations on which awning gives those most bang for the buck. It doesn't need to be the Cadillac Model and I don't want the cheapest either. Just looking for something in the middle that gives the most mileage per dollar.

Any help and/or opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

What sort of rig are you putting it on? What do you have now? How do you use it?

My last rig had the A&E 9500 series with the metal cover and acrylic fabric.

Pros: Provided great shade and rain protection, infinitely adjustable, fairly easy to clean and maintain, mechanically sound (i.e. no mech failures and still looked good over 12 years).

Cons: Manual extend and retract...a PITA in the wind.

My new rig has a fancy schmancy powered awning (Apex by A&E).

Pros: Push a button and it goes in and out. No arms underneath so it looks cute. Retracts by itself if it gets windy (really nice at 4AM when the wind comes up).

Cons: Mounted 12' up there, not adjustable, provides less shade, less rain protection, basically more cute than useful. And...one of these days, I'll push the button and nothing will happen!

My vote: A&E 9000 series.

[hogdriver]

My last RV had the manual Carefree awnings. It was pretty large and covered well. It was sometimes a two person job to deploy but it could be tied down well for wind. I liked that I could really lower the edge far or lower one end more than the other which really helps in rainy places. One of the negatives was the gust locks weren't that great and a few times I had to pull off the Hiway in Kansas when it billowed up to prevent losing it. It was 10 years old with a few more left.

My new RV has the electric Carefree awnings. I like that I can hit a button and deploy it. The downside is it doesn't take wind well and I'm afraid to lose it so everytime the wind picks up it slaps some and I end up taking it in. I end up taking it in and out almost daily. It has a wind sensor, but it rarely pulls in the awning even though the awning is making a lot of noise.

I think the Girard awnings are nice but I have no experience with them and they appear expensive. I have a small Girard like awning of the main door, built by Carefree with the scissor arms, and it has been bulletproof in major winds.

My vote....buy a nice manual awning, save the money from an electric awning for gas money.

[hooperdoski]

Gees, thanks for the recommendations. I didn't expect so many so soon.

One thing I should have explained better is: I currently have a manual awning on my Class "A" Motor Home and it's the awning fabric/material that needs replacement because of deterioration caused by the sun.

Thanks again.

[whem2fish]

Replace just the material is not hard at all you will need 3 people to do it I have done this many times

[wilco1]

If you're happy with the current awning and the mechanical parts are still good, I'm with whem2fish, just replace the fabric. Check around at boat awning and other such places as they can often make you a new canopy with a wide choice of materials for less than an OEM replacement.

I had a slideout awning fabric replacement made at a local place that cost less than half of the "official" replacement and it was two years past the life of the original when I sold the coach and was still "as new".