I usually do. It does not take long to set it up. It provides shade, shelter, and a sense that my camper "area" is larger. Even without setting up the screen room. The awning to me is like a front porch and adds a little something to the ambiance of the setting.
Matt O 2006 Skyline Nomad 27' travel trailer. Previously owned 1986 Coleman Columbia / 1992 Coleman Senecca / 1989 Born Free Class C RV.
I have only NOT used my awning twice .. both times I was camping with a buddy and since the pup was only being used as a place to sleep and enjoy some wobble pops around the fire at the end of the day, we saw no use in setting the awning up.. Other then that we always use it.. I have had to put it away quickly due to high winds.. 2 weeks ago the awning was up for the all of 3 hrs, before 70km wind warnings had everyone in our group rushing to take the awnings in ...
I can think of just one time when we didn't use it and that was an overnight stop with plans to be back on the road right after breakfast.
We use it even in fully shaded sites because it gives us a "porch" and keeps droppings from the trees off our chairs. We also use it because it gives us a place to hang the owl tacky lights!
John
We use our awning whenever we don't want the sun to heat up the PUP or when rain is forecast (we also agree with JEH412 that it's useful in preventing pine tree messes from falling onto our chairs). However, we usually spend our spring, fall, and summer camping along the Delaware coast and, during these seasons, rain is more often than not accompanied by strong winds.
I also love the 'porch' feeling that the awning provides; it's great to hang tacky lights on and creates a cozy atmosphere.
What I don't love is how the wind can increase during the middle of the night (while everyone sleeps) to lift up the metal edge of an awning (anchored by cinderblocks; the cinderblocks were lifted 4' off the ground). We awoke to see this happen but couldn't act quickly enough to prevent the metal awning edge from being cracked in half, which was a very expensive replacement.
Paying attention to your weather forecasts isn't enough; to be safe, increase your forecast weather impact rating by at least one level.
We're not awning folks. We never used it on the popup. (actually removed it & threw it away) On the hybrid, maybe once or twice a yr, usually when DS1 is with us. He likes it as a place to hang tacky lights. Me, I'd rather just skip it. Although, I will admit, considering we do most of our cooking outside on our grill or Coleman stove, a deployed awning can make cooking in the rain a bit more pleasant.
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