Good to know.  They are on my list because I've rarely used my awning worrying over the least wind.  Thanks for the post.  

Carefree awning support poles were the first item that my wife ordered after picking up the unit and before our first RVing trip. Very pleased with their support and ease of set up (once I figured it out). Will try to post pictures after this weekends trip.

We just received ours the other day. We won't have a chance to try them out until we get the TT home next weekend (plans change unexpectedly).

Has anyone considered another style of stake for loose or sandy soils? The stakes that came with it look robust enough for most settled soils, maybe not for unconsolidated soils.

Jon59.....Are those awning support poles actually made by Carefree?  Can't find them on the Carefree website.  Thanks for any other specific name or description of product.  Paul

they are great, just call carefree

Kinda ironic that an awning called carefree needs so much care.  Don't get me wrong I to secure my awning in windy conditions as well. It just seems like there has been a lot of issues with this awning design. Just an observation. 

We made ours, courtesy of a LOA member, Pauls, ingenuity! We got the swimming pool skimmer poles from Amazon and the PVC pieces from Lowes.  We did cut the saddle differently: just cut that large "tube" section in half and that created a cradle.  We glued in a thin sheet of white closed-cell foam that was left over from our fantastic fan gasket. (My husband said the same material shipped with his computer to protect the screen during transit.)  He did use a screw to hold that PVC to the pole. We have not yet made the straps, but that would be a very easy add-on.

How did it work?  Well, when we were in TX  this February and it rained heavily for 6 weeks (only slightly exaggerating...) it was amazing!!  The rain was not wind-driven, but it was at times torrential.  We were able to cant the awning so that the rain ran right off, taking weight off the fabric and frame. It doesn't take much rise on one side to get a good runoff angle, so it didn't stress the attachment plate. 

We have noticed that using the poles stabilizes the awning so that it isn't as vulnerable to light breezes.  We tested it and found that when it is "bouncier", the auto retract engaged. The poles are far enough away from the camper to drop away on their own.  (That said, we chose to turn the Auto function off, and of course never leave it deployed when we are not at camp or sleeping!)

On a final note, we bought the new Carefree sunscreen, and it is wonderfull!!! It has an upper portion that slips into the free groove on the awning rail and rolls up and down seamlessly!  (That allows attaching the lower portion without needing a step ladder!) The lower portion has the other half of a separating zipper. Very easy to attach and can be removed in seconds if a storm were to come up.  We do set the poles when using the screen, and I have created a "lacing" bungee that hooks into ground stakes and can be quickly adjusted and removed as needed.  (Of course, with this in use, the shade will act as somewhat of a "tie down" so the straps would not be needed.) 

Sorry for the long post! I wish we had a photo (Pauls has one on the forum).  Going UpNorth soon and I hope to get photos of all our mods then!

Happy Camping!

TSR Campers posted:

Jon59.....Are those awning support poles actually made by Carefree?  Can't find them on the Carefree website.  Thanks for any other specific name or description of product.  Paul

They are found on their website CarefreeofColorado.com and listed as Awning Stabiliz’r under RV accessories. 

HERE is the link to the "Awning Stabilz'r"

Thanks much!  I'll order mine today.

Paul

Yes, similar to @grannygump, we too made our own.  I had a couple paint roller extension poles and cargo straps.  I needed some decent tent stakes, and a way to "cup" the awning roller.  For the "cup", I found a 3" PVC with a 1" knock out.  I just used a sabre saw and cut about 2/3 of the 3" portion, then added a couple felt buttons at the top of the knock-out to protect the roller since the paint roller extension end didn't scratch up the awning roller.

As others can attest, it certainly does provide stability, however, if it's quite breezy, and certainly while sleeping or away, I wouldn't trust them to hold the awning secure.  You can imagine the force if a gust of wind were to catch it...there's no way any awning poles could hold a "sail" of that size!

Pics for your viewing pleasure...

