The Pewter Palace -Our Love Affair with Avions-

People will often ask us “what is one of the top upgrades we think most important and add value to their RV”? Among our top 5 picks would be Side Window Awnings!

Window Awnings is one of them for sure! Above is a photo of our 1973 Avion Travelcade Club # 14229. When we bought this trailer it did not have any window awnings. We purchased these from ZipDee and had Chuck Cayo in Watervliet, MI install them. Chuck has since retired unfortunately. We sold this Avion in 2020.

WHY??

1. They provide shade to keep the inside of the RV cooler (we can drop our inside temp by 10° to 18° in a few minutes!)
2. They provide much needed shade for your LP/12V refrigerator if it is on the driver side. Allowing the refrig to run more efficiently with less ice crystal build up.
3. They prevent fade of curtains and upholstery fabrics.
4. When in a rain drizzle to medium rainfall you can keep your RV windows fully open to allow fresh air in without getting wet!
5. They are easily deployed and retracted from ground level. Luise puts them in and out all the time by herself.
6. They provide the ability to install a snap on mesh sun shade on that side if parked in a particularly sunny location giving you even more cooling inside the RV.
7. Window awnings can provide a certain amount of privacy especially when sites are tightly spaced together.

WHAT ABOUT BRANDS?

Some of this depends on the age and style of your RV. Modern RVs (those built from about 1995 to present) can easily purchase window awnings from major RV camping stores or dealerships. Those brands typically include Carefree, or Dometic and others.

Since we specialize in VINTAGE travel trailers we will focus more on brands that meet those needs. See photo gallery above. We have seen window awnings on everything from tiny Shasta trailers, slide-in truck campers to very large travel trailers and everything in between. Again, age, model and body style are going to dictate what works!

The brand we like the most is ZIPDEE AWNINGS. The reasons for this are:

1. ZipDee has made awnings since the 1960s at least so their designs are compatible to a variety of exterior shapes of trailers. REMINDER- FOR AVIONS/AIRSTREAMS YOU NEED THE “CONTOUR” STYLE HARDWARE!
2. Because of their long standing manufacture, they also have not changed their hardware at all. In fact, even if you have a ZIPDEE original awning from 1973 you can find the exact part you need, service techs that know how to tell you to fix it or how to order something new.
3. Their hardware is light weight, easy to use, in fact Kevin can put our large 19′ patio awning out by himself, and Luise is the one who puts out all of the window awnings with one easy pull.
4. IF your RV already has all or some of the hardware you can just have ZipDee make up new awnings for you, or sell you what specific parts you need. We have been super impressed by their customer service. They know vintage rigs!
5. They use quality Sunbrella outdoor canvas fabrics which hold up really well and long assuming the owner take care of them.
6. Because they have been around for so long, many manufactures back in the day and still today (airstream corp) uses them so they are “period correct” versus putting a modern awning system on a vintage rig.
7. Their website is a treasure trove of information, from parts PDFs to video how to links to install instructions as well as links to the current fabric choices they have for awnings (patio and window styles). Here is their link to the PDF that shows the correct window awning parts list. You can simply call them from where ever you are and have them ship it right to you!

Other brands for vintage RVs include older style Carefree and A & E Awnings (A & E are now made by Dometic). We have friends who own vintage RVS and have both these other brands and love them. Its a matter of personal choice. We did have a Carefree Patio Awning on our 1973 Avion and honestly it was SO heavy and hard to manage it took two of us always to put in/out and we took it off and sold it and put that $$ towards a whole new ZipDee system for the patio and window awnings. It should be noted that to get replacement older type parts for other brands can be very difficult, especially for the old style Carefree brands.

Another option is the manual style vintage awnings. These thread through the “C” channel track on the side of the RV and are manually drawn though then brought out and held up with poles and ropes. If you are a true traditionalist this may be the way to go. It also is certainly the most affordable as there is virtually no hardware attached to your rig other than that C channel which is often there anyway. Poles are easy to find. The downside to this style is it can be very difficult for one person to put up and out and equally not as quick to take in when wind or a storm hits. Some sources for these vintage style awnings are:

Marti’s Awnings and here is a how VIDEO to on how to set one up!

