Additionally, if you want to use your awning in breezy conditions, look for an awning that has additional guy ropes and stakes so you can secure the awning in the wind. If you know the weather is going to turn foul, take your awning down ahead of the storm. Ease of Setup Setup by one person is straightforward, and the awning is adaptable to almost any type of vehicle. A nice feature is the option to orient the MoonShade with either the 9- or 7-foot side facing outward. To help jump-start your search and get you on the road, we’ve saddled up our rigs with the best of them to help find the perfect awning solution — whether you’re an overlander, or just need a little extra shade during soccer practice. Because everyone likes to get outside differently, and drives different vehicles, we’ve included awnings of all different stripes, including simple canopies to full 270-degree mobile room additions. Weavetex Awning Carpet supplied by The Caravan Supermarket Weavetex Awning Carpet Product Information It is not necessary to have these side fittings -- you can just peg the legs to the ground with the very strong supplied ground pegs.

A more important factor to consider is the type of storage the awning comes equipped with. The two main types are hard-sided and soft-sided cases. The Fiamma F45S is by far Europe's most popular box awning thanks to its ease of use, superior quality and features and extensive range of accessories. The F45S is a wind-out awning with automatically extending arms and drop down legs* which fold within the awning case. It's a great way to allow you to rapidly set up a simple canopy offering sun shade or rain shelter over a large area next to your campervan or motorhome.If you have a rear door that swings open from one side or the other, such as on some Jeeps and Toyota FJs, you’ll likely want your awning to cover the side of your vehicle the door doesn’t swing from, for easy access.

Finally, remember that your new awning isn’t weightless, and will add some additional heft, and windage to one side of your rig. Some overlanders who really load up with kit will find their vehicles sagging on one side or the other, and may need to fine-tune their suspension to combat it. Compatibility and Mounting When not in use, the MoonShade fits into a zippered bag 28 x 6 inches, weighing a little under 8 pounds. The compact dimensions are great for stowing inside and are much easier to transport. This also keeps weight off your roof when on the go, and doesn’t cut into fuel economy.

Camping

The ExoShell 270 offers a huge amount of shade (a full 121 sq. ft.) and weather protection from its 45-denier waterproof-treated ripstop polycotton awning material. It’s self-supporting, but it also comes with dropdown poles and guy wires included if you find yourself in high wind conditions. It’s so fast and easy to use that we can see ourselves popping it open for an afternoon mountain bike ride or even the kids’ soccer practice. Our interest is also in longevity, as you’ll likely be driving your adventure rig for a while, and will want your awning to follow suit. While your camping tent gets lovingly stuffed away in your gear closet for another day, roof-top awnings sit out the worst of it atop your vehicle, and we wanted to ensure that we didn’t have any short-lived fixtures in the mix. Rest assured: we installed these awnings, enjoyed them, and then enjoyed them some more for entire seasons of use. The age-old conundrum: what side should I mount my awning to? The first thing to understand is that while pull-out and 180º awnings can be mounted on either side, 270º awnings can only be mounted to the side they’re designed for — so it’s best to decide which side you fall on before purchasing. Most awnings will weigh in the range of 20 to 40 pounds. Assuming you’re keeping your awning permanently mounted, the weight shouldn’t be too much of an issue. However, you may need a second set of hands to help with the install.