Rig Your RV Awning Properly for Rain

I sold one of my previous 5th wheels to a good friend of mine, and he managed to destroy his awning the first few months out. He related to me that he was in Arizona at an RV park and had his awning out - straight out. During the night it rained and when he emerged the next morning he saw his awning had become a giant bowl of rain water. He attempted to let one side down when the whole thing collapsed drenching him and tearing his awning off the rig. He managed to escape with minor injuries and a good story. The best way to rig your awning for rainy weather is to keep it rolled up. Why? Because rain is frequently associated with weather fronts that bring gusty winds that can rip your awning right off your rig. Usually, before it rips it off your rig, it pulls it up, flops it over the top of your RV and beats the opposite side with the flailing poles and then tears it completely off. We are currently in Oregon, getting itchy to head south, but in the meantime it's raining here. As you can see in the photo above, I use my awning as a porch to keep rain off my windows and the entry and to keep my outside stuff dry. However, If I leave the RV for any length of time, I roll up the awning. If I'm home and the wind starts to kick up, I roll it up. I learned the hard way not to wait until 3:00 am to go out in a monsoon to roll up the awning. If I think the wind is going to threaten my awning, I roll it up before I go to bed. However, weather being what it is, you should always rig your awning so it has a steep enough pitch to allow rain to freely run-off. I usually tilt one side of my awning lower than the other to accommodate a no-notice downpour. Newer, high-end RVs have automatic awnings with a wind sensor and roll up when the wind threatens. I don't have one of these, and I'm happy to deploy my awning manually, but I do keep an eye on the weather when it's out. Helping you stay high and dry - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing, Dr. of RVology and ROAD Scholar