You’ve finally decided that you want to buy a 4x4 awning for your big camping trip coming up but you don’t know what to look for. Don’t worry! With our guide, developed with all our knowledge of awnings from five years of operation, you’ll be an expert in all thing’s awnings in no time!
What are the critical elements of an awning?
Most awnings are made up of the following:
Cover bag and zipper
Straps
Spine
Canvas
Hinge
Rafters
Guy ropes, poles, and pegs
Some are supplied with awning brackets
Cover bag
This is the first thing you see when your take your new awning out of its box. The cover bag protects your awning from the elements. A cover bag is usually made of a vinyl or a material that breathes, reducing the potential for moisture retention in the awning.
Straps
Straps hold the awning fabric and rafters when stowed. These vary but are typically a strap with Velcro over a section of the strap with a buckle or Velcro for the full length.
Spine
The spine is your awning’s backbone and thus a large part of the structural strength of the awning. If the spine is not stiff enough, pulling the straps to pitch the awning, for a 180-degree or 270-degree awning, may cause the spine to bend. The spine may also vibrate or bend at speed on corrugations, especially if projected too far forward of the forward support bracket. A stiffer spine means it’s usually a better support point for the awning hinge/hinges in the case of 180-degree and 270-degree awnings.
Ripstop fabric or canvas
Ripstop fabric is a woven durable water-resistant fabric often made of nylon. It is also lightweight and often used for awnings.
Canvas is heavier and generally more robust than ripstop style fabric, and made of varying materials such as cotton or sometimes polyvinyl chloride and may last longer than ripstop fabric if correctly cared for. Also, some awnings have a fabric treatment which reduces the penetration of heat through the fabric, offering a cooler shade. The fabric needs to be both waterproof and UV stable, features worth checking out with the awning supplier.
If purchasing a canvas awning be sure to follow the manufacturers guide on seasoning the canvas to get the most out of your investment.
Hinge
We’ll call the “hinge” the collection of the metal frame or body that houses the pivot pins on a wing awning for the purpose of this discussion. The hinge is attached to the inner end of the rafters allowing them to unfold and fold when opening and closing the awning. The hinge is all about strength. The body of the hinge needs to be robust to handle the bending loads put on it from the rafters. These loads are of course greater if the awnings are used freestanding without poles and guy ropes. Freestanding awnings should have a more robust hinge which usually means a thicker material, typically steel – but not always. Weld quality where the rafter bearing shaft meets the pivot pin is also a factor here.
It is worth keeping in mind projection issues; that is the fixing points for the front support bracket and rear support bracket – in other words, the length of the awning spine which fits to the roof rack. These limits are usually set by the awning manufacturer.
Rafters
There are many different rafter designs. Again, as with the hinge, “freestanding” awnings will normally have a more robust rafter design. Some rafters are simply an aluminium extrusion and some are effectively a truss. Again, robustness and weld quality need to be considered when choosing an awning for strength.
Some rafters are short but have extendable arms. This can have the advantage of allowing a “square” footprint when viewed from above. This also gives the very big advantage that when packed down the awning is shorter and fits closer to the length of shorter roof racks. That means less unsupported awning frame forward of the forward mount point, a big advantage in an offroad or corrugated road conditions.
Guy ropes, poles and pegs
Some awnings are referred to as “freestanding” awnings. In some conditions, these awnings do not require the support of poles, guy ropes and pegs. However, they do come with a caveat related to wind speed specific to their design. Typically, even “freestanding” awnings can come with some poles, guy ropes and pegs. These are best used if the weather is windy and gusty or raining and even snowing or if the awning is left unattended when prevailing weather conditions could change.
The poles can support the awning from downward pressure and the guy ropes support the upward pressure on the awning. Combining them gives some protection against both. Additionally, guy ropes without a pole can apply downward pressure fitted on the outer edge of the awning between rafters creating a valley to better drain rain from the awning thus avoiding ponding which can permanently stretch the fabric, making ponding worse for subsequent uses.
