Flying Awning (Or how to save your awnin

New to RVing in 2003 with the purchase of a beautiful 36ft Alfa Ideal, my wife and I were on our way to Oregon from CA, on CA-101, near King City.

We were towing at about 55-60 MPH, and there is a stretch there that goes over a riverbed with a long bridge. The wind is always blowing there.

Suddenly, we heard a noise, and she looked back and said, “The awning just deployed.” Yep, it had, and was destroyed.

After cutting it off the rig, and removing the damaged hardware, CALTRANS, who just happened to be right there, picked up the pieces. We completed the trip without an awning.

In talking with other RVers, I found out that this was a common occurrence. But that there is an easy cure.

When the awning is in the stowed position, and locked into place, simply wrap a long piece of Velcro around the entire arm, on both supports.

Since it is Velcroed into place, it cannot open. I have forgotten since to really lock the awning into place, but I never forget to put the Velcro into place.

What I did was use the adhesive loop on the “outside” of the support, (the inside has to be open for slides)and wrap the hook all the way around. A small piece of adhesive Velcro on the edge of the support keeps the long piece in place while the support is in use, and is a visual reminder to put the Velcrow back into place when stowed.

It is a simple easy fix, and keeps the awning where it belongs, stowed on place on the side of your rig, NOT alongside the highway.

Morgan De Witt
Mission Viejo, California USA

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