Super Simple DIY Awning for Canopy Shell Camping
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- Without a good way to mount a "real" awning on the back of my truck topper, I ended up circling back to adapt the DIY awning from my Forester to work with my new setup. While this exact approach may not work for all truck/canopy configurations, here's what worked for me and hopefully it can give you some ideas for creating a solution that works for you.
The original (and more complicated) DIY awning on my Forester:
• The $60 DIY Awning I b...
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de Buyer 9½" carbon steel frying pan
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Reliance Beverage Buddy 4-gallon water container
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Thermacell mosquito repeller:
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Claymore Capon cap bill clip-on light:
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Get Out Gear Puffy Blanket:
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Odistar budget USB flashlight:
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Introductory explanation: (0:00)
Setup & details of the awning: (1:14)
Taking down the awning: (4:12)
How to add extra grommets: (5:45)
Conclusion: (7:15) - Авто та транспорт
Yes, yes, I know. You call it a truck cap. Or you call it a topper. Or you call it a camper shell. But here in Oregon, we call this thing a canopy. Everyone here calls them canopies. In fact, the dealership where I bought mine is called: "All American Canopies." Do you drink pop or or do you drink soda? It really doesn't matter. We can have local dialect differences and still be friends. :-)
Lol yep, I still call them Canopies.
Canopy is the common name in WA State, too. In fact, we had Canopy Kingdom (not 'Topper' or 'Cap' Kingdom!). Only with my recent foray into new truck research did I find I need to include 'topper' in my search results. Everyone else is wrong, btw.. its always been a canopy ;)
100% Canopies. Bungieing (is that a word?) the loose corners to the rear wheel wells should work. I've seen that done with some pre-built setups.
Beings I lived in OrE-GUN and from WashingTON, I call it a Can-o-pee as well! ! LOL C what I did there?
We are just north of you, your neighbours across the 49th Parallel....it's "canopy"....and "pop" :-)
Nicely done vid, as always...thank ya for posting!
Did the same thing with my Taco/Leer combo, worked great...just recently - finally - drilled those first few holes (YES, it is indeed stressful) in my canopy, now I've got a DIY rack to hook to....it does make things easier...as long as good fortune holds and there are no leaks ;-P
Run a bungee from the corners to the wheel for those little "wings" above the door. Lookup the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp and you'll see how it's done. Nice vid brother!
I was going to suggest that as well, I have the roadhouse tarp and wish the wheel straps would come off for when I use it as a stand alone tarp.
Definitely leave those side wings. They give shade and keep out the raindrops that keep falling on your head.
Also, (if rain likely) lower one of the poles so rain doesn’t pour toward the canopy.
i have a ranger with a topper also. have been doing a similar setup for decades. i also have a canvas enclosure for the back end of the truck / topper. when setup, i run my tarp from over the front edge of the topper to over the ridge of the canvas enclosure out to my poles. this gives me ONE FULL LAYER of a roof. that way no rain water can seep into and down by the back truck seams / joints.
Hey Donald; nice video again. Thanks for the useful tip of adding a "foot" to the your poles so you can put a stake into it.
One suggestion about using the tarp, it has a reflective side and a dark side. You can flip it upside down on hot sunny days to help reflect some of the heat away, otherwise you are actually trapping heat with it. Great setup, something I've considered trying, but it's nice to see it in action.
Thanks for telling us about Matt Cook videos of Oregon beauty spots!
On the grommet tutorial, use a lighter to seal the edges of your webbing material to prevent it from fraying further. By using a lighter you just want to scorch it enough until it melts slightly. This will prevent it from failure down the road. Great job on your camper shell ideas. I’m really impressed with them.
what i have done in the past is to double fold the poly tarps & add a double layer of some extra heavy duct tape at the gromment points. has held up for around 3 decades now.
Looks great!!! Simple, fast and functional! Thanks for sharing!
