Build Video - DIY Truck/Van Awning Instructions! Under $100

Edit: I realize now that there is a somewhat of a disconnect in the video when it comes to drilling holes. Do your best to watch when we are bolting it together to help you understand where all the drilled holes go.
This little description should help:
- Main support bar (that attaches to vehicle) 2x vertical holes - 3/8"
- The horizontal swing arms
• The vehicle side of this arm has 1x vertical hole - 3/8" and attaches to the main support bar.
• The far side of this bars gets 2 holes, 1 vertical hole about 1" from the very end and 1 horizontal hole 1 1/2" in from the vertical hole - 3/8". (Horizontal hole is for the swing dow legs)(Vertical hole is for the bolt that ends up holding the removable crossbar)
- The swing down legs each get a hole drilled through 1" from the end - 3/8". (That is where they attach to the end of the horizontal swing arms)
- Removable cross bar gets a hole at each end about 1" from the ends. Drill 3/8" all the way through and drill the bottom half of both ends big enough for the nut to fit in it when you drop the cross bar on top to the end of the swing arms.
Hopes that helps!
(Build Materials and Cost below)
So we've released a video videos about the our DIY awning and the most requested details were about how to actually build the awning, materials, and cost. Well here it is! An in depth build video showing you everything you need to build the awning yourself. Please comment or message us with any questions and we would be happy to help.
Build materials:
$4-5 each
6x 10 foot 3/4" galvanized conduit poles
(4 cut to 8 feet | 2 cut to 6.5 feet)
$10-12
8x10 "Heavy Duty" Tarp
$8
Box of different sized bungee cords
$20
10x4 Vinyl fabric - cut to around 2x9
$5-10
6x 3/8" bolts:
1x - 3 3/4"
3x - 3 1/4"
2x - 1 3/4"
$10
10x hose clamps (to hold the main bar to the rack)
$5
Black rubber twisty ties
$5
Washers between everything.
The spacer I used on the left side, to drop the bar down, was just a short piece of metal tube I found in my dads shop. But I'm sure you can find something! Find a small tube or stacking up washers would work too
With out the fabric cover, it should be around $80. if you want the cover to, $10-20 depending on what you buy and where you buy it from. I used a vinyl fabric.

[@BenjaminHansen]

Good job! Thanks for putting this video together.

[@hazel555]

Thanks for the detailed plan! You guys are so adorable!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

petrichor you’re very welcome! 😊 be sure to follow us on Instagram.. become apart of the BenderFam 🙌🏻

[@hunterhalo2]

Dude this kind of documentation and thorough explanation of stuff makes the world go around. Thanks so much

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Heck yea! Thanks buddy 🤙🏻

[@hunterhalo2]

@@TrailBendersOverland I'm legit building it now. I'll follow up when its finished!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Awesome!! If you’re on Instagram DM us a pic!

[@yellownp22541]

I am truly enjoying your garage engineering projects, I am still working on the roof rack project for a Toyota Previa. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and I cannot wait to see the videos of these products out on the wild.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Stoked you’re able find inspiration in our work! Always do our best. We have lots of content with the gear our in the wild. Check out season 2 and season 3 videos, or any of the weekend warriors videos. And as always there’s more to come!

[@thorson7842]

Love the awning! Thinking about my wife's trailblazer may get one now.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Do it! I'm getting ready to make a "1 year later" video. My same awning I made that was our first video on the channel is still holding up great on my 4Runner. I've used it many times over the last year. Make it and send us a picture to share on instagram!

[@bajar.m.6953]

Great video. I love when peoples build their own gears. Instead of buying it already build. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@TrailBendersOverland]

It’s fun to build things! Not everyone has the skills or tools but it’s cool when people tackle the DIY realm.

[@atozcycleparts]

Love it how you set it up .

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Thank you! Still using the same awning over 3 years later? Did you see our review video?

[@kikecueva5]

really good vibes. thanks for the info.

[@ronrussell1077]

Great job 👍 thanks for the ideas!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Ron Russell any time! Glad you like it. This was the second one we made. The first one we did right before this is the same awning I’m still using 3 years later. Works good as new! Check this video out: DIY Awning Review - 2.5 Years Later kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHPcoq2ajttlfLc

[@sdbrantley9065]

Loved your role as Weasel, in Deadpool.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Hahaha. Thank you sir. I really had to get in my character for that one. Hahah

[@nj4x4fever2]

Very good video. Thanks for sharing.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Thanks for watching!!

[@patrickmckowen2999]

Good build - thx for sharing Cheers

[@TrailBendersOverland]

PATRICK MCKOWEN Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed! Let us know if you have any questions.

[@raulgil7389]

Well done 👍

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Raul Gil thanks! Are you thinking about building one?

[@wrenchingvids]

Amazing video. Going to build one based off yours but with another swing out section towards the rear.

[@chingon_grandpa]

Good job!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Thank you!

[@freemanman7158]

very good job thanks for made and learning for us

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching!

[@usavanlife7240]

Can't be better than that !

