Much like rooftop tents, awnings have become all but standard equipment for a fully built overland vehicle. And if you’re the type who picnics and chills by their vehicle, you’ll want one, too.
And, probably, you’ll want a 270º model because they provide the most coverage, giving you a lot of leeway when angling your car against the sun, even as that uncooperative glowing orb does its best to burn you.
If so, I recommend the TopOak Overland 270-Degree awning. Its price is unbeatable, just $499 as of this writing and occasionally discounted. And it’s 172ft² coverage is bigger than some competitors, even those costing 3x as much.
I tested the TopOak 270 awning over 5,000+ miles this summer on everything from windy I-40 highway miles to the incredibly chunky, rough, and bouncy Tater Ridge “road” leading up to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Plus loose, sandy roads that had us drifting and rutted gravel roads that shook everything.
And yes, it’s as weird as you think to put an awning like this on a high-roof cargo van, but it worked.
Here’s what you need to know about this awning and my install…
Weights & Hardware
Claimed weight is 64lbs. My awning came in at 62.8lbs, but that’s not the whole story:
There’s also the hardware and accessories. Left to right, they are:
- 6.0lbs – Bolts, Nuts, Washers, Straps, strings, and wires for the integrated LED lights.
- 1.8lbs – Ground stakes and installation tools, so maybe 1.4lbs of stuff you’ll keep in the car
- 5.2lbs – Mounting brackets, required for putting it on your vehicle
All in, excluding tools, that’s about 75.4lbs, most of which is mounted to your roof rack while driving. For comparison, that’s ~19lbs heavier than the Thule Hideaway (including mounting brackets) this replaced.
It also comes with this very cool, very lightweight hammer for putting the stakes into the ground (included in the gear bag on scale).
Installation
Step one is mounting half the bracket to the back of the awning. This is the first opportunity to customize the mounting height as there are four slotted tracks to choose from, pick two. Obviously, spreading the load as wide as you can is ideal, but you have options.
The bracket’s slots have about an inch of height adjustment. The awning’s slots run its full length, so you can position it such that it’ll wrap around the back your vehicle.
Here’s where your methods may vary – my roof rack is different than most. It’s made up of single- and double-height T-track, so there are tons of spots to mount it, however:
Most people mount the brackets to the top of their rack, but most people aren’t putting these on a high-roof, lifted van.
To keep the awning at a reasonable height, I needed to mount the brackets UNDER my rack. But, I also needed to make sure it was securely mounted since it only comes with two brackets.
So, I added a triangle bracket to give me three total bolts holding it on.
That required a slight modification to the brackets, elongating one of the bolt holes so that all the holes lined up.
Was this necessary? Don’t know, but the awning is rock solid. Better safe than sorry when something so heavy is hanging off the side of your vehicle.
Here’s what it looks like from above. Pic on the right shows the nuts placed on the inside of the bracket for the hex bolts used to secure it.
Depending on your vehicle and how close you’re mounting the awning to it, these can be a little tight to get to and to get much rotation out of the Allen wrench. Unless you’ve got a really, really long drill bit, its’ slow and steady, so you’ll need a patient friend to help hold it while you get the first few bolts in place.
I mounted the awning as low on the bracket as I could, which almost worked…
For the sliding side door, it’s fine. But, when the awning is open and I need to open the rear passenger-side door all the way, the door will hit the awning’s frame.
Which means I need to raise the awning up one notch before my next trip. Fortunately, TopOak’s brackets give you plenty of ways to adjust the height perfectly.
Setup & Use
Packed up, it’s about 84″ long, which is pretty big. And tricky to unzip all the way when standing on a ladder…
…which is what’s required when it’s mounted this high up. That’s the trick with having a big awning like this on a tall vehicle. On most SUVs, trucks, Jeeps, wagons, etc., this is a non-issue. So, unless you’re also putting one on a tall van, just ignore this.
But if you are, you’ll need more than a two-step stool. I’m 6’2″ and needed a taller stool. Three steps would have been enough. Or I could have leaned my RTT ladder against the vehicle. Speaking of…
…this awning does not have a zip-open pass-through port for climbing into a rooftop tent from the back of the vehicle. Some do, most don’t, so it’s not a surprise that TopOak’s awning doesn’t. But something to be aware of if you can’t climb into your tent from the opposite side of the vehicle.
The fabric does a great job of blocking the sun, there’s virtually no light passing through it. Which means good UPF protection, and it’s also highly water resistant with an anti-condensation coating, too.
Also, TopOak offers the 270-degree awning in Left (Driver) and Right (Passenger) side models. I chose left since that’s where the big side door is.
Note the shadow in the image above – it’s a pretty good representation of how big the shade patch is, and it’d be bigger if the sun were directly overhead. On standard-height vehicles, it would provide reasonable shade even when the sun was on the same side of the vehicle.
The awning’s structure seems solid. I wouldn’t hang from it, but it looks and feels robust enough to handle normal conditions. If the wind picks up, integrated telescoping legs can swing down and staked to the ground. Included reflective guy lines can further reinforce it if you’re hellbent on using this in a storm.
That said, those supports are “only” 2.5m long, which was just shy of hitting the ground on this vehicle. Other vehicles should have pole to spare.
At night, four integrated LED strips provide good ambient light without being too bright. It’s enough light to see what you’re doing, cook, maybe read (your eyesight is what it is), or play cards. But it’s not so bright that it would annoy your neighbors, and the off-white hue didn’t attract too many bugs.
Each light strip plugs in independently, but all plugs branch off of one long USB-powered cord. As long as you can get it to a single USB-A outlet, you can use however many and which ever lights you want.
Final thoughts
TopOak has earned a reputation for affordable quality that holds up to overland and off-road abuse. We’ve tested one of their tents, and reviews around the web are generally positive. Which bodes well for the long-term, and my summer of use gives me no reason to doubt it’ll last.
It’s big, but all of these 270-degree awnings are. Above, you can see the frontal profile. The outer shell has a little extra space – it’s not super taut, but it’s not flapping in the wind, either – which makes it easier to pack the awning up when you’re done.
While my application requires a bit more work to use the awning, for most vehicles it’ll be a breeze, maybe a three minute setup, tops. And at $499 with free shipping, it’s a breeze to recommend this awning, too.
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