Great inspiration, have been looking for an awning for the back of my F150 and Snug Pro canopy for ages. After watching this it took me 20 minutes to repurpose an old awning extensions and couple of spare poles i had!
great set up, I may take your idea an adapt it to my sprinter van as I have my kitchen at the back also. thanks for sharing ,cheers
Yea, I just picked up a Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp and two extra telescopic poles and it sets up quick and works great. Love the idea for the pole stakes. Thanks 💯👌
I’m still a Subaru outback girl but I still enjoy your videos thank you for sharing the DIY Awning info. Very nicely done. 💕🦋💜
I always look forward to your videos. Its nice knowing there are people making content for us DIY'ers. And for us who don't have the most awesome overland rig. And the last part is relative, because I think your rig is awesome. Just not in the commercialized way that some of these rigs are. I like your function over form approach. You are speaking to the 98% of us who will use what we have to get out. I am originally from the PNW and I understand the differences in vernacular since I live in West Virginia now. The differences are huge. But it all comes out in the wash, as my mom who was from southeast Ohio would say. My Dad who was full blooded Tlingit Indian from Hoonah Alaska used terms like canopies or shed for his out building. Its funny the differences.
Thanks for the great idea. Very simple and easy. Just fond your channel a month ago and am enjoying it a lot.
Looks good! I had to do something similar on my truck since I don't have a rack. I used suction cups to secure it and bought the tent poles you mentioned. It's a little cumbersome, but a good budget option.
Thanks for not being yet another Sprinter van channel 😂 ❤ I love the DIY ingenuity and sensible approach. Just my flavor.
Genius! Love your DIY tutorials.
Great idea Donald.
Okay! I was just watching your video's and wondered what type of awning you were using and 'voila'....i found this video of yours! Awesome! I noticed this awning has sold out, no doub because of this video. But I already have a similar one I can work with. Thanks for a great video.
This the best setup ever ❤
Great video, this is almost exactly what I’ve been wanting to do to have a bit of cover over the back of my canopy. I don’t sleep in the back of my truck, but having that coverage would be great. I don’t want to drill into my fiberglass canopy so this the ticket. Nice work!
OK..... I've been searching an idea that is super simple and you've got it 👍💪👍
My LEER122 truck cap needed something like what you've just done. Excellent idea, thanks for posting this 🤜🤛
You do a really good job with the DIY videos. Very good detail.
Great ideas thank you for making this video !!
Pretty creative and looks good. Thanks for sharing !
Simple, easy, and awesome.
Great vid! Great idea's! Much appreciated!
Nice idea, thanks for the video.
Always clever ideas and budget friendly! I have a side mounted awning that i have yet to use. Needs to be at the rear for certain.
Good info, perfect timing for my tarp project. Thanks.
that is a great setup to extend your car's "space". Love it.
I needed this video. I also have a canopy and am looking to use a tarp. Thank you!
Just what I was looking for.. thanks
Nice. Simple and ingenious. Good work.
Def don't cut off the excess tarp. Just get a couple clips (or make 2 more grommets) to hold tarp and bungee to rear wheel. I like that set up tho!
What I was gonna say
I just discovered those tarp clips LOL. They are a great solution.
Worked like a charm😁👍
Nice job man.
That was a great addition for you camping setup and you got to use the Same old tarp. Thanks for the video. Be safe!
Thanks Frank!
Nice tarp setup! For the grommets, sometimes I have trouble punching through the materials, so I heat up the punch and melt a hole through (if the material is synthetic). This creates a clean hole with sealed edges.
Some great ideas👍🏻
Thanks Donald 🙏🏻
Such a clever solution Donald
Once again, absolutely brilliant! Makes me think I’m over thinking my design. Thanks for the inspiration! Oh and I loved the grommet tutorial. Always wondered how that worked.
Thanks Dan! I know you and I have chatted about all kinds of possible solutions and I'm still considering some other options for long-term, but for now this very quickly got me some shelter that's easy enough to use, so I can focus time & energy on other projects that need to move forward. :-)
Great video on a DIY awning thanks for sharing.
Two more cords from the corners of the loose flaps to the wheel wells would probably take care of that.
Great idea! I have one of these tarps stored away somewhere. Time to get it back into service!
Great ideas .Thanks
I use the same system but I opted for the al. rack on my shell. I also use some super strong magnetic hooks from amazon on the truck body for tie off points. I can go side, back, or both. Works great. And Elephant poles from amazon are great.
Great ‘re-use thinking.’ I’d keep the side flaps, grommet them, and bungee them to the wheel wells. Just for the same reason you mentioned.
