Alternative to Wind-out awning?

[thegreenman]

Hi
I am the happy owner of a California Beach, having bought it a few weeks ago. There are lots of things still to learn, but I have discovered that as well as fitting a solar panel, the previous owner also fitted a second leisure battery under the driver's seat.

the van came without the wind-out awning, although it must have been fitted because we have the handle and fixing brackets in the under-seat drawer.

I would like to have a sun canopy of some sort, but I'm not a massive fan of wind-out awnings. Having searched the forum, I cannot figure out what I need to fix a fabric shade onto the accessory rail above the door. Do I need an adaptor or do some of them slide straight into the rail?

I have seen the thread on the Decathlon tarp, and I do have a 'Fresh' tarp. Not sure my sewing skills are up to modifying it, but if I knew what to add to make it fit, I could persuade someone else to do it.

For longer camping trips, I would also be taking a Berghaus Air Shelter, if there was an easy way to fix one of the door flaps to the rail as well, then we have a nice setup.

As you can probably tell, I have done a lot of camping, but mostly tent based.

Many thanks

 

[Perfectos]

There are various options.

For a start look at
Club Shop
&
"stitches and steel"

The Black anodised channel mounted to the side of the roof will accept a Kador strip , some products require an adapter strip some will fit directly to the channel. Kador strips come in different sizes, invariably when fitted to a generic product tge size may not be correct for the application (in this instance Cali awning rail)

I cannot remember the size of the awning rail channel Kador required.

Try the search function top right of the banner.

Edit awning rail adapter specifically for California:

 

[Perfectos]

Congratulations and To the Beach Club

Post some pictures and an intro in a new thread

 

[Perfectos]

Good general info in this link

VW Campervan Connection Guides - How to Connect a Drive-Away Awning to a VW T4, T5 or T6 – Which Drive-Away Kit?

‘How do I connect a drive-away awning to my VW campervan’ & ‘Which Drive-Away kit do I need to connect to my camper’ are the most common questions we get asked here at Funky Leisure. So we have put all our knowledge into this ultimate guide for...

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

 

[Perfectos]

There are inserts that fit into the awning rail, they are supplied with roof toppers , they are derived from industrial fixings with a plastic thumb screw attached. The thumb screw provides the opportunity to attach ties / bungies etc to the thumb screw

They could be used to attach an awning to the van albeit they would not seal along the body line like using the Kador or Adapter options.

I'll find a pic of the fixing and post here

Edit: image from club Shop for reference (derived from an industrial fixing )

 

[FivetonesCali]

I was wondering this too. My take on this in summary.

In short there’s an OEM slide in adapter for the factory Cali T-Track to provide a C-Channel for the usual ‘Kador’ slide in that’s on most awnings and tarps.

https://www.lllparts.co.uk/product/7H7875303/holding-strip-for-awning-br-see-photo

Part number is 7H7875303

I’d probably look at Stitches + Steel first, their products are well thought out, good quality and don’t cost the earth.

 

[FivetonesCali]

Link for the thumb screw above:

Side Mounting Thumb Screw for VW California Awning Rail - CampervanBits

These side Mounting thumb screws have a variety of uses, from using in conjuntion with roof toppers or for making your own washing line.

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[FivetonesCali]

This gives you an idea of what’s possible.

 

[Outdoor Time]

Hi
I am the happy owner of a California Beach, having bought it a few weeks ago. There are lots of things still to learn, but I have discovered that as well as fitting a solar panel, the previous owner also fitted a second leisure battery under the driver's seat.

the van came without the wind-out awning, although it must have been fitted because we have the handle and fixing brackets in the under-seat drawer.

I would like to have a sun canopy of some sort, but I'm not a massive fan of wind-out awnings. Having searched the forum, I cannot figure out what I need to fix a fabric shade onto the accessory rail above the door. Do I need an adaptor or do some of them slide straight into the rail?

