ouR escaPOD mods

After much thought and after deciding I did not like climbing the ladder to put on and take off my homemade slide-out cover coupled with having to make a new one because the fabric I used was just not sturdy enough to last more than a year or so, I decided to order a slide-out cover. I ordered the Lippert Solera Slide Topper in black.

Mike Carter provided a link to installation on the eTrailer site that was helpful. He also recommended Lexel sealant.

Delivery was done by a shipping company. It was done first by Estes freight and then the last-mile delivery company made the final delivery. Everything came in one long tube. One end had a metal cap that was taped in place. The other end did not have a metal cap and looked like the tube had been dropped on that end. However, the rest of the tube looked undamaged so I annotated the damage on the delivery document and then accepted the package. Upon opening it, I found that the Awning Rail was bent. That was not an issue as the RPod already had one. The supplied rail will be used in future mods. The awning roll was covered in white plastic that looked somewhat abraded. Whether that was from the factory or from the handling in shipment, I do not know.

Solera awnings now use what is called an Access Plate. This gets attached to the slide-out. It does not hold the awning roll, but is meant to be used with the Access Bracket which is attached to the plate with set-screws. Extension rods attach to the Drive and Idler heads with Torsion Arm caps. The arms feed into the Access Brackets after the fabric is fed through the Awning Rail slot. I was able to flex the rain gutter enough to feed the fabric in from the back end toward the front. Per instructions, I sprayed the slot with silicone spray to make it easier to slide through the slot. Once I got that done with help from a friend, I was able to get the extension rods in place and secured with screws. The last step was to put screws through the rail and the polycord in the slot to keep the fabric from shifting.

Issues:  The instructions stated that there should have been four screws to secure the extension arms to the access brackets. There were only two in the package. Also, the end of the awning roll had one area where the paint was scratched, probably during shipment. The third issue is that the fabric is not centered on the roll. While this does not affect performance, it was not something I anticipated. I looked to see if I could slide the fabric in the roll, but it appears to be well fastened to the roll. It isn't a big difference, but I did notice it after I got the awning installed. I'm waiting on an answer from Liippert about these issues.

Opinion: Why did I wait so long? This will definitely be very helpful since I no longer have to worry about weather when we arrive, but can just extend the slide-out and it will be covered. The black fabric and hardware match the RPod so that it blends in and does not stand out visually.

Okay, now for some pictures:

Clearance between the fabric and the flange is good and there is enough tension so that the fabric should allow for good drainage of rain water.

This is a corollary to the slide-out cover installation. It isn't quite done but is enough so that I will post it now.

As I said above, I did not need the awning rail that came with the cover. What I have found lacking was a way to open a window when it is raining for ventilation. Since I now have the Thule awning, adding the door window helped, but that is only one small window. I wanted to do something to allow me to open other windows. This is the first one and, if successful, will probably lead to me adding similar awnings to the other windows.

I chose to add one to the dinette window. I cut a 4' length of the awning rail and used Lexel sealant and the screws that came with the rail to attach it just above the window. My homemade slide-out cover provided the material for the awning. I just cut a 4' length of the cover and added another grommet. I cut a driveway marker stake in half to act as support rods and cut a couple fo small lengths of PVC tubing. I used a heat gun to soften one end of these pieces and then flattened them. I am using another driveway marker stake to stiffen the outer edge, so I drilled a hole in each piece. I cut and sealed a slot in the edge and inserted the stake through the pocket and the tubing brackets. One end of the side supports goes there and the other end will eventually sit in a door protector once they arrive. For testing, they are simply resting on the dinette window frame. To hold the awning, I am using short sections of parachute cord and elastic bungee cords.

Here are some pictures:

My local stores did not have what I needed to finish. I ordered Small Clear Door Knob Bumpers which will stick on to the wall and provide places for the rods to rest when the awning is on. I will test different locations for the rods before sticking them in place. Since there are a dozen in the package, if one comes off along the way, I won't be too worried. However, I think they will hold on well since I plan on cleaning the surface where I want to stick them with denatured alcohol first.