Alucab Shadow Awning review

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SOAZtim

SOAZtim

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Well, I avoided getting an awning like the plague for the last 15 or so years. The only ones I sorta liked were the Hannibal awning because they self supported and folded away quickly. They always seemed expensive and hard to get so when I saw the Alucab one I thought it finally looked like something I wanted. Still pretty darn expensive, I figured it was worth a shot.
So far so good, we keep bashing it into tree branches and it keeps taking it. Will update if/when anything fails on it!

 
The Hannibal is a great design...curious to see what you get from AC... that is nice... thanks for the detailed review
 
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Nice review, Thanks. I feel if you are in a hot, desert climate these are likely a must. I need to get an awning at some point, but I have to do a few more things before I can spend the $$$.
 
LAMBCRUSHER said:
The Hannibal is a great design...curious to see what you get from AC... that is nice... thanks for the detailed review
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Are there any Hannibal vendors in the U.S. anymore? Vendors that you would recommend that is.
 
Not that I know of... I was gunna do a booty fab hillbilly rip off juke on it tho. It's just metal and canvas right? The wing just covers so much more space and doesn't seem like too much extra effort I might be looking closer at it instead
 
fjdemon said:
Nice review, Thanks. I feel if you are in a hot, desert climate these are likely a must. I need to get an awning at some point, but I have to do a few more things before I can spend the $$$.
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I just spent a couple days camping with just a few trees, chasing the shade around... an awning just got higher on my list
 
LAMBCRUSHER said:
Not that I know of... I was gunna do a booty fab hillbilly rip off juke on it tho. It's just metal and canvas right? The wing just covers so much more space and doesn't seem like too much extra effort I might be looking closer at it instead
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For me $1500 is a lot, but I agree with you. The design of the alu-cab awning is really nice and it gives you a huge space to relax.

For me I really only hit dirt roads and open areas so I'm not worried about branches, trees, and tight spaces that might harm an attached awning.

If I were in your position and had already been a victim of the sun and lack of shade, I'd probably already have one!
 
Thanks for the awesome review! I've been eyeing up the Alucab awning for quite some time and was hoping someone around here was going to let me know if it was worth the coin.

Now if they would just make the damn poptop for the 80 like they do the 70 I'd be set!

(And no, not their newish RTT, I want to be able to access it without getting out of the rig)
 
80t0ylc said:
The lid on my 80's tailgate does the same thing...lol. So I'm careful, opening the lid, like your Wife was when she opened yours.
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We added a rubber pad that was in the packaging to the rear hatch where it was at. If I hadn't "flipped" by Frontrunner rack to make it lower it wouldn't be as bad. lol. Simple redneck fix. ;-)

mervo said:
Thanks for the awesome review! I've been eyeing up the Alucab awning for quite some time and was hoping someone around here was going to let me know if it was worth the coin.

Now if they would just make the damn poptop for the 80 like they do the 70 I'd be set!

(And no, not their newish RTT, I want to be able to access it without getting out of the rig)
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Thanks!

Agreed!! A gawl damn pop top is all I want for my truck. Would be perfect!
 
SOAZtim said:
We added a rubber pad that was in the packaging to the rear hatch where it was at. If I hadn't "flipped" by Frontrunner rack to make it lower it wouldn't be as bad. lol. Simple redneck fix. ;)
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I saw those in the packaging. You're talking about the adhesive rubber pads? I'll have to look at them again. Looked thin, if I recall. But at least it would give some cushion and give the paint a break. Thanks!
 
Was that at Point Sublime? We cruised out to Pt Sublime a few weeks ago and overnighted at Swamp Pt.
 
SOAZtim said:
Yep, we put one on the rack and one on the hatch where they contact. I was thinking that a random McMaster Carr order may be.... in order to fix it properly.
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If I hadn't "fixed" my struts with a new pair, the old saggy struts couldn't get the lid far enough up to touch the Awn...lol. To be fair, though, I like how the lid stays up, now. Plus the new pair must have be slightly longer since I don't remember the older struts ever pushing the lid up as high. Hitting the Awn is the only down side to the new struts. I replaced the hood struts at the same time...and it was about time with 275K on the odmeter & several knots on my thick skull...lol :doh:
 
80t0ylc said:
If I hadn't "fixed" my struts with a new pair, the old saggy struts couldn't get the lid far enough up to touch the Awn...lol. To be fair, though, I like how the lid stays up, now. Plus the new pair must have be slightly longer since I don't remember the older struts ever pushing the lid up as high. Hitting the Awn is the only down side to the new struts. I replaced the hood struts at the same time...and it was about time with 275K on the odmeter & several knots on my thick skull...lol :doh:
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Same here! If I hadn't used the "extra long" rear hatch struts from McMasterCarr it wouldn't hit as hard, but it seems to add a bit of extra rigidity to the awning.. Yah, that's it. It helps!! LOL
 
BMThiker said:
Was that at Point Sublime? We cruised out to Pt Sublime a few weeks ago and overnighted at Swamp Pt.
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Nope, the first video was taken near SB Point further west of Point Sublime. The later part of it was taken on an unnamed point in the Secret Mountain Wilderness above Sedona. I do like Point Sublime though!
 
Very nice setup, I had an opportunity to see/operate one of these in person. Amazing engineering, took about a minute to deploy and about 2 to stow.

Anyone install one of these on a Prinsu Designs rack yet?
 
I have the Alu Cab awning and will be mounting on the Hercules pop top on a Troopy. I don't know that I will ever need to stake it out but this idea would work for any anwing. I have used it on my ARB awning which HAS to be used with poles. I have canvas bags (you could use an Ikea bag, etc) that can be attached to the poles. You can fill the bags with sand if you are on the beach or rocks if handy. Stakes seem to pull up....have to hammer them in, PIA. The bags are a LOT easier....fill them with whatever is handy. They are also easily moved if you need to account for wind direction. If you wrap your straps/string from your awning directly to rocks they will fray pretty quickly....ask me how I know.

Thanks for posting the review.
 
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