What are your rules for the awning?
Do you leave your awning out when you leave? Do you trust wind sensors? Do you use tie downs? We love the awning's shade and versatility even more in the summer, but we have seen 4 RVs have...
Forum Discussion
No, No, Sometimes.
We spent a week in a campground with trees very close, and what I thought was no possible way for much wind to get to the awning.
On the sixth night, I was literally thrown out of the bed as the wind got under the strongly tied down awning and lifted the side of the trailer.
Some I'm quickly out in the growing thunderstorm, cutting the tiedowns with a sharp kitchen knife so we can roll in the awning.
Looking at the event later - the tiedowns did their job. The outside tube of the awning never moved. But the sail area under the awning was great enough to lift that side of the trailer almost two feet.
As far as leaving the awning - we were in Connecticut for a volunteer job for six months. The first two months we were placed in a commercial campground with a lot of seasonal campers/ rigs. The ones which are placed on a spot and the camper stays their all summer. The family comes in for weekends mostly.
Twice we saw tied down, sloped awnings fail due to rain accumulation. I learned that in a hard enough downpour, even a sloped awning can collect and pool water, enough weight to either break the main tube, or rip the fabric.
We spent a week in a campground with trees very close, and what I thought was no possible way for much wind to get to the awning.
On the sixth night, I was literally thrown out of the bed as the wind got under the strongly tied down awning and lifted the side of the trailer.
Some I'm quickly out in the growing thunderstorm, cutting the tiedowns with a sharp kitchen knife so we can roll in the awning.
Looking at the event later - the tiedowns did their job. The outside tube of the awning never moved. But the sail area under the awning was great enough to lift that side of the trailer almost two feet.
As far as leaving the awning - we were in Connecticut for a volunteer job for six months. The first two months we were placed in a commercial campground with a lot of seasonal campers/ rigs. The ones which are placed on a spot and the camper stays their all summer. The family comes in for weekends mostly.
Twice we saw tied down, sloped awnings fail due to rain accumulation. I learned that in a hard enough downpour, even a sloped awning can collect and pool water, enough weight to either break the main tube, or rip the fabric.
