TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Apr 01, 2017 11:25 am

I just got the ARB 2500 awning and have considered the room that adds 4 walls (p/n ARB4406A). They do a miserable job describing it and I'm wondering what the back wall against the Van slider opening looks like? Can anyone describe what that's like? It seems from the wording the door against the vehicle is designed to access a conventional car side door like an SUV and I'm hoping that doesn't mean it would be offset on a Vanagon and open into the open slider door, etc.

I have other roof gear (racks, kayaks, bikes, rtt) that I'm hoping it will be compatible with, versus forcing me to reposition the awning rearward or forward to match the back wall opening with the slider opening.

Thanks in advance.

Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:16 pm

I don't have personal experience but the folks at das mule are a phone call away and are great folks to chat with (open on Saturday)...

425-394-1111

Tap "more photos" to see it mounted on a Vanagon...

http://www.dasmule.com/arb-awning-room-with-floor-4-sizes-avail/#PhotoSwipe1491073416956

FWIW...

Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:27 pm

IdahoDoug wrote: I just got the ARB 2500 awning and have considered the room that adds 4 walls (p/n ARB4406A). They do a miserable job describing it and I'm wondering what the back wall against the Van slider opening looks like? Can anyone describe what that's like? It seems from the wording the door against the vehicle is designed to access a conventional car side door like an SUV and I'm hoping that doesn't mean it would be offset on a Vanagon and open into the open slider door, etc.

I have other roof gear (racks, kayaks, bikes, rtt) that I'm hoping it will be compatible with, versus forcing me to reposition the awning rearward or forward to match the back wall opening with the slider opening.

Thanks in advance.
I don't see the awning supporting the room in anything but fair weather. Our arb awning is crap is a strong wind, the horizontal support arms eventually work loose and collapse, that and the Velcro straps always come loose. A great budget awning but nothing like what I envisioned coming with the arb name.

Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:41 pm

IdahoDoug wrote: I'm wondering what the back wall against the Van slider opening looks like? Can anyone describe what that's like?

Courtesy of GoWesty:

Thu Apr 06, 2017 7:15 am

I actually bought the ARB room to match the awning and love it. Upon the initial installation my bus-to-room opening looked like this posted GoWesty pic because I mounted my awning as per instruction with the rear mount all the way back behind the side window. It does NOT take full advantage of the sliding door opening.

My solution was simple: By moving the awning forward about 14+/-" and the rear awning mount forward to just before the trailing edge of the sliding door, you can take full advantage of the room/tent opening. The sliding door IS close to touching the rear awning mount but, as you know, the door track glides it outward a few inches and misses it as it slides open.

Thu Apr 06, 2017 4:23 pm

Nice tip - thanks! Still thinking about ordering it. Seems like it would be kind of nice to hang around with the slider door open. On the other hand, when the room is up, there's suddenly no place with shade to hang around. Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:25 pm

IdahoDoug wrote: Nice tip - thanks! Still thinking about ordering it. Seems like it would be kind of nice to hang around with the slider door open. On the other hand, when the room is up, there's suddenly no place with shade to hang around. Hmm. Decisions, decisions.
Check out the floorless room. Each wall is zippered to each other, so, I believe, they can be rolled up.
http://blog.arbusa.com/?p=543

Mon Apr 24, 2017 1:52 pm

I was thinking of purchasing the ARB Awning Room, and just discovered they have a new "Deluxe Awning Room" that can be converted from full walls to mosquito netting walls. Anyone have any experience with this new room?
http://store.arbusa.com/ARB-2500-X-2500-DELUXE-AWNING-ROOM-WITH-FLOOR-813108A--P22948.aspx#

Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:01 pm

I bought one of these to use with a CVT awning (pretty similar) and found it to be a general pain in the ass. First, it's HUGE and heavy in it's bag. Very hard to store, especially in a Vanagon. I was using it on a Sportsmobile with a big roof box so YMMV. Second, really a pain to set up and take down. I had a friend who does upholstery stitch me in a big new zipper that better fit my big side door but I found the whole apparatus to be too much trouble to fool with. I used it maybe once. If the weather is bad enough to need one of these things I'm going home or moving on to better weather. You'll hardly be able to get a good seal against mosquitos up against the van wall. I used about 50 binder clips to hold mine everywhere it needed help but just too much trouble.

Essentially, you're taking away the simplicity of owning a camper van and putting yourself squarely back in the prehistoric days of painstakingly setting up and taking down tents, usually in bad weather or you wouldn't need the thing. No place I want to be.

Good luck though!