My homemade Awning

MGRover1

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2008
99
0
Cali
After looking around for awnings for my Disco I found they're a bit expensive for me, so I decided to make one.

1. 4" PVC pipe cut it to 7'- Free Construction left overs from work.
2. Tarp From Harbor freight $6.00
3. Curtain rod- Found in my garage
4. Hinges (left overs)
5. Weather strip ( to cover up uneven parts of the pipe)
6. Adjustable poles from Walmart $6 bucks each

I can't load any pictures so here's a link

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/66720-Homemade-Awning?highlight=
 

nosivad_bor

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2004
6,059
63
Pittsburgh, PA
File under shitter pipe awning.

Try harder, it looks and functions terribly. You need to bungie it the house to make it work, but there wont be a house in the bush to tie to. Maybe if there is another truck you can just bungie it to that... hmm.

Why not just bungie the tarp to both trucks and eliminate the shitter pipe mess?

Oh I know, because then it wont give the truck that look you were going for.

functionless awning + junk strapped to the rack = real deal overland poseur.
 
Jan 25, 2010
3,544
4
your moms bed
nosivad_bor said:
File under shitter pipe awning.

Try harder, it looks and functions terribly. You need to bungie it the house to make it work, but there wont be a house in the bush to tie to. Maybe if there is another truck you can just bungie it to that... hmm.

Why not just bungie the tarp to both trucks and eliminate the shitter pipe mess?

Oh I know, because then it wont give the truck that look you were going for.

functionless awning + junk strapped to the rack = real deal overland poseur.
:rofl:
 

jonesy66

Well-known member
Jan 12, 2009
539
0
VA
eeeeeeeeeeeeek! - I can never understand the idea behind having your living quarters attached to your vehicle??? Roof top tents, awnings etc are so fucked up...you have to break everything down every time you want to get in your truck????

I mean WTF??? Defeats the purpose of camping???? Unless you move your site every fucking day, for a good reason.
 
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p m

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 19, 2004
15,617
837
58
La Jolla, CA
www.3rj.org
jonesy66 said:
I mean WTF??? Defeats the purpose of camping???? Unless you move your site every fucking day, for a good reason.
We camped every night last year in Colorado, in August - monsoon rain time. It rained buckets every single night; every single morning we had to dump water from the floor of the tent and dry out our sleeping bags in the truck. Cooking and eating outside - same conditions apply.
The awning - that is, Rob D's style one, a tarp tied between a vehicle and two trees, made a big difference.
 

jonesy66

Well-known member
Jan 12, 2009
539
0
VA
p m said:
The awning - that is, Rob D's style one, a tarp tied between a vehicle and two trees, made a big difference.

Fair enough - but I guess you don't have a lot of trees where you camp...tied between some trees make a little more sense to me - or do you like rolling up tarps and re-rigging the "awning" every time you want to go drive the truck???

I actually use the same 2 Walmart poles through the grommets of a tarp - tied to my roof rack when there are no trees around...but generally speaking I always have a lot of trees around the campsite. So i use the trees and the poles when needed.

Just plain stupid to use a truck as an anchor for your camp unless it is a necessity!
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
jonesy66 said:
Fair enough - but I guess you don't have a lot of trees where you camp...tied between some trees make a little more sense to me - or do you like rolling up tarps and re-rigging the "awning" every time you want to go drive the truck???

I actually use the same 2 Walmart poles through the grommets of a tarp - tied to my roof rack when there are no trees around...but generally speaking I always have a lot of trees around the campsite. So i use the trees and the poles when needed.

Just plain stupid to use a truck as an anchor for your camp unless it is a necessity!

A proper rack-mounted awning, as manufactured by Hannibal or any similar device, is far from stupid.

I'll tell you what's stupid:

It's stupid to work in the sun when you've got a festival of steel tube nearly eight feet in the air, right beside you, all day long. A clever human will look at that rack and decide it ought to have come with an awning in the first place, and he will fit one.

A stupid human will look at the rack, do nothing, and go back to his task.

If you are going to haul that damned rack around, you may as well make use of it. Now, I can't be bothered to sign up to the other site to look at the pictures, but his awning doesn't sound too good. That doesn't mean the idea of owning an awning is flawed.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

jonesy66

Well-known member
Jan 12, 2009
539
0
VA
Kennith: One thing that I have also never really understood is the load factor - maybe some tribal knowledge on RTT's is better than what the manuf suggests. I do know that the gutters on my RRC have a recommended load factor that is far lower than a RTT plus 2 people est. at 350lbs...add all that up and I know that the load factor is exceeded.

But hey - I don't know too much - to me it is just a logical decision...just doesn't make sense to tie shit to your truck, if you are camping and want to go wheeling.

