Awning yes or no?

[semievolved]

We just ordered a 16' scamp, YAY! We are debating getting an awning. Besides being expensive we wonder how often we'll use it especially since we are in the southwest where winds are always blowing. But, we plan to travel to rainier climes and we just are trying to get a sense if the awning will get much use or end up being expensive extra weight.

What are your opinions on awnings?

Thank you

[deryk]

Could go the vintage style awning route maybe a 3rd the price(less if you build it yourself like I did!) since the 2 ends just get staked out of its real windy dont have to worry about the awning frame bending(somewhere here is a photo of one of those awnings blown over the top of the trailer all bent up) I like simplicity.

[Byron Kinnaman]

No awning. There's too many times (places) where an awning wouldn't be practical. Something moveable suits us better.

[Jim Bennett]

I would never want to be without one.

Unless it is a quick overnight stop, ours gets set up right away all the time. Not only is it a great marshaling and sitting area out of the rain keeping our outside gear dry, it also aids in keeping the trailer cooler on hot sunny days.

[deryk]

You definatly want something to get out of the sun or rain since lets face it these are small caravan's....if it was 35' with 4 tipouts bigger then my home it wouldn't matter as much lol...

I seriously thought of just useing a 10x10 ez-up but 1 person setting it up its a bit of work and they are heavy... When I find the right sized trunk for my rear cargo carrier I can put the maybe 5 lbs of awning in its bag and stick it on top of the hoses and blocks, the 7 poles on the tongue behind the propane cans and if Im just staying in a friends side yard for the weekend its out of the way not taking up room in my caravan or the Rav4. Im adding gromets so I can hang a light side curtain for a bit of privacy if needed or to keep the setting sun out of my eyes.

Im actually reworking my awning this weekend... making a few changes!

[Jon Vermilye]

While the awning is helpful in a light rain, if there is any wind, you are going to get wet. I find mine useful for providing shade, however I often find the wind is strong enough that I have to leave it closed.

[daltenes]

Awning gets my vote. I don't know about the Scamp people but a factory ordered/installed awning thru Casita is nicely discounted as opposed to the price if ordered/installed after-market. Check with your salesperson about the factory price.

[Jim Bennett]

It is nice that we have a 12' awning. We have had a large picnic table with 10 people under ours in the pouring rain. You do have to stay back a bit from the edges if windy, but it sure does beat any other alternative to being outside in the rain.

One thing we do is to drop the one end real low, as it helps in the wind, and scoots the water off quick in heavy downpours.

[Carol H]

Awning Yes!!! Wouldnt want a trailer without one.

Nice to have something on the trailer for shade as well as rain. Always with you and not taking up storage space elsewhere as a free standing pop up will or a bag awning will. The trailers awning doesnt provide a great deal of dry area but enough to get you in and out of the trailer and get your wet gear off and shack it all off before taking into the trailer - can also leave the wet boots/shoes outside. Also large enough for two people to sit under with a small propane fire in wet weather & able to set up an outside BQ or stove for cooking. I do have another larger stand alone pop up tent I will bring on short trips in wet weather & more than two people will be using the fire pit but when traveling for more than a few days I dont bring it - its heavy and takes up to much space.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

One thing we do is to drop the one end real low, as it helps in the wind, and scoots the water off quick in heavy downpours.

And, you don't have to open the awning all the way. Open it half way and it provides some shelter from rain and isn't as affected by wind.

[Ray N]

We have an awning but haven't bothered to put it up in about the last twenty or so nights that we've been camping. The lady that joined us in her motor home on our last camping trip said that they had an awning but removed it since they never used it and it was just extra weight. That being said, if we lived where most of the state parks weren't heavily wooded AND we camped when it was hot, I would probably opt for the awning again; as it was, it was just an unnecessary expense for us in our situation.

[steve dunham]

Under the awning is a great place to prepare food , eat or just sit when its hot & sunny or when it raining but not when it is really windy

[accrete]

Cari & i have a Fiama F45 on our van conversion and rarely are able to deploy it due to winds in camp each afternoon at the rivers we frequent. We decided not to have one on the Parkliner for that reason. Plus we camp/park in the shade with few exceptions in the PNW.

[David Tilston]

We use ours.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I have put at least one awning away on trailer that didn't belong to me because of the winds, which almost ripped the awning off the trailer.

If like to keep busy an awning might be the thing for you. Everytime you leave camp you need to make sure the awning is put away, winds do come up during the day will destroy an awning.

[Steve L.]

The awning is something I use every trip.

I think a key is the ease of deployment. I have the crank-out awing and it's the cat's pajamas. I've seen bag-type awnings I wouldn't have anything to do with.

But you're going to want to stow it before going off for the day.

[santacruzer]

I love having an awning. When I had a pop-up I even put a smaller awning on the driver side to provide shade on that side of trailer. Haven't experienced high winds yet in the Escape (only rain so far), but on the pop-ups we went through some pretty good storms. Much depends on how you secure them, I've found it's almost always necessary to have more than the factory stakes and lines. And knowing when to take them down plays a part, too.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

If like to keep busy an awning might be the thing for you. Everytime you leave camp you need to make sure the awning is put away, winds do come up during the day will destroy an awning.

Deploying and retracting the awing is at most a two minute job for one person. Time therefore is not even a consideration for me given the merits.

Originally Posted by Steve L.

I've seen bag-type awnings I wouldn't have anything to do with.

But you're going to want to stow it before going off for the day.

I used the bag type on a tent trailer many years ago. Though not fun to set up, plus they did not shed water as good, and were way worse in the wind, I still preferred it to nothing.

I rarely will put away the awning when off for the day, unless I expect it will be very windy. Knock on wood, it has never been an issue, but I do either have the arms attached to the trailer, or firmly staked to the ground.

[semievolved]

great replies!

let me be a bit more quantitative. Scamp wants $810 (including a 10%) discount for their awning, which seems like a lot.

not having seen one set up i don't have a sense for how well secured it is. if it's windy, do you run guy lines down to stakes or trees to help secure it?

if it is just set up the basic way, what sort of winds could it reasonably be expected to endure without damage?

[Jim Bennett]

I just looked at Scamps site, and it seems they don't use arms on their awnings, at least I saw none. Do they just use a bag type awning?

Escape uses a Carefree Fiesta which has the arms as seen in this photo, which is quite different. My comments were all based on this design, and I would be way more likely to bring it back in without these arms.