Awning - Aww no

[Dodge75]

Hi guys, my family and I are camping in my 2004 Keystone Outback. Where we camp is a remote beach in Northwestern Ontario on a big Lake. It gets windy.

My previous motorhome a 1975 model, had a Viking awning. That unit was heavy duty and no issues. My new awning has been taking a beating and basically the horizontal support bars are trashed.

One thing about this camper is that the top of the door is close to the awning so you need to extend the awning really high or the door hits the fabric. That puts more stress.

A lot of campers have lost their awnings up there and lots just dont dare use them.

I was thinking of pegging the arms vertical in the sand and using guy lines. I had it tied down that way to my truck this week after it broke. The tie downs would create "hippy traps" though.

And what anchor would be really secure in a sand beach that I can take with me at the end of the season since we can't leave anything behind.

Of course it is tempting to replace the broken part but it is light duty and seems pointless. I don't want the awning down if it is windy I want it up in all weather.

Thoughts?

[slowmachine]

Tie a line around a piece of wood or a rock. Bury it in the sand.

[St8-e]

Don’t expect it to last too long if the wind is that bad...it’ll tear at the seam where it attaches along your roof line...

Once you effectively anchor the side arms down...that’ll be your next weak point...

Awnings simply are not designed to take a beating by wind

[tuffr2]

I used the screw type that are really to stake out a dog. Home Depot had nice orange ones.

Agree that it will start to rip where it attaches to the trailer. That actually happened to me when a storm blew in on a nice sunny day. We were on a pontoon boat when we saw black clouds. In 10 minutes the winds were 50 - 60 mph. We did not have time to loosen and take in the manual awning. The screws in the ground held as designed but after the storm I saw a 3" area that started to pull away from the trailer. Not real bad but you could see it if you knew where to look.

The worse storms I have been in have been on lakes it seems.

My advice is not to use the awning unless it is calm. That is easier said than done with those manual awning.

With a smart phone app I think you can see storms coming so you have a heads up. I use 'Radar Express' which shows rain.

Good luck

[slowmachine]

Instead of the flimsy RV awning, you could try some shade cloth.

https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=shade+clot..._ss_ts-o-p_9_5

Burlap or gunny cloth works too, and is biodegradable if you lose it.

[psmiller]

Not a fan of the "wimpy" electric awnings...would choose a manual with beefier arms over an electrical awning if given a choice. More evidence that the folks who design and build them dont use them.

[Dodge75]

Originally Posted by psmiller

Not a fan of the "wimpy" electric awnings...would choose a manual with beefier arms over an electrical awning if given a choice. More evidence that the folks who design and build them dont use them.

My awning is manual but the supports are made of light gauge aluminum tubing.

[Dodge75]

Burying logs as "dead man anchors" seems to be the winning idea so far. Doesn't cost me anything either. I do realize the seam where it meets the camper could be next but mine is fairing really well and is anchored to the aluminum frame of the camper. Besides what's the worse that could happen since the alternative is no awning or replacement.

[RobbieH]

The corkscrew you see above, those work. They are "dog anchors". No kidding, if you search Amazon for "corkscrew dog anchor" they will come up.

[Dodge75]

Thanks, I am skeptical though, the sand is really soft. Soft enough that I sometimes need to make a track out of plywood strips to make the camper roll. I think I have some similar anchors already though, they came with my tarp shed.

[RobbieH]

I've also used 5 gal buckets full of water, spare tires, etc. That said, I'm a redneck, so we have our own engineering.

[1st-tt2018]

What about these?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014RQZZC0..._n.m7EbBE2F65V

[Dodge75]

Originally Posted by RobbieH

I've also used 5 gal buckets full of water, spare tires, etc. That said, I'm a redneck, so we have our own engineering.

Haha we are pretty redneck too, but boon docking in the middle of nowhere seems to inspire the highest levels of redneckery for us. Spare tires or 5 gal buckets full of sand might make make sense for me too. Thanks.

[Dodge75]

Originally Posted by 1st-tt2018

What about these?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014RQZZC0..._n.m7EbBE2F65V

Plastic so I wouldn't chance it but looks like it works like the metal ones. Probably going to go with burying something since it will be more bomb proof.