Finally got our 2020 T@G XL Boondock Edge

DaveB

We decided 2 years ago that we were done with tents, last year we discovered the T@G and fell in love with it. In mid Feb. we pulled the trigger and ordered the 2020 model, sight unseen, with nothing but a printed email to the dealers from NuCamp describing the changes being made for 2020. We were getting it in the colours (yes I'm Canadian so I spell color with a 'u') we wanted with factory installed solar.
It was a long wait until we finally picked it up on May 29, and with our first trip under our belt and many more planned, we can honestly say it is the perfect trailer for us.
After the first trip, I decided to make a couple of changes...first I'm only 5'8 so that Yakima awning needed to be mounted lower. I inverted the mounts and hung it more off of the side, and just like that its a perfect height for me, and an added bonus it will also go into my garage without removing it. The second change was in the galley, that big LED light bar is way way too bright to use in a campground, the little dome light is also bright but unfortunately it is also at eye level and right in my face, so my solution was running some LED strip lights behind the hinge and wiring it to an old phone car charger (I gutted it and installed a switch). This little mod works perfect, bright enough to see what your doing, but not so bright you will annoy others in nearby camp sites.
BTW my TV is a 2012 VW Passat with a 6 speed manual gearbox with a custom Class II hitch, and I can tell you it tows like a dream, no problem with hills up or down and still getting 9L/100km (26mpg) average. Hopefully when we change our TV in a few years to a Jeep we can get similar performance....but I doubt it.
And now for the pics...!!

Herd

Looks good, Welcome.

LuckyJ

Welcome!

Nice trailer, I think that for this site, you will always get that comment!

Nice rigging of the switch!

Where are you in our big country??

DaveB

Thanks @Herd and @LuckyJ
I'm 45min northwest of Toronto

Jumper

Great idea on the awning! It looks like the zippers are in a better position to open and close. I have been having a love hate relationship with my awning, this may help.

beaky

I would check with Yakima about the structural soundness of outboard mounting the awning. I just installed a second Slim Shady on the other side of our rig and its not light.

DaveB

@Jumper The idea was not mine, I borrowed it from another member on this forum. I have the same love hate relationship with the awning as well.
@Beaky it only is moved abt. 1 inch outboard from the original location, so the increase in load will be neglibible.

beaky

mine are mounted inboard

ClarkGriswold

Looks great. I really like the recessed lighting in the galley. It is sooo much more practical than the giant offroad light bar.

eCabacungan

I like the idea of inverting the awning mounts and hanging the awning off of the side. This will allow me to park my trailer inside my garage without having to remove it. However, I'm concern about rainwater collecting on the mounts which could lead to rust on the clamps, slider bolts and locks.

DaveB

@eCabacungan Its all aluminum with the exception of the hardware, that is steel. You can easily replace the hardware with stainless steel and never worry. If anything the nuts are less exposed to the rain as the bracket somewhat shields them as they are now under it instead of exposed fully from the top. But rust always finds a way so I doubt there is much difference in the long run. Getting in the garage with no fuss was the biggest hidden bonus to inverting it for sure.

beaky

I looked at the outboard mount and my guess is the load would be OK but that there would be a gap allowing rain water to flow down the side of the trailer

DaveB

@beaky said:
I looked at the outboard mount and my guess is the load would be OK but that there would be a gap allowing rain water to flow down the side of the trailer

Yes there is a gap, I'm not sure the awning has the strength to be left deployed in anything but a drizzle, so it won't be a problem for me. I suspect that in any type of real precipitation it will just pool until the poles collapse. Wonder if anyone has any experience with these awnings and how they hold up in the rain? Perhaps if you leave one side attached with the velcro to the pole and leave the other side loose maybe this would allow water to drain out to the low unsupported side?

