Camper Awning: Evaluate your options

Your priority at this point in your evaluation is to find the available camper awnings in the market that best meet your needs. You can save a lot of time during this activity by quickly eliminating any camper awnings that are unsuitable because they don't meet your key requirements. For example, if you have a limited budget for this purchase then you can ignore any camper awnings that clearly exceed your price limit.

Your decision to add a camper awning will create elegance, functionality, comfort and value to your recreational vehicle (RV). Awnings are available for individual windows, doors, sides of the RV or as additional rooms. They are offered in lengths which will run from partial to full length of your vehicle, effectively expanding the usable floor space of your RV.

Economical RV interior environmental control is another by-product of effective awnings. By controlling the amount of sunshine entering your RV, you can reduce the solar heating of your RV by up to 70%.

Basic material choices are acrylic, vinyl and canvas. Also offered is a view-through option made of plastic. This see through quality expand the feeling of roominess when under the awning.

Tip: When choosing the color of your awning, remember that dark colors absorb heat and can defeat the whole purpose of having the awning for cool shade. Lighter colors will reflect the heat away from the living area.

Awnings can be fully automatic, manually-powered, or of the fold-up and stow variety. The older awnings which fit over a frame which you erect are still much in use as they are less expensive and offer the ability to be erected independently from the side of the RV.

Awnings attached to the side of the trailer and stowed in long tubes are much more common in today's RV world. This type of system can be either manually cranked or powered by a 12 volt motor system.

Tip: Most awnings are designed for calm, sunny weather. If rough weather is on the horizon, quickly stow-away your awning for protection.

Permanently attached window and door awnings will also help keep the interior of your RV cool during hot days. They are easily deployed and retracted in less than a minute. They are much less subject to damage during wind and rainstorms than your longer and wider side-mount awnings or awnings supported by poles or tie-downs, so these may be a better choice if you travel in areas with frequent storms or high winds.

Awnings are available in a flat and steep pitch. The flat pitch awnings will not shed water from rain and must always be retracted in a storm. Many new electrical powered awnings have a powered pitch control. You can enjoy a flat roof in good weather and sharply pitch the awning during light rain to shed the water quickly.

Support for some awnings is provided through aluminium struts which are tied directly to the awning. On the models mounted to the side of the RV the support structure is deployed automatically as the awning is cranked out.

When choosing your awning size you will be determining the size of the area covered in shade. For example, a full-length awning on a 30 foot long trailer (9.1 meters) and extendable 10 feet (3 meters) out from the trailer will provide a shaded area of some 300 square feet (28 meters). An increase in the length and width of the awning will result in more area protected beneath it.

There are many options for you RV awning. Additional weatherproofing will lengthen the life of your awning. The normal lifetime of a typical awning will be 5-10 years, but good care can potentially extend that to 10-15 years.

Options such as attachable fabric walls or screen walls help to make that space available at night, when the insects can become real pests. Screen rooms which are attached with zippers to the awning help to bug-proof the room.

Mats, usually matching the awning and even the RV, make for even more comfortable use of the shaded area. When using the walls and mats, it is a good idea to incorporate tie-downs so that a breeze will not ruin your living area or destroy your sidewalls.

Heavy duty screw gear motors make the set-up and stowage of the awning a quick task. Many awnings can be completely deployed in less than 3 minutes by a single person. Hand-held remote controls are offered to facilitate the task even more.

Another important and valuable option is the type of lighting offered for the awning system. From simple light strings to elaborate strings of oriental-type lights they offer the ability to use your extra space at night. They also send-out a warm welcoming beacon to friends and potential friends alike.

When you were considering your requirements in a camper awning it's likely that you singled out certain factors such as whether the awning is electric or manually operated, material type, accessories available and cost as being of major significance. As with so many other products, the more features offered, the higher the price. Buyz123 has created a checklist containing examples of major features; you can work from this checklist when evaluating how well various camper awnings meet your personal needs:

Features Checklist

Camper Awning Styles

Roll-away (stowable in tubes mounted to the side of the RV)
Folding-stowable (stowed in a bag in a storage compartment)
Slide out
Fixed pitch
Adjustable pitch
Flat pitch
Steep pitch
Full and partial RV length
Window and/or door protection awnings

