Cheaper 270 Degree Awnings: ARQ4WD & Overland Pros

jnack

Member
I've got a long bed tacoma...looking to get a foxwing style awning to mount on my roof rack of my camper shell. The ARQ4WD has caught my eye because of great price and it covers a large surface area.

4318b9572e2ff4b94a7df7c52256f1a8.jpg


I was recently directed to the Overland-Pros which is quite similar:
DJI_0022.jpg


I was curious if any of y'all have experience with any of the more "economy" awnings. In particular how has it held up in rainy & windy conditions.

The Overland Pros seems pretty nice particularly since it has the option of getting a wall set in the future if I felt that was something I wanted.

A breakdown of what I'm looking at:
ARQ4WD 270 ~$400
Overland Pros ~ $400 (though shipping is $200 which seems outrageous)
Roam ~ 400 (would love to suport American made, but the design doesn't cover nearly as much surface area)
CVT ~ $750
Rhino Rack ~650

Looking forward to your responses!
 

ndamico

Member
I've got a long bed tacoma...looking to get a foxwing style awning to mount on my roof rack of my camper shell. The ARQ4WD has caught my eye because of great price and it covers a large surface area.

4318b9572e2ff4b94a7df7c52256f1a8.jpg


I was recently directed to the Overland-Pros which is quite similar:
DJI_0022.jpg


I was curious if any of y'all have experience with any of the more "economy" awnings. In particular how has it held up in rainy & windy conditions.

The Overland Pros seems pretty nice particularly since it has the option of getting a wall set in the future if I felt that was something I wanted.

A breakdown of what I'm looking at:
ARQ4WD 270 ~$400
Overland Pros ~ $400 (though shipping is $200 which seems outrageous)
Roam ~ 400 (would love to suport American made, but the design doesn't cover nearly as much surface area)
CVT ~ $750
Rhino Rack ~650

Looking forward to your responses!

hey, those are my feet in that picture!

id like to correct one thing- shipping isn't $200- you just didn't hit the calculate shipping button. $200 flat rate is what we charge to ship a RTT and is truck freight (Technically if you buy a RTT we can put the wraptor on the same pallet for free). The longest package you can ship UPS is 108". Our wraptor 2500 box is 107". Its a huge awning. Our wraptor 2000 is smaller and doesn't incur the oversize charge so shipping on it is much cheaper. its excellent in rain, wind, and even snow. you can also hang towels, wet clothes, and all sorts of other gear on it as you can see I did at the lake in the picture. what I tell folks is if you want the awning that is fastest to deploy we won't win that contest. it takes me a few minutes, not one minute. but once you have it setup, its features are hard to beat at the price point, especially if you want walls. the rigid poles all the way around make it much tighter, quieter, and stronger in inclement weather. We wheel our rigs, and i've banged mine up against several trees. its tough.
 

Tkhawk

Adventurer
I recently received my ARQ4WD 6.5 foot 270 degree awning. We made one trip out with it so far. So far based on my experience, for the price I'd buy one again. I did experience troubles with delivery and shipping so it took 5 months before I received it. First it was the wrong shipment, then the next one was damaged before it made it out of the country, then the last one was lost for a few weeks by FedEx. During the installation ARQ was available using WhatsApp messenger for input on the mounting method. There is a language barrier but he is very responsive. Our first night out was rainy and the awning started to leak very quickly, I messaged ARQ when we got home and sent a video of it leaking. He has offered to make it right but I told him to hold off, seeing as how I still have the first awning he shipped me that was the wrong size, and I would try a can of tent sealer. I'll get it sealed this week and report back. Maybe mine came off of a bad batch of fabric, he sent me a video of a black awning holding water and one of the other members here said his lasted hours in the rain. As for the wind, so far I've only seen about 10mph and it's held up just fine, I'll use it on the beach this summer and see how it handles much stronger winds, but based on what I've seen I'm not concerned about a decent amount of wind as long as its tied down good.
For the weekend warrior like me who is not relying on the awning for shade to prevent heat stroke in the desert, and has time and patience to wait to get it right, I'd recommend ARQ. But, if your heading out for a longer time or more extreme conditions, you would probably be much more comfortable with the assurance of a proven name brand.
20180223_181111.jpg.
 

80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
It looks like these cheaper awnings are for shade, not shelter from rain. If they don't offer a wall kit as an option, chances are - they're just for shade. As long as you know that going into a buy. Some other issues to think about are strength in the wind, ease of deployment and take down, durability of awning fabric and storage enclosure. Read reviews, reviews reviews......
 

80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
Any fabric over your head will help in rain and light snow..... IMO.....
Disagree with you 100%. If you have awning fabric that absorbs water, like many cheaper sun shades & leave it up in the rain, you're just "planting weeds in your garden". When you go to put it away and for a breeding ground for mold and mildew, not to mention the dripping on whatever is under it during the rain. BTW, your recommendation for Arawak Camping, the description on their website says:

"Poleless and easy to set up (about 30 seconds) Our Awning provides 110 square feets of UV filtered shade. The combination of 6063 aluminum and Carbon Steel Sheet makes the perfect match for a sturdy and lightweight Awning (20 Kg). It includes mounting brackets and all bolts and screws for easy installation on most roof racks."

