I use a short plastic shoe horn, place it between the zipper pull and the awning, curved side against the awning, pulling it with the zipper pull as I close it. Works better than trying to use my fingers to keep the zipper out of the fabric.
@softroadingthewest, Donald, one of the things that drew me to your channel and why I have been a long time subscriber is your integrity and honesty. There are not many in this space who are, but it’s easy to see that you’re a genuine person and I prefer to follow and support those like you. Unfortunately, as I said, there aren’t many. GREAT review! Thank you! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for the updated review. This is a nice product. I do think the video would’ve been more entertaining with you putting the awning away without the stool, but maybe that’s just me. 😂
I received mine a few weeks ago and am very happy with it. If you notice you are having trouble getting it to the full 270 degrees, check the fabric around the main support bracket. Sometimes the inner portion will get behind the bracket on the vehicle side which decreases the total angle you can open it. Easy fix, just give the awning some slack and move the gutter up over the lip and you will be good to go. Very nice hardware supplied! The President is a very nice, and is very concerned with customer service and goes the extra mile! Thanks Kai. Respectfully, Richard Thanks for the update video!
Hi Donald! They have optimized the 270 awning idea about as much as can be I think....when someone figures out a way to build an awning out of solar panels that would be an upgrade lol. BTW next week will be our 1 year anniversary ...living out of our Kimbo full time for 1 full year....woohoo!
Thanks for the video. I ordered mine last November '23 and just received it in March. Production is backed up by the owner keeps in touch with an update. I hope i got the new enclosure bag. I havent installed it cause im waiting for my roof rack now. I"m 100% sure i will be satisfied as you. I bought mine for my jeep because of your review and was following your journey in search of the best awning. Thanks for all the research and the videos. i deeply appreciate it and keep it up.
we really like our 270 awning but reaching it is definitely something one should consider. especially on a van. manufacturers should offer a "you may also like" step stool. great review!
The design at the rear of the awning is definitely a big deal for those us who cook in the back of the vehicle. If I didn’t already have an arb 2500 that’s still doing its job well I’d consider one! Thanks for the review.
I wish alot of the other 4wdriving TH-camrs were as up front as you about the suppliers giving you their gear. It is getting ridiculous for the average person with the amount of gear being given to TH-camrs from suppliers to sort the Bullshit from the truth.
OMG FACTS!! So much content is sponsored or given to these TH-camrs. Majority of the time it’s not a review, it’s them restating what others have said about their freebee videos.
I do really like this design; currently moved another 270 awning over to my truck and it works but would like something stronger and Reign is on that list I’d love to see a video on the sides, even if it doesn’t fit how you camp. Can you get to send you a set? Also, if Reign sees this, peggable feet on the support posts seem like a great idea to me, anyway to offer that?
No. Reign did offer, but I declined. The way I camp - moving daily and almost never establishing a base camp for multiple days - dealing with a wall kit is not worth the handling time for me. I'll just spend the evening inside the camper if it's unpleasant enough to need walls. The bulk of the folded up wall kit also poses a storage challenge in my compact setup. Reign however is in the process of developing a single "wind screen" panel that attaches to the velcro at the top and gets staked down at the bottom, which stows into a much more compact package. This is a better fit for my usage and I *will* be testing that out as soon as it becomes available. 🙂
I just deployed my iKamper 270 this past weekend and I have to say I’m liking the reign outdoor one a little better. The kickstand to help water drain off is nice. Putting it away looks a little easier.
Nice video Donald. Looks like a well thought out design, and I like how they improved upon it based on feedback from folks like yourself. I do have a question about how far out it hangs off the vehicle. It looks like it hangs way out there. Have you had any problems with the awning catching tree limbs and what not?
The awning itself is very similar in depth to any other 270 I've seen. How much it sticks out is entirely a function of the mounting surface available - in my case, Topo's awning mounts. Because my camper tapers towards the top, the awning is actually quite a ways further inboard than my mirror, which sticks five or six inches further out than the outer surface of the awning. Depending on which overgrown PNW trails I probe, even the Maxtrax or the camper cabover can catch limbs. On normal trails, the awning has been a non-issue as my mirror is the most outward point. Let me know if I can clarify! 🙂
How does the 270 work with a hatch in the rear? I’d love a 270 on our Crosstrek, but we have a hatch and I’m also 6’2”. With our current 5’ roam awning it fits perfect length wise on the roof rack and when it rolls out we can put the outer edge of it higher so I don’t hit my head. While we can sit under it comfortably, standing is an issue for me.