Great ideas 👌 Love it!
Nifty! you've inspired me to try something similar!
Looks great Don. One suggestion, pool noodle on top of the door to prevent snagging if the wind blows and it might help with rain rain runoff.
Great solution, Donald! Seems like it would work well for Jeep and Broncos as well. 1 solution for those little flaps would be to add an additional grommet to each side and bungee them to the wheel/wheel well.
Word of caution...friend of mine had his son in law loose an eye on account of bungee cord getting away from him. As usual, awesome diy solution! Stay safe and keep up the great work.
nice innovations :)
DIY - the best!
Well done. Very helpful. Great video. Thank you.
Hey there brother! Great way on put up your Canopy! I like it bcuz I to have a pickup 🛻 truck and thanks for the idea! Can’t wait to see your next video this is Big Boy Frank from Texas Peace out ✌️ and safe travels!
WoW! Was not expecting a Wednesday show. Looks pretty slick, should work fine and simple to do. Thanks! George.
The summer slump is killing me, probably gonna see a few more mid-week videos for a little while. :-)
@@softroadingthewest Sorry to hear that. Hope it picks up for you soon. Although I don;'t mind the extra content...
Oh man, I love these kinds of ideas. More of this. I try to keep my rig simple and stock and stuff like this is my favorite.
Just b/c you mentioned Harbor Freight straps, if you ever need a custom strap (or webbing & hardware) for anything, I work for a company in Eugene that makes them
Oh! Nice! Good to know, I will keep that in mind for sure!
You make the videos I'm most excited to watch out of all the people I'm subscribed too
Nice quick setup. I like the extra hangover.
I get an extra hangover every time I camp with Primal Outdoors and his bottomless whiskey bottle. LOL :-)
@@softroadingthewest 🤣🤣🤣
Awesome job yet again! I use tarp clips and suction cup anchors from amazon for my corners that hang of the sides. they work great and don't budge.
Good idea!
This is a cool setup rain or shine and cheap too:)
Thanks from Australia
Donald,maybe try a simple magnet to keep the tarp sides down -love your channel!
Oh man! That's SUCH a good solution and seems so obvious now that you mention it. I kept looking in vain for places where I could hook bungee cords...sometimes I can be clever and inventive, but more often I overlook the obvious, haha. Magnets! Of course. Thank you.
I have a sun/ice cover that attaches on the outside of my windshield with magnets, and it literally leaves scratches on my paint when I pull it off. Be a little cautious with your canopy in the wind if you try it 😊
Good tips. 👍
Hi Donald! I have a very similar set up, and most of it is diy too! I finally got the courage to drill two mouting Pointer in to the canopy to help set up the tarp, besides some suction cups. Got it to be perfectly sealed with some washers that have rubber on one side and heavy duty mounting silicone. I also added extra holes on the tarp, and reinforced them with some squares of nylon strap, but i burned the edges of the nylon to stop it from fraying and to give it more strength and sew the edges of the square to the tarp. Overkill? Maybe, but it sure can take se heavy winds with zero issues so far! Better safe than sorry! Love these diy videos you make! Greetings from Portugal!
I have a set of those exact same poles. I always carry a duffel with a couple of different sized tarps, bungies, paracord and stakes.
I've learned so much from you. I'm frugal as well.
I'm too cheap to be frugal
Great idea! Just a note, you can just stuff that tarp back in the bag. You don't have to roll/fold it or store it in the basket. That's what I do with mine.
Great idea!
Wow. Great 👍
Cool video - I've been thinking rigging something like this when I'm camping and sleeping in the bed of my truck. I don't have a "canopy" or anything yet. I've been fortunate that I haven't had weather wake me up in a down poor - but then again we haven't been getting much fo that lately. Anyway very informative video and it was cool seeing your son - I thought you only had your daughter!
I have the same tarp, just a different branding. And, I do something similar for my Tacoma. I droop one end over the rail on a bed rack, and bungee it to my rear wheel wells. Then, stake out 2 poles to the front. Viola. A $40 awning that works!
Easy, chip and... cool!
Hey Donald an idea. The tarp could rub on the doors and cut them. Maybe a pool noodle cut open could slid over the top of the door so the sharp edges don't get to the tarp. That tarp idea works great. Keep up the great work.
