On Tue, 2010-08-17 at 17:10 -0600, Tom Buese wrote:
> On Aug 17, 2010, at 4:52 PM, Jeffrey Vickers wrote:
>
> [...] if you can get all the Shady
> > Boy poles and fabric back into the case, you are ready to navigate the
> > coming miles ahead.
>
> Good observation!  I have long ago given up on wrapping all the poles
> including the optional corner poles up into the case, choosing like
> Mr. Squirrel to store most under the rear bench.
>
> YMMV,
>
> Mr. BZ-much easier w/o optional poles, but poles aren't optional in my
> mind

No, not at all. Not if you're the sort who enjoys camping in weather.
Without the poles, a downdraft can mash the awning down to the ground.

I spent quite some time camping beside a meadow near Mt. Laguna in SoCal
with the sliding door side of the van facing upwind. I could see wind
gusts coming my way as they flattened the grasses in the meadow. When
the wind hit, the Shady Boy barely flapped. These are the kind of winds
that would crumple an unanchored wimpier awning, like a Fiamma or
similar. With the updraft tiedown strings and the downdraft corner poles
installed, the Shady Boy is quite stable.

Sheds water well, too. Here's a shot of the Shady Boy set up for rain.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XFS952PUlmQ/TBA9fg3lMEI/AAAAAAAACWU/GB7z7_4QwFs/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG

The corner poles have been splayed to keep the rainwater from pooling.

--
Rocky J Squirrel