Installing a roof rack tomorrow and wondering if anyone has installed a similar type and had any advice on awnings? We got the following rack after a lot of deliberation:
We are wondering if the fiamma or thule racks are worth it, how difficult they would be to attach to a similar rack. Currently we are leaning towards at this one:
Seems a little more universal and is about a third of the price of the bigger names out there and it appears that you can attach it to anywhere, sliding door or maybe even out over the back doors which would be a plus sometimes.
I’ve always just used cheap tarps, with ball bungies connecting to the roof rack, and metal conduit for the outer edge to keep in rigid. Along each side I have tight ropes to prevent it from flapping in the wind, then adjustable tent poles to hold up the outside edge firmly staked to the ground. While everybody else’s awnings were getting damaged or ripped off, mine held up just fine.
When not in use, I just rolled it up on the conduit, and attached the whole works to the roof rack via ball bungies. Never had problem.
I saw too many people lose expensive awnings or get them damaged, which is why I decided to go as cheap as possible. By accident, it turned out to be better, cheaper, and sturdier than any of the store bought awnings. The tarps last 4-5 years, and only take about $10 & 10 minutes to replace. A win all the way around.
If ball bungies weren’t handy, I just lace the top & bottom with rope, and that worked too.
Cheers!
"Always avoid expensive solutions to cheap problems." ~ OffGrid
We are going to go with the moon shade. Seems like it might be a little sturdier with the tent type poles running across the top of it and possibly will handle the wind a bit better than the fixed ones.
Love our moon shade. The only thing to watch out for is using the magnets during high winds. In JTree a wind gust pulled the magnets down the side of my van leaving scratches. Should’ve used the supplied adhesive mounts.
@Trevor_Potter - We attach our magnets to the roof rack and also add a couple of extra carabiners so it can’t really fail there. At least not without tearing apart.
Cool. Unfortunately I don’t have a roof rack …and the solar panel mounts are aluminum. Still should not have had it up in the Mjoave during a windy day.
