DIY Awning poles

I have a desert trip coming up (leaving tomorrow for the drive out) and wanted to be able to throw an awning up next to the truck.

I picked up three telescoping aluminum painter's poles. Two will be legs on the outside corners, and the third will strap to the roof bars to extend the length of the inside edge.



I modified the heads on the two verticals with two double ended 5/16" studs (male/male coarse wood and machine threads), some fender washers, thumbnuts, and marine shrink tubing.



Pop off the thumbnut and washer, put the tarp loop or grommet on the peg , put the loops for your guyline(s) on, washer and thumbnut back on. The heatshrink keeps the threads from abrading soft loops.

The heads had a hole in them in the right place from the manufacturing process, but you could drill easy enough if you had to. Glob 5 minute epoxy in the hole, drive the wood end in, then stack the first washer and trimmed heatshrink. I drove them in one at a time with the thumbnuts double-nutted (one upside-down), first by hand then with a wrench on the top thumbstud.

I forsee potential issues over time with the friction twist lock mechanism, but nothing that can't ultimately be solved with duct tape for as long as it takes to drill for pins when the time comes.

I'll update how the whole setup works out when I get it put up in AZ.

For the curious, I paid $100.23 at a local hardware store for the three poles and all the hardware (all stainless). I had epoxy and shrink tubing already, so $10 more maybe.

 

Just FYI, Sportsman's Warehouse, Academy, Walmart etc. sell adjustable aluminum tent poles for like $15 or so.

 

I've broken three or four of those cheap tent poles and figured I'd try something a little stouter. They particularly do not stand up to high side loads - I'm hoping these do better.

I thought about going with some surplus GI telescoping poles from a GP or Alaska tent, but this attempt is both cheaper and lighter than that option. We'll see!

 

Good idea! I agree that the tent poles are much more flimsy where as the rods you chose are designed to handle somewhat of a side load.

Are you using a base plate or a spike on the bottom to keep them secure to the ground?

For my motorcycle I use a tarp and have a couple shooting sticks for setting up a tent, but I have storage limitations that aren't an issue in the Tacoma. IIRC they extend to 72" or 74" and collapse down to about 22" or 24", it's been a while since I bought them. They are a lot more sturdy than collapsible tent poles. Plus they have a base plate, spike for the base, a V for the rifle, a spike for tenting and the top is a 1/4-20 thread so it could be used for photography if desired or any other attachment with 1/4-20 thread.

 

I've had good luck just digging a small divot for the base of the poles and using a couple guylines staked at 45° to the tarp edges for tension. I have a harebrained idea to put a socket for the pole bases on little plates or boards, or maybe put some loops on chunks of firehose that I can park the truck on top of, so the poles can extend from the wheels out and up, but I didn't have time to get that done before the trip.

 

6' wood dowel from Lowes, $2.25. Deck screw, .13 cents.
Zim

 

Depending on the wind I'll take my tarp down since the noise annoys me but using two guy lines per corner will help keep it it in place when the wind picks up.

Side note, since the threads are still intact on the poles you can get screw on attachments for cameras, Go-Pros, etc.

 

Not a bad solution at all, but I like the adjustable length to rig lees and corners depending on weather and wind.

 

I got caught in a wind/rain storm down near Arkansas and thought I was gonna die LMAO. Tarps stayed up and I made it through the night. (there's a song about that somewhere) LOL.
Zim

 

All set up:



Guyline on the unsupported end, to counter force of tension on the corner guylines:



3/8" bungee "sewn" around the pole by the tarp loops. This gives a bit of stretch and helps prevent buzzing and flapping in quartering winds:


The horizontal pole is just ziptied to the roof bars. I want to make some brackets that fit the t-slot, but didn't have time before this trip.

Two nights here while the rest of the group arrives, then onward.

This is a pretty Gucci site - picnic table and firepit included. Lots of trails on the ~40k acres the campground sits on. Wasn't expensive.