>I highly recommend using the optional poles-a serious down draft will
>bend your roof brackets & reduce the height of the cantilevered
>awning so that it is too low to walk under w/o the poles-ask me how I
>know.
>
>YMMV,
>
>Mr. BZ-used it last weekend w/ hold down ropes & poles

This is indeed the problem --- the brackets bend down. We don't use the
extra poles because we travel with an exuberant Black Lab who is normally
tied to the van on an extendible leash. He would wipe out any poles in no
time. I got sick of bending the brackets back up. I made myself an aluminum
bracket that fits on the centre pole; it os designed to put no strain on the
material. I run a tent guyline up to my roof rack -- tighten as I please and
the guyline then keeps the awning from going down and the hold down lines
keep it from going up. If you're without a roof rack the guyline could
easily go to the front of the raised poptop (those angled supports --- you
know).

I've heard that Wolfgang has changed his brackets to prevent this problem
but haven't seen them yet.

Cheers,
Doug

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