Pink Flamingo Awnings

GingerGirl Vintage Awnings (facebook site)

SAMPLE PHOTOS OF VINTAGE POLE STYLE AWNINGS. There are styles that handle window awnings as well. They typically need a metal rod that is inserted into a pocket and the ends of the rod stick into receivers mounted on each side of the window.

FAQ’S

“BUT IT LOOKS LIKE MY RV NEVER HAD WINDOW AWNINGS-CAN I ADD THEM??” The answer is YES! This is not a problem. They can be added and in fact, if you choose ZipDee Window Awnings they can help with how to know what size to purchase. Their customer service folks (we love Randy!) can talk you through how to measure and where and report those measurements back to them. They will make the proper window awning for your needs. Additionally, if you have some specific year/models of vintage rigs, often times they have their own archived files (going back decades) that they can use to match up what works!

WHAT DOES A WINDOW AWNING COST? it is going to depend on the size. A small rear bathroom window awning is going to be way less than a 7 foot side awning window that stretches from your kitchen to your living room. Likewise, a patio awning will cost more due to the amount of hardware and size of canvas required.

IF BUDGET IS AN ISSUE CAN I START WITH JUST ONE WINDOW AWNING? Absolutely you can! And we would recommend, if your refrigerator is on your driver side that the first window awning you make covers that area of the outside of the RV where your refrigerator is too so you get more “bang for your buck” by cooling your fridge too while providing shade into that kitchen or living room window! When placing an order, ask the rep what fabrics are “open stock” in other words a fabric that they plan to keep on hand for a long time into the future. This will allow you to incrementally purchase additional window awnings and order the same fabric color.

** IMPORTANT NOTE: for AVION Trailers or Airstreams that have a REAR BATH and a sliding window, we highly recommend putting a window awning on that window as a top priority! Not only do you benefit from the shade it provides, but also it will prevent rain water or water when washing your rig from coming into the trailer. Even the hardware with its roller bar mounted above that sliding window acts like a “gutter” so water does not run down and heighten the risk of water into the bathroom during a rainstorm but also seeping down through the window frame and rotting out flooring and support structures.

Rear Bath Window Awning examples: (first one – orange/white stripe we believe is a Carefree old style)

STYLE OF AWNING FOR MY CAMPER:

ZipDee sells two styles of awning hardware. For Avions and Airstreams you purchase what is called the CONTOUR STYLE of arms. For all straight sided campers chose the other style. Link to ZipDee Window awning page.

TRUCK CAMPERS: YES!!! They can have awnings too! We have seen some terrific installations of window awnings on slide in truck campers. The awnings serve the same function to provide shade, lower inside temps, privacy but also so windows can be open even if light to medium rain providing much needed ventilation when camping! We have also seen larger window awnings used over the back door areas to create a “deck” feeling and to prevent rain coming in when entering/leaving the camper.

OUR OTHER AWNING TIPS:

TRAVEL LATCHES: ZipDee sells “travel latches” that are a small accessory 2-piece hardware, easy to self install as long as you have a rivet gun. We highly recommend them and have them on all of our window awnings! Window awnings, unlike patio awnings do NOT have locking mechanisms themselves. The pull out and retract based just on the internal spring in the roller bar. Installing travel latches ensures these do not come open during travel days under windy and cross wind conditions. We actually installed TWO latches on each of our extra long driver side window awnings- one at the very rear and one at a mid point. Part #12A & 12B shown on this PDF of parts

LIFT HANDLES: we strongly recommend a pair of the ZipDee awning Lift Helpers. These are accessories that can make putting up and down the big patio awnings even easier. They are simple to install, no rivets needed, just some simple tools and a few minutes of your time. They stay on the vertical upright arms permanently.

AWNING MAINTENANCE:

We will create a lengthy post on awning maintenance at some point but safe to say all awnings need routine maintenance for their proper function and longevity.