Awning Brackets
Awning Brackets are very important. These support the awning spine; and, thus the whole awning. Brackets can be attached directly to the spine of the awning or they can be fitted with a RacksBrax quick release hitch solution which sits between the awning and the bracket!
Some awnings are supplied with brackets and some are not. When pricing an awning, it is a significant cost if the brackets are not supplied or are of an inferior quality and you wish to replace them. Awning manufacturers usually stipulate the required number of brackets for a given awning design and often stipulate maximum unsupported length from a bracket at each end of an awning spine. It’s good practice to place a bracket as close as possible to the awning hinge as these areas are working hardest in adverse weather and road conditions.
Awning brackets are typically made from mild steel or stainless steel and are often powder coated for better protection and a better look. Mild steel brackets can come with either electro plating, powder coating or both. It’s important that your brackets, and the fasteners, do not rust and drop rust stains onto vehicle’s paintwork. So, think about bracket and fastener quality if you value your vehicle’s paint job!
Quick release hitches requiring no tools … or it’s just not quick release!
These are typically aftermarket products that enable you to remove your awning from a vehicle quickly to save it from water and sun damage when not needed on the vehicle and to reduce weight, drag and thus fuel consumption. Products like RacksBrax quick release HD hitches and XD hitches, depending on the awning design, make and model, fit between the brackets and the awning. This is often the awning manufacturers’ bracket or they can be aftermarket brackets including a fully engineered stainless-steel 5mm power-coated range of brackets from RacksBrax – which includes the all-important XD Side Twist which lowers the headroom on your vehicle when your accessories are safely stowed in your garage.
All in all
As you’ve just read, there are plenty things to consider when choosing the right awning for your needs. Our range of quick release hitches work with most of the popular 4x4 awning brands on the market. If you’d like to know which RacksBrax quick release hitches you need for a particular awning, head to our “Works With” page, where many awnings and accessories are broken down by make and model for your convenience. Otherwise, shoot us an email at sales@racksbrax.com with your query and we’ll get back to you ASAP!
Awning Buyer’s Guide - awnings and what you need to know
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You’ve finally decided that you want to buy a 4x4 awning for your big camping trip coming up but you don’t know what to look for. Don’t worry! With our guide, developed with all our knowledge of awnings from five years of operation, you’ll be an expert in all thing’s awnings in no time!
What are the critical elements of an awning?
Most awnings are made up of the following:
Cover bag
This is the first thing you see when your take your new awning out of its box. The cover bag protects your awning from the elements. A cover bag is usually made of a vinyl or a material that breathes, reducing the potential for moisture retention in the awning.
Straps
Straps hold the awning fabric and rafters when stowed. These vary but are typically a strap with Velcro over a section of the strap with a buckle or Velcro for the full length.
Spine
The spine is your awning’s backbone and thus a large part of the structural strength of the awning. If the spine is not stiff enough, pulling the straps to pitch the awning, for a 180-degree or 270-degree awning, may cause the spine to bend. The spine may also vibrate or bend at speed on corrugations, especially if projected too far forward of the forward support bracket. A stiffer spine means it’s usually a better support point for the awning hinge/hinges in the case of 180-degree and 270-degree awnings.
Ripstop fabric or canvas
Ripstop fabric is a woven durable water-resistant fabric often made of nylon. It is also lightweight and often used for awnings.
Canvas is heavier and generally more robust than ripstop style fabric, and made of varying materials such as cotton or sometimes polyvinyl chloride and may last longer than ripstop fabric if correctly cared for. Also, some awnings have a fabric treatment which reduces the penetration of heat through the fabric, offering a cooler shade. The fabric needs to be both waterproof and UV stable, features worth checking out with the awning supplier.
If purchasing a canvas awning be sure to follow the manufacturers guide on seasoning the canvas to get the most out of your investment.
