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Many of today's caravans are fitted with roll-out or pull-out awnings that work on a pair of tensioned springs. There are a number of offerings from the likes of Dometic, previously A&E, and Carefree of Colorado. These awnings suit owners of new vans and older vans alike. They provide extra shelter and can add living area when combined with an annexe.
This guide covers the basics of choosing the correct awning, measuring it properly, and checking whether your caravan can accept one of these popular units.
Awnings are available in a number of sizes. The first step in deciding which awning to fit is to assess the possible obstructions, then match the centre-to-centre arm measurement to the current awning or fabric range.
As these types of awnings use legs or hardware to hold the awning out, there must be provision for the hardware to be installed vertically with little to no obstruction.
Clearance lights, annexe lights, windows, access doors, main doors, and roof curves can all play a part in deciding where to fit the awning and how long it can be. Usually you are looking for the maximum area that covers the main door, windows, and living area while still keeping the awning hardware vertical.
The diagram above indicates an optimum position. This is what anyone contemplating an awning installation needs to be looking for.
The hardware legs are vertically positioned without obstruction, the bottom brackets are firmly bolted into the sill panel of the caravan, the top brackets are close to the top, and the awning roll is free from sitting over windows and doors.
Tip: When installing the top and bottom brackets, make sure they are being fastened into more than just sheeting. Timber can sometimes be found in the sill panels of caravans. If not, it needs to be added in the form of plywood behind the sill panel skin.
The same goes for the top brackets. You may need to add plates that measure around 100mm x 100mm x 3mm. These can be made from aluminium and fixed into place using silicone and pop-rivets. This method gives the bracket more surface area and bite.
It is important to understand how an awning is measured, and why the manufacturer labels a 12ft awning as a 12ft awning.
All awnings, whether Dometic or Carefree, are measured from the centre of one awning arm to the centre of the other awning arm. Never take the measurement from the fabric. You will be about 1 foot too short, and this can cause serious clearance problems.
The diagram below shows the correct way to measure, and the not so correct way.
Note: Measurement may vary slightly due to incorrect installation. Round to the nearest foot.
If you plan to use annexe walls, also check the finished awning height and slope. The awning still needs to clear doors and windows, but wall kits need enough height and reach to sit properly on the ground. Do this check before ordering, especially on pop-tops and older vans with curved roof lines.
In addition to the awning hardware legs and the awning fabric on the roller, you will need some rope track. Rope track is also known as Caragroove or sail track. This secures the rope sewn into the header of the fabric to the caravan.
You will need to install this on the side of the caravan using double flange, or if the installation is being done to the top corner, then single flange is used with the groove facing outwards.
Rope track can be screwed or pop-riveted to the caravan. Always seal the fasteners with a good quality silicone or polyurethane sealant.
On a pop-top caravan, the best rope track position depends on the roof shape, available straight run, door clearance, and where the awning arms can sit vertically. Do not choose single or double flange track just because another van has it fitted that way. Offer the track up to the van first and confirm the fabric will feed cleanly, the fasteners have proper backing, and the roof or wall section can take the load.
If you are replacing old awning fabric, you may not need to replace the legs and hardware. The important checks are the awning brand and model, the centre-to-centre arm measurement, the roller condition, and whether the existing arms sit straight and lock properly.
Do not assume new fabric will suit old hardware just because the length sounds right. Match the fabric to the awning style and measure from arm centre to arm centre before ordering. If the roller, arms, springs, rivets, or end fittings are damaged or not sitting correctly, sort that out before fitting new fabric.
The roller spring is tensioned. If you are not confident working with awning arms, spring tension, rivets, or end caps, use a caravan repairer or service agent rather than guessing. Incorrectly released spring tension can injure you or damage the awning.
Caravans built in the 60s and 70s are still plentiful, and are a popular base for many projects today. Smaller caravans around 16ft can pose some problems when trying to install a roll-out awning. Most people will find that to clear the doors, windows, lights, and other fittings, they run into problems getting a straight length across the top on which to install the rope track and the awning itself.
This can be overcome by fabricating end brackets. These need to be made, as they cannot be purchased off the shelf. The following diagram shows how a bracket system can be devised using plates, silicone, bolts, and screws or rivets. Bear in mind that the bracketing system needs to be sturdy enough to take some of the awning's weight.
In some cases it may be imperative to reinforce areas on the caravan to accept the additions. Caravans such as those from Jayco usually have timber inserted from factory underneath the sill panel. If your caravan is lacking, then this will need to be fitted so the coach screws supplied with the awning hardware bite into more than just aluminium sheeting.
The same is required when fitting the top brackets, although 100mm x 100mm x 3mm aluminium plate painted Vilotone white, fixed into place with rivets and silicone, is an acceptable solution.
All awnings are shown using the link below:
