Roof rack awning

[Brad]

I posted this on Expo but want to tap into your creativeness as well:

I am looking to build one off the back of my roof rack to provide cover over my cargo area. I have been tossing around ideas and its time to check with you guys!


First option is tent poles and a tarp with guy lines. Only thing I don't like about this is it takes too long to set up and is very susceptible to wind.


Second option is buy a fiamm that might fit, too expensive.


Third and my favorite, find cam lock poles and mount them on the underside of my roof rack. I would use 3 with the center pole mounted higher to allow water drainage. Attach a material around the poles when they are deployed using bungees. No guy lines needed. Can be very sturdy against wind depending on mounts. Material options so far are either a tent foot print (light weight, water proof), treated canvas tarp (heavier, takes more space in the rig, water resistant), poly tarp (medium duty, water proof, have had several eyelets blow out on these so not too interested).


What I am looking for is input and advice. I did some searching and found some materials but am still working on the final setup. Any opinion or advice is welcome.

I should add I am building a cook station on my rear door that is why I am looking to do this. Our intent is to be able to pull off trail and set this up rather quickly so we can cook and take it back down to continue on the trail.

[Funrover]

What I am thinking of doing:

PVC Pipe and a tarp.

Cut two 4' - 5' sections. Mount to rack. on the bottom

Find a size close to that I.D. that slides in/out/ cut 5-6' sections (these will be the arms that stick out)

From the original larger pieces cut to cit the cross bar that will attatch the 2 sides. Drill a hole in one side only to slide the extended arms into. Also drill a hole in each extended arm and on crossbar to slide some sort of pin thru. For those windy days.

Attatch tarp (or canvas) to crossbar and to vehicle roof rack. (this way you use the PVC as a tool to rool the tarp up against roof rack. Also you can roll it under vehicle rack to protect from braches while wheeling)

On PVC mounted to vehicle. Drill holes that match sliding pvc and pin. To hold in place while driving. Also drill holes in end to hold in place while camping

I will use Velcro, or quick strap thru tarp.Canvas holes on the sides to help keep from sag. Will also make it so it must be pulled tight.

Bonus of this. Always on the Rover, pins are used over, only need 4 total. Should be cheap to make

[Brody]

Here are some other ideas/links that may help:

PCoA • View topic - DIY Camping Awning (http://www.pcoa.org.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2717)

diy awning (http://www.campertrailers.org/diy_awning.htm)

Who-T: Home-made 4WD rooftop awning (http://who-t.blogspot.com/2012/05/home-made-4wd-rooftop-awning.html)

Aaron had some good links posted a couple of years ago. They are probably still on here somewhere..

[ColoJeeper]

why reinvent the wheel....take a look at the awnings that get put on pop-up campers and see if there is one that will work.

[upnover]

Make it easy! Tarp, Poles, rope. Make a mount on the Roof rack on each side and then you can fold the tarp and put it away. You can also move it very easy and have two sides to pick from when the Sun moves in the sky. Keep it basic! Wind will always be bad news but that is with any awning.

[Java]

I bought a mesh tarp from these guys that I used as a patio cover for a while, now I just use it for shade wherever. Great quality and good prices. They have a ton of stuff, and some good accessories for tarps.

Tarps - Poly Tarps, Canvas Tarps, Heavy Duty Tarps | TarpsPlus.com (http://www.tarpsplus.com/)

[Brad]

Make it easy! Tarp, Poles, rope. Make a mount on the Roof rack on each side and then you can fold the tarp and put it away. You can also move it very easy and have two sides to pick from when the Sun moves in the sky. Keep it basic! Wind will always be bad news but that is with any awning.
That is the basic idea. Looking to have the poles static mounted though. Twist to release cam lock, slide out, twist to lock cam, drape tarp over it and secure with bungee's.

I did think of scavenging a awning off a pop up being parted out however my roof rack is not that wide. I am trying to keep this on the cheap as I need several things prior to the Moab trip in sept.

[Brody]

Keep it basic! Wind will always be bad news but that is with any awning.

Wind....Ahhhh yes...What we have found works really well for wind, and we are a big fan of tarps, is to use some of the cheapo nylon ditty bags (if we aren't on a climbing trip, in which case we simply use some miscellaneous climbing junk) filled with play sand. You do not need much. Hang them off the tarp with the large black paper clips that have some serious gripping power. I have a couple of racks of these on some parachute cord that I use to join two tarps together to make a wind break. Just do a "French" seam and clip the paper clips along the seam every 4-6 inches.

When we camp, especially when we are car camping/climbing, we set up a tarp for shade/rain, and stash all of our firewood under it when we leave. We also carry a "footprint" for use at the base of the rock for the same reason. What works well for adjustable poles are the painting poles that you can buy at Home Depo or Lowe's. You need to modify the ends to allow for mounting in the existing tarp grommets, if the tarp has grommets, but as is, they will work well for webbing loops. They either twist lock or cam lock open and collapse down to a small size. You don't need the expensive ones and you can still use them for the painting job on the house list.

For the "French" seam, modify the drawing a bit so that you can use this for the edges of the tarp. Take one tarp edge, fold the other tarp edge over it, capturing the single edge, and, using the paper clips, clamp the edge together along it's length. Forms a strong and waterproof joint. If it is really windy out, you can fold it over again before you clamp it. You can essentially make a 'box tent' doing this. Since the big clips come in boxes and are pretty cheap, you are going to have a lot of them. They also double as clothespins, light holders and can be used for a lot of other uses.