Amazon sells these also 

Sail is a great comparison. If you’re on the fence as to whether you really need these $70 awning stabilizer poles from Care Free of Colorado we learned the hard way that you might. Sadly we didn’t know they existed when this happened. I will not use the awning without them and we won’t leave the awning out if we can’t keep a constant eye on it. Stuff can happen fast. Note that the auto retract worked even with the broken arm. The wind that did this came out of nowhere on a still sunny day. All it took was two or three minutes of inattention. I’m not sure if the poles could have saved our awning without some damage in this instance. Hope we never have this problem again. Location is Nashville KOA in July.

grannygump posted:

We made ours, courtesy of a LOA member, Pauls, ingenuity! We got the swimming pool skimmer poles from Amazon and the PVC pieces from Lowes.  We did cut the saddle differently: just cut that large "tube" section in half and that created a cradle.  We glued in a thin sheet of white closed-cell foam that was left over from our fantastic fan gasket. (My husband said the same material shipped with his computer to protect the screen during transit.)  He did use a screw to hold that PVC to the pole. We have not yet made the straps, but that would be a very easy add-on.

How did it work?  Well, when we were in TX  this February and it rained heavily for 6 weeks (only slightly exaggerating...) it was amazing!!  The rain was not wind-driven, but it was at times torrential.  We were able to cant the awning so that the rain ran right off, taking weight off the fabric and frame. It doesn't take much rise on one side to get a good runoff angle, so it didn't stress the attachment plate. 

We have noticed that using the poles stabilizes the awning so that it isn't as vulnerable to light breezes.  We tested it and found that when it is "bouncier", the auto retract engaged. The poles are far enough away from the camper to drop away on their own.  (That said, we chose to turn the Auto function off, and of course never leave it deployed when we are not at camp or sleeping!)

On a final note, we bought the new Carefree sunscreen, and it is wonderfull!!! It has an upper portion that slips into the free groove on the awning rail and rolls up and down seamlessly!  (That allows attaching the lower portion without needing a step ladder!) The lower portion has the other half of a separating zipper. Very easy to attach and can be removed in seconds if a storm were to come up.  We do set the poles when using the screen, and I have created a "lacing" bungee that hooks into ground stakes and can be quickly adjusted and removed as needed.  (Of course, with this in use, the shade will act as somewhat of a "tie down" so the straps would not be needed.) 

Sorry for the long post! I wish we had a photo (Pauls has one on the forum).  Going UpNorth soon and I hope to get photos of all our mods then!

Happy Camping!

Thanks for the mention.  Here's a link to my DIY support poles.  I have not added any straps yet, but as mentioned here it's relatively easy to do.  When I made these Carefree was still working on their poles and I did not want to wait.  They have worked out very well and are quick and easy to set up.  I do strongly recommend some kind of support, either DIY or from Carefree.  Too many posts here about awning failures.

I bought those for my 1685 but never used 'em, since I was generally away from the trailer during Sep/Oct while kept at an RV park in White Mtns. Monsoon storms can whip up gusty winds in a flash, so keeping the awning retracted was prudent to avoid damage unless close by to monitor. The Stabiliz'rs will be included at no extra cost if a LOA member buys the trailer!

If one can't drive a stake in the ground for a strap, I have seen some folks use a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of rocks or water for hold down weights.  They set them on the ground next to the poles and attach a strap to each.    

Carefree's aren't the only ones that get wrapped up by the wind.  Last spring at Chalk Lake CG our neighbor's awning was wrapped up over the top of their camper by one of those down-canyon wind gusts.  They were not in camp when it happened.  I'm reeeeally reluctant to touch someone else's stuff and the camp host felt the same way.  However I had a bit of line and tossed it over their camper, tying it off to a wheel and whatever else was on the other side to keep another gust from using it to sweep all the other stuff off the roof.  That awning seemed much better braced than our carefree with the triangular supports and, I think they even had the outside edge tied down.  Those gusts coming down the canyon can be ferocious.

VigII posted:

We just received ours the other day. We won't have a chance to try them out until we get the TT home next weekend (plans change unexpectedly).

Has anyone considered another style of stake for loose or sandy soils? The stakes that came with it look robust enough for most settled soils, maybe not for unconsolidated soils.

Living in KS - wind is our friend/enemy - but I found the spiral stakes work well in most soil types - I picked this kit up off of Amazon - 

Camco 42593 Awning Anchor Kit with Pull Tension Strap

The one think I found with the springs, they will allow the awning to lift the poles off the ground slightly in strong winds, but not enough to allow the awning to be damaged.  The springs are not required and the spiral anchor can be picked up at Walmart in the pet department...

There are curved rafters that are used by camp hosts for extended stay - 

They are not cheap, but can probably be found elsewhere - 

Carefree 902821BLK-U White RV Awning Support

Too much stuff to spend our $$ on - 

There are curved rafters that are used by camp hosts for extended stay - 

 

They are not cheap, but can probably be found elsewhere - 

Carefree 902821BLK-U White RV Awning Support

Too much stuff to spend our $$ on - 

Wow, those are most definitely not cheap.  Seems way overpriced for what it is.  

