Lots of opinions on Canopies

My husband and I are very new owners of a 550! We are in the process of outfitting it in prep for future trips.

We just purchased an REI Alcove.

We are wondering if anyone has tried a OZ Tent RV 2 with side panels? Also looking at Northern Breeze.
 
I'm still in the pre-order stage and am considering options to add to a 550 build. Am considering a receiver hitch on the TD not only for its potential to carry a bike, but to hold something like this at the campsite for one night/short stayshttp://www.shadeusa.com/hitch_umbrella_holder.htm. Attach the umbrella holder to the receiver hitch, then just slide a standard patio umbrella pole down through the holder, and the umbrella rests on the ground or asphalt. I'd be interested in hearing about anyone's experience with a similar setup in, say, a drizzle or light rain, knowing it couldn't handle more than that. Seems a reasonable concept for quick setup/teardown. But I'm also wondering if it would just be too much of a pain to step around and work around at the galley while cooking? I'm very basic in the kitchen, one burner stove, no arms and pans flailing about. But I wouldn't want to trip over the thing with every step, either. I realize the umbrella would need to come down to close the hatch.

On a standard CI, what's the height of the open galley hatch? How tall of a patio umbrella would I need in a setup like this?

Nancy
 
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sneakerwave said:
I'm still in the pre-order stage and am considering options to add to a 550 build. Am considering a receiver hitch on the TD not only for its potential to carry a bike, but to hold something like this at the campsite for one night/short stayshttp://www.shadeusa.com/hitch_umbrella_holder.htm. Attach the umbrella holder to the receiver hitch, then just slide a standard patio umbrella pole down through the holder, and the umbrella rests on the ground or asphalt. I'd be interested in hearing about anyone's experience with a similar setup in, say, a drizzle or light rain, knowing it couldn't handle more than that. Seems a reasonable concept for quick setup/teardown. But I'm also wondering if it would just be too much of a pain to step around and work around at the galley while cooking?


Nancy
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Seems like the trip hazard is a certainty. No way I would do this. It's all I can do to not knock the tables over.....(granted, sometimes there is alcohol involved....)

I do agree that the receiver hitch on the TD can be a good idea, though we don't have one
-Al
 
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We do have the trailer hitch but have never used it other than to hold the cute little tear receiver cover. Personally I think what you are talking about would get in the way. We use an REI alcove for shelter when needed though on one hot day we just used a bungee cord to hold up a large umbrella for shade.
 
I would recommend the Receiver Hitch.

While you may not see a need for it right now, check with Cary, but last I heard it was very expensive to try to add on later. I only used it for a Mtn Bike.

I would NOT recommend it for an umbrella due to the tripping factor as Al mentions.. heheh, even without beer... LOL... what's life without beer eh?

I'd look at the other options for canopies. I, Frankly speaking (pun intended), like and prefer the EZ-top or the better one "something, Quick? Shade" (forget name) as they are quick and easy once you get the routine down, fairly sturdy, and covers a good area. You can "Furl the Sails" when the wind gets outta hand without taking down the frame or drop it down to a low level which I'm finding out works well..

Recommend a 12x12 as it becomes a 10x10 when raining...

But, if you even think you might need hitch in the future, have them put it on from the Get-go...

Having said all that, I also got the Roof Yakima racks, heheh, never used them at all... so I do get a little carried away...

but no trailer hitch canopy, unless you wear shin guards.. heheh..
 
Hi Nancy,
We use an REI IN-CAMP tent for our living space and don't have a tent or umbrella over the galley. If it's raining and we have electricity, we cook in the tent with a single burner hot plate. If raining and no electricity, we will eat cold food. And if it's a light rain we will cook outdoors with our Coleman propane stove. These options ensure that we won't go hungry!! It all works out well!
 
I would recommend the trailer hitch receiver. We use for our bike rack. If you order make sure it matches your tow vehicle size receiver, that way you can move your rack to vehicle w/o adapters. I agree with the above comments on the umbrella mount, wouldnt do it, you will have sore shins and find it in the way most of the time. We do t put up our rain/sun shade unless we are camped for more than one night or extremely hot. Many time have backed the Outback up to CI and eaten under the hatch over..oh and we never ever eat inside CI cabin....hope this helps.
 
Mike & Patricia said:
My husband and I are very new owners of a 550! We are in the process of outfitting it in prep for future trips.

We just purchased an REI Alcove.

We are wondering if anyone has tried a OZ Tent RV 2 with side panels? Also looking at Northern Breeze.
Click to expand...

Wanted to check back in to see if anyone has tried the OZ Tent RV 2 w/CI?
 
Thank you so much to all who replied about a hitch umbrella. Consider me convinced to not go that route. Your input is much appreciated. Thank you also for your kind welcome; I love reading all your tips, tricks, ideas, product reviews, etc. I believe I'm pretty well outfitted and won't even be ordering my 550 for a few months yet, lol.

Nancy
 
We own a PahaQue 12' and love it. We have seen the OZ Tent RV2 in use. It seems to work but feels like too much of the area behind the camper is closed off. I guess its about personal camping style and preferences.
 
