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Old 08-24-2016, 11:44 AM   #1
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KingCamp Compass Awning

This one is available on Amazon for about $90. It appears to be very lightweight, packs in a bag, and has several options for attaching to your vehicle, truck, hatchback, van.

I've been through the questions and the reviews, and although no one has tried it on a trailer, it is used successfully on the side of a van.

I think this might be a decent option for those of us who don't want to screw an awning rail onto the side of our trailers....

https://www.amazon.com/Kingcamp%C2%A...ct_top?ie=UTF8

I have been carrying a pop-up 10x10' shade with us, but it weighs a ton, and we don't always have a good spot to set it up (so dealing with the extra weight on the trip has been for naught). You could keep something like this in your trailer all the time, and only use it when you need it...
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Old 08-24-2016, 02:03 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Ellpea in CA View Post
This one is available on Amazon for about $90. It appears to be very lightweight, packs in a bag, and has several options for attaching to your vehicle, truck, hatchback, van.

I've been through the questions and the reviews, and although no one has tried it on a trailer, it is used successfully on the side of a van.

I think this might be a decent option for those of us who don't want to screw an awning rail onto the side of our trailers....

https://www.amazon.com/Kingcamp%C2%A...ct_top?ie=UTF8

I have been carrying a pop-up 10x10' shade with us, but it weighs a ton, and we don't always have a good spot to set it up (so dealing with the extra weight on the trip has been for naught). You could keep something like this in your trailer all the time, and only use it when you need it...
It is a nice version of that style because it has vents up at the top. That helps reduce the lifting up and flying away factor when wind gets underneath it. It is a good starting point that could be made more versatile.

Of course if it is really windy you could have a secondary optional top made for it out of shade cloth which lets the wind blow right through but cuts the heat and glare by up to 90 percent. You might also want at least one side curtain drop.

I would want to switch out to more substantial upright, adjustable poles but those are an easy upgrade to buy on their own.
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Old 08-24-2016, 05:37 PM   #3
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It is a nice version of that style because it has vents up at the top. That helps reduce the lifting up and flying away factor when wind gets underneath it. It is a good starting point that could be made more versatile.

Of course if it is really windy you could have a secondary optional top made for it out of shade cloth which lets the wind blow right through but cuts the heat and glare by up to 90 percent. You might also want at least one side curtain drop.

I would want to switch out to more substantial upright, adjustable poles but those are an easy upgrade to buy on their own.
That's just what I was thinking. I decided to GO for it, and placed an order. I did read that the poles were not always reliable. BUT, I have a collection of poles for my tent and rainfly, so I suspect I can improvise. I also have all kinds of shade/side curtain drop options. But the best way to figure it out is to get it and fool with it, which is just what is going to happen!
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Old 08-24-2016, 05:42 PM   #4
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Oh, and the "anti-" sail factor is a plus, since its first outing will be at Big Lagoon, where we are going to, erm, SAIL!

(Oh, edit. First outing is at FGRV Rally in Quincy!)
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Old 08-24-2016, 06:21 PM   #5
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That's just what I was thinking. I decided to GO for it, and placed an order. I did read that the poles were not always reliable. BUT, I have a collection of poles for my tent and rainfly, so I suspect I can improvise. I also have all kinds of shade/side curtain drop options. But the best way to figure it out is to get it and fool with it, which is just what is going to happen!
Glad you ordered it, I do think it a pretty good option for our little trailers.
If you add a piece of kedder rope to the edge that touches the trailer it could slide right into an awning rail. That will be my first easy and inexpensive modification if I get one!
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Old 08-25-2016, 12:13 PM   #6
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Please keep us all posted on how u like it and your mods. Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV
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Old 08-25-2016, 03:21 PM   #7
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I have something like that made by Kelty (doesn't seem available now) that also had sides and was meant to attach to a car luggage rack. It was a pain to put the poles into so I ended up not using it much. It was just easier to use a popup. But granted that weighs more!
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Old 08-25-2016, 04:11 PM   #8
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That looks pretty slick.
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Old 08-27-2016, 04:13 PM   #9
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This awning is going to work well, I think!

It arrived yesterday, and comes in a neat little duffle bag.