With the awning deployed, my rear hatch opens fine and juuust fits. That's really a function of where/how high the awning is mounted. In my case, I am bound by Topo Topper's proprietary awning mounts on my camper, but Topo designed them for that purpose and presumably thought about the hatch. The Reign awning comes with brackets for mounting to a roof rack (you can see the brackets briefly in the original review video from last year) so you might have some flexibility to elevate them. That said, this might be a bit big for a Crosstrek. The closed up awning is 7½ feet long. 🙂
Looks good. I was thinking of a new awning to replace my ovs 270 (moving it to the trailer). This one fits the bill. 39lbs! that's fantastic. I have too much weight on my Gladiator already. I also think the awning room is better than my current one as well. Hopefully it's big enough to work with my rear slide out kitchen and drawer. Oh, the extra large bag is big, no pun intended. My current awning can a be a real pain to pack, just like my ensuit restroom. Not sure why more manufactures wont make the bag larger. Thanks for the review.
Do they have a version that is oriented towards the passenger side which is the campsite side?.If staying in a campground , having the awning on the drivers side is a violation of your neighbors solitude. You could pull straight into your campsite but undoubtedly a rsnger or campground host will order you to turn around facing the road. The excuse they give is in case of a forest fire, it's quicker to leave.
Yes, when you order you can specify which side - this is standard practice for 270° awnings. I chose driver side because that's how I've configured my build, but you can order passenger side. I don't camp very often in campgrounds but I always park my vehicle whichever way makes the most sense for the given campsite (location of table/fire ring etc). I have never seen any consistent pattern as to which side of the campsite has its amenities...sometimes it's to the left, sometimes it's to the right. I've camped a number of times nose-in and have never ever been told to rotate my vehicle's orientation. Admittedly I'm not often in campgrounds and usually when I am, they are relatively remote, relatively primitive campground with sites cut into the forest willy-nilly. 😆 Though I did camp at a huge RV-accessible campground in Colorado last year that was completely full and staffed with multiple hosts, and I was nose-in because it made the most sense for that campsite, and no one said a word. In any case, if passenger side makes more sense for you, virtually all 270 awning makers offer both configurations. 🙂
I'd love to see these guys make a longer version for vans thatt covers the sliding door opening. Whats the dimension from the back corner to the furthest forward point over the door?
Does the bag leak? I have a different brand and the bag leaks and holds a bit of water. I assume its coming in from the zipper going so high up the front and back.
It's been raining all day here, I just went out and opened the bag, no water inside. The bag has little flaps of fabric that overlap the top of the zipper front & back, I didn't really think much about it but maybe that's why. They're like tiny little awnings for each end of the zipper, heh. :-)
@@softroadingthewest That's good to hear! I've been frustrated with mine in that regard and other owners of this particular awning seemed resigned to parking the zipper pulls in a low spot along the length to simply let it drain. That's unacceptable to me but I have little choice at the moment. Unless....I switch to this awning, it seems!
I pick up my Topo Mesa in about a month. I'm going with the awning mounts on the drivers side also...any issues with opening your access door fully when the awning is deployed?
No issues at all. I don't have many shots where you can see this, but you get a bit of a look here: th-cam.com/video/08q8jm2cYkM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i-ZpzkuYdLlwXS9a&t=791 and here: th-cam.com/video/1TQ-YKHhwGM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mOzOgbBfb9elgIO_&t=737
How far does it extend out the back covering the tailgate? I have a drawer that pulls out for my kitchen and I am curious if it would be fully covered?
I don't know off the top of my head, I'll try to remember to measure next time I deploy it. I would _estimate_ somewhere between four and five feet out the back. I imagine Reign can answer the question immediately, might be some weeks before I actually use the awning again. info@reignoutdoor.com
Passenger is listed on their website. When you are on the page for 270 awning. Scroll to the bottom where it says Add To Cart. Just above that. It has you select what side you want it on.
It's impossible not to have _some_ rain behind the awning since the mounts are offset from the camper...you'd have to flush-mount the awning directly to the camper wall for a perfect seal, which isn't possible with a pop-up camper (though probably do-able on vans and some hard-sided slide-in campers). I haven't really found it to be problematic however. When you deploy the awning, you have to flip the outer cover back out of the way which ends up actually covering that gap. In a downpour I can certainly have some water run down the side of the camper but I just don't lean up against the camper and it's fine. :-)
In my case, yes, it just barely reaches when the hatch is fully up. That's entirely a function of how I've mounted the awning. Had I gone about a quarter inch higher, I think it would have cleared. In my case it doesn't impact any functionality of either.
