<<Thanks Ralph, I had one before, years ago. I remember taking the clips that=
 clamp the awning to the rain gutter and dipping them in that liquid plasti=
c for tool handles, to keep them from scratching the paint>>

You can get that plastic dip over at Home Depot btw. I found that putting the canister in some really hot water helps to thin it out a little bit. If I recall correctly, I had to dip mine twice, but this is a nice improvement over those strips of rubber.

One other thing that I did with mine was to purchase two telescopic poles from Cabella's. These go through those tiedown loops on the front corners. A lot less frustrating than using those T-shaped pieces that slide over the horizontal supports. I think they are 7/8 diameter poles as well so they are beefier.

Troy