Pool noodles on the doors is a great idea, I was indeed concerned with slicing the tarp and hadn't fully thought through a solution...thanks!
@@softroadingthewest You're very welcome.
Been using a similar setup, Slumberjack, love how quick they go up or down. Grommet tool is great for custom tarp tie downs. The storage basket idea is great, I'm tiered of folding and rolling mine.
I’ve been looking at the Slumberjack awning as well, looks like a great product.
@@dad_wagon1976 do it🤙 I have a CR-V and it's the easiest thing to set up in pretty much any direction you want.
@@dad_wagon1976 I have the "roadhouse" model, keeps 99% of the bugs out when needed. With a second set of tent poles you can set up in many different configurations. Slumberjack runs sales every now and then.
Bag it instead of the box.
Thanks great tip
Finally First!
This setup is almost identical to the one I made up for use with my truck bed tent. When fully set up I get an 8'x10' awning off the back of the truck. The centerline of the tarp is held at the top of the tent by a 'Y' shaped length of paracord with carabiners on all three legs that attach to the tarp and forward corners of the truck bed. And yes, it is a"canopy". Glad to see you speak the Pacific Northwest dialect. 😁
Haha, congrats! :-) Sounds like a clever solution!
@@softroadingthewest That anchor point you made for the tarp poles was brilliant! I have six of those poles, so consider it stolen for personal use. 👍
Nice set up. Not sure if you're experiencing lift from the tarp over the canopy, bungees off of the front and poles and guy lines probably secure enough. But another reason, as so many have mentioned, to bungee those corner tarp flaps to the rear wheels. Thanks for a great video and great information :)
I plan to do something like this for the back of my 4runner hatch. But use a long uv netting tarp. Like 20 or 30 feet so it covers the sides. Then you can use the magnetic camping screen doors for the front.
Spiffy there jiffy! ; - )
Timely video, just get ready to put my telescoping pole type awnings (as seen on ‘Softroadingthewest’) on my Jeep Liberty roof rack. Putting a 9x12 on the side and a 8x10 out the back, sort of a 270 deal minus a few degrees in the middle. Lol Think I would leave them corners hanging down, looks like they add ‘enclosure’ to your cooking area, maybe use another bungee to the fender well. 👍
Seems we're doing the same things simultaneously. Just got two of those camping tarps and a couple of poles for my upcoming Oregon trip. I'll do something similar to your setup at the back of my teardrop trailer so I have kitchen and seating area neatly covered (the second much smaller tarp is for a sidewall - it will be windy along the coast). I can tie the top to the roof rack, just like you do and I got some suction cup mounting points for the "flaps". They look like gopro/camera suction mounts with a clip instead of a camera mount. Those are only like $15 for a set and hold about 20lbs - maybe that's an idea for your flaps as well. Suction cups work on fiberglass and glass, not just metal like magnets and they don't rub. I kinda like the flaps because they give me protection from the side (my trailer door opens upwards). I also got a couple of pool noodles at the dollar store and cut them open lengthwise. I use them to protect the tarp from the sharp edge of the door (just stick them over the edge) - again that might be something for you since your tarp seems to rub on the top of the doors.
NICE!
You can tie a simple sheet bend knot with your cord to the tarp corners and then to your wheel. This knot is used for attaching two separate things together and works perfectly for ripped tarp or corners like this. You can also tie an adjustable knot on the cord like the tornline hitch to make it a guy rope at the wheels side for perfect tension🙂 no sewing skills needed
Slick!!!
Put a small ball or rock under the Tarp and you can tie off there as a point to attach bungee cords to by wrapping the tarp around the item ;) Saw it on another vid
Looks great! Maybe add some small wheels to the corners of your canopy doors, to keep the corners from tearing up your awning, like RVs do.
Maybe a set of tarp clips and tarp magnets to hold down those corners.
The large Airhead suction caps (2x ab $15 on Amazon) are great for
attaching tarps to vehicles/campers. The cheaper ones aren’t as good - I tried. Airhead has gone up a couple of bucks.
