Here I am looking for some advice on a sun canopy We have a drive away awning when we camp for a few days but really looking for a quick solution that can be used when we camp for one night or park at the beach etc and can be easily packed away. I guess it’s more for shade but the British summer time here in Pembrokeshire has a habit of throwing the odd shower into the mix! I would prefer something that won’t damage the beautiful gutters on our van and can also be packed away when not in use. I’ve looked at be the stripey ones on NLA VW but thought I’d ask other members views first. https://nlavw.com/home/1061-orange-sun-canopy.html TIA cheers all!
I looked at lots of options and ended up deciding not to buy one as did not want it mounted to van - what I ended up doing was getting the table stand for the westy table so it can be used outside as well as in the van and then this table stand also accommodates a large sun parasol umbrella very nicely which I can just pack away when not needed You can get waterproof / uv proof, easy to pack away if windy and just simply put up again - you can angle it and best of all super cheap solution
https://www.funkyleisure.co.uk/debus-vw-t2t25-campervan-sun-canopy--anthracite-grey-10133-p.asp ? Other colours are available, if that's your thing. However, there's no solution that doesn't involve some risk of scratching paint, I don't think.
Has anyone bonded an awning rail onto the roof with Sikaflex or similar? I was thinking maybe I could stick one to the roof just under the Westy pop top or just between the pop top and gutter. I suppose I’m asking will it stick to the paint or will it come off causing a right mess!
Depends how well each and every layer of your painted bonded to the one below. I believe many people do just this with rivets and I would too if it were possible with my devon poptop. Only caution would be aluminium tends to mark poptop canvas when it's folded away.
I use a folding length of roof batten to which the metal groove is attached. The batten fixes on to the rear fibreglass section via rivnut fixings and to the front hinge with releasable cable ties. 2 minutes to assemble, batten easily stored and only visible alteration when not in use is 2 small rivnuts. Used it for years with various awnings. Perhaps a variation if used with pop-top?
I have the debus from funky leisure. It’s a good size, easy to use and top quality. Fits with plastic figure of eight
Genius idea! I think I already have suitable holes in the pop top from a previous owner fitted roof rack
That’s an idea! And could be used in the garden as well. I suppose a new thread titled ‘pop up gazebo recommendations’ would be a good idea! I can see there is more headroom with the gazebo too
That one was about £60 and came with all the side panels. Its not Fiamma quality by any means, but it works well for us.
You may find some sites won’t allow gazebos and those that do you often find a mangled pile by the bins
@iblaze had a nifty awning c channel mounted on the top of the devon fibreglass bit. You can't see it when the roof is in the closed position. It was screwed underneath the aluminium strip on tthe inside of a devon pop top. @Dicky had a similar awning channel mounted under his viking roof. I don't think either were stuck on!