[@gracecallowayable]

Wow!!! Awesome!!!👠🚌👠

[@Jose14175]

Man you are so good.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Barracas Suricato Always doing our best! Did you seeing the 2.5 year review video?

[@noxiousnews]

Lagunitas. Nice choice.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Noxious News it’s the best!!

[@ReneTheMechanic]

Good job.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Thank you!

[@paulmonk7820]

Wrap the outside corner bungee once around the corner poles to take the slack out of the outside edge.

[@mindofown]

Great stuff, much appreciated from Perth Australia

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Thanks for watching! Wow, long way away from here. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mindofown]

Isn't the internet amazing you've helped me to work out an awning system for my camper trailer, and your 12,000 miles away, where are you exactly?

[@TrailBendersOverland]

It really is amazing What we can do with the internet these days

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Again thank you watching and commenting! Glad we could help

[@RayJames552]

Thanks for posting gave me some good ideas . Planning on repurposing some materials and doing something like this for my Jeep trailer.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Raymond James Wow awesome! Sorry I missed this comment so long ago. Would love to see what you made!!

[@mikelizonitz19]

Once again, both nice builds and good explanations and video. Still curious how you will add sides when the time comes. Keep up the great work.

[@jjiglesiasg]

I have a 4runner same like yours, and this video is quite inspirational to do the same, here the most cheap awning rise to well over 400 USD. Keep Overlanding and Greetings from #Bolivia #Overland_Bolivia

[@dennisbarrios9714]

thanks for sharing I'm also gonna try this.Great vid!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Awesome! Be sure to post and share!

[@abuk44]

ok !! am fucking IMPRESSED !!!!!! awesome awesome job man !!!!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Thank you!!

[@pmdiamond]

I recognized Heidi from the Home Depot checkout. lol

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Hahahaha! Small world!

[@VonBluesman]

Hey what you need to do is take a pair of pliers, vise grips, or Channel locks and use them to hold the nail that you are striking with your hammer, that way you will not hit your fingers or thumb.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

VonBluesman You’re right. That would be a much safer and easier way to hold that all down. Thanks for the idea! Will keep that in mind!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

VonBluesman This is why we love the KZbin community. We all get to share with each other.

[@VonBluesman]

Trail Benders Overland After building houses for years I learned a few things. If you ever smash your finger or toe nail and the blood gets under the finger or toe nail and it looks like you will lose it, take a straight pin needle or a thin sewing thread needle and heat it up with a open flame, either a lighter or stove, etc. take the needle and when it is cherry red hot, use a twisting motion and drill into the damaged nail, stop if it starts to hurt and heat the needle up cherry red again and twist the needle again into the nail until it gets to make a whole to the blood and the blood will come up through the drilled hole and you will save the nail from falling off of your finger or toe. You must keep the needle heated up cherry red and it burns through the nail so it doesn’t’ hurt so bad. Once you get the hole down to the blood part the pain will stop as soon as the blood comes up through the drilled whole, it takes the pressure off and the nail will not throb anymore and you save the nail, if you don’t do this, you will lose the nail and the whole healing process will take four to six weeks. I have some other tips from being an old man, life is one big experience and we all learn everyday if we are lucky. Good luck.

[@JosephCompnotta]

Nice, I have a Chevy Astro w/luggage rack I'm gonna make this for my travels on the Grand Circle in May

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Joseph Compnotta Awesome! Be sure to send us pics on Instagram or FB. We’ll repost. This video is the second awning, but the the first one over a year later is still good as new!

[@markjennings2315]

wow those bolts could lift the whole car!! mightget away with half that diameter and leave more material at the pipe.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Mark Jennings the bigger diameter I felt would give better hinging support. But you’re probably right! I tend to over build things sometimes haha.

[@Kt80and7]

This is definitely going to be our starting inspiration for our awning build, which we'll be using soon to snow camp in ski lodge parking lots. We're wondering if you have any specific suggestions for altering this build to include walls. Has anyone else done this already? Any major changes we should think about? Thanks in advance!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

I’ve thought wall ideas but never executed or cam up with something that would really seal it off well. You could easily put hooks over the bars and hang tarps from it and guyline them down, but not sure how sturdy they would be. No major changes. A few months ago I released a review of this awesome. Still using it over 3 years later!

[@bradjd6957]

Great video just a heads up they do make canvas tarps just spray with water proof

[@TrailBendersOverland]

B-Rad D R That’s a good idea! The tarp was cheap and already has eyelets. It’s worked great for 3 years now, but the canvas would definitely be cleaner looking.

[@aired-downdisconnected4125]

I built mine with everything under the top bar. This way it's no taller than my rack and eliminates the tarp twist. Also made the legs the height of the roof rack which was about 2" longer.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Aired down and disconnected Nice! Dillan here. I made the very first one the same way with the bars underneath. I had to change it when I made the new rack and awning mounts. It’s an easy design to adjust for any rig. Send us pics to our Instagram and we’ll feature it!

[@aired-downdisconnected4125]

@@TrailBendersOverland I'll probably post a quick video. Haven't done instagram yet.

