> Hi Volks, > Anybody out there had experience with Shady Boy Awnings for vanagons? How > easy are they to set up and put away? How durable? How do they hold up in > rain and wind? > How do they compare to Fiamma or other brands? > Any experience or opinions would be greatly appreciated. > Thanks, Steve: Got one last year after doing an archive search and looking at a couple of installations at campouts and car shows. Overall, I am very pleased with the ShadyBoy. I opted for the extra reflective lining and do not regret it. The attachment to the van requires drilling but it doesn't show through the interior because of the positioning behind the upper slider door mechanism. The poptop covers the mounts when the van is in motion; I have not seen any leaking, even in heavy storms. The tie down straps are sufficient for moderate winds but I would be inclined to "reef" the awning if high winds were expected. The awning does luft in even a gentle breeze. I consider this good as it does not allow rain to pool on it. The small stowed away profile is a plus; all the stays and fabric rolls up inside the hinged cover.. The freedom from legs/poles also makes it fairly easy to setup. It seems more tent-like than most other awnings (which I consider more appropriate for RVs or camping trailers). The awning, when extended, covers most of the front door area back to about the middle of the fixed window behind the sliding door. Out board corner tie downs can be effected at the bumpers or to stakes in the ground. Since I am about as far away from either source, I went directly to the company after reviewing the below web site: > http://www.shadyboy.com/vans/index.html which is a West coast distributor for Equinox (tonight is the equinox!), parent company of ShadyBoy. I was treated very well by the owner...a German fellow who has a very strong accent. HTH Stephen Steele* Chillicothe OH '91 Caravelle "Hans" '87 Westy "Franz" with the ShadyBoy '84 Westfalia "Fritz" '82 Caddy VW Diesel P.U. Unknown future???? '90 Jetta GL 18yo Sons' "together" car. '74 MGB My first car...yep, I've kept it since '74 '93 Chevy S-10 '91 Jetta Diesel My "new" daily driver *all rights reserved/no portion of this document may be reproduced w/o prior written permission |
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