Awnings are a “buy once cry once” item and few are actual new designs, with many being copies of copies made in China. There is an awning and a price point for everyone but be sure that you will get what you pay for.
Big Country 4x4 in South Africa created the first free standing 270 awning in 2008, which is the Ostrich Wing Awning. We are the US importers and distributors of Big Country 4x4 products in the US and we likely have a dealer near you. It is designed to be used in all good camping conditions without legs, and have a single leg to tie it down in strong winds. It has custom 1/8” T6 6061 extrusions which are used to construct welded truss arms. After 14 years they are now in Generation 4 and wrote the book on the design and installation - lessons other folks have yet to experience (especially those who buy their white label awnings from China but never actually designed an awning). You are buying confidence and experience.
At the same time the Foxwing in Australia (late 2007/early 2008) was launched and that is a legged awning, designed to fail in a predictable manner in wind, such that it can be repaired with low cost replacement hinge fitments or arms. Both created a new product category, and they are extremely different in function and design with the only correlation being they make shade. If you need an inexpensive awning that may not be used as frequently this will be the way to go.
There are many imitations of both, but in general if you want a free standing awning you should invest in a South African unit and if you are OK with always using legs then you could really settle for a Chinese brand (I believe almost all legged awnings are now made in China anyway - I could be wrong).
Once you have camped with a free standing unit you realize the benefit: you end up using it more because it is easier to deploy/pack up and is built to last (most of them, not all).
Considerations: wall kit or no wall kit? Symmetric wall kit (panels can go anywhere) or asymmetric (awning only allows panels in a specific manner). Having the ability to move the door or window to another spot relative to the camp site or vehicle for a given setup is actually a big plus. The Ostrich Wing has a symmetrical setup.
Shape: rectangle or pentagon? Personal preference but something to consider depending on “how” you camp and use your rig.
Weight: check area of shade vs. weight. The Ostrich Wing gives 120sqft of shade and weighs 57lbs mounted. Legged awnings are lighter but there is a compromise in area, longevity and ease of use.
Walls velcro or zip? Velcro is great for about 5 camp weekends then they begin to get full of grass and debris unless you are very careful. The Ostrich Wing uses only thick Vislon YKK zips on the bag and walls.
Mounts: legged awnings require minimal brackets. The legs do all the work when staked down. Free standing awnings require a beefy rear corner braclet to handle all the torque from the wind sail effect and if not done correctly you can wreck a modular rack (ask me how we know). Often we see rack or tent companies sell brackets intended for legged awnings being used for free standing awnings by the customer or inexperienced outfitters/installers. School fees will be paid..
Materials used: the quality of the frame, beam and canvas have a big impact on the cost of the product. Our awning canvas is rot proofed, UV treated and 380gsm (12.2oz) rip block canvas. The Ostrich Wing has all components available as replaceable items - in other words ten years from now you can replace an arm or the canvas if you have a big storm and a tree branch snaps an arm or poles a hole in the canvas. For a fraction of a replacement you can be good as new.
At the end of the day you have plenty of options to choose from, it is a great time to be a consumer in the market for an awning. Hope my comments helped shed some light.
We have a 10% MUD discount for members for the Ostrich Wing. Send us a PM if interested to get the code. We have both Olive green & grey in stock in passenger and driver config.
