awning straps

[bandmbrown]

on the drivers side of our coach we pull down the awnings manually. this is done by inserting a "hook" into the ends of the straps near the top of the coach.
the folded over ends of these straps are held open by a wide thin plastic insert.
anyway...this plastic insert has busted on both awnings and the ends have collapsed and it is getting difficult to get the "hook" in.
anybody run into this problem and arrived at a good solution.
thanks
bob

[dons2346]

Glue a little piece of inner tube inside the loop.

[bandmbrown]

thanks for the suggestion..i'm wondering if the inner tube is ridged enough to keep the loop open. but good approach...i think i'll go wander thru home depot to see if i can find a substitute...maybe in blinds.
thanks again.

[H. Miller]

We had one that the "loop" came off (to much flapping). Believe it was Camping World that had new ones (2 per pack) for less than $10.

[dons2346]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bandmbrown thanks for the suggestion..i'm wondering if the inner tube is ridged enough to keep the loop open.........

My Zip Dee awnings came with a piece of rubber in the loops. I didn't like it because, if you didn't pull the awnings down, the little tag would bump on the coach when the wind blew. Boink, boink, all night long. I finally removed the rubber pieces.

Hit one of the tire stores for a free inner tube.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I saw this tip, but never tried it myslef:

Quote:

To keep the loop open, turn the loop inside out. At the fold, put a bead of silicone. When dry, reverse the strap to normal position

[bandmbrown]

thanks guys.
i think i'll try the silicone idea...just cause i want to see if it works
but, still like the inner tube idea...will get some soon just in case.

[bandmbrown]

here's a review of what i did and how it worked.
i liked the silicone idea and i liked the rubber idea.
problem was no tire store around...so i went into my
zip tie collection, found a few, cut them to length,
the siliconed them in place.
the results are sweeeet...worked like a charm.