ClarkGriswold

There's some tricks with vehicle/trailer mounted awnings-
1. Angle the awning poles so that one front corner is lower than the rest (likely the one not on the side of your door). The horizontal poles have some play in them for a reason.
2. Heavy rain or wet snow will cause bowing of the fabric part. If you anticipate heavy rain overnight, lower the front poles as much as possible to give it a quick path to run off. With wet snow it unfortunately need to come down unless you'll be around to knock it off as it accumulates (in my experience with a comparable Tepui awning on my Jeep >2" wet or 6" "dry" snow will cause failure).
3. Unless the rain is heavy you'll only get drips here and there when the awning is mounted slightly outboard of the vehicle/trailer. Not a steady drizzle or rain. You can also position/wedge the cover (if undermounted on the bars) between the trailer and the awning mounts which will almost completely eliminate water coming through.
4. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use the guy lines. If you can spare $20US buy the ARB guy lines with springs that can absorb some shock from gusts before tearing your stakes out of the ground.

I'm new to the enclosed trailer life but I have been using my Tepui awning for 6 years in some pretty nasty PNW weather up in the mountains.

DaveB

@ClarkGriswold Thanks for the great tips! I will for sure be looking for those guy lines with springs. Never even thought of using the cover to fill the gap, doh!

Martog

I never thought about flipping the awning like that, I'm going to have to try it, it won't fit in the garage flipped the way from the factory and when I first got my T@G I had to take it off in the rain, put it on in the rain, and take it off yet again in the rain on my first trip, not fun!

ClarkGriswold

Here's some up close pictures showing clearances once its been flipped; close enough to use the cover to fill the gap and far enough that it doesn't rub when stowed.

Martog

Thanks for the additional pictures. I haven't had to visit this and I'm heading out in the morning so I'll have to do the whole attach routine before i leave and remove when I get back and should have time soon after to flip it.

Did you have to move the mounting bars to the one side any to do this?

ClarkGriswold

I did slide them further to one side. If I recall correctly, I left about an inch on the opposite side.

Martog

Awesome thanks! I really look forward to not having to take it down to put it in the garage. However cleaning it might be an issue since I can't keep the camper in the driveway.

tag816

Curious, I tried this and couldn’t figure out how to mount it without the awning being upside down and therefore unusable...

DaveB

@tag816 the part that is on the backside of the awning needs to be removed and reinstalled the opposite direction, just loosen the nut a few turns (no need to remove it) and lightly tap it with a mallet or block of wood and it should just slide right out.

Frogger

Excellent post Dave, & thanks for the info; at 5'7" myself lol, so I can relate to the reach struggle at times. May trick out the awning as well when we get the Tag...nice set up

DaveB

@Frogger thanks. There are so many good ideas on this site, you will for sure want to make up a wind gaurd for the burners. I will be doing one myself very soon, we didn't have it and on our last trip in the fall it was frustrating to the point where we hooked up the trailer and repositioned it so we could keep the burner lit.
We took our first year with basically no mods just to see what things we needed for us. Everyone has different needs and priorities. Like the AC unit, we used it once last year in the driveway to make sure it works. So if we don't use it this season again then out it goes and thats room for more storage or even a heater which here in Canada would get more use.

Frogger

Got a windscreen already, may have to create another for the camper burner; we always used a single burner butane Coleman, Jet Boil, or grilled over a fire...ac is a must here lol, hot & humid at times in Va. Good advice on the wait & see method, we eat a lot of foil pack food/salad when camping, & all we'll take on the 1st trip will be 2 chairs, cooler w/ beverages, clothes, & an easy up & see wazz up from there...

GigHarborTom

Not certain how that rain penetrating between trailer and awning from my minimum experience with the T@G . But a couple ideas from trailers gone by..Pool noodle. and you can purchase a minimal rain gutter that will train the flow off . They stick to the trailer siding trim to size etc. Folks with airsreams and fiberglass trailer frequently use . Just a couple ideas ers,

DaveB

@GigHarborTom the storage bag/cover for the awning fills the gap perfectly. At least over the door and window, so not really an issue for us. Pool noodles are great for all kinds of things I see a lot of people using them on awning support arms presumably to reduce bumps on the noggin.