I've mentioned this to Reign, they've indicated they are going to update the website. In the meantime, if you're on Instagram you can probably reach them that way: @reignoutdoor
Well I didn't put mine on a scale, but that seems like a weird thing to lie about when it's easily verified. It's largely aluminum construction. I took my first one off by myself, and installed the new one with only the assistance of my 5'4" 90-lb teenage daughter, and she was mostly just stabilizing it while I bore the weight with one arm and threaded the nuts onto the bolts with the other.
@@softroadingthewest I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing them of lying, it just sounded light, which I'm happy about as long as it will hold up. Thanks for the great review. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on one.
Those are nice upgrades. But the music choice is what made this episode awesome! 😃
I use a short plastic shoe horn, place it between the zipper pull and the awning, curved side against the awning, pulling it with the zipper pull as I close it. Works better than trying to use my fingers to keep the zipper out of the fabric.
Oh that is brilliant!
It's always nice when a company listens to it's customer's requests and acts on them. Looks like a solid product! Good review!
Nice review Donald.
@softroadingthewest, Donald, one of the things that drew me to your channel and why I have been a long time subscriber is your integrity and honesty. There are not many in this space who are, but it’s easy to see that you’re a genuine person and I prefer to follow and support those like you. Unfortunately, as I said, there aren’t many.
GREAT review! Thank you! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for the updated review. This is a nice product. I do think the video would’ve been more entertaining with you putting the awning away without the stool, but maybe that’s just me. 😂
This looks great! I'm glad they've made some updates.
I received mine a few weeks ago and am very happy with it. If you notice you are having trouble getting it to the full 270 degrees, check the fabric around the main support bracket. Sometimes the inner portion will get behind the bracket on the vehicle side which decreases the total angle you can open it. Easy fix, just give the awning some slack and move the gutter up over the lip and you will be good to go. Very nice hardware supplied! The President is a very nice, and is very concerned with customer service and goes the extra mile! Thanks Kai. Respectfully, Richard Thanks for the update video!
Thanks Richard!
Hi Donald! They have optimized the 270 awning idea about as much as can be I think....when someone figures out a way to build an awning out of solar panels that would be an upgrade lol. BTW next week will be our 1 year anniversary ...living out of our Kimbo full time for 1 full year....woohoo!
Very cool product
Great awning! Thanks for sharing !
Excellent review ! Very Nice Awning, like the coverage of the back of the truck.
Nice improvements 👍
Looks like some good updates. George.
Thanks for the video. I ordered mine last November '23 and just received it in March. Production is backed up by the owner keeps in touch with an update. I hope i got the new enclosure bag. I havent installed it cause im waiting for my roof rack now. I"m 100% sure i will be satisfied as you. I bought mine for my jeep because of your review and was following your journey in search of the best awning. Thanks for all the research and the videos. i deeply appreciate it and keep it up.
Hey Rodney, your awning does have the updated bag, same as the one in this video. Thanks for supporting Reign Outdoor!
Thanks for showing the price.
we really like our 270 awning but reaching it is definitely something one should consider. especially on a van. manufacturers should offer a "you may also like" step stool. great review!
The design at the rear of the awning is definitely a big deal for those us who cook in the back of the vehicle. If I didn’t already have an arb 2500 that’s still doing its job well I’d consider one! Thanks for the review.
I like it, looks like its a quality product 👌 👍
That is really slick! The music is perfect for those impromptu camping cocktail parties, too.
I wish alot of the other 4wdriving TH-camrs were as up front as you about the suppliers giving you their gear. It is getting ridiculous for the average person with the amount of gear being given to TH-camrs from suppliers to sort the Bullshit from the truth.
OMG FACTS!! So much content is sponsored or given to these TH-camrs. Majority of the time it’s not a review, it’s them restating what others have said about their freebee videos.
Looks excellent! I really enjoy your relaxing style of videos.
Looks like a great product Donald. Thanks for sharing
I do really like this design; currently moved another 270 awning over to my truck and it works but would like something stronger and Reign is on that list
I’d love to see a video on the sides, even if it doesn’t fit how you camp. Can you get to send you a set?
Also, if Reign sees this, peggable feet on the support posts seem like a great idea to me, anyway to offer that?
