What do you tie your awnings down with?

Tied mine down and got a way with it for msny years. Did have to get up in the middle of the night several times. Finally with the awning tied down and a sudden strong wind the twisted the tied down awning so bad I couldn't get it up and had to take it off and leave it. Now I just roll it up every nite. Better safe than sorry.

Experience x 2 has taught us that when in doubt, put the awning away. First was wind and DH was able to order the parts and repair it....looked like it never happened. Second was a totally unpredicted monsoon in the middle of the night....nasty sound when the roller and all came crashing down. Thanks to insurance + our deductible it was replaced. If it's windy enough that we need to worry about tie-downs, it goes up.

X2 on the big camping spikes (look like giant nails with a plastic piece on top). They work quite well in the PA rocky ground and are rugged enough to hammer in and pull out and still be able to reuse!

Tip: Be sure to insert your stakes at 30-45 degree slant where the point is angled toward your load and the head away, then put the ALL the way in! Otherwise, most stakes are easily pulled out with minimal load.

We also use ratchet straps. Even used tarps in the past from the edge of the awning, laying on the straps and used more straps/rope to support it, making an extended anti-rain area on a particularly rainy trip!

Oh- the spikes can be tapped on the sides to loosen then before removing- simple.

MitchF150 wrote:
In 11 years of camping with the current TT, I've never felt the need to strap down my awning.. Just this last weekend, we were camping where it was pretty windy and it became too uncomfortable to sit out with the wind before anything was dangerous with the awning.. We retracted the awning and retired inside...

If there is just a simple a breeze out, we put on the awning flapper clamps and that helps keep the fabric from flapping too much. Once it starts shaking the whole trailer, that's time to bring it in anyway..

Of course the direction the wind is coming in relation to your awning will make a difference too...

While you can tie down the ends of the awning, you will still likely lose the the fabric where it attaches to the RV and it'll tear like a piece of paper no matter how secure you have the frame...

Anyway, that's just my experience with it and I'd sooner just retract the awning than tie it down when it gets to that point..

Good luck!

Mitch

Exactly...add me to this list.
(or in Forum speak....x2)

I use ratchet straps from the top of the awning tube back down to the TT frame. The awning arm holds the awning up, and the ratchet straps holt from blowing too far up. The advantage, that I've found, is that if there is a little bit of movement in the TT, my awning isn't tied (immobile) to the ground. The awning moves with the TT.

I've seen a few (3 or 4) extended awnings blow-over the top of the TT over the years, and I've seen one common denominator: The awning arm attachment , low on the TT side, failed, stripping the screws out of the TT side. The ratchet straps prevent this.....

Two dog stake cork screws... 2 wratchet straps ... 2 bungie cords to create a shock absorber. Total cost: $0. Got the dog cork screws from my mother years and years ago. Never used them, but tossed them in the first camper we had thinking we might use them for the dogs. Turns out the worked better for the awning. Wratchet straps? I got several, mostly to secure the canoe to the top of the truck, but double up for the awning. Bungie Cords? Dime a dozen. I have a few dozen bungies laying around all the time. I use them for everything. So when I saw how some of the awning straps were made, that people pay a premium for (many years ago), I put 2 and 1 together and came up with 3. Been doing it ever since, and no cost involved as I already had all the parts laying around anyway.

camp-n-family wrote:
You can buy awning straps that anchor to the ground at any rv store (or online) or just get 2 of the corkscrew type anchors used for securing dog leashes and some rope or a ratchet strap. Really only good for the manual awnings, the new power awnings shouldn't be strapped.

x2 on the cork screws.

Video of how to install and tie the corkscrews off

We have actually used them to tie the dogs off at the same time. It probably wouldnt be a good idea for large dogs but we just have two ankle biters.

In 11 years of camping with the current TT, I've never felt the need to strap down my awning.. Just this last weekend, we were camping where it was pretty windy and it became too uncomfortable to sit out with the wind before anything was dangerous with the awning.. We retracted the awning and retired inside...

If there is just a simple a breeze out, we put on the awning flapper clamps and that helps keep the fabric from flapping too much. Once it starts shaking the whole trailer, that's time to bring it in anyway..

Of course the direction the wind is coming in relation to your awning will make a difference too...

While you can tie down the ends of the awning, you will still likely lose the the fabric where it attaches to the RV and it'll tear like a piece of paper no matter how secure you have the frame...

Anyway, that's just my experience with it and I'd sooner just retract the awning than tie it down when it gets to that point..

Good luck!

Mitch

I use those long camping spikes hammered into the ground and then attach racheting straps to both side arms of the awning. It can withstand medium winds BUT Im always aware and ready to take it in.

I use two of the corkscrew anchors mentioned above along with two rachet straps and two rubber type bungie cords looped over the awning roller at the top. The bungie cords allow you to put tension on the straps and keep them from coming loose. When camping on concrete, I replace the anchors with two 5 gallon buckets filled with water and covered with lids. I simply hook the rachet straps to the handles of the buckets.