Date:         Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:15:27 -0800
Reply-To:     Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Shady Boy: That bad in wind?
Comments: To: Neil N <musomuso@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <CAB2Rwfje=RgHhotvPuPgi59K6yjif2kXRdpWGJ_eo5F8g-eHgA@mail.gmail.com>
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 RE: Awning in The Wind
Just got to jump in on this one.  Awnings in the wind? BTDT, in spades.
ANY awning can be subject to damage to total destruction in the wind, not
just the Shady Boy.  I've seen Shady Boys blown all the way over the top of
the van.  I've also seen one other popular and even less expensive (Bus
Depot) awning that loves to reverse itself (pop the dome part down) in the
right wind.  And I've stood and held onto the struts on my Fiamma for dear
life for about half an hour when very strong winds came up so fast that
there was no time to roll it in!  When it comes to awnings and wind apply
the sailors rule of thumb on reefing (reducing the size of) the sail:  When
do you reef?  When you first think about it!
One advantage of the roll out type awnings that I love is the ability,
especially with the Fiamma, to extend the awning just as far as you want.
 Just a couple of feet for a rain porch in some weather.  Very handy.
The other enemy of awnings is rain/hail/snow.  The weight buildup on a flat
awning from rain can be extreme and faster than you think.  And can cause
severe damage to total destruction.   Don't ask how I know about damage
from rain on a flat awning, BTDT too :)