Great idea, we’ll look into it! Thanks
Will you be reviewing the enclosure as well? The awning itself looks very well made.
No. Reign did offer, but I declined. The way I camp - moving daily and almost never establishing a base camp for multiple days - dealing with a wall kit is not worth the handling time for me. I'll just spend the evening inside the camper if it's unpleasant enough to need walls. The bulk of the folded up wall kit also poses a storage challenge in my compact setup. Reign however is in the process of developing a single "wind screen" panel that attaches to the velcro at the top and gets staked down at the bottom, which stows into a much more compact package. This is a better fit for my usage and I *will* be testing that out as soon as it becomes available. 🙂
I think they have tire steps to help you out with the awning closure
Oh I normally carry the stool anyway to get in & out of the camper, but didn't think to throw it in since I wasn't actually going camping. 😆
I just deployed my iKamper 270 this past weekend and I have to say I’m liking the reign outdoor one a little better. The kickstand to help water drain off is nice. Putting it away looks a little easier.
Awesome addition! Good video.
Regards,
Kevin
Nice video Donald. Looks like a well thought out design, and I like how they improved upon it based on feedback from folks like yourself. I do have a question about how far out it hangs off the vehicle. It looks like it hangs way out there. Have you had any problems with the awning catching tree limbs and what not?
The awning itself is very similar in depth to any other 270 I've seen. How much it sticks out is entirely a function of the mounting surface available - in my case, Topo's awning mounts. Because my camper tapers towards the top, the awning is actually quite a ways further inboard than my mirror, which sticks five or six inches further out than the outer surface of the awning. Depending on which overgrown PNW trails I probe, even the Maxtrax or the camper cabover can catch limbs. On normal trails, the awning has been a non-issue as my mirror is the most outward point. Let me know if I can clarify! 🙂
@@softroadingthewestThat’s perfect. Thank you for clarifying. Lots of cool features on this and the price is nice.
If you stake it down, how well does it hold up against gusty winds?
How does the 270 work with a hatch in the rear? I’d love a 270 on our Crosstrek, but we have a hatch and I’m also 6’2”. With our current 5’ roam awning it fits perfect length wise on the roof rack and when it rolls out we can put the outer edge of it higher so I don’t hit my head. While we can sit under it comfortably, standing is an issue for me.
With the awning deployed, my rear hatch opens fine and juuust fits. That's really a function of where/how high the awning is mounted. In my case, I am bound by Topo Topper's proprietary awning mounts on my camper, but Topo designed them for that purpose and presumably thought about the hatch. The Reign awning comes with brackets for mounting to a roof rack (you can see the brackets briefly in the original review video from last year) so you might have some flexibility to elevate them. That said, this might be a bit big for a Crosstrek. The closed up awning is 7½ feet long. 🙂
Looks good. I was thinking of a new awning to replace my ovs 270 (moving it to the trailer). This one fits the bill. 39lbs! that's fantastic. I have too much weight on my Gladiator already. I also think the awning room is better than my current one as well. Hopefully it's big enough to work with my rear slide out kitchen and drawer. Oh, the extra large bag is big, no pun intended. My current awning can a be a real pain to pack, just like my ensuit restroom. Not sure why more manufactures wont make the bag larger. Thanks for the review.
I can buy allot of tarps for the cost of that awning...
Do they have a version that is oriented towards the passenger side which is the campsite side?.If staying in a campground , having the awning on the drivers side is a violation of your neighbors solitude. You could pull straight into your campsite but undoubtedly a rsnger or campground host will order you to turn around facing the road. The excuse they give is in case of a forest fire, it's quicker to leave.
Yes, when you order you can specify which side - this is standard practice for 270° awnings. I chose driver side because that's how I've configured my build, but you can order passenger side.
I don't camp very often in campgrounds but I always park my vehicle whichever way makes the most sense for the given campsite (location of table/fire ring etc). I have never seen any consistent pattern as to which side of the campsite has its amenities...sometimes it's to the left, sometimes it's to the right. I've camped a number of times nose-in and have never ever been told to rotate my vehicle's orientation. Admittedly I'm not often in campgrounds and usually when I am, they are relatively remote, relatively primitive campground with sites cut into the forest willy-nilly. 😆 Though I did camp at a huge RV-accessible campground in Colorado last year that was completely full and staffed with multiple hosts, and I was nose-in because it made the most sense for that campsite, and no one said a word.
