Carefree vinyl awning room addition

BigMac1 · 01-23-2018, 01:39 PM

I will be spending an entire summer in a fairly small Outback 210. I am thinking of adding a screen room enclosure to give me some extra room. I am considering the Carefree vinyl awning Has any one used the Carefree or similar? If so, did it hold up to a PA summer?

BSHGTO · 02-03-2018, 08:02 AM

we have one and used to use it on occasion. It has it`s place for inclement weather camping, can get hot in summer even with panels rolled up. Kind of expensive. Don`t use it anymore. One bonus is you can put guests on cots in the room even in colder weather. want to buy it?

BigMac1 · 02-03-2018, 08:25 AM

Thank you for the input. We are really concerned of wind, etc damaging the entire structure including the awning. We are going to hold off until we get to PA in April. How much do you want for yours?

TheRealMacGyver · 03-18-2018, 02:03 PM

We have one and really love it. I was trying to talk my wife out of it, but finally caved! I use a small 4' aluminum step ladder and it goes up/down quick once you get a method going. I also button it up a little tighter with small spring clamps. I think most weather we have seen seems like the awning was less affected with the screen room attached, because it keeps the wind out from getting under it. It really helps with space if you have 1 or 2 more people than you would like. Also I have slept out there on an air mattress and that is nice too! I would recommend it. I know this post is a little old, but if you get one, I can show you how I sealed off the wheel well with the skirt. Let me know.

BigMac1 · 03-19-2018, 12:30 PM

Thank you so much for the input. Will definitely contact you if we decide to get the awning room.

Carrottop · 03-19-2018, 12:59 PM

We had one on our previous unit. We got rid of it. They are nice units however they are a process to setup and when the wind picks up it made for some nervous sleepless nights for me watching if my awing was going to become a kite. In Manitoba we can get some pretty crazy winds and that was my concern. I agree with the above that when it is hot out it gets unpleasant in the room even with all the screens rolled up. If I were to do it again I would go with the rooms that are full screen all the way around no vinyl walls. In the end when we bought our trailer we ended up purchasing a clam screen room it is great and can withstand any wind and I mean any that I have come up on in Manitoba and it sets up in like 2 minutes no to assemble.

Here is a link for your info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qHSO18qK18

Cheesy video but the product is great.

BigMac1 · 03-19-2018, 02:10 PM

Looks like it could work for us. Will check it out. Thank you...

**sourdough** · 03-19-2018, 02:52 PM

Don't know if it would work for you but here's a link to a screened enclosure;

https://www.amazon.com/OutdoorsTM-De.../dp/B00Z7D3ZZC

Here's the crazy part about this thing;

Our neighbor bought one when he first arrived here from Academy - $69. He liked it and several of the other visitors looked it over and liked it. The owner had him get 2 for him. A couple more popped up in the park. I thought I might get one and looked on the Academy site and it was $79 3 days ago. Wouldn't pull the trigger. Saw this thread and thought about the enclosure for your application. Went to Academy.....no longer there. Went to Amazon and they're $115 or something. Don't know if they suddenly got popular and Academy ran out, there are limited supplies or what?? My neighbor said what he really liked about it was the fact that it did not let water in through the mesh when it rained. Just an fyi in the event it could be useful.

vampress_me · 03-19-2018, 04:13 PM

Another vote for the Clam. We love ours. We got it back when they first came out with the Quick-Set Pavilion. The only down-side I have is the space it takes up in the basement storage. It goes the full width of the camper basement, but isn’t very big around so it’s not that big of a problem. Hubby and I have never had a problem setting it up and it does go up quick. But, there was one time I went down to the campground the next day from when hubby went. I wish someone had video’d the hubby and neighbor setting it up. It apparently took them a couple of hours, off and on, contemplating the shelter with a cold beverage. At one point it was inside out, I was told.

We took it down at the end of the weekend with no problem, so I have no clue what went on.

And, a picture of the innocent little shelter...

**sourdough** · 03-19-2018, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vampress_me

Another vote for the Clam. We love ours. We got it back when they first came out with the Quick-Set Pavilion. The only down-side I have is the space it takes up in the basement storage. It goes the full width of the camper basement, but isn’t very big around so it’s not that big of a problem. Hubby and I have never had a problem setting it up and it does go up quick. But, there was one time I went down to the campground the next day from when hubby went. I wish someone had video’d the hubby and neighbor setting it up. It apparently took them a couple of hours, off and on, contemplating the shelter with a cold beverage. At one point it was inside out, I was told.

We took it down at the end of the weekend with no problem, so I have no clue what went on.

And, a picture of the innocent little shelter...

Have you had the Clam up in heavy rain? Looking at the top, and the way the guy in the video just pushed it up, makes me wonder if it would stand up to heavy rain or get heavy and collapse. We have had torrential rain last night and today and I don't want to have to take it down, or worse, have it collapse, in something like we've been experiencing.

vampress_me · 03-19-2018, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

Have you had the Clam up in heavy rain? Looking at the top, and the way the guy in the video just pushed it up, makes me wonder if it would stand up to heavy rain or get heavy and collapse. We have had torrential rain last night and today and I don't want to have to take it down, or worse, have it collapse, in something like we've been experiencing.

Heavy rain, yes. Torrential downpour, no, we’ve never had it up for one. The water just ran down the roof before any ponding could occur, with little rivers running away from it. Just talking to hubby on the phone, he laughed at thinking about it collapsing, and said he doesn’t think it ever would because of how stiff the roof ribs are when up. It is easy to pop the center up, but not so easy to pull it down when you grab it. And make sure you don’t stand directly under the center disc that all the roof ribs run into when you pull it down. I know this...it only took once....

**sourdough** · 03-19-2018, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vampress_me

Heavy rain, yes. Torrential downpour, no, we’ve never had it up for one. The water just ran down the roof before any ponding could occur, with little rivers running away from it. Just talking to hubby on the phone, he laughed at thinking about it collapsing, and said he doesn’t think it ever would because of how stiff the roof ribs are when up. It is easy to pop the center up, but not so easy to pull it down when you grab it. And make sure you don’t stand directly under the center disc that all the roof ribs run into when you pull it down. I know this...it only took once....

Thank you. Sounds like it would work for us. We find the quick setup very appealing. Inserting rods through grommets, slots etc. gets old....and then taking it down. If rain/wind doesn't take it to the ground I think that's the way we'll go.

vampress_me · 03-19-2018, 06:17 PM

Danny, if you ever head up this way I’d let you play with ours to see what it’s like. We were lucky because Clam is based in Rogers, MN and the fall before they came on the market they had the original/ prototype screen rooms at the state fair to check out/ play with. Fell in love with it there and as soon as they had some for sale the next spring went down to Rogers to pick ours up.

**sourdough** · 03-19-2018, 07:07 PM

Thanks, I really appreciate the offer and would love to check one out first hand before buying, but, we'll probably have to just get one to do that.....I trust your appraisal of it so I'm comfortable with getting one.

We want to make a "north/northeasterly sweep" of the country but only want to do it in the summer and I'll want the enclosure before we take off. One day we may make it to your neck of the woods; Susan's family is in PA and that, hopefully, is going to give us a reason to make a big swing up that way sooner rather than later.

Carrottop · 03-19-2018, 07:47 PM

They also sell privacy walls. For each section with windows and they just clip on in seconds. We bought them just to give us privacy. They are sold in two and three packs on Amazon.

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