Car camping gear modification?

Discussion about making bushwalking-related equipment.

Car camping gear modification?

Postby Moondog55 » Wed 13 Dec, 2023 8:50 am

Setting up the car with a cheap awning I also bought a side wall when they are on sale.
It's just the cheap XTM brand from the BCF chain.
The picture taken from the website.
Set-up at Pretty Valley it got hit by some winds and I've made a small modification or two.
Where the seam is across the middle of the fabric I have added a reinforced tie out on each side with the intention of adding a short tent pole there and appropriate guy lines.
In the lower panel section I have added a heavily reinforced patch in the centre of that lower panel to take a guy.
I am now wondering if I should drag the sewing machine back out and add a couple of extra guy points sewn onto the seam that runs from side to side to add more wind resistance?
The reason for the added extras is to make it easy to fit my swag on a stretcher under a fly to give better protection from the sun and rain and to ease the condensation problems that the swag fabric has.
Two tie-outs on that seam either side of centre. Appreciate peoples thoughts on the matter
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BCF_583939-00_hi-res.jpg
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Re: Car camping gear modification?

Postby Biggles » Thu 14 Dec, 2023 9:59 am

Don't see many awnings — fixed or DIY, on cars/vans at Pretty Valley. Or caravans. If you know the forecast in advance and have the confidence it will hold true, go for it. Otherwise, anything that can act as a giant spinnaker when hit by unexpected changes is best left firmly tucked away.

I was hit by 120km/h gales — snowgums howled, groaned and snapped, rain pelted down then horizontally, then powerful microbursts, thunder, lightning and more mayhem. A simple tarp or awning is the very last thing I would consider putting up there due to PV's exposure. I had a MacPac Minaret and felt nothing other than the din outside. One other camper there was in a 1960s-eara combivan — he said it rocked and rolled and even lifted like a western wagon!! :lol:
“Is é comhrá faoin aimsir an tearmann deiridh ag an duine gan samhlaíocht.”
—Oscar Wilde, 1890.
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Re: Car camping gear modification?

Postby Moondog55 » Thu 14 Dec, 2023 1:29 pm

The extreme gusts that this camping site sometimes gets is actually why I asked the question.
Most of these awnings are made as cheaply as possible but the base fabric is reasonable.
Is "Spinnakacking" a verb?
I'd want the panel to not act as a spinnaker and one single pull-out in the lower middle probably isn't optimum. See attached pix
Attachments
Awning modification.jpg
Current patch and buy point
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Re: Car camping gear modification?

Postby Moondog55 » Thu 14 Dec, 2023 1:41 pm

So the proposed added guy points are marked in black at that middle seam. The added pole and guy points are marked in red. Adding the poles at the centre point and guying them out should help out a little bit as it would make the slopes different but the main aim is to allow me to get the cot under the cover with enough height so I'm not touching the roof fabric.
I doubt I'll be using this set-up at PV or anywhere else in really bad weather
Angles approximately 30 and 45 degrees so I can't see the tabs on the seam doing much but thought I'd ask as I have a couple of LW flys that use a similar layout
Attachments
Awning modification 2.jpg
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Re: Car camping gear modification?

Postby Moondog55 » Thu 14 Dec, 2023 1:46 pm

Side view
Added tent poles in blue
Angles very approximate
Attachments
Awning 3.png
Awning 3.png (12.17 KiB) Viewed 1447 times
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