How To Tie Down Caravan Awning: The Ultimate Guide
Most modern caravans and campers nowadays come with some pretty fancy awnings, which are great to create shade on those hot summer days or shelter from the rain during the winter. But before you deploy this fantastic device, do you know how to effectively tie it down?
There are 2 major types of awnings fitted to caravans and campers, roll-out and cassette type. Both will have similar methods to tie them down. It doesn’t matter if the awning is manual or automatic; tie-down methods are the same.
Our Favourite Caravan Items:
– Anti-Flap kits: Aussie Traveller
– Pegs and Ropes: Caravan RV Camping
– Awnings: Caravan RV Camping
Why do we need to tie down our caravan awning?
As you have probably already worked out, setting up your caravan isn’t cheap, and awnings can be quite expensive. So, to protect your investment, taking the time to properly tie down your awning can save damage from gusts of wind or heavy rain.
Most awnings will be able to stand a light breeze, but once a breeze turns into anything more, it doesn’t take long for the material to get ripped or the poles to bend.
We recently spent 10 months travelling, and I couldn’t tell you how many times we set up the awning. Each time we tied it down properly (no matter how little breeze there was) and the awning still looks just as good as the day we set off, no damage.
Setting your guy-ropes.
Multiple anchor points for your guy-ropes is the key.
- Connect 2 guy ropes to each outer corner of your awning.
- Peg 1 guy-rope to the ground, slightly away from the awning, at 90 degrees to your caravan, and the other guy-rope slightly away from the awning, parallel to your caravan.
- Repeat on the other side of your awning.
This will create a triangle with your guy-ropes on each corner of your awning to give you maximum strength and stop your awning from moving side-to-side and front-to-back.
Think of the webs of a truss that create triangles and how strong they are. If you still need more support, you can always tie another 2x guy-ropes, half-way along the outer edge of your awning, to really make things secure.
Your guy-ropes don’t need to be too tight, you’re not playing to harp here. Nice and firm is all you need. Don’t forget to check them every now and again and tighten them up if they get loose.
There are many different guy-rope tightening systems available to make this very easy, or like me, you can tie a good ‘ol truckies knot in your guy-rope to keep things tight.
Pegging it down
Depending on the soil type will depend on what type of peg you will use.
For sandy soil, or even just on sand, a longer peg will be needed. For gravel, screw-in pegs are great. They are easy to set using a cordless drill, impact-drill or you can even use a ratchet socket.
For hard rock….. well…… you are better off moving to softer ground. I’ve spent hours trying to bash pegs into rock, only to end up with bent pegs and a whole lot of frustration. But seriously, there are pegs specifically designed to handle rock.
Make sure you set your pegs at an angle away from the guy-rope, so that it pulls sideways on the peg. This will be much stronger and lessen the chance of your peg pulling out.
For that extra strength, set a peg through the base of each awning leg. This will ensure that the legs don’t lift up in a sudden gust of wind. Most awning legs have holes to accommodate pegs.
Set your awning at an angle.
If your awning is high enough and you have plenty of clearance for your caravan door, consider lowering the outer edge of your awning so the awning roof will be at an angle.
This will give you 2 pros, but possibly 1 con. The awning roof set at an angle will allow water to run off without pooling (possibly damaging your awning) and, if it is windy, the wind is less likely to catch underneath your awning, which could lift your awning up and damage it. The wind will instead be deflected over your caravan.
The con is possibly bumping your head on the outer edge of your awning and having to duck every time you walk under the awning, depending on how tall you are and how low you set the outer edge. Experiment and find out what works for you.
Cassette awning vs roll-out
Once tied down correctly, cassette awnings can be very strong due to having extendable legs on each corner. The guy-ropes pull down on each corner, making each corner very strong. (Remember the triangles)
Most roll-out awnings have corner legs that can be set either straight down to the ground or at an angle fixed to the bottom edge of your caravan. By setting the legs straight down to the ground, you can create an even stronger awning as the guy-ropes will keep the legs firmly planted to the ground and allow less movement.
My awning flaps in the wind… and annoying…
If you have an awning that, even in the slightest breeze, makes that annoying flicking noise, then grab an antiflap kit. These are attached on either end of the awning, grab onto the fabric and keep the awning tight.
Additionally, they create extra strength in your awning so it can withstand more wind than without the anti-flap kits. I would always recommend purchasing the curved awning rafter extender with your anti-flap kit. This is a beam you place in the middle of your awning, and it creates a slight upwards curve, ensuring any rainwater drains off your awning.
We’ve written a full guide on tackling this if it’s driving you round the bend: Need to Stop Your Caravan Awning From Flapping?
Tie-downs and anti-flap kits are just one part of keeping your awning in good shape. Our caravan maintenance schedule covers the rest, season by season.
If you’re after even more living space, have a look at our guide to caravan awning walls.
Awnings can create shade, protection from the elements and give you that extra living space while camping. Don’t be afraid to use your awning. Just remember to tie it down correctly, and you will enjoy the benefits of your awning for many years to come.