Hinge
We’ll call the “hinge” the collection of the metal frame or body that houses the pivot pins on a wing awning for the purpose of this discussion. The hinge is attached to the inner end of the rafters allowing them to unfold and fold when opening and closing the awning. The hinge is all about strength. The body of the hinge needs to be robust to handle the bending loads put on it from the rafters. These loads are of course greater if the awnings are used freestanding without poles and guy ropes. Freestanding awnings should have a more robust hinge which usually means a thicker material, typically steel – but not always. Weld quality where the rafter bearing shaft meets the pivot pin is also a factor here.
It is worth keeping in mind projection issues; that is the fixing points for the front support bracket and rear support bracket – in other words, the length of the awning spine which fits to the roof rack. These limits are usually set by the awning manufacturer.
Rafters
There are many different rafter designs. Again, as with the hinge, “freestanding” awnings will normally have a more robust rafter design. Some rafters are simply an aluminium extrusion and some are effectively a truss. Again, robustness and weld quality need to be considered when choosing an awning for strength.
Some rafters are short but have extendable arms. This can have the advantage of allowing a “square” footprint when viewed from above. This also gives the very big advantage that when packed down the awning is shorter and fits closer to the length of shorter roof racks. That means less unsupported awning frame forward of the forward mount point, a big advantage in an offroad or corrugated road conditions.
Guy ropes, poles and pegs
Some awnings are referred to as “freestanding” awnings. In some conditions, these awnings do not require the support of poles, guy ropes and pegs. However, they do come with a caveat related to wind speed specific to their design. Typically, even “freestanding” awnings can come with some poles, guy ropes and pegs. These are best used if the weather is windy and gusty or raining and even snowing or if the awning is left unattended when prevailing weather conditions could change.
The poles can support the awning from downward pressure and the guy ropes support the upward pressure on the awning. Combining them gives some protection against both. Additionally, guy ropes without a pole can apply downward pressure fitted on the outer edge of the awning between rafters creating a valley to better drain rain from the awning thus avoiding ponding which can permanently stretch the fabric, making ponding worse for subsequent uses.
Awning Brackets
Awning Brackets are very important. These support the awning spine; and, thus the whole awning. Brackets can be attached directly to the spine of the awning or they can be fitted with a RacksBrax quick release hitch solution which sits between the awning and the bracket!
Some awnings are supplied with brackets and some are not. When pricing an awning, it is a significant cost if the brackets are not supplied or are of an inferior quality and you wish to replace them. Awning manufacturers usually stipulate the required number of brackets for a given awning design and often stipulate maximum unsupported length from a bracket at each end of an awning spine. It’s good practice to place a bracket as close as possible to the awning hinge as these areas are working hardest in adverse weather and road conditions.
Awning brackets are typically made from mild steel or stainless steel and are often powder coated for better protection and a better look. Mild steel brackets can come with either electro plating, powder coating or both. It’s important that your brackets, and the fasteners, do not rust and drop rust stains onto vehicle’s paintwork. So, think about bracket and fastener quality if you value your vehicle’s paint job!
Quick release hitches requiring no tools … or it’s just not quick release!
These are typically aftermarket products that enable you to remove your awning from a vehicle quickly to save it from water and sun damage when not needed on the vehicle and to reduce weight, drag and thus fuel consumption. Products like RacksBrax quick release HD hitches and XD hitches, depending on the awning design, make and model, fit between the brackets and the awning. This is often the awning manufacturers’ bracket or they can be aftermarket brackets including a fully engineered stainless-steel 5mm power-coated range of brackets from RacksBrax – which includes the all-important XD Side Twist which lowers the headroom on your vehicle when your accessories are safely stowed in your garage.
All in all
As you’ve just read, there are plenty things to consider when choosing the right awning for your needs. Our range of quick release hitches work with most of the popular 4x4 awning brands on the market. If you’d like to know which RacksBrax quick release hitches you need for a particular awning, head to our “Works With” page, where many awnings and accessories are broken down by make and model for your convenience. Otherwise, shoot us an email at sales@racksbrax.com with your query and we’ll get back to you ASAP!
Watch our full video here | Follow us on Facebook | Follow us on Instagram