When you’re out there at one of the thousands of campgrounds dotted across the country, parked at a relative’s home, or boondocking in your favorite secluded field backed at a national park, once you get settled in, you start to get out the extras. The extras that help to enhance your enjoyment of your RV and activities. Patio furniture, PolyTuff furniture, cooler tables, and everything else that turns your RV into a place to relax or party. While this is a collective experience among RVers, life outside is not always fun in the sun.
With the onset of the summer season, RV owners find out the bad times come with the good. That the summer sun which brings warmth and bright days can also brutally beat down on you and those enjoying the season with you. If you’ve got a patio set up, your grill outside, and your cornhole game ready to go, and the weather isn’t willing to cooperate, what do you do? What can you do when the good time weather goes bad? You solve the problem with an awning.
Awnings and RVs go hand-in-hand. While you can have one without the other (some RVs, sadly, do come without awnings) it makes for a miserable existence. If you picture your RV life, no matter whether you’re at the campground or parked near a beach in southern California, there are many times where you aren’t inside. You’re out and about. RV life isn’t about driving somewhere and staying cloistered in your rig like a paranoid misanthrope. Like most RVers, you know the point is to get to your destination (if you’re, of course, not boondocking) and socialize. There’s more joy to be had meandering about and taking advantage of your garrulous nature than to keep to yourself and your RV.
What about those times when you’re out, want to stay out, but the sun isn’t cooperating? What if the rain, rain won’t go away and come again some other day? Awnings are your answer. They can provide great shade from the sun, help you keep from getting wet, and protect your interior. Yes. Protect your interior.
As you can see, there are a variety of reasons to own or upgrade an existing awning. Now that you know, what do you do when you are looking to buy an awning or own one? The first thing is understanding what you should and should not do before you buy (or upgrade.) Here are some do’s and don’ts to follow with regards to RV awning ownership:
DON’T: If you hate the heat, stay away from dark awnings. Yes, colored awnings can be very aesthetically pleasing and match fantastically with your motorhome. The flip side of that is a dark awning can absorb heat very quickly on a sunbaked day and create more problems for your comfort, even if you are sitting in the shade underneath.
DON’T: Do not become part of the accessory crowd. Yes, awnings are fantastic, and they can provide a lot of fun and protection for your family and friends. What they can also do is become a money trap for you if you’re not careful. There are so many accessories out there for awnings from the technological to the eye-pleasing that if you go for broke trying to outfit your awning you could find yourself with empty pockets and a shade cover that is well over its load capacity. If you think replacing an awning can get a little pricy, try fixing your unit after your canopy has collapsed under the weight of the screen, zappers, wind sensors, chimes, party lights, and more.
DO: Choose the right material for your awning. Whether acrylic, vinyl, or cloth, you need to install what is going work for you. Work with what you know. Better the devil, you know, than the one you don’t.
DON’T: Ever drive with your awning open. Don’t think this is too silly of a tip to list. Google it. People do this. If you drive with it open, you are most certainly going to cause expensive damage.
DO: Make sure you practice proper awning care.
Awnings are generally durable and long-lasting items that, if cared for properly, can last up to ten years. How do you keep them viable for that long? It helps to identify the medium you’re working with. Awnings for RVs come in two primary materials: Acrylic and RecPro Vinyl.
Both have their benefits, and of course, we know there are more awning materials than just those available. We’re going to deal with the two most popular here.
RecPro Vinyl – One of the big pluses of vinyl is that it resists mildew growth. If you’ve owned an RV with an awning for any length of time, you know mildew is a problem that can grow on you — having a material that naturally helps to prevent the spread of this insidious fungus. This material is easy to clean, but do not store it (retract) while it is wet. Let it air dry.
Acrylic – This breathable material is great if you want a cover that allows airflow. This is good for people who enjoy a pleasant breeze while they are relaxing. It has the added benefit of drying faster than a vinyl awning. Unlike its vinyl counterpart, acrylic is not entirely waterproof. Water can seep through (especially if you touch the bottom of the awning while it’s wet.) Also, this material is harder to clean because of its construction. Do not scrub this material.
Here are a few cleaning tips to help:
So, when it’s hot out, and you need a break from the sun, an RV awning is a solution to your problem! With the new selection of awnings from RecPro, you’ll have it made in the shade this summer season. Whether you need something new to match your RV better than the awning the OEM installed on the unit, or you want a cover that looks good and blocks the sun, we’ve got what you need.
We have multiple color selections for you to choose from. The faded themes allow for numerous color matching opportunities with our awnings. At RecPro we made sure that replacement would be a snap. Our awnings have a universal channel fit so that you don’t have to cut material and fuss with external valence placement. It’s all together in one piece so you can replace your old fabric and get back out on the road.
These awnings are made to last. They possess a tensile strength of 140 lbs. psi. The sun cover comes complete and ready to install with beading installed and heat-sealed edges. While other styles of awnings have sewn seams, these heat-sealed (heat-welded) seams are built for durability and long life. Because they are sealed with heat rather than thread, they provide more strength in the critical points of the awning and are resistant to mold and mildew. When you store your awning away for the season, you won't need to worry about it becoming damaged by water that might be trapped in the casing.
Check out our selection of stylish awnings and order yours, today!
Details:
*Awning arrives folded in RecPro shipping media. Make sure and expand sheet over a flat surface before installation*
**Wrinkles will stretch out and are only cosmetic**
***Measure awning width correctly before purchasing***
To understand why awnings aren’t just good for your overall enjoyment of the RV, but they’re also good for the health of your RV, we’ll show you a comprehensive list that will make a case for adding or upgrading the awning on your RV: