Awning Brackets Without Roof Racks?

[TonyMax]

Has anyone successfully mounted a side awning to some stubby brackets that fit in the roof channels without the need for roof racks? I don't want racks for our van and ideally would like to be able to mount an awning using 2-3 mounting points in the left side rail of the roof. This awning could then be reasonably quickly fitted and removed when needed.

Or does pretty much everyone just bolt them to the side of their roof racks which live on your vans?

Cheers,


Tony

[Sunny43.5]

With our older T5 we had an awning on the side , what I did was to get a length of what is called "sail track "its used in caravans etc to attach canvas to vehicles vans boats . It is the same as this one 2m SAILTRACK ALUMINIUM Single Flange Sail Track Shade Awning Keder Caravan Mill | eBay There are several sealed bolts on the outside of the roof just over the top edge , I used these screws to hold the track to the roof . Once its bolted you cannot see it from below as its in the recess , you can then slide your roof cover into the track and put out your poles . Obviously this is not a folding frame method like some but it is cheaper to do . Our side cover was the same width as the dimension of the roof from the tailgate to the front windscreen , ours was a bit longer and we used to tie off the ends so it gave good coverage . The distance out from the van was around 6 metres and we made side walls to fully enclose it in bad weather .

[Rebuild]

I have a canvas awning, that mounts to "sail track" and a 25mm square section beam.The frame(25mm square) for the awning mounts to the points in the roof gutter at 3 places front and rear( 2 each nearside,1 each farside).I just unscrewed the bolts there and replaced with threaded rod and wingnuts.The frame pieces triangulate to the far side gutter for strength, when tensioning the awning.The whole awning, (almost as long as the van) can be rolled up via a handle on the beam, and fitted inside, just.The frame folds up also

[Umai Naa!!]

Fiamma does a T5/6-specific bracket that utilises the factory bolt holes in the roof channel. Not sure how universal it is with other awnings though.

[jonathan_k]

Similar to Sunny, I made mine from 40 x 25 aluminium angle and 90 degree sail track. $60 from Ullrich aluminium for 6.5m of each which is enough for tracks on both sides of the van. I also had mine powder coated black to keep my van as a bit of a stealth camper as well as aesthetics.

I've had on vehicle awnings and prefer just having folded canvas as it has multiple uses and allows for more versatile configurations. I will post photos in a couple of weeks as I'm in the process of having my previous awning canvas remade (10 years old and this is the 3rd vehicle that it'll be used on!).

I've got mine under the roof racks, but where there is no rack in the third hole it is held in with the stock screw which you could do for all of them.

[Umai Naa!!]

Does it whistle at speed?

Might be something I'd consider doing, as I can't justify the $800 or so on something low-profile that will probably get pinched anyway. I can't run anything too universal that requires roof-racks, due to height limitations at some job sites.

[GeorgeMK1]

Fiamma does a T5/6-specific bracket that utilises the factory bolt holes in the roof channel. Not sure how universal it is with other awnings though.

As far as I know, the Fiamma ones are pretty universal across most mate, and at worst case you just drill the new mounting points into the bracket. Pretty straight forward.

I am planning to get some Fiamma mounts just because how tidy and tucked away they are!

[jonathan_k]

Does it whistle at speed?

Remembered to check this yesterday and couldn't hear any whistling at speeds up to 130.

I was able to use my hand to manipulate the air and get a very minor whistle out of it so it's possible in some situations it would whistle.

I also modified mine to bring them 100mm further forward in the track.

[Umai Naa!!]

Nice work, thanks!

Definitely looking into this now.

[jonathan_k]

I used 90 degree offset sail track. Standard sail track (bunnings, etc.) would still work, but would be a bit awkward.

Extrusions

UA1068 - 40 x 25 x 1.6 unequal angle

Extrusions

UA10054 - 28.50 x 11.25 offset sail track

Canvas work is starting today so I should have some pics soon.

[Rebuild]

My canvas was not built for the van(too long,obviously), so a fixed sailtrack was not really an option

Even so, i'm not keen on fixing the sailtrack to the roof, and the resultant hassle trying to slide the canvas in each and every time, and the wear on the canvas too.

[Sunny43.5]

We slid our canvas tarp onto out roof probably around eight times a year or more over five years and never had any issues , the tarp still looked the same as the first day we got it . What you need to do is flare the end of the track out and sand it smooth that way NOTHING can get caught . What also helps is a spray of silicone lube it works a treat .

[BrianJ]

I used fiamma mountings that are made for a T5, unfortunately they came from Italy and were designed for mounting on the right hand side of the van. Luckily I was able to drill out the rivets and re-rivet them in the mirror image to fit the left hand side. Probably if you source them from fiamma England they will already be for the correct side. I made nylon spacers at the time, but later I discovered that they were making the spacers and supplying them with the brackets.

Here is the link: Fiamma F45 awning bracket - VW T5/T6 (UK version) - Everything Fiamma

Here is a link to a few photos of how I mounted mine: Awning - Google Photos

Depending on what awning you use you may have to make further modifications to make it fit the backing frame of your awning.

[Franco]

My mate on both his vans used three angle brackets he made up from 75 X 25 3mm or close to.. he drilled holes to suit, and mounted them at the van roof rack fixing points. He them mounted a couple of kings awnings with wing nuts so he can take them off without any fuss.

cheers frank