Hi SoloSuze, The unit is brilliant and cannot recommend it highly enough and yes, I am very confident you couls put it up and down by yourself as my wife does with no issues. The only catchya is the click when you put it up :-)

I have the wall kits and Im not sure why you would think that. The walls leak along the zippers and the pooling is even worse.

Hi Glen, If you read some of the previous response you will note I have and this also doesnt work. There is an option to put 3 curved bars however water still pools and whilst it is an effective way to address the issue, it does not resolve it.

when there is no rain, its ok, but as soon as it rains its a joke that you pay so much for such an inferior product

Hi, Unfortunately Darche did not want to come to the party and replace the awning with one that didn't leak, simply because there wasnt. Í also asked to confirm in writting if there was any R&D done with respect to the water ingress issue and got crickets. Darche also hasnt reched out to say here is a new bag, try this we hope this resolves the water issues and the mould. As a shade option it is great but as soon as H2O is around pack it away and sit under an umbrella.....

its sub optimal alright....

I've spoken to multiple camping stores and 4x4 accessory specialists and they all same the same, some have arrived to them mouldy. One tent world rep stated they had raised this with Darche and they said it might be because they were in storage for a long time waiting to get to Oz ... or be shippded from storage... either way its not good

Thanks Grant, they are a great stretcher and the angle works nicely, just need quality velcro! Cheers

I wish you the best of luck. You may get a refund from the store you purchased it from. I've kept mine as it suits our needs for the moment and in wind and sun does a great job. Just a shame about the leaking bag.

Thats a bout the only way to do it. Weve tested with one and it did the job ok. cheers

Can you share the detail, Sir?

I have a Fiamma awning on the camper and used the fiamma curved awning bar I have so that it was positioned from the car to the front of the annex pole. Whilst it does kind of work, its not a fix.

Hi Greg, tried that originally. Doesnt work at all. puts even more strain on the spreader bar and water then gets into the seam of the tent.

just poor design

Thanks Jason, works really well and to be honest you do NOT need the angle at all. I just wanted to reduce the risk of any potential issues. Make sure you soak, and I mean soak the swag multiple times. I was recently in the massive rians here in SE QLD and this swag was the only one out of 6 (inc 2 other Darche Air ones) that was 100% dry inside. Cheers

Hi JB, Tried that. So my question is how to attach the front of the annex to get the tension required to square up the sides and enable the windows to open easily? The two loops and clips enable that and stops ballooning in the wind as well as the sag. Tried with out the bar and its a Sh!t show. Especially at night and there is the slightest of breezes. Have you got any pics of your set up with out the bar fitted? I've used it a couple of times without the bar and provided you don't want to use the front as an enterance, it kinda works. Keen to see how your is set up. Cheers

Hi, no I havent got a solution just yet. Other than go camping when there is no rain :-). Putting a fly over the awning kinda defeats the purpose of having an awning, however it would work. cheers

@@dirtbnb8863 Hahaha yes correct it's super weird. However that's the best way for me so far. Thanks for sharing

Hi Joel, I used the brackets that came with the awning. Four U bolts and lock nuts. I havent put the middle bracket on. Cheers

We looked at Drifta and it is a fantastic bit of kit. For personal reasons, and a difference of opions regarding traffic laws, made in Australia vs made in China and finished in Oz laws and interpretations etc etc we won't purchase anything from Drifta.

Hi John, With my busted shoulder, this combo works great for me. Hope it does the same for you too. Cheers

Hi Nigel, yep tried that, possibly the best solution so far and the curved bar kinda helps, however there are pros and cons. The main con is fitting it, there is no fitting against the main side of the awning mount, ie the aluminium piece where the arms fit in the bag, the second, the round spreader bar that holds the annex room on flexes. cheers

Hi, I'd suggest Darche themselves

Its a secret camp ground we are not permitted to share the details of. That's the condition for which we are permitted to use it. Sorry but its too good to share :-)

This is a great concept and works really well, just not when it rains :-)

Hi The cross bars are the Nissan Factory cross bars. Same as the BMW X5 ones, purchased from USA.

Cheers

H9w do you silicon the bag to the backplate

I've held off doing the Silicon option for now. Appreciate the advice. Cheers

unfortunately no, doesnt work

Hi Brian, Quality is fine, the usability of the product in the rain is the issue. So much so that I'm selling the Annex. It is not wet weather suitable at all.

@@dirtbnb8863 so still good opinion of the awning but underwhelmed by the annex

Hi Aston, Over time and use the awning fabric has stretched a bit so the amount you need to lower the run off point gets worse. eg, when new, I would have an approx 3-4 inch dip in the run off point. I'm >6ft and could walk under the awning with the rain points tied down no worries. Now, I can't. My head touches the awning, or in case of the two larger sides, I have to duck to get under the awning or my head hits the roof. The dip for the run off is about 8-10 inches. The tailgate also touches the awning when in heavy rain now. Save some more money up and buy a different brand... I won't be keeping with this brand on the next car. As a shade provider they are great and that's about their limit. In our experience.

