A-Frame Awning - PahaQue R-Pod Adaptation

[OYO]

I've completed moding a PahaQue R-Pod Awning
( https://pahaquecustom.com/store/inde...products_id=29 )
to attach to my A213HW. There really isn't much moding to do other than bend and attach the Keder Rails (2)
(https://www.sailrite.com/Flex-A-Rail-Black-90-Long ) with these screws
( https://www.sailrite.com/Screw-Flat-Head-4-x-6-x-3-4 ) and pay a lot of money to PahaQue.

At the bottom of the Flex‑A‑Rail page there are videos on how to bend the rail. It was as easy as the video shows.

Setup is a very quick and easy. I threaded the awning and attached the center pole before lifting the wall. The awning threaded through the rail very easily. We had a nice thunderstorm shortly after set-up. No issues and we stayed dry!

This isn't cheap, but we camp around 70-80 nights a year and quick/easy/dry outside space is a must.

I'm quite impressed with the quality of the awning. They're custom made to order, very thick materiel with reinforced seams.

Not so impressed with PahaQue customer service. I tried to get them to help me figure this out, but they weren't interested and just wanted to sell me their A-frame version discussed here: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...-a-184987.html

The 1st photo shows how I bent the rail. The 2x4s replicate the roof angle.

[OYO]

A couple more:

[Wiscampsin]

Nice job!

[lcangler]

Very nice. So you have to screw the rails onto the side of the trailer? I get so nervous having to make holes in the trailer. But I like this.

[OYO]

Originally Posted by lcangler

Very nice. So you have to screw the rails onto the side of the trailer? I get so nervous having to make holes in the trailer. But I like this.

Yup. And me too. But i rationalized it looking at my neighbor's R-POD. It has the rail on it from the factory. It just looks like a piece of trim along the top edge. If it didn't work out I'd probably take the rail off and put some sort of plastic trim on.

I thought I had a picture of the rail on the camper without the awning, but I can't find it.

[lcangler]

Originally Posted by OYO

I thought I had a picture of the rail on the camper without the awning, but I can't find it.

If you get a chance to take one with just the rail, I would love to see how it looks.

[OYO]

Originally Posted by lcangler

If you get a chance to take one with just the rail, I would love to see how it looks.

I'll be getting back to the camper early next week. I'll get some pictures.

[OYO]

Originally Posted by lcangler

If you get a chance to take one with just the rail, I would love to see how it looks.

Iooks ok. As easy as it is to put up we'll probably do so most of the time.

[Montana Rick]

Well done, very clean looking and serves the purpose nicely. Thanks for sharing

[OYO]

I've been meaning to update this thread for some time. Someone asked me about my awning in another thread and sparked my failing memory.

The Good: The Keder rail/chord system is awesome.
• It's easy to deploy
• It's maintenance free
• It provides dry space all the way to the camper (no gap like a pop-up shelter)
• You can leave the door open when it's raining
• If it's not too windy you can leave your junk out in the rain

The (very) Bad: The Pahaque awning is a POS.
After about 18 months of use the red fabric disintegrated due to UV exposure. I could poke my finger clear through it. The gray was fine. After repeated calls and emails to get some warranty help from Pahaque they eventually ignored all my attempts to contact them, so I gave up. Note: We camp 80-100 nights/year, so it did get a lot of UV abuse.

I then found this awning: https://www.rei.com/product/176673/i...camp-2xx-cover

Perfect (almost):
• Far superior material
• Far better poles (replace the Pahaque poles twice)
• Way easier to deploy
• Doesn't pool in a heavy rain
• Handles wind much better.
• It's been 18 months and no UV issues.

The Almost:
The iKamper awning comes with a zipper rather than the Keder rail/chord. I had a local company sew the Keder chord on over top the zipper.

I have also made some improvements to how I attached the Keder rail to the Aframe. If there's interest I'll update again.

Obviously this was a lot of work (mostly figuring things out). But we camp a lot. I can't be in the sun much anymore and we hate sitting in the camper waiting out a rain. So it's worth it for us.

[LKGNaturally]

Please update how you improved the way in which you attached the Keder Rails. Thanks!

[OYO]

Originally Posted by LKGNaturally

Please update how you improved the way in which you attached the Keder Rails. Thanks!

Hey LKG, Not ignoring you. We are busy getting ready for our fall trip, either the FL Panhandle or OBX.

Obviously weather has us in a quandary as to which way to go.

I'll try to get some photos in the next few days.

[OYO]

Originally Posted by LKGNaturally

Please update how you improved the way in which you attached the Keder Rails. Thanks!

Initially I attached the Keder rail directly to the camper wall using the Flathead screws from Sailrite (https://www.sailrite.com/Screw-Flat-Head-4-x-6-x-3-4). That worked pretty well for about 18 months, then a trip to the Outer Banks proved to be a bit too much. Not a big surprise, I had been contemplating alternatives all along.

I decided to through bolt with 1-1/2" aluminum flat bar on the inside. On the outside it was a little harder. The rail must be attached using the Sailrite screws, otherwise the awning rope won't slide through the track.

My solution was to attach the rail to a section of PVC trim board then through bolt the PVC to the aluminum.

I painted the aluminum and PVC board black for aesthetic reasons.

This is very solid, plus the rope slides through the track much better being attached the rigid PVC rather than the camper wall.