[Archived]

Tim,

We had our window awnings out most of the time in the summer heat. ZipDee awing fabric is very sturdy. We put them up if we expected heavy winds, 30MPH or more.

[Dick]

Tim, our smaller window awnings are out about 90% of the time. Depending on location and ability to tie down the big awning, we keep that put up to about 25 mph gusts. We use small aircraft tie downs (theclaw.com) . Been good outside of water pooling in the awning 🙁

[Michael]

We have the problem plagued Zip-Dee air/electric awning as our large curbside awning. I’m on record on the PC forum that the only places I’ll put it out are at Jeff Rowe’s or at home where I have a reciprocating saw that I can use to cut it off in case it can’t get it closed.

I open the smaller awnings all the time when we’re parked at a campground, RV resort, or the race track. I won’t open them at a rest stop, truck stop, or Wal-Mart (concerned about something running into them). I try to remember to close them at night or if we’re going to be away for anything length of time, but often forget.

[Gerald]

My primary big awning is a Girard and I won’t put it out in winds over 10mph … thus it’s only been rolled out during our PDI last November!

[Dan]

I am gun shy about awnings because we had the large curb side ripped from the coach with no warning.

I will not extend an awning unless we are at the coach. On the day our awning was torn from the coach it was a cloudless, windless day. Without warning a sudden burst of wind did the damage in the blink of an eye. It was the second incident with our large awning and both times we were inside the coach.

The first time we were driving and despite being rolled up, the wind got beneath the awning, broke the brake and uncurled the awning. Once it did that the awning slammmed back and forth against the coach until we could get out of the coach and get it rolled back up. A bunch of wire coat hangars were used to secure it in place until I could get new brakes and the little hook in the center to prevent a recurrance.

The second time the awning was open. We were inside the coach. When the sudden gust hit it the arms were ripped from the coach, with one of them being jammed between the roof and the air horns. When the wind ripped the arms from the coach 4 guys were walking by the coach, they saw what was happening, and with no arms the awning was alternately being slammed against the coach, or flying up in the air. The guys caught the awning and at one point all four were lifted from the ground before they could hold it down and against the side of the bus. We were at a rally in Colorado Springs with well over 100 other coaches and one other coach lost its awning also.

More wire hangers were used to secure it to the roof until we got to ZipDee on our way home.

So we don’t trust our awnings, no matter what kind they are because there is so much surface area that even a little wind from the wrong direction can damage it. As Charles has pointed out if the awning is open and collects rain serious damage can occur also.