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

[Oldbramwell]

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 as much use as a chocolate teapot for holding 6mm Kador under anything but the slightest tension. Playing around with better ways of attaching Kador-equippped canopies to our van, I've tried sliding the rubber insert into the awning rail upside down!! With this arrangement, holding 6mm Kador in the C-slot looks much more hopeful. The tension would be tangential to the slot, not radial to it.

Has anyone tried this? Does it work any better?

Oldbramwell

 

[calikev]

The club shop sells a drive away kit that does away with rubber strip

 

[Ch1pbutty]

You can get 8mm kador strips if you just need more diameter.

 

[Oldbramwell]

Well, I've just purchased a 'drive away' kit from Funky Leisure that includes a 6mm to 7mm kador strip (measures 7mm to 8mm!) of which the thicker side goes direct into the T-section of the awning rail - thus eliminating any need for the rubber insert. It was while removing the rubber insert to try out the new kit that it dawned on me that inverting the rubber insert might have been all that was needed.

Very intrigued to know if anyone else has tried this? Just tried fitting our canopy to our inverted rubber insert & there's no doubt the pull-out force is very much greater...!!