I am a fan of supporting and tying down my awning. Yes, it's power and easily retracted- but not having to retract it at the slightest wind or rain or overnight is incredibly nice. We can setup our patio and keep it setup for the most part.
I had a couple of friends who made awning support poles. Theirs were pretty ingenious in that they were self-storing on the awning arms.
Using the poles, I've had my awning out into 30mph winds. Honestly, if the forecast is 25mph or above, I do stow it. But I've gotten caught with my pants down a time or two and missed my window of opportunity.
Here's how we did it:
http://learntorv.com/power-awning-support-poles/