1. LUBRICATE HARDWARE: Kevin uses Boeshield T-9 for lubrication. WD-40 can build up gunk over time, so is not the best to use. He will do this at least 2-3 times a year as full timers. For part timers, storing theirs off season, do as part of your pre season and post season check list! Keeping your awning arms and hardware lubricated will make rolling it out and in so much easier!
2. AT LEAST ANNUAL WASHING: At least 1 time per year, we will unfurl our awnings and using a power washer will wash them with either diluted Dawn soap solution or cleaning products that ZipDee recommends on their website.
3. CLEAN OFF BUGS FROM HARDWARE ASAP: After a particularly “bug ridden” travel day we will also go over the hardware, especially on the front ends where bugs have become smashed against the hardware and remove them with a soap solution and scrubby or a shop style wet wipe. Leaving smashed bugs on to bake in the sun more only makes the cleaning that much harder in the long run.
4. CLEAN OFF DEBRIS BEFORE ROLLING UP: Be sure, before rolling up any awning, that you use a portable leaf blower or shake off all debris possible like leaves, acorns, sticks, bugs, etc. Did we tell you about the little tree frog that got shmushed underneath our kitchen/living room big window awning valance in NC (we never knew he was there!) and traveled with us for another 3 months to Indiana? Needless to say he was fried, flat and toasted and did not die a nice death. Poor thing!

USE YOUR AWNING ROD TO HOLD THE STRAP LOOP: Using the proper awning rod, Zipdee Patio Awnings will come with it as a kit is critical to ensuring proper pulling out and retraction of your awning. An alternate to a zipdee brand rod is found here. We DO NOT recommend rods that are retractable—they simply do not have the same strength or durability in our opinion. Do NOT allow your awning strap to simply let go and wind up! More times than not, it will wind itself up inside the awning and you wont see it again till you have another person help you to release and manually pull out the awning arms and until that strap falls back out again. Using the awning rod to deploy your window awnings may or may not be needed related to how high your awning track is set. Since our Avion sits higher due to our new suspension system we do have to use our rod to grab the awning loop strap to deploy even our window awnings. We did not need to use it to deploy them on our 73 since it sat at original height.

WINDOW AWNINGS AND STORMS OR WIND: Window awnings CAN take more harsh weather than patio awnings simply because there is less square footage and length of deployment from the side of the RV.. That being said, we will take in our window awnings when winds typically are over 15MPH+ or if winds are gusting at all. These are investments we would prefer not to have to revisit or repair. Better safe, than sorry. Likewise, during light to medium rainfall window awnings typically can be left deployed. Just be mindful of any pooling of water that will stretch or rip the awning fabric if it gets too heavy. Normally the window awnings are at such a steep pitch downwards that rain runs of very quickly and easily. We do NOT recommend keeping them out in hail, sleet or snow.

ARE THERE DOWNSIDES TO WINDOW AWNINGS? Yes, actually there is, but we strongly feel the upsides outweigh the downsides and they are a worthy investment to make in your RV. Not a week goes by we do not use our window awnings!

1. Window awnings can make your interior feel more darkened. Due to this factor, we recommend getting window awning fabric that is light in color, or perhaps a stripe with off white/cream being one of the stripes if available.
2. Window awnings do block the complete views out of windows. RV windows, especially in vintage RVs are not the height of normal house windows. Because of this, when looking out our windows about the top 12″ or more of the view out the top of the window is blocked. If parked in shade, we do not put out our window awnings so we can get the best outdoor view. The exception here is if the outdoor temps are nice but it is drizzling and we want open windows but to prevent rain from coming in-then we will put the awnings out.
3. Cost: yes, window awnings add cost to your RV. But they also add value! So it is an investment that will bring a return should you choose someday to sell your RV. We purposefully are not quoting any pricing in this article because we want to article to be “evergreen” and also costs vary so much with size, style, hardware needed and timeframe of purchase.
4. They do require ongoing maintenance. Not a lot, but at least a spring and fall cleaning and lubrication.
5. They do add weight to your overall RV weight load. Bear this in mind if you are already reaching the max.

ABOVE: IS A PHOTO OF OUR ZIPDEE WINDOW AWNINGS ON OUR 1987, 32s AVION.

We sincerely hope this article has provided our readers with valuable information. Please give us a Thumbs UP if you have liked this article- that helps others find it!

Happy Journeys! from Kevin & Luise