"Slideout Awnings"

We have decided to put the Slideout Awnings onto our F'ver but have a few more questions.
For those of you that have them which brand would you recommend?? A&E Slide Topper or the Carefree of Colorado. Not real sujre if there are other brands or manufacturers of these??? Looks like Camping World carries both brands so just trying to see which one is preferred. ( i am sure i will get different answers but any help is Appreciated.) Thank you very much. Mark

We put a Carefree on our Cat. Did it myself. Was pretty easy. DW helped hold up the other end when that time came. 2 ladders, drill screw driver and lots of RV caulk.
I caulked all the screw holes and made sure some hit the studs behind. Caulked the top of the bracket too. Nothing leaked and we were happy with it. We did not get the full enclosed shield.
The topper is lighter material than the awning. We bought this brand because it was less expensive. I actually had my dealer order it. Shipping was a lot from most online places. CW is 3 hours away.

I'd guess they're pretty much the same if not made on the same line. Just having something over the slider makes a big difference.
You'll like them.

On your larger slider you'll need to place a beach ball or something under it to hold the material tight so the water will run off.

I built a pvc pipe frame that slides up under the cover to make the water run off. If you don't water will build up and stretch the material and make it pool up.

Heres a link to the pic's of the frame I made, it comes apart and stores on top of the beach chairs in the basement. Figure its only an inch tall when folded flat, and takes up less room than a beach lounge chair.
Theres lots of creative things to stick under there, just use what suits you best.

http://www.wildcatcamperforum.com/gallery/DIY-Pic-s-of-repair-s-and-Mod-s/Awning-frame-Size-comparison-pic_574.htm
http://www.wildcatcamperforum.com/gallery/DIY-Pic-s-of-repair-s-and-Mod-s/Slideout-Awning-frame-to-stop-sagging-pic_571.htm

Installed the Carefree on out 09 30Loft with assistance from the DW. Love them.
If I would have known before hand, I would have bought the ones that have the "protector shield" on them when rolled up. It protects / saves the most important part of the awning, the part the connects to the Cat! (keeps it purty looking too!)
Just my 2cents.......

Thanks for the quick responses, i appreciate it very much. Our Cat is in storage for about 3 1/2 more months :-( so i do have a little time but i like the idea of the protective shield. I also like the PVC support you made Phil, light and pretty inexpensive. Thanks again for the tips and your thoughts. Mark

I also like the PVC support you made Phil, light and pretty inexpensive

Also doubles as a beach towel drying rack if no rains in forcast.

We have the Carefree, they have an awning with build in supports which was not available when we purchased ours.

Do slide out awnings protrude the same amount as a standard awning, or are the slimmer. I like the idea of slide out awnings but some of our roads are quite narrow, and I would worry that I might catch them and cause damage.
Sean

Its less than the big awning. My take on it is
" if the mirrors will pass so will anything behind me ".....

Carefree has a topper with supports if it will fit.

Dan, is it a New Style Awning???

It was made by Colorado. Went to the web site and did not find it. It was there last year. I am contacting Colorado right now. May not fit on Wildcat because of the window above the slide. It really gets in the way and it is useless. We added extra film on the window to cut down on heat and light. Anyway attached is a web site for the install manual. http://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/docs/tech/discontinued/052520-001r17,%20Summit.pdf

I have to look in my Laptop. I have other options in there some where me thinks.

Camping World has the A&E / Dometic slidetopper on sale right now until February 27.


http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/ae-slide-topper/20393d

Ok, need a little more input about the Slideout Awnings. Spoke to Camping World yesterday and they quoted me a price of $1107.00 with my membership for the 2 Awnings i will need. They are the A&E Elite type with the protective cover. That price includes Tax, Shipping and Installation. (i am not super excited about drilling in the side of my Cat) In your opinons is it worth the $$$ to install these??? Thanks a ton for the input. Mark

BTW, installation for both Awnings is only $160 so that really isn't that big of a deal to us. Just an fyi. Thanks

In my opinion, they are well worth the money. Shedding rain, leaves, limbs, bird... stuff..., nuts (acorns, pecans, etc) that can contain insects and such are my main reasons for loving them. Most of the time, before I installed the slides, I was able to blow off the slides before retracting them, but if it was icey or wet from frost or rain I stayed off the top of the cat. Having the slides keeps that from becomming a priority. I still need to make the pvc supports for those heavy rains.

I installed our slide topper myself. But two slides for $160.00 would be a no brainer.
Have them do it for that.
Otherwise, drilling into the cat isn't a big deal. Make sure you are below the flange. You should be able to hit a stud with the many holes in the bracket.
If you make a major mistake, well, you'll have to get it fixed. That's what I figured when I did it.
Our maiden voyage caused a deep scratch in the back corner. Local auto collision center fixed it perfect. They had to fill it and paint it. The match ws perfect.

shooter wrote:We have the Carefree, they have an awning with build in supports which was not available when we purchased ours.

Use to. Idiots discontinued it.

Here is what I use. I have skylights in the big slide. PVC rack will not work. So check this out. I modified the way you inflate it. Works much better.

https://ssl.perfora.net/www.awningairwedge.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=154d4af579bf57f/shopdata/index.shopscript

Also, I not only put toppers on for shade but to help keep the tape around the skylights from rotting

Well, we went and ordered the Slideout Awning for our Cat and have them installed April 28th. Looking forward to see how they work out for us. Thanks for the input everyone. Mark

Earl,

Mine are a good 6 - 8 inches off the top of the slide, plenty of room to get a long handled brush in between to wash the roof area.

I never had to re-seal the seam, but I would guess you'd have to remove them somehow.