We have a Blue 10x10 Paha Que Canopy (discontinued color) and am looking for a blue 10x10 sidewall to match. If anyone has one they would like to part with would be interested in purchasing it knows where I can aquire one let me know. I could get a green one and will do that if only option. I did contact the manufacturer and they are out...Thanks R
 
The Coleman does look interesting. Lots of flexibility with both screen and wind walls and I like that the screen walls are built in. Haven't seen any reviews yet, but It does claim "easy 10 minute setup." We have been happy with our Alcove but if we ever do any camping in bug country, the screen walls would be a nice option. Thanks for sharing!

Randy
 
We are relatively new at teardrop camping but have experience with canopies and weather. We have only had our used Campinn 550 since last Sept but have had canopies since 02. Our first Easy Up succumbed to a summer snowstorm here in the WA Cascades in 05. Twisted and broken. The cover was still pretty good. Then we bought two more Easy Up's, commercial quality with the straight legs. They weigh a ton and take two people to set up. I have tried and couldn't even get close to setting one up by myself. We use them for events in our back yard and have survived rain, light snow and wind with constant babying during storms. We stake, guy and weight the legs but still Kevin insists on taking them down if we won't be outside to push the puddles or sagging snow on the covers off constantly. They are not for Northwest mountain weather.

One the pair of Easy Up's sacrificed itself in June to protect our teardrop out back by the pond during a three day close to the freezing mark rain storm. We brought Mercury home from storage to gear up for a trip and a dry run to organize the kitchen but it ended up being a wet run canopy test instead. I went out every couple hours to get the heavy pools of water off the canopy day and night.

Note: When you wake up to go outside in the middle of the night in a near freezing splatty downpour without a jacket and wearing flip flops make sure you are standing completely under the canopy when you use the big rubber broom to push the huge puddle of water over the edge to unburden the cover. You will wake up real quick! I could market it as some torturous spa treatment. I wonder if anyone would pay? I should know better but I was half asleep.

On the second morning the weight of the water with the added wind was too much for it. The legs bent and the frame twisted. The way it came to rest at an angle did make it possible for the water to drain. When the weather cleared we just pulled the lower legs out, picked up the wreckage and rolled it upside down on the grass and detached the cover while it lay there looking like space junk. Getting the frame folded up was near impossible and I was sure we would need the sawsall. Really all I needed was an Irish Swede. I tried to get it to fold up on my own. I couldn't make it budge. I needed Kevin and still it was all we could do to get it into some kind of manageable compact shape with several extra pieces that he ripped off by hand strewn around us when the job was done.

We then began our quest for a canopy that would resist the rain and wind without constant supervision. We read all the canopy threads on here and on the Tearjerkers forum. We spent all our spare hours and days watching Youtube videos and scouring the internet. We narrowed our choices down to a few brands based on how we thought they would hold up to wind and rain and read reviews for a couple days. We had both our computers running and tag teamed the web. We decided to wait on a screen room. The Northern Breeze is at the top of that list so far.

For canopies we decided on two brands. The Coleman 13 x 13 Back Home Instant Canopy and the Chapter 13 x 13 Pagoda Instant Canopy. The criteria from most to least important for us was: Drainage- no sagging puddles during rain storms, Wind resistance- vented top and guy lines, Strait or near straight legs,Local availability (within 70 miles or so), Size, Color, Price. We have paid good money for our heavy duty canopies and found a Quickshade Summit at Dicks for $200 that we seriously considered. We even bought one because we were having trouble with availability for the other two and were going camping in a week and needed a canopy for the rain. At the last minute we lucked out at Walmart and I drove 130 miles round trip to get a Chapter Pagoda and took the Summit back without even trying it out. It would be a great sun canopy and durable but we were concerned about the rain puddles so decided against it.

Kevin likes the color of the Chapter better than the Coleman. On our first trip with it our neighbor had a Coleman so we could compare. The Coleman looks the same on the outside except for color but up close you can tell it has better fabric for the cover. We read reviews on both and we knew when we bought it that the Chapter has a lighter weight fabric and will probably wear out faster. I have found a website that makes replacement covers for canopies.

We have used the Chapter on our last two trips totaling 8 days with 5 of those days rain. Of those 5 rainy days there were 2 with rain and wind. One clear day was windy. We are very happy with the Chapter Pagoda. We haven't had one puddle on it, it doesn't act like it wants to take off like Dorthy's house and doesn't flap in the wind. We love the push button latches on the legs. After so many years of hurting our fingers when raising and lowering canopies we smile and comment every time we look at those buttons. It is actually fun to put up.

The legs are slightly slanted but nothing like a slant leg canopy. You really get 13 x 13 feet of coverage because of the eaves and the extra coverage outside the legs is wonderful. On the first rainy trip with it we covered most of the trailer up to the front windows and still had room for two chairs by the galley under the canopy. This last trip we positioned it so the front edge of the canopy was about even with the galley hinge. We didn't feel cramped and had two camp chairs, one with attached side table, two big reclining camp chairs with attached side tables and a stand alone small side table under there. It covered the galley, the side cooler table, the back kitchen table and the water/propane hookups plus our living area.