TerriB posted:

There are curved rafters that are used by camp hosts for extended stay - 

 

They are not cheap, but can probably be found elsewhere - 

Carefree 902821BLK-U White RV Awning Support

Too much stuff to spend our $$ on - 

Wow, those are most definitely not cheap.  Seems way overpriced for what it is.  

Yeowza, they sure are! I use 2 painters poles and a squeegee holder to do the same. It doe need to be anchored somehow because it occasionally falls to the side if the wind lifts the awning a little.

Doug, aka Atchafalaya Man posted:

If one can't drive a stake in the ground for a strap, I have seen some folks use a couple of 5 gallon buckets full of rocks or water for hold down weights.  They set them on the ground next to the poles and attach a strap to each.    

This might be the best way to keep the corners down. I have used the Carefree poles and had them anchored tightly at 45* as directed Wind gusts lifted the corners just enough to cause the pole to dangle for an instant and not settle in the same place.

An update on the awning rafters. After being caught in a lengthy, albeit not torrential, rain, I was looking to purchase the Carefree rafters.Yes, they are expensive from some suppliers ($218 @Amazon) and much cheaper from others ($88@ Walmart). However, Carefree currently has them on sale with an BOGO offer. Great deal if you need 2. That's $115 for the pair, no tax and free shipping.

Don't know how long this sale is, but here's the link if interested:

https://www.e-carefree.com/eca...page=24&crumb=70

Thank you for talking about this product. I had a class A with auto-retract Carefree awning that couldn't be turned off. It was just about useless in any kind of breeze. I put this product in my Amazon cart. This will make the awning work properly.

I've been using them a lot.  Many times I'll just use the poles without the tie-downs.  It supports the awning but I can roll it up quickly.  If I hear polls falling I then remember I put them out. 

I love how on Amazon the photo of the product has them on a Lance.  Check the link in the first post to see it. 

This is one of the items I have been looking at.

Question: They have two products, one is a Heavy duty pole set for $117, or the regular set for $61. Is the heavy duty worth the $? Please let me know if you have the heavy duty and think it is worth it. Thanks

We have the regular version. Got them just after our awning was destroyed in Nashville. Didn’t know these support poles existed before the mishap. I just looked at the heavy duty version. I’d spend the extra money and get the heavy duty model. I may buy it myself. Being able to stake down the pole base is nice. We lost the cap from the bottom of one of our poles. I eventually found a suitable replacement cap. The orange cradle comes off of the top of our poles way too often. It’s pretty annoying. I hope they improved on that.

Thanks for your input. I tend to be a frugal spender but that is not always the best course. I will buy the HD version.

But in this case, the two versions do not look any different other than the HD model has an additional accessory for mounting to box awnings. Otherwise the instructions seem identical. I'd call Carefree  for clarification and maybe save some $$$.

Did I miss it in the thread... what about the auto-retract feature. Wind comes up and the awning can retract because I have the poles in place??? Thanks in advance for response.

@VigII posted:

We just received ours the other day. We won't have a chance to try them out until we get the TT home next weekend (plans change unexpectedly).

Has anyone considered another style of stake for loose or sandy soils? The stakes that came with it look robust enough for most settled soils, maybe not for unconsolidated soils.

For sand I use steel concrete form stakes (Home Depot) for my easy up. Drilled a hole and added an eye bolt for the rope. Should be good for this application as well.

@John Kitchen posted:

Did I miss it in the thread... what about the auto-retract feature. Wind comes up and the awning can retract because I have the poles in place??? Thanks in advance for response.

We have had ours out in some good gusts without the awning retracting.  As long as your anchors are good I wouldnt be too concerned.  We use a 25# sandbag on each pole.  Since they hold our 12x12 popup canopy down, figured they will be great for the awning.  If weight is a concern, filling 2 empty 5 gallon buckets onsite each time ought to hold too.

Our awning arms both broke at the elbows and then it retracted like a champ. 😂 The real bummer is how long it takes to get it all the parts to fix the awning and figuring out how to drag an 18’ mess back home. Makes me envy those with newer models that have roof racks. A dozen 2-3’ zip ties might have worked too. Didn’t have any and didn’t think of it at the time.

This info might already be in this thread but the awning power should be turned off when using the poles.