Portable Car Awnings: Better for Camping Than A Permanent Awning?

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be contacted by offroadinggear.com to do a product review video for my YouTube channel. Excited for the opportunity to do another sponsored video review, I said yes, and the product showed up to my house about a week later. From a conceptual standpoint, a portable car awning is a great option. It's very packable, only 10 pounds, and doesn't require you to permanently install something on your car. However, as soon as I unpackaged all of the contents of the (surprisingly high quality) carrying case, the negatives started to become apparent. Click below to see the review on YouTube!

First, I was surprised about the excessive use of material. Although seemingly high quality, there were many places where they could have used less material - saving costs and material at the same time. For example, there were two different nylon bags each holding just two tent stakes. In my opinion, one bag for all 4 stakes would have been sufficient. Another example is the bag for the poles used to give the awning its shape. They came in a nice, thick, tarp-like material with velcro. Nice to the touch, but a bit overkill for tent poles. 

Second, I quickly realized that the shape and size of the awning is almost identical to a tent. Of course, this is clear from the images on the website, but it made it feel less of a specialized product and more of a repurpose of leftover material. This also contributed to the largest downfall of the portable awning; it acts as a parachute in the wind. 

Third, there were a few failures during my video. When I was installing it the first day, a gust of wind ripped the stakes out and the awning flew into the corner of my tailgate, punching a hole in the nylon. Also, when I was taking down the awning one of the links of the poles disconnected from the rest.

So, is this portable car awning better for camping than a permanent awning? In my opinion, NO! Here's why:

1. Set-up/take-down. I have a lot of experience dealing with setting up and taking down a tent when I worked in Wyoming over the summer, and this set-up/take-down process was even more difficult. Admittedly, I chose an especially windy day to install this the first time, but you can't expect your camping conditions to always be perfect. I also installed it the next day when it was calm, and the process was still frustrating.
2. Cost! This product is $150 which is a very competitive price for what it is. However, offroadinggear.com also sells a permanent awning for $280, which allows you to skip the annoying set-up and take-down procedure that is required every time you want to use it. Further, if you want a portable awning, there are cheaper options that serve the same purpose on Amazon. 
3. Excess material. Obviously a product like this will require a large amount of material. But, there were several places where I saw could benefit from using less. 

This product isn't a total fail! Here are a couple activities where this product shines.

1. Tailgating! This is a hit at the tailgates. It provides shade and allows you to use your car. Just show up a little early so people don't see you struggle putting it up. 
2. Beach day! You can use this without needing your car. It'll add about ten pounds to your load, but propping this up on the beach offers a large area to get a break from the rays and keep your cooler out of the heat.

Click this link to see the review on my YouTube channel! https://youtu.be/MziYyzzQeMQ

Click this link to see the awning on offroadinggear.com! https://www.offroadinggear.com/discount/seanandfriends?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fvehicle-and-camping-waterproof-portable-awning-canopy-with-extension

Click this (affiliate) link to see the awning on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3ZWLdsQ 

Written by: Sean Canoy