The canopy is lightweight and Kevin thinks he could put it up by himself. We will test that out on our way to the Campinn Camp-outt next month. The only thing that I want to do to it is seam seal the seams and next spring give it a spray with some tech fabric waterproofing. It only had one drip at one of the attachment points where the cover velcro's to the frame. We could see that was from a stitch hole that was a little looser than the tight stitching on the rest of them. Still, living in a wet region we always overkill on the waterproofing to be safe.

Cindy and Kevin
 
I haven't bought my teardrop yet (1 year away if all goes as planned) but have certainly been dreaming about the things to do to outfit it once I do. While tent camping and frequently while "day camping" out of my canoe at a local lake I set up my Kelty Noah's 12 x 12 tarp using a ridge line between 2 trees and 2 collapsible adjustable kelty tarp poles. It only takes 3 minutes or so to set it up. It offers a nice shady patch as well as good rain protection. I was delighted to see that they just came out with a new line of tarps that are a bit more water proof and with larger sizes. I plan to purchase the 16 x 16 and 20 x 20 foot for when we have a really large campsite.

From my perspective, there are several advantages of this approach with the most obvious being the size and weight. The tarps weigh between 2-5 pounds depending on size. They are adaptable to current weather conditions for example, an edge can be lowered to block the sun, rain or wind. A tarp that is hung with the front end near the tongue should give good rain protection for the overhead fan as well as allow for a dry area while getting into and out of the teardrop and while moving back to the galley. Using 2 trees to create a ridgeline makes for an easy setup but even without trees, it can be set up fairly easily with 2-4 poles which I have done on the beach. I'm curious as to whether others have explored this option and what worked well and what did not.

Ben
 
Handben said:
Kelty Noah's 12 x 12 tarp using a ridge line between 2 trees and 2 collapsible adjustable kelty tarp poles. ... I plan to purchase the 16 x 16 and 20 x 20 foot for when we have a really large campsite.
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We have the NB screenhouse for colder weather, and, for our first two-and-a-half seasons, used a Coleman 13 x 13 instant canopy for warmer weather (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EHKP7U..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=H7HPV3NXYGHMGW570CSJ).

The Coleman got eaten by a prairie storm in June and we're on the hunt for a replacement. I'm really interested in your concept of a big sturdy tarp as an alternative, and am mainly posting so I can follow responses you get.

Can't help wondering why, if it's a good alternative, more people don't go that route. Some random thoughts:
  • We've been in parks that won't allow you to tie anything to trees. So I guess then you'd have to rely on/carry poles.
  • How would it stand up to storms/high winds? Would you figure on just taking it down in adverse weather?
  • Although nominally 20 x 20, how much of an actual shade footprint would you get from even the biggest tarp? We've found ourselves less concerned about covering the fan than having ample shade/rain shelter for the galley "living area."
  • Seems like it would have to be rigged fairly high to clear an open back hatch. Is the material strong enough to allow it to rub on the open hatch without serious wear?
Thanks for giving me more ideas to think about. My love/hate relationship with the usual metal-framed canopies and EZ-ups is best saved for a whole different thread!
 
If no trees are available, for sure it would be all poles and this works fairly well. You'd want to use 2 higher poles then 2 shorter to prevent any water from pooling. The Kelty poles are adjustable from about 79 to 99 inches which is pretty tall. I think this would clear the hatch with it raised.

The tarp that I use (and the larger ones I'm interested in) have a catenary cut meaning that the sides are sewn with a slightly scalloped out edge. This allows you to pull the corners tighter and reduce some of the flapping. So the 12 by 12 tarp is probably 11 feet across when measured from side to side in the middle. That said, you typically hang it corner to corner - diamond shaped (rather than down the middle like an A-frame). So the length from the front to back (from one corner to the corner on the opposite side) is longer on the 12 x 12 tarp it is about 17 feet corner to corner, 16 x 16 is 22.6 feet, the 20 x 20 is 28.3 feet. The shaded area is very close to the size (ie 12 x 12 is very near 144 square feet of shade).

I would certainly be concerned about wind with the larger tarps. I'm guessing that 25 mph would be pushing it. However, they do have a lot of tie-out points to really cinch things down when needed and I do tend to use these as the wind picks up.

I wish I could experiment further but will have to wait till I'm able to get the teardrop. I will try to report back on how well it works for the rest of the group.
 
When we were at Bayfield, WI this past week, another couple with a Little Guy TD camped in the next site, and had a umbrella sort of canopy over their hatch, that seemed to go up easy, and provide some good protection while they cooked and had their meal during the rain we experienced. Here is a link to what they used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...d-3035-4a40-b691-0eefb1a18396&pf_rd_i=desktop
There were a couple of TD owners who reviewed them on Amazon, and apparently were pretty happy with it.

The young couple next to us were from CO, and had taken a year off from work to travel the country in their TD, and had been at it since April. They said they had started out with another canopy which had succumbed to the weather and was replaced by this one, which had held up much better so far, but didn't offer much mosquito protection.
 
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