In any case, if passenger side makes more sense for you, virtually all 270 awning makers offer both configurations. 🙂
I'd love to see these guys make a longer version for vans thatt covers the sliding door opening.
Whats the dimension from the back corner to the furthest forward point over the door?
Nice upgrades. Can current customers get the upgraded bag? It seems like they might like to know.
Yes, all Reign 270’s come standard with the upgraded storage bag
@Reign.Outdoor Sorry. I meant can existing customers upgrade to the new bag.
Yes, we have another order in production and can order some extra bags. Swapping the cover out is not difficult. Contact us to discuss! Thanks
Does the bag leak? I have a different brand and the bag leaks and holds a bit of water. I assume its coming in from the zipper going so high up the front and back.
It's been raining all day here, I just went out and opened the bag, no water inside. The bag has little flaps of fabric that overlap the top of the zipper front & back, I didn't really think much about it but maybe that's why. They're like tiny little awnings for each end of the zipper, heh. :-)
@@softroadingthewest That's good to hear! I've been frustrated with mine in that regard and other owners of this particular awning seemed resigned to parking the zipper pulls in a low spot along the length to simply let it drain. That's unacceptable to me but I have little choice at the moment. Unless....I switch to this awning, it seems!
I pick up my Topo Mesa in about a month. I'm going with the awning mounts on the drivers side also...any issues with opening your access door fully when the awning is deployed?
No issues at all. I don't have many shots where you can see this, but you get a bit of a look here:
th-cam.com/video/08q8jm2cYkM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=i-ZpzkuYdLlwXS9a&t=791
and here:
th-cam.com/video/1TQ-YKHhwGM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=mOzOgbBfb9elgIO_&t=737
How far does it extend out the back covering the tailgate? I have a drawer that pulls out for my kitchen and I am curious if it would be fully covered?
I don't know off the top of my head, I'll try to remember to measure next time I deploy it. I would _estimate_ somewhere between four and five feet out the back. I imagine Reign can answer the question immediately, might be some weeks before I actually use the awning again. info@reignoutdoor.com
Looks like i'm gonna have to wait until they Release with a passenger Version
Passenger is listed on their website. When you are on the page for 270 awning. Scroll to the bottom where it says Add To Cart. Just above that. It has you select what side you want it on.
Passenger and drivers side are both available!
Both are available, you choose your configuration when you place your order. I chose driver side because it makes the most sense for my build. 🙂
@@Reign.Outdoor I just looked and driver is not available at this time , contact info on the site would be nice for those of us with questions
@@edthayer4258 The contact info is under the heading "About" there is a email address and a number to send a text.
Do you get any rain in between the camper shell and the awning mounts?
It's impossible not to have _some_ rain behind the awning since the mounts are offset from the camper...you'd have to flush-mount the awning directly to the camper wall for a perfect seal, which isn't possible with a pop-up camper (though probably do-able on vans and some hard-sided slide-in campers). I haven't really found it to be problematic however. When you deploy the awning, you have to flip the outer cover back out of the way which ends up actually covering that gap. In a downpour I can certainly have some water run down the side of the camper but I just don't lean up against the camper and it's fine. :-)
does the flip up hatch contact the support arm when deployed?
In my case, yes, it just barely reaches when the hatch is fully up. That's entirely a function of how I've mounted the awning. Had I gone about a quarter inch higher, I think it would have cleared. In my case it doesn't impact any functionality of either.
Interested, but there is no contact info on the Reign site and I have a few questions.
I've mentioned this to Reign, they've indicated they are going to update the website. In the meantime, if you're on Instagram you can probably reach them that way: @reignoutdoor
@@softroadingthewest thanks but I don’t do instagram
@@edthayer4258 Reign has updated their website with contact info:
reignoutdoor.com/about
Sweet elevator music!
Does it really weigh 39lbs as stated on their website?
Well I didn't put mine on a scale, but that seems like a weird thing to lie about when it's easily verified. It's largely aluminum construction. I took my first one off by myself, and installed the new one with only the assistance of my 5'4" 90-lb teenage daughter, and she was mostly just stabilizing it while I bore the weight with one arm and threaded the nuts onto the bolts with the other.
@@softroadingthewest I didn't mean to sound like I was accusing them of lying, it just sounded light, which I'm happy about as long as it will hold up. Thanks for the great review. I think I'm going to pull the trigger on one.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ choke choke. I'm too cheap. I use a 6 foot tall Coleman tent.
I was expecting a price around 1,600-1,700 bucks.