Now - a RTT and all the awnings you want in the world on a trailer...now that makes PERFECT sense to me :)
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Well, not all of us camp. I've got other things to do, and I've been known to set up a rack-mounted awning on occasion. It's convenient. In general, I'll ignore weather entirely, but sometimes it's best to have fast shelter available for tasks that may involve things like setting up equipment, examining maps, cleaning things, or preparing gear.

If you build it right, an awning can be deployed quickly and easily. It doesn't need to be heavy, either. Stuff much heavier than even the heaviest awning has been run across the world on roofs by Land Rover themselves in company events and sponsored competitions.

That damned load rating has a lot to do with on and off road handling. You aren't going to crush your roof, but the center of gravity is raised significantly when loading a rack. Land Rovers aren't particularly top-heavy, but they are quite tall, and a loaded rack is right on top of it all.

The vehicle doesn't all of a sudden handle like a fat man on stilts, though. It's perfectly fine if you have any sense. Indeed, My DII can be made to dance with an unloaded rack. When the rack is loaded, it's not bad. You just have to drive it more like a normal SUV.

If you follow the load rating in the manual, you can fit a roof rack and... Well... A baby orangutan. That's about it.

That massive rack Land Rover supplies is meant to be used by those who actually need the extra real-estate, either for normal cargo or for things that are best kept outside. Sometimes it's just a good place to stand and look out, or simply recline at the beach.

Speaking of beaches... That's a damned good place to have an awning. :) Who wants to fuck with a tent at the beach?

Cheers,

Kennith
 

garrett

Well-known member
Jun 18, 2004
10,931
5
53
Middleburg, VA
www.blackdogmobility.com
What I don't get is that he clearly spent the money on a decent truck, bumper, lights and some "expo" accessories like an axe, etc. But then when it came down to an awning he forked out $12 and some left over items in the garage. I bet he spends more on two quarts of Mobil One than this entire shelter.

It's a good looking truck for the most part. Tossing a $12 shelter on the side just makes it look tacky.
 

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
Replace the tarp with canvas.

Find some way to spring-load the roof out from the truck to keep it taunt.

We had a 1970 Sprite trailer when I was a kid. the side awning/tent slid into a groove on the trailer and the three roof beams had small springs to keep the top tight. All the poles where extruded aluminum with plastic bits on the end to connect together. Once you put the outer rail and vertical poles in place, it was rock solid. I think if you went with the standard tent poles and angle brackets, you could make the same type of setup.
Or go buy an easy-up from REI.
 

Paul Grant

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2004
3,180
0
CT
I just sold a Hannibal 1.2 roof tent and it was brilliant. It could be deployed in minutes, broken just as quickly. Unzip the cover, peel it back and swing the tent open, done. Should you have to go, you spend more time zipping the cover closed than breaking the tent down.

The Hannibal awning I have, used in conjunction with the tent, is amazing. Minutes up, minutes down and with tremendous cover from the elements. I think people who discount them, have never really had the opportunity to experience the quality of an awning like the Hannibal.
 
Jan 3, 2005
11,745
70
On Kennith's private island
That's all well and good, Paul, but you look like a douche riding around with a tent on top of your truck.

My traditional tent sets up easy, too. Takes up less space and weighs about 55lbs less. I like to use an air mattress on cold nights just to get off the cold ground, but when it's warmer you don't even need that. I just do not see why a RTT is needed or desired.
 

fishEH

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2009
6,927
201
Lake Villa, IL
D Chapman said:
That's all well and good, Paul, but you look like a douche riding around with a tent on top of your truck.

My traditional tent sets up easy, too. Takes up less space and weighs about 55lbs less. I like to use an air mattress on cold nights just to get off the cold ground, but when it's warmer you don't even need that. I just do not see why a RTT is needed or desired.

Right there with you. Breaking down camp to go get more beer is a major buzz kill.
 

no694terry

Well-known member
Sep 29, 2009
989
0
pittsburgh, pa
az_max said:
We had a 1970 Sprite trailer when I was a kid. the side awning/tent slid into a groove on the trailer and the three roof beams had small springs to keep the top tight. All the poles where extruded aluminum with plastic bits on the end to connect together. Once you put the outer rail and vertical poles in place, it was rock solid. I think if you went with the standard tent poles and angle brackets, you could make the same type of setup.
Or go buy an easy-up from REI.

and you remembered all that
 

az_max

1
Apr 22, 2005
7,463
2
no694terry said:
and you remembered all that

Well, we had it from before I was born until I was 15. Three trips a year and a lot of people asking questions when it was set up. Trying to find pics. I think the site I was using to store them took a header a while back.