Awnings

Trans-Awn 2000

This awning was bought by the original owner and installed on the van when it was purchased new in 1990. Manuals and such for this awning are on the Files page.

Specifications:

• Manufacturer: Dometic/A&E
• Type: Aluminum case with vinyl fabric
• Setup: Two horizontal rafters, two vertical legs
• Length: 8 feet
• Mounting: Three rain gutter brackets (Van Adapter Kit, #930035); 2 optional side brackets for the legs
• Availability: No longer made; its replacement, the "Catalina", is also no longer made. If you wish to have a similar awning to the TA2000, your options are the ARB awning ($$), or Eezi-Awn ($$$), the latter being a South African reproduction of the Trans-Awn (i.e., if you need parts for your Trans-Awn, locate an Eezi-Awn dealer).

Accessories:

1. Dometic/A&E "add-a-room" screen and vinyl enclosure.
• When I bought the van in 2010, it came with a heavy box full of an awning accessory: full screen and panel enclosure. The awning is considered rare today, and from my research, the factory enclosure is even rarer than the awning itself.
• This enclosure has a one-piece screen: the front section slides into the accessory track and all three sides zip to the nylon roof/rainfly. The vinyl panels then zip to the screen; they have tiebacks to hold them in place after rolling them up. There is also a canvas-like floor that Velcro's to the perimeter of the enclosure, as well as a side skirt that is supposed to Velcro onto the rocker panel. The latter Velcro strips were riveted into the van and have long since lost their "Velcroness". Ergo, the Velcro has now been replaced with snaps.
• This enclosure is worth its heavy weight when winter camping! It totally blocks cold wind and heats up right quick with a propane-powered heater. The entire enclosure weighs approx. 30 pounds and is quite bulky. Therefore, this enclosure only comes out of the box once a year: at Buses By The Bridge every January at Lake Havasu, AZ.

2. Bus Depot EZY-Awn Enclosure
• Two side panels and one front panel, bought from BusDepot.com. These panels are for Bus Depot's EZY Awning (the smaller, 8-foot version), but I've adapted it to fit the Trans-Awn: I didn't like the way the sides attached to the front, so I added zippers at the two corners. I also added welting along the top of the front panel to slide into the accessory track. The sides are bit long for the 8' awning, but it's not a big deal (sides are simply clipped onto the awning fabric). Still need to work on making a nylon side skirt for the van, but overall this will be a good lightweight enclosure for warm-weather trips.
• Anyway, if any other TA2000 owners are wanting a screen enclosure, the Bus Depot EZY-Awning panels are an option.

Upgrades:

"Yardbug" on TheSamba.com posted in March 2011 that he bought a TA2000 awning at a junkyard that had blue fabric. He had a brown van with a "new" blue awning; I had a blue van with a brown/tan awning. I offered to do a fabric swap, so we did!

Modifications:

Because the case opens down and the brackets are 45° angle versions, the awning tray interferes with the sliding door. In order to keep it held up while the awning is deployed, two cam straps are used, one at each end. I'll be changing this to integrated chains or wire in the future. Update: Small metal chain now being used, as seen at right; much easier to use and does a more effective job. Chain hooks into small hole (already there from previous owner) and into the accessory track on the back of the case. I also removed the tension springs; this reduced the weight of the awning and makes it a lot easier to roll up. The downside is that the awning is a tad more annoying to deploy by myself.

Fiamma 45s Awning

I'm sorry to report, that I got fed up with the Trans-Awn at Buses By the Bridge 2020… PITA to deal with solo, especially in windy conditions. I decided that was going to be its last trip. I went back and forth between an ARB and Fiamma, ultimately deciding on the Fiamma for ease of operation (damn the expense!), along with Rocky Mountain Westy's brackets (which I had retrofitted onto the Trans-Awn in 2019).

Specifications:

• Manufacturer: Fiamma
• Model: 45s, silver case with blue vinyl fabric
• Length: 8 feet

Mounting:

Two Rocky Mountain Westy Fiamma brackets (the C pillar bracket put too much torque on the B pillar bracket due to the curve of the van).

Modifications:

• Crank handle shortened to about 2 feet
• Adhesive foam door/window seal added underneath the stowed legs to limit rattling
• Plastic leg brackets not installed; leg "feet" modified to fit into the Trans-Awn brackets
• Large Velcro straps wrapped around the case to limit rattling
• Canopy weights used when parked at car shows and such

• Aluminet shade cloth kept onboard in summer for added shade

Updated: 1-Feb-2024