Don’t suppose you have any pics of it setup on your rig that you could share?
I think I have some pics from our recent trip to St. George. It was super windy for that trip so we used the poles and staked it down. There was a couple days with 40+ wind and one day that had 70mph gusts. We didn’t use the awning for those days as we were rarely at camp long enough, but it does fine in 20-30 if you stake it down. Any of these awnings are basically sails attached to your pickup and I’d be careful with strong wind regardless what you purchase. We haven’t experienced any rain yet, but I’ve seen a few YouTube videos that show it does well with rain. (using the extra guy wires to pull the canvas down slightly in between poles to allow the water to run off) I’ve been pretty lazy taking photos, as that’s my day job and when I’m camping, I just ride my bike and drink beer. Once I’m finished building my drawer slide, I’m going to do a little IG Story walk-around. My setup is nothing crazy, it’s just geared towards convenience to make getting out of town a bit easier.
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I think the designs between the two are pretty similar. I was a bit skeptical of the OVS because it was so much less money than the Kinsmen. But, it’s well-built. I would imagine any of the awnings that use the legs will be just fine. The Kinsmen is the toughest awning I’ve seen, but do you really need it to be that strong? If so, that justifies the price. For us, we couldn’t justify the difference. I think you’ll be happy with a Wraptor or an OVS. The poles are not really a problem, IMO.
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Sounds like we have a few things in common, haha. Thanks for taking the time to give me some details. Very helpful! After its setup, is there a gap between the rear of the camper and the awning? I’d like to be able to cook on the tailgate if its raining. Some pics I’ve seen look like there may be about a 4" gap.
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Yes, there is a gap, but the back hatch is open and fills it. I haven’t used it in the rain yet. But, I think it will be okay as the rain will run off the side of the rear hatch. Maybe I’ll intentionally lean the vehicle to Port so it doesn’t interfere with our cook setup. (drip the water off one driver side of the hatch) The one thing to note is if you’re using Shittco’s blocks for the back flap, you might want to allow a slightly larger rear gap to clear the pole from the Shittco block. I’ve been procrastinating moving my awning slightly more aft to allow for this. Since the hatch rests up against the awning when both are open, I don’t think having a slightly larger gap will be a problem.
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The Wraptor install was easy and quick on the v2 using the gfc brackets. Can’t find a single thing to complain about with the awning itself and those brackets are solid. Go for it
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I purchased the OVS awning as well, and for the same reasons. Anyhow, would you (@MFMG ) mind posting a pix or two of the awning? Do you happen to know the weight? Any additional info would help.
Sorry for the slow reply. From what I remember, the package was rated at 80 pounds. I installed it myself, but would be much easier with a buddy. Here’s the only photos I have, pretty sad for a professional photographer, I don’t shoot much when I’m not working.
I would suggest mounting the awning as high up as possible to allow headroom. I’m 6’1" and I just barely clear the driver side panel when the awning is open. Very happy with the awning. I am not brave enough to leave it open when not at camp unless it is staked down. We were in St. George in March and had a crazy 70mph wind storm. I did not attempt to open it until the forecast had the wind back in the 20-30 range. It’s pretty solid in a decent breeze with just the poles extended, but I’d be careful in strong winds.I also use one of the guy wires to hold the rear tent flap open.
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Looks awesome. I appreciate the advice.
You mentioned that you installed the awning by yourself. I’ll be in that situation next month when I pick up my GFC. I’m hoping to install it right after the camper is installed. Any tips on what to expect when installing it solo? Thanks!
If possible, I highly recommend gettin some help. You can install it solo, but it’s very difficult to slide it front/rear on your own. I lifted one end up onto a single bolt. After attaching the nut to the back side, I used that one bolt as a pivot and lifted the other end up with 2 bolts in the awning that insert into the “universal bracket”. Once both of those nuts have been started, I removed the single nut so I could slide the 2nd bolt into the awnings t-slot. I just happened to get the fore/aft right where I needed it to be. It’s basically impossible to slide the awning fore/aft on your own if you don’t get it in the correct spot. While it is possible to do it on your own, it will be very quick and easy with a buddy to help lift and hold it in place. Also, with 2 people unweighting the awning when the bolts are slightly loose, you can slide it into position if you’re off by an inch.
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Thanks for the info! I’ll be solo and installing it in the GFC parking lot after the camper install. Maybe I can talk a random stranger into helping me, haha.
I’m sure if you have some cold beer on hand, you’ll have no trouble finding somebody to help. The odds are in your favor.
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Exactly my plan! Thanks again for all the info.
Did you use 3 or 4 GFC mounting brackets?
I only had 2 for about 6 months. Probably drove 5k miles, a few hundred of those being off-road, and never had a problem or even saw any flex in the T-track. Then I read about gfc recommending more so I put a third bracket on. I think 4 is overkill.
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Looks clean AF, thank you!
Did you buy the OVS with the mounting hardware, or do you just mount the awning directly to GFC brackets? Thanks
Mounted direct to the GFC brackets.
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