Power

Electrical
Manual

Material

Vinyl - tri-laminated vinyl
PVC coated polyester
Acrylic
Canvas
Full-view (see through plastic)
Mesh (insect screens)
Vinyl/polyester/vinyl laminate
Colors - basic green or beige, also extensive range of patterns, plaids and color combinations

Options

Lighting
Side walls (solid fabric - windows optional)
Metal weather guard protection
Weatherproofing
Colors - solid and pen stripping
Extension lengths 72 to 174 inches (183 to 442 cm)
Screen sides
Screen room
Matching mats (flooring either unattached or attached to screen room)
Tie downs (attached or un-attached)
Hand held remote control
Powered pitch control and rain guard (prevents/dumps accumulated rain)
Worm gear motor
Auto locking devices

Warranty and Support

Warranty - 2 to 5 years, limited (check fine print)
Product Manual
Online and phone support
FAQ, Troubleshooting

There are a lot of features listed here, and some of them may not be relevant to your particular requirements. So, work your way through the list and assess how each of these features impact on your camper awning needs. You can then create a personalized checklist of the features you really require in a camper awning.

Once you have finished evaluating the camper awnings available for sale in the light of your personal needs and arrived at a short-list of 'possibles' you are ready to progress to the next stage. This involves comparing the camper awnings one-on-one in order to find those that really stand out.

Evaluate how well a Camper Awning compares with competing Camper Awnings

Comparing the items on your interim short-list, one to another, is an important part of the purchasing process - we all want to buy the best product we possibly can. So once you have established a short-list of camper awnings that meet your needs it is time to evaluate how well they compare in fine detail. This way you can assemble a select list of camper awnings that stand out from the crowd.

Questions to ask yourself:

Which camper awning on my short-list provides the best value for money?
Which of these camper awnings best meets my needs?
Which of my short-listed camper awnings has the best warranty?
Which camper awning is the easiest to use?
Which of the camper awnings seems of the highest quality?
Which camper awning is the one I like most?

By answering these simple questions, you are actually eliminating camper awnings that aren't absolutely right for you. This is an excellent time - if you haven't done so already - to evaluate how well your short-listed products measure up in the following areas: Physical Quality, Warranty Conditions and Accessories & Extras.

Physical Quality

Regardless of the method you use when purchasing the camper awning, you need to find an opportunity to examine the product to evaluate how well it is made, and to check that it is truly suitable for you and your purpose. This is the time to examine the quality of the materials, and how well the camper awning is put together. Check the assembly - is the camper awning solidly constructed? It's also important to examine the camper awning from the perspective of ease of use. How easily is the camper awning prepared for cleaning and maintenance? Are the controls easy to use? Make sure the camper awning fits your camper properly, and that it is user-friendly - some camper awnings look great on paper, but unexpected problems will show up when you finally get your hands on them.

Physical Inspection Checklist:

Materials - quality, appearance
Assembly - all parts held together securely, good quality fittings
Solidly constructed - stable, no loose components
Proper fit of removable parts - easy to remove and replace, fit snugly
Controls - visible, easy to use, accessible, clearly labelled
Size - appropriate for surroundings and purpose - fits user correctly
Appearance - well finished, appropriate color, neat fittings etc
Easy and comfortable to use

Warranty Conditions

Similar products may be available with significantly different terms and conditions, and you want to get the best deal you can. Parts and labor are often covered under separate warranties, for different time periods; sometimes there can be a significant difference in the warranty offered with one model compared to that offered with the next model up. It is particularly important to investigate any conditions that might void a warranty, such as improper installation to that recommended.

Warranty Checklist:

Duration - check the specifics
Parts, Labour, Mechanical, Electrical
Exactly what is covered
Exactly what is excluded
Conditions or actions that may void the warranty

Accessories and Extras

When evaluating similar products, it is a good idea to include accessories in your assessment. You need to be clear about exactly what accessories are necessary to run the product to its full capacity, and whether these are included with the purchase. What other facilities are required - do you need tie downs, for instance?

Accessories Checklist:

Accessories - included or extra cost?
Upgrades - will the product need upgrades, what are the costs?
Compatibility issues - will it work with your existing products?
What else will you need to fully utilize the awning?

Once you've worked through the Evaluation step you will have a final short-list of camper awnings that meet your needs and stand out from competing products on the market. It's time then to move on to the third and final step: Purchase.

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