I have seen the thread on the Decathlon tarp, and I do have a 'Fresh' tarp. Not sure my sewing skills are up to modifying it, but if I knew what to add to make it fit, I could persuade someone else to do it.

For longer camping trips, I would also be taking a Berghaus Air Shelter, if there was an easy way to fix one of the door flaps to the rail as well, then we have a nice setup.

As you can probably tell, I have done a lot of camping, but mostly tent based.

Many thanks

 

[pchmlk]

Interested to hear if there is a fix for the Air Shelter too...

 

[thegreenman]

Thanks everyone. I like the look of the S&S awning. If it fits directly to the rail then it could be a winner, I reckon it could easily attach to the Air Shelter as well, making a covered walkway.

I will also invest in a couple of the thumb screws. I have some threaded eyelets which might use the same thread.

 

[secret lemonade drinker]

Isabella make a shadow canopy in a variety of lengths

 

[Perfectos]

Thanks everyone. I like the look of the S&S awning. If it fits directly to the rail then it could be a winner, I reckon it could easily attach to the Air Shelter as well, making a covered walkway.

I will also invest in a couple of the thumb screws. I have some threaded eyelets which might use the same thread.

Could potential use Uni Strut type channel nuts with screw in eyelets etc

Can remove the springs if required or purchase without springs, available in Stainless and Zinc plated various metric thread sizes.

I have my solar panel mounting frames attached to the roof channel with this type of fixing.

 

[Kayleigh]

There are various options.

For a start look at
Club Shop
&
"stitches and steel"

I like the look of the Tarp Awning. Very versatile

Tarp Awning

The Tarp was a fun one for us. Shelter isn't essential but it does enhance the atmosphere, not forgoing the morale of a camp setup. The Tarp was conceived on the grounds of no two spots being the same, and the same was to be said for the vehicles used to get us there. With that in mind, we...

stitchesandsteel.com

 

[Ch1pbutty]

This Kador adaptor fits the Cali awaning rail perfectly, gives a very snug fit:

Dometic Twin Driveaway Kit 4m - Dometic UK Shop

Awning fitment accessory Twin keder Suits most awnings Reinforced stitching Reinforced stitching for added strength

store-eu.dometic.com

 

[Hawthorn37]

Agree with @Ch1pbutty. We’ve used a tarp on the passenger side a couple of times, and the twin Kador fits well. You push the 6mm and 4mm twin beads into the slot together leaving you a 6mm bead to attach onto - using a figure of 8 channel. I keep on of these kador kits in the van just for this purpose. Sure I’ve a photo of it attached ‘somewhere’ , I’ll try and locate. I’ve read that the channel inserts you can buy can pull out. The twin kador won’t.

 

[Kayleigh]

Are these any good? And do you use the same Dometic kador adapter as mentioned above?
Thanks

 

[Hawthorn37]

I would look at these threads before spending money on these inserts…

Cali awning rail with rubber insert upside down...??

Cali's without a rollout awning are delivered with a rubber insert in the awning rail (in place of the rollout awning). The rubber insert has a C-slot. Naively, I assumed this was for attaching canopies using 6mm Kador strip. But there seems to be a consensus that the the rubber insert is about...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

Rubber Awning rail

Evening all Can someone help or point me in the direction of a relevant post I have searched but cannot find what I am looking for. I have a my68 cali beach which has a rubber insert in the awning rail. I went away for the first time this weekend and attach the driveway awning to the rubber...

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[Up10]

Hi
I too, am not a fan of the cassette awning particularly as it cannot be left up in the wind. We have recently moved from a converted T6 Transporter to a T6.1 Ocean and I have just ordered a flysheet sunshade and a Kador strip for the Ocean in the last hour. Why? Because when we are in Europe, we bend the 3m flysheet into a corridor which protects the rear sliding door from the weather and we can use it in limited space pitches. Both items were ordered from Funky Leisure and cost me under £100 as we already have the poles. I will try and add photos from our old set up.

