Does anyone tie down their manual awning while wintering in AZ? We did see one guy doing that in Wickenburg. I think maybe he brought it in one night.Or do you just bring it in every night? I already know it can be windy, we've spent time in AZ in winter. But never parked in one spot for months. So if tying it down is workable, I'll bring my tie down stuff.

Hard to get anchors into stone or concrete.We bring ours in if there is threat of wind. In Texas RGV, we don't even put it out.

I take ours in when in Arizona or the California deserts (even when leaving the site for a while), it reduces the possibility of the fabric tearing

Snowman9000 wrote:Does anyone tie down their manual awning while wintering in AZ? We did see one guy doing that in Wickenburg. I think maybe he brought it in one night.Or do you just bring it in every night? I already know it can be windy, we've spent time in AZ in winter. But never parked in one spot for months. So if tying it down is workable, I'll bring my tie down stuff.get a couple of 5-gal buckets from home depot, fill them with sand and tie down your awning to the bucket handles. but be prepared to bring the awning in when needed.

Most in our park tie theirs down with some type of weight (buckets of sand, concrete blocks, etc) but do seem to pay attention to weather forecasts and will untie them and take them up during days forecast for WIND.

Having lived in Pheonix nd camped all over I roll mine up if wind is a possibility. Too many times I had to get up at night to roll it up as it flapped and kept me worrying. Seems silly to buy the awning only to roll it up when the wind blows. I have seen results of thosw who did not so I do

Awning Tie Down in AZ snowbird park? | Good Sam Community

18 Replies

hokeypokey
Explorer
Oct 24, 2017
We were out for a walk on a very windy day and noticed someone’s large awning getting beat up pretty bad. DH couldn’t stand that, so he knocked on the door but nobody there. Yes, he should’ve walked away, but he will always be there to help someone so he opened the door a crack and saw the retract button. He rolled their awning up without putting a foot inside, shut the door and we continued our walk.
Me_Again
Explorer III
Oct 24, 2017
When we had a manual awning on the smaller trailer we put C-champs on the outer edge of the patio slab with a board with bolts sticking up. Moved the legs out to the bolts and then used ratchet straps to pull the roller tube down tight. Bungee cords from the bottom of the sun shade to re-bars driven into the ground. Now if the wind was going to be over 10-12 MPH is all got rolled up and put away.

With the power awnings on the Bighorn we bungee'd the sun shades to the the re-bars. Again if wind was predicted to be over 10-12, it was time to take it in.

Chris
joebedford
Nomad II
Oct 22, 2017
My rig will be pointing west - shade all day. I can move my chair a few feet if I want sun. Probably won't put awning out.
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Oct 22, 2017
Snowman9000 wrote:
The more I think about it, this is why I requested a site where the front of the trailer points north. Sun in the morning, shade in the afternoon.

This is the easiest. If you can get a site with the east morning sun on your patio you'll have perfect shade in the afternoon - without using an awning. You want that nice warm sun in the morning!
rk911
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
Snowman9000 wrote:
The more I think about it, this is why I requested a site where the front of the trailer points north. Sun in the morning, shade in the afternoon.

I'll bring my tie down stuff and see if I feel like trying it. I like the buckets of sand idea.

that's what we do at our AZ winter home.
Snowman9000
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
The more I think about it, this is why I requested a site where the front of the trailer points north. Sun in the morning, shade in the afternoon.

I'll bring my tie down stuff and see if I feel like trying it. I like the buckets of sand idea.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Oct 21, 2017
“Or do you just bring it in every night?” Yes, every night and every time I leave the TT.
stripit
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
Spent 5 winters in Casa Grande, extended my awning off my 36ft 5th wheel, used springs and straps to secure the legs and awning. When high winds were expected I pulled it in, otherwise, it stayed out the majority of the winter months. I had a concrete patio and drilled into the concrete and installed cleats to secure the straps to. Easy to remove when needed and with the cleats removed nothing to trip on.
azdryheat
Explorer
Oct 21, 2017
Only place I can leave my awning out and not worry about it is in San Diego. Everywhere else has afternoon winds.
ronfisherman
Moderator
Oct 21, 2017
I tied mine down in AZ for several years. Got some 75 lbs landscaping blocks from Home Depot. When staking our I always had a shade curtain hanging off tube. It was also anchored down. This stops wind from coming up under awning and rapping it up on RV roof.