Thanks Felipe, the flex poles would need to be > 2400mm long and whilst is sounds good in theory wont work, there isn't enough give in the awning material to support such a bend required over that distance. Appreciate the input. Cheers

yes, a curved spreader pole may be the quick solution, :-)

Thanks Greg but that only make it worse and more water pools.... been caught in a couple of really wet trips away and it just doesn't work.

The official response from Darche is this: Hi, Thanks for getting in touch. The design of our Eclipse 180 and 270 awnings allows for the PVC cover to be replaceable and customer feedback has been that the ability to replace the cover is a bonus with our awnings. 4WDing mishaps as well as underground car park accidents mean that the cover on these awnings sometimes comes off second best and replacing the cover is always a better option than replacing the entire awning. Unfortunately, to make this design possible, it is impossible to make the covers 100% waterproof. We have found that at times water does make its way into the cover from the grooves behind the awning. To alleviate the majority of water ingress from here we have included 4 rubber grommets with our awnings which must be reinstated into the grooves once the mounting bolts are inserted. If you’ve lost or misplaced the rubber grommets originally included with your awning we’ll be happy to send a replacement set, we’ll just need you to reply with your address. Water ingress can also occur under the Velcro tabs behind the awning, possibly when washing your vehicle with a hose or high pressure washer. Please ensure these Velcro tabs are as tight as possible and try to avoid this area when washing your vehicle. Another tip is to leave the zip tabs at the lowest section of the awning with a slight gap to allow any water to escape. I hope that was helpful, please let us know if there’s anything else we can assist with. Cheers, 75 Heyington Ave, Thomastown, VIC 3074, Australia T: 1300 367 695

Got to be happy with that

per my previous responses the 23zero was on the list...... but this meets my requirements for now. I have the Dirty Dee swag and touch wood no issues... ill be posting a review on that shortly

yep :-)

Hi Jim, a couple of reasons. 1 cant be assed. 2 the awning is brilliant just let down by the bag. I can deal with it and once I get the quick release mounts this will significantly reduce the possibility of water ingress as it wont be on the car 24/7. This 270 has an annex which although also floored in its design as well, can be lived with and suits my needs. Until a 270 with annex, clearance for my rear tailgate, side walls that spread the way this one does and a water proof bag comes along I'll just deal with it.

good to know

if you remember to air it out it does dry reasonably quickly. best I got sorry.

@@dirtbnb8863 yeah thanks mate understand but as you have indicated elsewhere for the price and brand expectations, you should not have to do this , and also considering the kings cheapy that i had before this, didn't leak !! it was very disappointing, anyway ill go down the refund road , get something better designed

Ive had much better success with the poles set up per the vid. reduces ingress significantly

@@dirtbnb8863 yeah I tried that as well , using your video, however water still get in , so this will equal mold , I'm doing a charge back va credit card as it not of merchantable quality ill look at the 23 zero or other, was a shame , you would think as its a know issue that a better bag would be supplied , and a not sell a faulty product, until it's been fixed

Putting the poles up as I have in my other vid significantly reduces the ingress. A couple of others have also followed my recommendations and are getting much less water in.

Hi Craig, I agree and in my other videos you will hear me endorse the awning. Having said that I've also been approached to see if I want to be part of a group action re the ingress issues. I'm one of many who have the issue and by all accounts it is not correct for the reseller to state it is water proof when Darche themselves have confirmed it is not water proof and waster will get in. I have however managed to significantly reduce the amount getting in by the placement of the poles, completely refitting the bag, soaping the zips, putting wax on the outside etc etc. It works well enough, I just know I need to open the bag and dry it when the needs be.

@@dirtbnb8863 good day, mate. Would you be so kind as to post a video on how you did it and what you used? I would like to know more, please. Thank you!

Hi, Ive already posted a vid on my attempt to prevent the water getting in and how to situate the poles on top. Is that what your after? Even with what I do now water still gets in and the awning has mould in\on the material.

@@dirtbnb8863 thanks. Yes, that's what I'm after. Was wondering if you had figured out a different solution for that, seeing as you mentioned some R&D ideas, but I'll definitely check out your other videos.

thanks dave

The bag is water proof 100%. It the actual design and material around the zipper that lets water ingress.

Made in China I think. I agree it is hard to believe but it does not just for me but 20+ people who have the same issue. It works for what I want but I won't buy another one.

Oz made is just as bad as Chinese gear

in hindsight going with a different brand may be better. But for my use it was the only 270 on the market with the annex room at the time... but that annex is also a fail from Darche when it rains... maybe your right LOL

Tony I have a Dirty Dee swag and it doesn't leak at all. Must be lucky in that regard :-)