Debus Universal Awning Drive-Away Kit - TWIN 6mm to 6/4mm

This Debus Universal Twin Drive-Away Kit has dual 6mm 4mm kador beading on the vehicle connection side for compatibility with Mulitrails, VW

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

Debus VW Campervan Sun Canopy V2.0 – Midnight Black

The Debus VW Campervan Sun Canopy V2.0 is the new 2024 upgraded version of the original 3 poled waterproof sun canopy awning in cool midnight black

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

 

[Up10]

Oh, I forgot to add that the fly sheet will fit directly into the Thule cassette rail on the drivers side but we thought that in the fine sunny weather, we might want a shade on the passenger side as well so the new kador strip will fit into the empty rail on that side. We like options!

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Are these any good? And do you use the same Dometic kador adapter as mentioned above?
Thanks
View attachment 132133

No, it can be pulled out of the slot fairly easily.

You just put 2 of the beads on the dometic adaptor directly into the factory fit Cali rail, and slide it into place.

 

[Perfectos]

Hi
I too, am not a fan of the cassette awning particularly as it cannot be left up in the wind. We have recently moved from a converted T6 Transporter to a T6.1 Ocean and I have just ordered a flysheet sunshade and a Kador strip for the Ocean in the last hour. Why? Because when we are in Europe, we bend the 3m flysheet into a corridor which protects the rear sliding door from the weather and we can use it in limited space pitches. Both items were ordered from Funky Leisure and cost me under £100 as we already have the poles. I will try and add photos from our old set up.

Debus Universal Awning Drive-Away Kit - TWIN 6mm to 6/4mm

This Debus Universal Twin Drive-Away Kit has dual 6mm 4mm kador beading on the vehicle connection side for compatibility with Mulitrails, VW

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

Debus VW Campervan Sun Canopy V2.0 – Midnight Black

The Debus VW Campervan Sun Canopy V2.0 is the new 2024 upgraded version of the original 3 poled waterproof sun canopy awning in cool midnight black

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

View attachment 132139

His and hers Folding Buckets !

 

[Up10]

His and hers Folding Buckets !

My husband has a bucket fettish. We also have his and hers campervans at the moment but that is another story!

However, the great experience of owning a converted Transporter cannot be understated. And the sunshade in a rail is one of those simple and really effective takeaways. When did you last see a cassette shade bend into a corridor! I throw out a challenge!

 

[Hawthorn37]

Hi
I too, am not a fan of the cassette awning particularly as it cannot be left up in the wind. We have recently moved from a converted T6 Transporter to a T6.1 Ocean and I have just ordered a flysheet sunshade and a Kador strip for the Ocean in the last hour. Why? Because when we are in Europe, we bend the 3m flysheet into a corridor which protects the rear sliding door from the weather and we can use it in limited space pitches. Both items were ordered from Funky Leisure and cost me under £100 as we already have the poles. I will try and add photos from our old set up.

Debus Universal Awning Drive-Away Kit - TWIN 6mm to 6/4mm

This Debus Universal Twin Drive-Away Kit has dual 6mm 4mm kador beading on the vehicle connection side for compatibility with Mulitrails, VW

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

Debus VW Campervan Sun Canopy V2.0 – Midnight Black

The Debus VW Campervan Sun Canopy V2.0 is the new 2024 upgraded version of the original 3 poled waterproof sun canopy awning in cool midnight black

www.funkyleisure.co.uk

View attachment 132139

The canopy looks great. I like the height adjusting poles and the pitching options. We’ve got some Outwell tarps, designed to work with the roll out awning, but we do use one just as a rain cover on its own. That said, I’m very tempted!! We’re off on a tour of the west coast of Ireland in a couple of months, and it ‘might’ rain and be windy!

 

[ParachuteMan]

I rarely use the cassette awning fully extended. Instead I have it about a third out, with 8mm guy ropes on the legs to secure it. It gives a good size porch and with a front screen, it’s an ok space. I’ve had it up in 30+ winds and it’s been fine. 40+ and in it goes.