Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:23:43 -0700
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Which awning is best
In-Reply-To: <EEAB60CE-5F66-4BDF-87AB-528579560A5B@VICKERSDESIGN.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
On Tue, 2010-08-17 at 15:52 -0700, Jeffrey Vickers wrote:
> OK, "peaked" it is. That's a better description.
>
> Believe it or not, the poles and fabric CAN be rolled up together and
> put back in the case - although I've only done it sober.
With the optional downdraft poles? That's four more poles to jam into
that thing. I'd need a mallet to pound it all in.
> As a matter
> of fact, its probably a good way to judge your driving abilities after
> a particularly festive camping session: if you can get all the Shady
> Boy poles and fabric back into the case, you are ready to navigate the
> coming miles ahead.
If you can get all the Shady Boy poles including the optional ones and
fabric back into the case, you are a genuine He-Man and should be able
to carry the van the coming miles ahead.
--
Rocky J Squirrel
>
> Jeff
> On Aug 17, 2010, at 3:28 PM, Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>
> > I'll second Jeff's recco, although I don't see how the Shady Boy can
> > be
> > called "domed." Peaked, maybe.
> >
> > It's a flat piece of fabric with one edge anchored to the van, and the
> > other edge held out from the van with three poles that radiate out
> > from
> > above the sliding door: one pole per outer corner, and a center pole.
> >
> > It's pretty easy to set up, pretty easy to take down.
> >
> > I've used this thing in quite high winds. A couple of light nylon
> > lines
> > attached to the van's bumpers keep the outer corners, thus the outer
> > edge, from flying up with updrafts, and the optional corner downpoles
> > keep the outer edge from being mashed down by downdrafts. It's stable
> > and solid in wind.
> >
> > In heavy rain, the outer corners can be lowered by tightening the
> > corner
> > lines, allowing water to spill onto the ground instead of pooling.
> >
> > A bit of a gap above the sliding door lets water drip in heavy rain,
> > but
> > a strip of foam weatherstripping mashed into it solves that problem.
> >
> > In hot weather, the fabric becomes quite hot to the touch, even the
> > silver fabric version. You can feel the heat radiating down on your
> > head, and hot air gathers under the awning and sluices up into the van
> > through the open door. I solve that by attaching an "under roof"
> > beneath
> > the awning with (tie-died) fabric and binder clips. Miles cooler
> > underneath then.
> >
> > Like many tents and tent-like products, once open, it can't be put
> > back
> > into the box it came out of. The aluminum case over the door is too
> > small for any normal human to get the awning and poles into. I carry
> > the
> > poles in the back of the van, using only one for rolling up the fabric
> > into the case.
> >
> > The fiberglass poles are amazingly sturdy -- I was once caught by a
> > surprise updraft before I had the tiedowns tied down, and the wind
> > bent
> > the awning straight up, the poles were curved 90 degrees or more, and
> > were unfazed. Mine have microscopic glass fibers that poke into and
> > irritate my skin, like handling fiberglass insulation, so I handle the
> > poles with gloves.
> >
> > I used a BD awning several years ago, thought it was a PITA to
> > assemble
> > up and disassemble, and it felt clunky. The design may have changed.
> >
> > --
> > Rocky J Squirrel
> >
> >
> > On Tue, 2010-08-17 at 13:32 -0700, Jeffrey Vickers wrote:
> >> I have a Shady Boy and like it a lot. The crank-out Fiamma is
> >> definitely the easiest to deploy but more expensive, heavier and also
> >> not "domed" like Troy says. The Shady Boy is domed and being 6 ft, it
> >> gives me the sense of more head room. It takes about 5 minutes to set
> >> up and with no wind, you don't need the vertical poles at the corners
> >> - its self supporting and just kinda "floats". You can essentially
> >> "drop" the Shady Boy in about 30 seconds by pulling out two poles and
> >> unclipping the vertical poles. Pretty easy - and a good thing when
> >> the
> >> wind comes up fast.
> >>
> >> Jeff
> >> On Aug 17, 2010, at 12:28 PM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
> >>
> >>> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:45:17 -0800
> >>> From: Troy <colorworks@GCI.NET>
> >>> Subject: Which awning is best
> >>>
> >>> "But the second choice is the cheapest on the market, the Shady
> >>> Boy. Several friends
> >>> have them and are happy with them."
> >>>
> >>> The cheapest awning on the market is the bus depot awning at $119.
> >>> One consideration not mentioned is the fact the gutter rail that the
> >>> awning attaches to is only 6 feet tall, and if you want water to
> >>> drain that means your awning is going to be lower at the furthest
> >>> edge from the van. If you're taller than 6 feet, it can get pretty
> >>> cramped under the awning. This is where the bus depot dome shaped
> >>> awning really excels. Is it as convenient as being able to crank out
> >>> the awning?, heck no, but you do tend to get what you pay for. The
> >>> BD awning can be assembled in about five minutes though. Of course
> >>> the subject was "best" awning, but best can be subjective too.
> >>>
> >>> Troy
> >
> >
>
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