Doesn't say anything about shedding or shelter from moisture. And I believe they did that on purpose. Before being used on vehicles, most awnings were for shade, unless specifically designed for rain and/or snow shelter.

.....As much as I love reading reviews, if at all possible, seeing things in person is much better. The problem with reviews is that very few people write them with the intention of being objective. After spending $1500USD on an awning, one will look at his purchase through rose-coloured glasses and not see any faults or problems, lest he regret his expensive purchase. I love to read thorough reviews after long-term use (6 months or more), but so very few people make those, and fewer still are willing to admit that what they have is less than perfect.

Personally, I always prefer to know about every potential flaw before I spend the money. Knowing about a "could be a problem down the line" thing ahead of time is so much nicer than randomly discovering it after the fact. And it presents an opportunity to watch out for that issue and care about the item so as to minimize the chance of developing that issue to begin with.

So... who wants to put together some objective, long-term use reviews on all these awnings? :D
Other than personal experience, reviews are one of the key ways of getting information to help one make a decision. Yes, they're not perfect, but the seasoned reader can easily determine what is helpful to them. Yes, seeing in person is better, but nowadays frequently not possible, but thanks for the insight on how you read reviews. And since your so full of energy and good ideas, why don't you: "....put together some objective, long-term use reviews on all these awnings? :D"?...:)
 

80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
Any fabric over your head will help in rain and light snow.......IMO.

That's certainly possible, but in my experience, I've yet to come across a vehicle awning that absorbed water. I doubt any modern awning manufacturer would not add water shedding resistance to their fabric.
Your comment on this was just plain wrong, and trying to explain it is, well....boring:coffee:

I made no recommendations, so don't put words into my mouth; I provided an option that may be of interest to OP.
Your interpretive reading between the lines may be accurate, or it may not be. Worth contacting the manufacturer to ask how the fabric will behave in a rain.
I share reviews and (what I consider to be) worthwhile information about nearly every product I use, and will almost certainly do so when/if I get a 270-degree awning......
You suggested the website and source and that's a fact. Don't try to squirm out of it by blaming me for confusing the issue. And most certainly, don't get bossy.

.....With that said, I'm really not sure why you seem to have a stick up your as$ about my post, but to each their own.
I don't want to clutter up someone else's thread, but I'll respond to you, just this once, eatSleepWoof, since you seem to have your panties in a wad. You opened up this attitude by pouncing on everything I said in my post#5 - in your post#6. And while usually, I'm not that sensitive to negative feed back, I'm kind of embarassed to say this, but it needs to be said.

.....I was curious if any of y'all have experience with any of the more "economy" awnings. In particular how has it held up in rainy & windy conditions.

The Overland Pros seems pretty nice particularly since it has the option of getting a wall set in the future if I felt that was something I wanted.

A breakdown of what I'm looking at:
ARQ4WD 270 ~$400
Overland Pros ~ $400 (though shipping is $200 which seems outrageous)
Roam ~ 400 (would love to suport American made, but the design doesn't cover nearly as much surface area)
CVT ~ $750
Rhino Rack ~650

Looking forward to your responses!

My apologies for the beginning of this post. Personally, I wouldn't waste your time or money with the cheaper "knock offs". I have an Alu-Cab Shadow with the wall kit, which as you probably know, is one of the better 270* awnings. While the awning itself is awesome, the fabric is top quality for providing shade and is waterproof. However, the wall kit has it's shortcomings. Mainly being that you can't seal out bugs or extreme weather. In my book, that is not a true wall kit. And for that reason, I can't highly recommend it as a camping shelter.
 

Hoghead

Observer
On the Arawak website it says that the fabric has 4 layers of PU coating. It specifically says they wanted a waterproof fabric when designing it.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Your comment on this was just plain wrong, and trying to explain it is, well....boring:coffee:


You suggested the website and source and that's a fact. Don't try to squirm out of it by blaming me for confusing the issue. And most certainly, don't get bossy.

I don't want to clutter up someone else's thread, but I'll respond to you, just this once, eatSleepWoof, since you seem to have your panties in a wad. You opened up this attitude by pouncing on everything I said in my post#5 - in your post#6. And while usually, I'm not that sensitive to negative feed back, I'm kind of embarassed to say this, but it needs to be said.