Today I opened everything and spread it out behind our car. Since this does attach to vehicles, I thought I'd start with that and get a handle on the process. (Plus, the Lil Bigfoot is currently parked in a somewhat hot and stickery place).

I could do everything for putting this together EXCEPT get the ends of the fiberglass supports in the final two slots. Hubby had to help me lift it up and bow the supports to get the ends in. Otherwise, it's very easy and self-explanatory.

Although we did attach the two support poles to get a look at it, we didn't leave it up as there was no place in the driveway to stake it out. However, we WILL be setting it up in 6 days at Big Lagoon, so we should have a good handle on it there.

One thing I noticed when putting this away was that, although it is set up to attach the short side to your vehicle, it can easily be swapped out to attach the long side... which is actually better alongside our trailers, I think.

The long side measures about 11.5 feet, but the awning is designed to sort of drape *around*, so I think it would slide well onto the roof of the trailer and drape just a bit over front and back. That way it could be secured to the rock guard, tongue, tire cover, or other handy spots.

Because it has that domed "roof" design, I don't think there is any risk of having the trailer door hit the awning.

Because it has a nice vent/window in the dome, it will not collect heat.

Although there were some negative reviews on Amazon about the poles, the ones I'm looking at all seem to be good quality. The fixings and stitching all look very good to me.

KarinC suggested hemming a rope to one side so it could attach to an awning rail, and I think that could certainly be done, although some fabric might have to be added to make it work. I'll probably keep this as it is, as I like the flexibility of using it in either direction on the trailer and/or the car.

More photos of it set up after next weekend!
Attached Thumbnails
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20160827_125322[1].jpg   20160827_131135[1].jpg  

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Old 08-27-2016, 04:56 PM   #10
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Oh, and the "anti-" sail factor is a plus, since its first outing will be at Big Lagoon, where we are going to, erm, SAIL!

(Oh, edit. First outing is at FGRV Rally in Quincy!)
Edit again. Just realized Quincy is AFTER Big Lagoon, and Big Lagoon is NEXT WEEKEND. OMG. Panic prep mode ensues.
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Old 08-30-2016, 11:50 AM   #11
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That looks like a nice little awning, it reminded me of the granger mountain that was popular among some of the FGFRV crowd.



What we noticed is that if we took the vertical support poles off we could use it leaned up against Parkliner or van as you show off the back of your vehicle. Hunker'd down with a couple stakes and bungeed to the roof rack and it should handle quite the storm?

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Old 08-30-2016, 12:07 PM   #12
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That looks like a nice little awning, it reminded me of the granger mountain that was popular among some of the FGFRV crowd.



What we noticed is that if we took the vertical support poles off we could use it leaned up against Parkliner or van as you show off the back of your vehicle. Hunker'd down with a couple stakes and bungeed to the roof rack and it should handle quite the storm?

: ) Thom
Yes, there seem to be about 5 different ways to use it, at various angles and heights. So I'm pretty stoked to find out how it will behave in the real world, as opposed to just behind my car! (But I'm also glad that I can use it when we go to the lake without the trailer -- the marina parking lot is shade-free, and we can put this up in the space behind our hatchback, and have some very good shade!)
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Old 08-30-2016, 02:29 PM   #13
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When my paint job on my Campster is finished I will be installing some Sea-Dog Camcleats on it. They are handy for holding rope lines tight. Good for lashing down a tarp/cover. They might also be just the thing to secure those flaps on your new awning.

You need to figure out what direction the line will enter the cleat and choose the appropriate type for that situation.

Don has some he put on the back of his Cargo trailer. He installed them with VHB tape rather than screwing into structure. But remember you do have to figure out which cleat and which way to face it. But once on and you have your rope length just right you can secure it in place in seconds without needing to tie any knots.
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Old 08-30-2016, 02:40 PM   #14
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Your awning looks a lot like the one sold by Bus Depot. Bus Depot sells side panels for theirs to turn it into a screen room. Awnings, Tents, and Add-A-Rooms

Unfortunately the fabric is nylon rather than polyester so it won't last as long as poly since it will be more susceptible to UV damage.....But there are spray on products that can help with UV protection.
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Old 08-30-2016, 03:17 PM   #15
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When my paint job on my Campster is finished I will be installing some Sea-Dog Camcleats on it. They are handy for holding rope lines tight. Good for lashing down a tarp/cover. They might also be just the thing to secure those flaps on your new awning.

