Tip: How to Keep Your Awning from Opening While Driving

[Oz]

Sent: 2/15/2006

Here's what I do as insurance against the awning from accidentally pulling-away from the body or opening while driving:

I wrap 2 Velcro straps (the kind with the buckle so you can pull the strap through and attach it in the opposite direction) around both the awning upright arms -- somewhere where they won't slip down the rails... one high, and one mid-way up.  If it's really windy, I move both straps to the upper 3rd and add another one at the lower end (am I overly paranoid?)

Even if I were to hit a bump and dislodge the awning from the travel anchor slots at the top rail, the velcro straps will keep the arms from opening.  I drove about 125 miles once not knowing the front end of the awning wasn't seated properly until I reached the campground.  With an OEM awning, I feint to imagine what would have happened without those straps.  A lot of insurance for very little money.

And, if your return tension is weak on the awning roller spring, adjust it as soon as possible!  If you don't have an awning with an "open/close" lever (reversible locking mechanism), the wind can get under it and unfurl it without the struts coming away from the body!

Perhaps this will save someone an awning, a torn-up body/roof juncture, or it the awning comes partially or totally ripped from the body in traffic.. even worse, in the future. 

- Sob

[70winnie]

Sent: 12/12/2004

Good idea, Sob!  I'm going to buy myself some of those Velcro straps!

[Kodiak-Silver]

Sent: 12/14/2004

Sounds like a good plan, it almost happened  to me in N.M.

Thanks