One of the most useful and treasured items we have on board is the awning and enclosure. This system allows us to manage temperature, shade, privacy and our belongings and even the dogs.
The awning we selected is a Fiamma 45s and cost us about $1,000. We selected this one because it is the most reasonably sized unit that can be cranked out easily. There is a longer one that will fit a Vanagon, but this worked for us. It operates so simply that one person can deploy it. The mounting brackets attach firmly to the rain gutter, with no drilling needed. We purchased ours through AT Overland http://store.adventuretrailers.com/categories/AWNINGS/FIAMMA-/ and they assisted with installation.
In addition to serving as a terrific sun and rain protection,
The canvas walls of the room enclosure were made by Butte Canyon Canvas Company in Prescott, Arizona. The owner is Jeff Meredith bccc@cableone.net We were able to select the color of fabric and placement of doors and windows.
The front wall of the room slides into a groove in the awning case. The two side walls have rod-pockets for metal poles, which fit into the awning case and a mounting point.
All of it can be assembled and disassembled in about 15 minutes. Once it is up, the room provides complete privacy with the windows and doors closed. With the windows and doors open the breeze blows through and light comes in.
The walls of the enclosure extend to the floor and then have two flaps at the bottom. One flap (about 3 inches) is designed to go to the outside and be nailed into the ground with tent stakes. The other flap (about 12 inches) goes to the inside and offers a waterproof lip all the way around the room.
All of the walls are made of a water resistant canvas that does not become saturated and dries off very quickly after rain- and it has seen some major rain!
I should mention that Fiamma offers a room enclosure for sale that works with their various sized awnings. However, when we were ready to make our purchase, the size we needed was out of stock. We were not able to wait and we loved the idea of designing our own door and window pattern. Please know that nothing in this review speaks to the quality of the Fiamma wall set, or compares the two in any way.
The only concern we have had with this set up is that we have grown to trust it as a secure “room” on our house. But it does not seal the space UNDER the van. Mango can slip away unseen, by going right under the van. But we keep her on a long tie-out so she can’t go far when she does this trick. Otherwise we find that this enclosure adds a feeling of security for our belongings and a huge amount of privacy to our camping experience.
If you have any questions or want photos of any specific parts of the awning or room, please let me know. Thanks for reading.
As always with advice from this and any other blog; do not attempt this at home, all work must be done by licensed professionals, do not ride without a helmet, do not pass go without collecting $200 dollars and please wash your hands after going to the bathroom.