You need to figure out what direction the line will enter the cleat and choose the appropriate type for that situation.

Don has some he put on the back of his Cargo trailer. He installed them with VHB tape rather than screwing into structure. But remember you do have to figure out which cleat and which way to face it. But once on and you have your rope length just right you can secure it in place in seconds without needing to tie any knots.
What a *sailory* kind of suggestion! When we had our LB out at the lake over Memorial day weekend, I was struggling to tie up some kind of awning. (True fact: Triangular sail shades are really hard to use.). We were taking up five parking stalls! Volvo with trailer attached. Space next to trailer. Van next stall over. And next to van, the vintage woody Snipe which was up for sale (five years of that kind of athletic sailing was enough for me, and DH is back to his El Toro).

While I was fussing and trying to get this triangular thing stretched tight in all directions, hubby took one end, threw it over the top of the van, and attached it to a cleat on the deck of the Snipe.

Awesome.

So... Have been plotting ever since to install cleats on the LB once we determine the awning setup! Here's a link to that thread: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-75004.html

And, for good measure, the article which contains the photo of our "spread" on the front page of the local paper (which amply illlustrates why rectangular awnings are better). http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ame-74999.html

So, yes, I think marine cleats for awnings are a fabulous hack. I'm also glad to see the link you sent, because that's a different kind of cleat than I'm familiar with, and it gives me additional options :-)
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Old 08-31-2016, 01:27 PM   #16
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Yes, there seem to be about 5 different ways to use it, at various angles and heights..!
WoooHoooo... I found the picture I was looking for! I think you will really like that awning. So many ways to set it up.



One thing we did was to utilize a couple of foam-knee pads used out in the garden between the fiberglass pole end/loop-pouch and the top of the trailer so there would be some cushion.

: ) Thom
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Old 08-31-2016, 01:54 PM   #17
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What a *sailory* kind of suggestion!
*************************So, yes, I think marine cleats for awnings are a fabulous hack. I'm also glad to see the link you sent, because that's a different kind of cleat than I'm familiar with, and it gives me additional options :-)
Sailory is what you get from someone who lives in and around boats and has a West Marine store in the building where I am working

Some of those cleats in the link do come in the color white which would be less noticeable on your trailer than the black ones.
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:22 PM   #18
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Sailory is what you get from someone who lives in and around boats and has a West Marine store in the building where I am working

Some of those cleats in the link do come in the color white which would be less noticeable on your trailer than the black ones.
Well, that must be why I like it. Hubby has been sailory for around 45 years, and I like the *atmosphere.*. We have a small West Marine here, and I love hanging out in the hardware/fittings area, just looking at doodads and mulling what we could do with them. But this one isn't anything compared to the one near Sausalito -- he speaks of that one as others might speak of Jerusalem.
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:29 PM   #19
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Your awning looks a lot like the one sold by Bus Depot. Bus Depot sells side panels for theirs to turn it into a screen room. Awnings, Tents, and Add-A-Rooms

Unfortunately the fabric is nylon rather than polyester so it won't last as long as poly since it will be more susceptible to UV damage.....But there are spray on products that can help with UV protection.
I was really tempted by the Bus Depot ones, but although they say you don't need to do any drilling to use them, their website doesn't *quite* explain how they are attached. I looked again at them before ordering this one, just because I do like the idea of having a screen room. It may be just that their set-up looked a little sad and *droopy,* but finally decided to try this first. It it's not just right on the trailer, we can still use it on the car and the van (and even on the side of the house on the patio).

I am sorry though, that the nylon won't hold up as well. OTOH, we won't be giving it a lot of hard use, at least not right away. Do you have a spray-on product to recommend?
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Old 08-31-2016, 03:32 PM   #20
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WoooHoooo... I found the picture I was looking for! I think you will really like that awning. So many ways to set it up.



One thing we did was to utilize a couple of foam-knee pads used out in the garden between the fiberglass pole end/loop-pouch and the top of the trailer so there would be some cushion.

: ) Thom
Thom, that's great advice! I wouldn't have thought of this until we were out in the wild and away from garden pad shops. (We do have ONE we travel with for hubby's knees when he's down adjusting jacks and chains and stuff). I'll add this to my list of necessities!
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