Forum Discussion

ItsMeMario's avatar
ItsMeMario
Explorer
Jun 25, 2018

New awning suggestions

Hi all,

Got a new salvage trailer in good shape, but the awning was ripped off.. No idea what awning was on there before, or if it even makes sense to find the exact same one.

I'm thinking I should replace with a power one, since the wiring is all there an looks good. Any suggestions on what to replace it with? I'm not 100% sold on power, but don't mind spending a bit more.

Here is the model:

Salem Cruise lite 196BH.. I'm thinking it's a 12' awning

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-Forest-River-Salem-Cruise-Lite-T196BH-5003250247
  • Having a spring loaded, and a Electric awing, I would get the spring loaded. They seem a lot more simple to deal with. And the Cost should be a big difference too.
  • I would recommend an electric awning with Sunbrella fabric. Many of times I had to hold the ribbon on our old awning when the wind came up just waiting for my husband to return from his bike riding, LOL.
  • Having had both, I prefer our Solera power awning. Built in speakers were a bonus.
  • Our electric awning only goes straight out. It does not tilt down to block the setting sun. Some of the electric ones do have the tilt down feature.

    Also, when rolled up against the TT, water from the roof seeps into the ends and leaves a series of annoying dark dirt streaks, every time it rains. I am not sure if all awning do that but ours does.

    Good luck
  • Having had both, we like the electric better. It's so simple to just push the button. If he wind kicks up, both need to be pulled in anyway. When it's raining, both need to be tilted, although some are built to self tilt if they begin to pool with water. Our current one (electric) is self tipping. It works great, but once the water is dumped, it springs back into place with a ker-thump. We found, when raining, just keep it pulled in, unless we are actually sitting under it. Then it can be anchored into a tilt position.

    However, the manual one was easier to reach to clean. I would pull the bottom of the feet from the wall, slide them under the camper, arms and all, and the entire awning would hang straight down on the side of the camper. Then washing the top side was just like washing the side of the camper. I do miss that easy access to the top side on the manual, but do appreciate the easy in-and-out of the electric.

    Both have their advantages. Both have their disadvantages. It really is a matter of what you want to do.

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