Protect Your Family With A Caravan Porch Awning

By Russell Rucker

If you're going to travel, you're going to want a way to live outdoors without being ravaged by the elements, and a caravan porch awning is a no brainer solution. Looking to protect your family from the weather on your next road trip? Follow these instructions.

Difficulty: Simple

The Plan

Things Required To Build A Caravan Porch Awning:

1. Canvas tarp

2. Tape measure for dimensions

3. Preferably nylon rope

4. Tent's stakes

5. Tent Poles (completely adjustable)

6. Scotchguard with weatherproofing capabilities

Pre-Building Stage

Using the measuring tape, determine your caravan's length. How big do you want your awning to be? Canvas tarps can be bought in almost any size, but many are maybe nine feet in depth. Do your best to measure what size will be perfect for your use.

Purchasing Canvas Tarp

Give a few phone calls to authorized canvas tarp dealers and talk to someone who is experienced in the use and various sizes of canvas tarps. Mention the dimensions of your awning and then place an order for what you need.

Buy Remaining Supplies

Make a stop at your local outdoors store and pick up the tent poles, stakes, and the nylon rope. For best results you should purchase six tent poles and one hundred feet of nylon rope. Try pre-constructed pieces to ensure the building process is as simple as possible. Get all the items and pieces of same together in the same room once your canvas tarp arrives and prepare to assemble your caravan porch awning, first at home.

Stop In An Appropriate Area

When you're ready to go, make sure to park your caravan in an area that is big enough to include the awning you've just built. It's a good idea to use a location with soft earth for the stakes. But, if you end up someplace where this is not the case, don't worry. You can use the tent stakes with metal nails to dig into tar roadways. If you're over concrete, simply drive your stakes into cracks to avoid damage to the surface.

Getting Your Caravan Porch Awning Together

Arrange your canvas tarp so it matches the sides you'll be connecting it to on your caravan. You can spread it on the ground if it would help. Then, push the tip of one of the poles into the canvas tarp grommet nearest the caravan. Take care to lift the awning's corner until it stands vertically. Hammer the pole into the ground, being sure to hold it steady until you're fastened to the earth.

Creating Your Awning Line

Making an awning line isn't complicated -- use fifteen feet of your nylon rope and, at one end, make a loop and knot it tightly so it will remain at the appropriate side of the canvas. Be careful to use this loop to throw it over the highest point of your vertical pole, which should enable you to secure the other end with a stake, which will be pushed down into the canvas tarp by that loop. Be sure that your loose end rope is always hammered down with a stake.

Completing Your Tent Poles

Next, attach those last five tent poles into the caravan awning's grommets. There should be, at last, three awning poles for the rear and three for the front.

Protecting Your Awning

Now you have your caravan porch awning and it looks great, but it's very susceptible to weather damage. Spray your canvas tarp down with the Scotchguard you bought. Leave your tarp for three hours so it can dry, then go for a second coat. When you're through, your awning will be weatherproofed for good. Remember to store your awning in a dry and cool place. - 31520

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