Awning

[flyfishn]

Has any one tried a bag awning? Guess you would have to pop rivets into your roof. They are cheaper then Shady boy awnings, or is it because shady boy connects to the rain gutter,I think.

[mararmeisto]

...or is it because shady boy connects to the rain gutter,I think.

The ShadyBoy does not connect to the rain gutter (unless Wolfgang has made a new mounting bracket), but he is more than willing to bolt it to the top of your van (which is what he does to the Volksie-vans). Wolfgang designed his awning and mounting brackets for VW vans, so the angle on the side of the roof is a little off for his mounting brackets, but I imagine that if enough of us were to buy his awning he might make up some new brackets (at least for the high-roofs).

I didn't choose the drill-holes-in-my-roof-to-mount option (already got enough holes in my roof), so I've bolted the brackets to the bars of my roof rack. I looked at bag awnings as well and decided that a ShadyBoy was a good intermediate size/value between a bag awning and a full-on full-size mounted-and-with-extending-arms-and-rotational-extender-handle-thingy like one sees on the side of RVs. But that's just me.

See here for a closer look: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/displayimag ... =155&pos=3

[flyfishn]

What an amazing set up you have. Where did you get that tent?
What special mods to the trailer to rig it up there?

Cheers
James

[mararmeisto]

What an amazing set up you have. Where did you get that tent?
What special mods to the trailer to rig it up there?

Cheers
James

Do you mean this setup? http://www.delica.ca/Photos/displayimag ... =155&pos=8

Got the tent from Pacific Custom Land Rover who is bringing the Eezi-Awn rooftop tent in from South Africa. Hannibal is the Australian version, but I liked the Eezi-Awn better (slightly thicker canvas and better price - 1800$ with zip-on room).

Utility trailer, truck box toolbox (for behind the cab, opens both sides), and a truck box ladder rack (with two extra cross-members in the middle to support the tent), and voila! A rooftop tent at a more reasonable height, and a tonne of cash cheaper than this arrangement: http://www.adventuretrailers.com/horizon.html (although I still want to get one of these!) And at 490kg (checked it this last time out on a provincial scale), it's just about the right weight for these vans to pull without sucking the wind out of them. They'll pull more, but it really bogs 'em down on the hills when pulling much more than half a tonne (I know, I've tried three different trailers so far).

I will be at Coombs Country Auto this weekend if anyone wants to take a closer look at the arrangement.

[flyfishn]

Thanks. I love the ease of it all but I think the wife still wants a tent trailer after we sell out Boler. If you stayed away from the Coq, would you pull 1500lbs?

[mararmeisto]

Thanks. I love the ease of it all but I think the wife still wants a tent trailer after we sell out Boler. If you stayed away from the Coq, would you pull 1500lbs?

My arrangement IS a tent trailer: it's a tent, bolted onto a trailer. Ha ha, somehow I don't think your wife would see it that way if you were to explain it to her...

Anyway, 1500 lbs? Done it, and it pulls fine on the level, but we don't live in the Prairies or Lower Canada, so that's why I've kept getting lighter and lighter trailers.

Boler? Dang, we were looking for one of those.