Date:         Wed, 21 May 97 15:04:52 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Ed Stevens <ejstevens@earthlink.net>
Subject:      re: awnings and last summers auctioned VW tent (long)

Bruce Wood

>>Camping World (800) 626-5944 has awnings for the VW made by A & E Systems,
>>a division of good old Dometic!   Almost every large RV place will be able
>>to order them too.  They have a special bracket for the Vanagon & Westy
>>which stands the roller up of the roof at an angle.  This also makes it
>>tall enough.  I've been toying with the idea of getting one but I am
>>monetarilly challanged at the moment.  Let me know how you like it if you
>>get one.
>>
>        How easy is it to remove that type awning? I've talked with some
>folks who lugged their awning around with them all summer because putting
>it on and taking it off was such a hassle. (I don't recall what kind it
>was.) In a perfect world, I'd only want to have the awning attached to the
>side of the bus when I was going camping or picnicking.
>        Last summer I spotted a rolled-up awning from Carefree of Colorado
>on the side of a Westy in a parking lot. I never got a chance to speak with
>the owner or see it deployed. Anybody have experience with that variety?
>
>        Also, what kind of money are we looking at for either the A&E
>(sounds like a cable TV channel) or Carefree awnings?
>
Dire Wolf (my 84 Wolfsburg Westfalia GL w/middle bench) had an A&E 
Catalina awning installed by the PO.  I have never taken it off, and I 
really do not need to.  It is firmly attached through 3 clamp-ons that do 
not damage the van.  When the awning is extended out the aluminum 
supports fold back toward the van and they attach to plastic mounts that 
are screwed into the bottom edge of the van.  thus making the full awning 
free-standing with out ground poles or stakes.  These plastic mounts are 
below the two outside edges of the awning roller at the bottom edge of 
the van.  My awning also has a complete (but separate) bug screen that 
snaps onto the top of the canopy and reaches the ground all the way 
around the awning.  Next to the bus there is a piece that snaps onto 
grommets that were installed below the bus and in the wheel well.  It 
creates a fully enclosed screened-in area

It does a good job of creating an outside bug free area (except for the 
1k of critters that were already in the enclosed ground area when you 
extended the awning. ;)

Now I also have a westie tent that I bought off the vw aircooled list 
last summer (see accompanying article).  It will attach to the rain 
gutter and it will only attach without the middle (of the three) awning 
supports.  Needless to say the rolled up awning is up and out of the way, 
but it cannot be extended when the tent is attached. 

The bug screening is heavy tarp and bug netting, I can carry it under the 
seat.

I hope this helps, I do not remember the price and it was done many years 
ago in Florida.  I have no need to put the awning on and off and I do not 
recommend it either.  It increases the likelihood that you will scratch 
the van.  If yours is configured like mine it could also be a trick to 
line up the awning with the support mounts below.  You never know when 
you will want a little shade.  I recommend the A&E awning, but I have not 
seen any others.  Many who have seen my van like it, ask about it and 
take down the information.




********************************
Last summers VW tent - as long time readers know there was a California 
guy who posted a tent last summer on the VW aircooled list.  His First 
post asked what it was worth, on his second post he decided to sell it 
for $150, then so many people must have contacted him that he knew it was 
worth more that and he offered it up for auction with a close date of a 
week later. 

General rumors were that the price was bid up to near $500 and we made 
pigs of ourselves.  Well this lurker is coming forward to fill in the 
details as I know them.  We did not make pigs of ourselves in fact...

When the tent was put up for email auction the seller received no bids, 
that's right absolutely no bids.  Not from me either as I figured some 
California Camping crazy was about to camp on his door step to get it  
With shipping charges my end cost would have been out-of-sight and the 
condition of the tent was unknown.  I forgot about the entire incident. 
Weeks after the deadline passed the seller called me and offered to sell 
the tent to me for $250. Delivered to a mall parking lot near me (Valley 
Forge PA) in late June as he was bringing his wife and RV from SF to CT 
for the summer.  he would set it up and show the condition to me and I 
could decide whether to buy it.  Of course I said yes to his no cost 
offer.  And when we met 50 minutes from my home I loved the tent and the 
deal was done

He was astutely following up on our earlier pre-auction conversation.  I 
had told him that I would pay $150 plus shipping for the tent.  He 
estimated that the tent shipping would be near $70 (his cost).  I also 
said if it made the sale I would pay a few dollars more for his effort.  
I told him of my family of wife and two sons who were just starting out 
in WestieWorld and how great it would be to have a side tent for extra 
room.  We hit it off rather nicely.

Sorry for taking so long to fill in these details but I have previously 
had the world worst (IMHO) email system (Unix ELM) and I sent very little 
email because it was a pain.  The ELM system is almost primitively 
character based.  Now I use an ISP (earthlink) and Claris Em@iler, so I 
am better in touch.



-peace

Ed Stevens