Date:         Fri, 3 Jun 2005 21:11:39 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: Bus Depot Awning
In-Reply-To:  <BEC37A3D.F4A%camper@tactical-bus.info>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Thanks for your enthusiastic review of our Ezy-Awning, Jim!   I have been
using one myself for two years now, so as they say, I'm not just the owner,
I'm also a client. :-) 

To answer the various questions/issues that were raised, based on my own
experience using this awning...

First of all, regarding John's question about how the awning looks when
stowed in the driving position, there really is no "driving position."  This
awning doesn't stay up when you drive, nor do you have to drill anything to
your Vanagon to mount it. That's what makes it unique. It fits in a bag
about the size of one of those "folding-chairs-in-a-bag" when not in use, so
you can just stow it under your back seat and have it handy for whenever you
need it.  It takes all of about 5 minutes to put up (a bit longer the first
time or two, but you get used to it quickly), attaching via a pole that sits
in your rain gutter just like a Vanagon side tent does. (We also have a
no-drill mounting option for Eurovans, which also works on non-VW vehicles
like SUV's, pickup trucks, minivans, etc.)

As for wind and awnings, as John pointed out, any awning can suddenly become
a huge sail if the wind hits it just right (even a $2000 one, as Robert
learned the hard way).  However, like Jim, I have used my Ezy-Awning during
gusty storms with no problems. That said, there is always the risk of a
serious wind gust lifting up any awning, so if the wind starts getting
really nasty, or if I'm leaving the van (or going to sleep) and there are
heavy winds forecast, I usually drop one side of it until I return. Since
the two legs retract, you can simply drop one side of the awning so it is
near the ground, with the other side still full-height and attached to the
van's rain gutter. This greatly reduces the chance of a wind getting under
it, and also provides better rain cover for any belongings that are stowed
under it. It takes less than a minute to drop one side and then raise it
back up again. 

Regarding the supporting poles, they are as heavy duty as they could be
without being cumbersome. In fact, for each comment I get from someone who
wishes they were heavier, I get another from someone who wishes they were
lighter, so I guess you can't please everyone. In any case I have seen
permanent-mount awnings that are not as well supported as this one. On the
other hand, the poles that go across the awning itself are lightweight
fiberglass, which is made possible by the fact that the awning has a dome
contour. This slight dome shape prevents "rain sag," so those poles don't
have to be weight bearing.  The result is more stability with less
weight/bulk.

If I were going to find a fault with the Ezy-Awning, having used it for a
couple of years now, it's that the poles that go in the rain gutter and
across from it (not the ones that hold it up) are a tad longer than
necessary. They're supposed to pull the awning taut (creating the dome
shape), but IMHO they could easily have been a couple of inches shorter and
still accomplished this. As it is they just barely fit; if you try to fold
the pockets over them, one pocket tends to unfold after a while or else the
pole bows just slightly. (If you have seen or used one this would make more
sense to you.) This hasn't bothered me and doesn't hurt the awning's
functionality, as even if you don't fold one pocket over there really isn't
anywhere for the pole to go. But I have had a couple of customers who
actually opted to just saw off a couple of inches of the pole to make it
better fit into the pocket. If we ever come out with an Ezy-Awning II, maybe
we'll shorten the pole a tad.  

As for the issue of awning versus tent, to me they have completely different
uses. If my family is camping in the same place for a few days, we set up
our side tent. (I have an older frame-style tent very similar to the Hanover
tent that we sell now.)  It provides not just shade but two rooms as well.
We use the sleeping/changing room to store our coolers, junk, etc. so we're
not tripping on them in the van, and set up a couple of chairs and a small
table in the main section. Since one wall opens up, it acts like an awning
when desired, or we can close it when we want privacy. But for a quick day
or overnight trip, the tent is overkill, and too much of a hassle to set up.
That's where the Ezy-Awning comes in useful. It's up and down in all of 15
minutes, and always handy under my back seat, so we can put it up or down on
a whim. There have been many occasions where I'd never have bothered setting
up a whole tent, but was really glad I had the awning handy.

The Ezy-Awning is a unique approach to Vanagon awnings. It's the only awning
that does what it does, for anywhere near its price. This doesn't mean it's
for everybody. Some prefer an awning that permanently attaches to the van,
and/or are willing to pay several times more than the Ezy-Awning costs.
Personally, I don't use an awning enough to want to have one forever bolted
to my van like an appendage, nor to shell out $500 to $800 for one. For
around $150, the Ezy-Awning is an affordable solution that's there when I
need it, gone when I don't.  And while it may not be built as well as a $700
awning, it's built well enough that I'm on my third year using it now, and
I'm guessing it's probably good for three more. If so, it works out to $25 a
year, which is an expense that I can easily justify. Put simply, it's all
the awning I need or want.  

You can see more at:  <http://busdepot.com/details/awning.jsp>

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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