This is rad, I must have missed the videos about the canopy so I’ll go try and find that. I figured folks would suggest bungie to the wheel, I would say the wheel well is better only for not having to get brake dust on yourself and the bungie (I’ve tried this setup, I’d rather ding my fenders than get covered in brake dust and dirt personally). There’s probably suction cup hooks you can get if you tire of the long bungies but honestly that sounds like a better idea IMO, suction cups will fail before bungies will. Overall great vid, thanks for sharing!
Oh one more idea, get a couple more 10x10 tarps to setup as “wings” or “walls” so you can further shelter away from wind or rain. Might take some finagling but I’m sure you’re use to that by now.
I like it , simple and cheap. Who's the man bun hippy kid? Is that your kid? Thanks for the vid...
Easy setup idea! The only problem I would have is rain puddling water in ceneter. Would need a center pole,which would be no problem. Good ob! New Subscriber here
Two approaches I've taken with this setup to shed rain: Since the poles are telescopic, I can lower one of the poles so there is a slope and the rain runs down off one side. What I more often do is tie a guy line to the grommet in the middle rear, and stake it down, which creates a gully down the middle of the awning and the rain streams off to the rear. You can see that approach here:
ua-cam.com/video/2uo7XL-vPOc/v-deo.html
Either way, these keep the rain from puddling without needing a third pole in my way. :-)
@@softroadingthewest Great ideas1 I ust like more head room. Thx for replyimg
Nice set up, Donald, very similar to how my homemade awning works on the back of my Xterra. Whatever works, right?
Nice video, maybe with those side wings, add a grommets each side and then use a 110lb magnet hook. Then you move them to tighten as you need and they will stick to the truck or the canopy. Maybe that will work and no holes drilled.
For the extra flaps of the awning hanging on the side of your bed canopy, I would consider a few magnets to hold them down.
That is exactly what I need...I can't believe that didn't occur to me. The canopy is aluminum and magnets won't stick to it, but I have been using thin self-adhesive metal plates to create magnet placements here and there. That would work great for this.
That's an even better idea than my "bungee it to the wheel well" suggestion.
@@softroadingthewest my initial thought was magnets on either side of the aluminum shell but the combination of adhesive metal plates on the interior and a magnet on the exterior may be a better solution. Looking forward to seeing if you give this a try!
@@californiagravityrepublic6060 Oh I am 100% giving it a try. I was actually thinking to add the metal plates to the exterior - i bought a pack of silver ones & black ones so I could put some inside and some outside. It wouldn't have occurred to me that a plate on the inside would work outside through the aluminum...that would be even more elegant, I will definitely try that. I was about to order some good magnets for another project, I'll make sure I get enough to use for this as well. I really love this solution and I'm glad I didn't cut the tarp down.
Yay!
Nice setup.My suggestion is to add something to the top corners of your doors to prevent ripping the tarp. I have used pool noodles to accomplish this.
Great idea!
You could use some cut down pool noodles on top of the doors to protect the fabric from damage.
That's a great idea!
I have something similar. But, I use two position flag pole holders mounted to the top of the left and right sides of the bumper. The awning poles fit into the angled positions in the holders. Tension on the tarp is adjusted by lengtening the pole. I use a custom cut/length of a backpack tent pole for left.to right horizontal tension between the pole tops. The setup is ground independent, but stakes, or weights, with guy lines can be added during more active weather events. Mine is cut to have three roll up walls. I wish I could post pics.
Actually I think I can visualize exactly what you're describing...I considered something similar, welding angled receivers onto each side of the bumper to hold poles out at an angle, more like an RV awning, to eliminate ground contact/guy lines. But my poles are not long enough for my tarp so I just went back to what I was doing before.
How is your tarp attached to your canopy?
@@softroadingthewest I sent an email with pics. It wraps the canopy kinda like yours, but mine ties into/tensions off of the fender wells with cam buckle straps. The setup will get refined with use, but works for now, and seems a good starting point.
Take those flapping wings with bungee cords to your rear tires. You are basically creating your own version of “Slumberjack Roadhouse Tarp, 3-in-1 tarp for Overlanding”. Check it on Amazon. That’s what I am using on my Outback and I can open and close my hatch. Now I have a hack to make sure my open hatch doesn’t drain my battery thanks to another UA-camr.