BusDepot Ezy Awning review

[PineyCruisin]

I've only had a chance to put together the awning a couple of times for the sole purpose of making sure it will work with our van (they are specifically designed for VW's and I have a Chevy Express high top conversion van) therefore will update this thread when its been under some serious use on the road.

This is the BusDepot Ezy Awning purchased: https://www.busdepot.com/a7905
and also purchased the Jackpoint/Wheel mount kit to be able to secure the awning to the van which would be helpful when on ground that doesn't lend well to staking down awning securely: https://www.busdepot.com/JP7905

I received the shipment on time so no problems with delivery. When opening the box, was shocked to see substantial amount of rusting and scratches on many of the parts. These are just a few of the many parts that were damaged looking right out of the box.



Called BusDepot to notify them of problem. They said because of the humidity inside the warehouse all of their awnings had rusty parts and the scratching was due to jostling during delivery between manufacturer and warehouse (hmm?) so the best they could do was issue a full refund or keep it for a 15% discount. Wasn't thrilled with the choice but I couldn't find any alternative in the U.S. Fortunately, the awning canvas itself was in brand new condition and seemed to be well made. Customer service was a little iffy....besides not apologizing at all for the condition the product was in nor were they concerned (it seems shipping these with a lot of surface rust is a usual state of affairs), they would only respond after many followup phone calls/emails. They certainly didn't go out of their way to try to rectify. One positive is that they issued the 15% credit rather quickly after accepting their (delayed) offer.

THE GOOD:

Looks good.


The included gutter clips seem to hold the awning frame in place sufficiently.

Putting it together isn't too terribly bad. It's far from quick and simple, but doable with the right mindset. It took about 20 min. by myself on the first try--reading instructions and getting acquainted with what pole goes where. Am certain I can shave off some time with practice and definitely would be faster with hubby helping.

The awning, when put together, seems sturdy but it was only put up during very mild conditions with no wind. This will need to be tested under more severe conditions.

It stores very compactly-- in 2 nylon bags, each the size of a foldable camping chair and about 20lbs for everything.

I really like the fact that I now have the ability to attach all corners to the vehicle so we don't have to worry about ground conditions to secure it down sufficiently. I don't have pictures of our mounting system since the brackets had to be tweaked to work with our van and haven't had the chance to put the awning back up with the newly adjusted brackets. Will try to remember to post pictures when they are in use.

(THE NEGATIVES in next post since my picture limit reached)

 

[PineyCruisin]

These are the problems found so far. Fortunately, most can be fixed or worked around to some degree. 

1) The attachment caps on the fiberglass poles are not secured well at all. Two have fallen off already only after the second use. [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] The glue was dried out[/font][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif] and old and caps were not crimped properly[/font][font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]. [/font]
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2) Because the velcro pockets that attach the awning to the aluminum poles aren't properly placed, the horizontal pole that goes into the gutter bend so much that its impossible to get it flush inside the rain gutter to clamp it down securely in the middle. In order to get it into the gutter properly, the seams where the velcro straps are sewn look like they are going to rip the fabric over time. May have to resew this to prevent future problems. The picture below shows how the fabric is pulling from the seam when the pole is forced flush into the gutter more.


3)The extension poles included with the jackpoint/wheel mount kit are not exactly the same as the leg poles included with awning so the female and male ends on one side are incompatible with each other. Fortunately, there is a work around with the other ends....but still, a little frustrating that they ship them out this way. 

All-in-all.....am still pleased with the purchase. I'm most happy that we finally have something that will work with our side barn doors after all the time spent trying to devise a system, even if it's not as simple as quick as I had originally hoped.

 

[highdesertranger]

well that sucks. thanks for the warning, er I mean review.

highdesertranger

 

[VanFan]

Thank you for the details!