Given a choice would you have an awning?

[4E fam]

a telescoping handle with squeegee is a great idea. beats using my shirt to swipe at stuff when it's angled down. just have to make some more space inside my Class B for it, or mount it on the outside like a gun rack.

[4E fam]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

We've never deployed it other than in the open, so nothing has accumulated on top of it yet. But if it did, I'd angle the front edge down as far as it will go on the support legs and try and broom it off before retracting.

There is some light mildew staining from the prior owner use. I've only tried mild cleaners (no bleach) and it didn't take it off. The must have put it away wet since I've never found it to be damp after rains or washing the van. The Carefree housing is pretty water tight.

We need a secret handshake for just Avenue class b owners (all 5 of us) on this forum in case we ever meet up.

Wait... there's more Avenue owners than just us?!? What happened to all the others? lol

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by 4E fam

a telescoping handle with squeegee is a great idea. beats using my shirt to swipe at stuff when it's angled down. just have to make some more space inside my Class B for it, or mount it on the outside like a gun rack.

With the handle retracted, mine fits under the driver's seat, where I can reach it during a gas stop. It's just like the ones at the gas stations, with a sponge on one side and a rubber squeegee on the other, only longer so I can reach the whole windshield with my feet on the ground. Or the top of the awning if needed.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by 4E fam

Wait... there's more Avenue owners than just us?!? What happened to all the others? lol

I over-estimated by 3. I was including the Avenue owners who are no longer active members. It's actually just you and me now.

I have seen exactly one Avenue owner on the road in 25K miles of travels. It was in '2018 and they were in line at Arches. We saw them from the road as we were headed to Canyon Lands.

[N147JK]

Not much experience with them, but it seems they might be more valuable for rain protection than sun protection, ie, gives one the ability to be outdoors when its raining, not cooped up inside.

[Davydd]

We have an awning now. It is known amongst ARV people as the Nancy Hawse designed awning (she first requested it) on the back of the van with doors opened. Four hooks and a cloth awning that packs away in a small bag.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Davydd

We have an awning now. It is known amongst ARV people as the Nancy Hawse designed awning (she first requested it) on the back of the van with doors opened. Four hooks and a cloth awning that packs away in a small bag.

Do you have a zip-up rear screen? I can't tell from the pic.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by avanti

Do you have a zip-up rear screen? I can't tell from the pic.

Yes, just on the bed side. It is zippered and it rolls up. You can open just the passenger side back door if you are so inclined. Haven’t yet for an overnight but do open it during the day for ventilation.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Yes, just on the bed side. It is zippered and it rolls up. You can open just the passenger side back door if you are so inclined. Haven’t yet for an overnight but do open it during the day for ventilation.

Did you change and how do you store camping chairs?

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by GeorgeRa

Did you change and how do you store camping chairs?

Several options. We have director chairs. Only one in our garage so I used it for two pictures. We originally had in our Great West Van two CGI Express chairs that fold up about the size of a pizza box we could use. I am toying with the CGI Pico chair you see that folds up smaller and fits on a shelf. You can see that Pico chair bag on the bottom shelf. We have a CGI piston rocking chair director style chair my wife favors and I think I can get it behind the beds. I don’t have that one at the garage either.

The other two items on the shelves are two inflatable Kayaks and two side tables. I would have to remove two adjustable shelves to get our two folding bicycles as I originally planned.

[GeorgeRa]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Several options. We have director chairs. Only one in our garage so I used it for two pictures. We originally had in our Great West Van two CGI Express chairs that fold up about the size of a pizza box we could use. I am toying with the CGI Pico chair you see that folds up smaller and fits on a shelf. You can see that Pico chair bag on the bottom shelf. We have a CGI piston rocking chair director style chair my wife favors and I think I can get it behind the beds. I don’t have that one at the garage either.

The other two items on the shelves are two inflatable Kayaks and two side tables. I would have to remove two adjustable shelves to get our two folding bicycles as I originally planned.

Thank you, we have very comfortable director chairs as well but they need to be stored outside. Contemplating https://www.rei.com/product/170502/b...g-six-armchair to store them inside.

[Snowy]

I was talking to a manufacturer about ordering a B without the motorized awning. They said they would omit it, but would only provide a $500 credit for saving them the cost of the awning and installation. The rep acknowledged that they are problem-prone and can totally understand why someone wouldn't want one. But he also said that i might have a harder time selling the rig later because, wrongly or rightly, most people simply expect a motorized awning. Do people buy this guy's argument about resale value?

After this discussion, i thought that i would get the awning because i would only be saving $500 to omit it and it might be useful and non-problematic *some* of the time. If it broke i would probably remove it and get something else like a sunshade.

[AmberLy]

love this! how is yours holding up?

Originally Posted by TygerMark

Moonshades are $300.

For a mere fraction of that- $69-$109- you can get one of several very nice vented and windowed sunshades that are bigger, and in my opinion are better.........and you can either attach the shade to your vehicle, free stand it next to your vehicle, or set it somewhere else in any direction and any place that you choose.

Moonshade is 7x9 feet.

The one that I have ordered is 10x10 feet. Weighs 9.7 pounds.

[DLR]

After my awning broke off it’s terrible mounts on my Roadtrek 190 I replaced it with a moonshade, I sometimes tow a 5X8 enclosed utility trailer on long trips so I put ring mounts on it and my roadtrek so I can put the moonshade on either vehicle, when I put it on the trailer I can come and go in the van and leave the awning set up on the trailer instead of always having to put it away to go somewhere

[JonMN]

Interesting thread! My wife and I have debated taking the awning off of our van just for esthetic reasons. It's relatively huge! But taking it off is a bit of a pain too.

We have used it perhaps 3 times. Once to control sun for heat control, and a couple times when the stars aligned and we had no wind, no rain, and it was on the right side of our parking area.

I have a feeling that they are mandatory for the sales photos that always include a van on a beach somewhere . . .

Here's proof we actually used it . . .

[ilmor]

I have had both as much prefer an awning over the moon shade.

The moon shade takes up space in the van, and it’s much more difficult and time consuming to erect and take down. Also, the various guy wires get in the way around the campsite. I even have one incident where some kids fell over them in the middle of night, and I had to get up and take care of that. It also requires observation and maintenance from time to time.

I just keep an eye on the windspeeds forecast for each day and adjust accordingly, and simply power out my awning when used.