My apologies for the beginning of this post. Personally, I wouldn't waste your time or money with the cheaper "knock offs". I have an Alu-Cab Shadow with the wall kit, which as you probably know, is one of the better 270* awnings. While the awning itself is awesome, the fabric is top quality for providing shade and is waterproof. However, the wall kit has it's shortcomings. Mainly being that you can't seal out bugs or extreme weather. In my book, that is not a true wall kit. And for that reason, I can't highly recommend it as a camping shelter.
Relax. These types of responses just to "prove" someone is "right" is, well......boring. :coffee:
You're working in absolutes that don't apply in the case.
.
I have yet to see an awning that doesn't have some level of waterproofing applied. Materials and quality of the waterproofing may vary widely but personally I wouldn't worry about awning materials soaking up water. If you're putting away wet material and leaving it that way without drying it out, and it develops mold, that's nothing but user error. Fabrics are going to get wet and retain some amount of moisture unless they are fully synthetic 'plastic' materials or fully coated in it. Just like with RTT's if you have it set up in the rain, it's a good idea to set it back up when you get home (or sooner if it's convenient) to dry and air out.
.
My list of things to consider when choosing an awning like these are the quality of the hinge, the rails, and if it has poles what are the poles made of and are the tips plastic or alloy? 270* awnings will live or die by the strength and design of the hinge and the rails. If those are weak you'll be replacing the awning in a year or two because they won't hold up over time. If you can find one with alloy tips on the poles its far better. The plastic/nylon tipped poles will inevitably break off. If you are considering an awning with plastic tipped poles, make sure they have spare tips available and order a few to throw in your parts bin for trips. These key items effect the price and are the things that make me shy away from the cheaper options. What's the saying? "there's never enough money to buy the right thing, but always enough money to buy the wrong thing twice."
 

80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
Relax. These types of responses just to "prove" someone is "right" is, well......boring. :coffee:
You're working in absolutes that don't apply in the case.
.
I have yet to see an awning that doesn't have some level of waterproofing applied. Materials and quality of the waterproofing may vary widely but personally I wouldn't worry about awning materials soaking up water. If you're putting away wet material and leaving it that way without drying it out, and it develops mold, that's nothing but user error. Fabrics are going to get wet and retain some amount of moisture unless they are fully synthetic 'plastic' materials or fully coated in it. Just like with RTT's if you have it set up in the rain, it's a good idea to set it back up when you get home (or sooner if it's convenient) to dry and air out.
.
My list of things to consider when choosing an awning like these are the quality of the hinge, the rails, and if it has poles what are the poles made of and are the tips plastic or alloy? 270* awnings will live or die by the strength and design of the hinge and the rails. If those are weak you'll be replacing the awning in a year or two because they won't hold up over time. If you can find one with alloy tips on the poles its far better. The plastic/nylon tipped poles will inevitably break off. If you are considering an awning with plastic tipped poles, make sure they have spare tips available and order a few to throw in your parts bin for trips. These key items effect the price and are the things that make me shy away from the cheaper options. What's the saying? "there's never enough money to buy the right thing, but always enough money to buy the wrong thing twice."
Interesting that you should mention pole tips. The tips on my Shadow are nylon. They pivot and are used to secure the pole in the up position. If one breaks the pole would have to be jury rigged or removed to pack it up and put the awning away. Never thought of that. Might get on the phone with OK4WD soon and ask them about spare pole ends. I hope Alu-Cab has the foresight to ship and allow OK4WD to stock these. BTW, I researched awning fabric in some depth before choosing the Alu-Cab. Some claim to have UV filtering and other qualities that, after awhile, are just ludicrous. Even read a review that compared the fabric that Alu-Cab used to some others. It was pointed out that the Alu-Cab was superior because it actually reflected the sun's rays (it's aluminum coated) and it was cooler under the Alu-Cab than other awnings that were tested. As far as moisture protection, I agree most awnings would be fine in a brief shower. But, real world rain storms are usually accompanied by wind which makes a wall kit a real desirable feature for camping. If the showers continue & the fabric is just moisture resistant, not water proof - could make for a miserable night or camping trip.
 

Ryan_wco

New member
We recently sold our Tepui awning and upgraded to the Overland Pros wrapptor 2500 and couldn't be happier with. I like that it has the cross bars in-between the main bars so you don't have to stake it down. We've used it several times in the rain and it's never leaked. We forgot to drop it down one night, must have collected 10 gallons of water in it. I couldn't believe it held so much with out any damage. I'd buy it again in a heart beat.
 

80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
We recently sold our Tepui awning and upgraded to the Overland Pros wrapptor 2500 and couldn't be happier with. I like that it has the cross bars in-between the main bars so you don't have to stake it down. We've used it several times in the rain and it's never leaked. We forgot to drop it down one night, must have collected 10 gallons of water in it. I couldn't believe it held so much with out any damage. I'd buy it again in a heart beat.
Did you get any walls or the full enclosure with your wrapptor 2500? Curious, because Alu-Cab does not have full enclosure as an option yet, just the walls.
 

jnack

Member
We recently sold our Tepui awning and upgraded to the Overland Pros wrapptor 2500 and couldn't be happier with. I like that it has the cross bars in-between the main bars so you don't have to stake it down. We've used it several times in the rain and it's never leaked. We forgot to drop it down one night, must have collected 10 gallons of water in it. I couldn't believe it held so much with out any damage. I'd buy it again in a heart beat.
any pix?
 

Rut Ro

New member
Look into Pope Overland Expedition. Based out of Denver, CO. They have a 98" Foxwing 270 degree for $310. Johnathan Pope is the owner. He will be at Expo West this year.
 

jnack

Member
curious if any1 has experience w/ the ARQ4wd awning in rain? I like the idea of no poles though they seem to have the advantage of allowing you to angle down the awning so rain rolls off of it...
 

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