Below is an email I received from a reader.

This is an application of your heavy duty Hook & Loop strips and the double-sided "duct tape." I've used it to mount a shade screen above the door of the RV to block afternoon glare. Rolls up; rolls down; works like a charm.
Also, many thanks for your quick response to the minor mix-up at the Arizona Samboree. The vent really does work very well. Thanks again.
Jim Hill

We appreciate emails, particularly those with pictures and so I encourage you to send them along to show the ideas you have come up with. I will share them in the newsletter whenever possible.

The #1 Claim for RVers is awning damage! This is when the main awning unfurls, usually when you are driving, and can do a lot of damage to the rig. This year I received an email from a lawyer asking about our awning lock he had found on our website. He is representing the family of a minister who was killed when an awning unspooled from the rig, broke loose and went thru the windshield. I also got a call from the lawyer for the awning manufacturer wanting to find out what I had told the first lawyer. This is only one of many horror stories we have heard about awnings.

Many people think that Awning Cinch Straps will save their awning but that is a fallacy. The straps will keep the arms up but the only reason the arms and fabric could extend in the first place is the awning tube was able to turn. If the tube can turn even though the arms are held vertical, the awning can unspool and go over the top of the rig where it acts like a sail. The ONLY solution is to get an after market Awning Lock that will prevent the tube from turning WHEN the manufacturer's lock fails.

We have an awning lock that can be attached to either an A&E or Carefree manual awning with the A&E 2 Step being the only exception. It takes about 20 minutes to install but provides a lifetime of peace of mind. To lock or unlock the awning lock you use your awning wand from ground level. You don't have to get up on a ladder. I can't imagine being the owner of the rig whose awning killed the minister. Can you?

ELECTRIC AWNINGS
At my "Frustration Free RVing" seminar I used to tell people that if you had an electric awning you were immune from getting awning damage. That is until people started putting their hands up and saying they had lost their electric awnings as well. Most had them spool out a little but some had the entire fabric, arms and everything else ripped right off. Unfortunately I do not have an easy solution for this problem. Some people are using the Wonder Wrap Hook & Loop product to wrap around the awning arms but most electric awnings don't allow you to get behind the arm. Some people are concerned enough that they are loosening the awning on the rig and putting the strap in place permanently so when they leave, they can wrap the arms with Hook & Loop and prevent the arms from being able to come open. In this case, if the arms can't extend, the case can't open on the electric awning. If the case can't open, the tube can't turn. This will work on most of the electric awnings, but there is no easy fix.

We call Awning Cinch Straps and the Awning Lock, "cheap insurance". They cost a lot less than the deductible on your insurance policy and spare you the inconvenience and trauma of having an awning come open. Many RVers are telling me that insurance companies are taking a hard line on paying insurance claims on awnings. More than one has been told by the insurance company they were going to send an adjustor over to look at the awning. "What awning" they said, "it's somewhere in Nebraska on the side of the road in the ditch." The insurance company then declined payment.

One of the frustrating things about hanging patio lights on your awning is putting them in and taking them out each time. If you leave the traditional ones in you will mar the awning fabric. The Awning Hangers we manufacture are designed to be left in the slot in the tube and don't have to be removed.

They are 3" in length so the lights hang better and won't bunch up against the fabric. The small grommet is the feature that allows them to be rolled up. This is a really convenient feature when a wind storm comes up. Since you don't have to take them out, you can unclip the lights from the hangers and up goes the awning. It's really fast and convenient.

Another good idea is to crimp the "S" Hooks to the lights so they don't get lost. It also makes putting the lights up and taking them down much quicker. Also, if you put a few hangers in the tube and then put your awning pull strap in and add the rest of the hangers, your awning strap will be in the middle where it needs to be when you are ready to put it up. To prevent it from blowing around just roll the strap up to the awning and put a Hook & Loop strap around it.

If you have a sun screen that slides in the tube and doesn't allow you to hang lights, do the following. Get an extra package of awning hangers. In the sun screen put a small hole just under the bead that goes in the slot. Insert an "S" hook into the hole and crimp to the sun screen. Space out the "S" hooks the length of the sun screen. Put two packages (or whatever you need) of the awning hangers into the slot and hang the sun screen on every other hanger. This leaves you with an extra set of hangers to hang the lights on. There are 7 Awning Hangers and hooks in a package and depending on the number of lights you hang you may need an extra package.

If you missed reading recent newsletters you missed out on reading about the fantastic shower head system that we have introduced. We have had overwhelming response to this new High Pressure Shower Head. It uses the Venturi principle to triple the water pressure with NO increase in water consumption.

They work so well that many people are re-ordering and getting them for their homes as well as for gifts.