[@ronschreiber3635]

great video .I made one just like your .one Question how did you roll the tarp up so neat ??lol

[@51249ca]

Just curious if you could pound some spikes into the ground as “anchors” for the vertical pipes/bars

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Jiminy Cricket Thats a cool idea. I would be concerned about it poking holes in the cover when packed up. But maybe if it’s packed right it wouldn’t be a problem. That’s an idea worth trying.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

I just re-read your comment. You’re talking about putting spikes in the ground. Then slide the vertical poles over the spike. That’s a pretty good idea actually.

[@eddieperalta7418]

Im confuse with the bolts... what are these bolts? How many?

[@patrickbodine6010]

Millennial s at work!😁

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Patrick Bodine We got it done!

[@dkelly6492]

Hey mate thanks for this from Brisbane Australia. Wondering is this noisy on the freeway?

[@TrailBendersOverland]

D Kelly Awesome! Hello from San Diego, California, USA. I personally didn’t notice any difference in noise. I already had a roof basket that increased the noise level a little, but I didn’t notice any difference when add the awning.

[@leekh2125]

Should use PVC pipe instead. Lighter , cheaper and easier to drill holes.

[@balkangetaway]

I don't have a roof rack -can i use suction cups ? For example those for pulling out dents? Or will i ruin the car/windows?

[@TrailBendersOverland]

sponge bob I would recommend buying or building a proper roof rack. Even strong suction cups I wouldn’t trust to hold something like this on the side of the vehicle while driving.

[@GAZOD]

Its a "center punch" not tap & die. good build :)

[@TrailBendersOverland]

HA! Thank you. Still new to this stuff so it's comments like this that help us learn!

[@TheAvkdutch]

I was yelling that as well, ha ha

[@ColinQuinnuniverse]

I knew someone was going to mention this. LoL.

[@jeffreyulery2182]

Awl

[@thedorman005]

Having a hard time finding the vinyl fabric can you give me the link for that? It’s my last step for this project thanks!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Bryan Dorman here you are sir! www.amazon.com/dp/B00IT8F456/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_giUCBb0KDDQ66 If you’re good with fabric then you can get away with 3 yards, but I would recommend 4 yard to give yourself some wiggle room. Be sure to send us a picture! We’ll share it on Instagram

[@susanpratt4061]

Reason you chose metal over pic pipe? Have an Forester and am collecting info to do a tarp set up for it. Seems like a metal setup would be heavy. Thanx

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Susan Pratt I went with conduit for a few reasons. It’s cheap, strong, won’t rust, and is actually probably lighter than the pvc equivalent. It’s a pretty thin metal vs thick plastic wall. It’s also more rigid than pvc which is good for structural reasons, don’t want it to droop. If you go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and feel the conduit you’ll see it’s actually pretty light. And usually $4-5 for a 10 foot pole. Feel free to ask any other questions!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Susan Pratt Oh and being metal, under stress pvc would be more likely to crack and the metal conduit would be more likely to bend slightly and more so absorb stress at the pivot points. I’d take bend over crack

[@susanpratt4061]

Trail Benders Overland Ah. I'll check it out next time I am in either store. Thanx!

[@rickayers2731]

for a drill u need a step bit not a center punch or a tap & die

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Oh that's a great idea! Will be sure to get one before building the next awning

[@lcatalla7292]

What tarp size did you use? Great build anyway.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

We are using 8x10 tarps so it hangs over the edge opposite from the vehicle. Makes it easy to bungee too.

[@user-wp7if]

I was looking for this comment haha thanks for asking

[@olsmxl6975]

great video and build. Is the awning at an angle to allow for rain to drip off and not pool? thanks

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Oscar Lazaro It’s designed to be able to position legs to make it level and also be able to lower one or both legs to slope the awning. You can see how I do it in this video: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5-tiGWXiZmcaNU

[@olsmxl6975]

@@TrailBendersOverland Thanks for the quick reply! off to build one!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Awesome! Happy to help. Send us a pic on Instagram so we can share! Let me know if you have any other questions at all.

[@zzdesignz]

Nice diy buddy! can't find vinyl anywhere wider than 54". Did you sew pieces together? Thanks again!

[@TrailBendersOverland]

zzdesignz you don’t need it to be very wide. It’s more about the length. If you’re talking about the vinyl for the cover. You just need to find a price that’s 9 feet, or more, long. The width can be anything over 36”. I forget the exact width but you just need it wide enough to wrap around the bars when folded up.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

zzdesignz Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions

[@zzdesignz]

Hey thanks so much for the reply. I'll be building one next week for my wife's Forrester... I have a couple of ideas I'll share W/you after the build. Okay... The vinyl cover! The only black vinyl I can find after a LOT of searching is 54" wide and sold by the yard so I'd need a piece about 9' long. Pretty pricey and a lot of waste. Do you have the source of where u got it? Thanks again brother stay well!

[@Edawgg424]

A little confused about the bolts you used , can you elaborate ?

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Eric Quintana the bolts are all listed in detail in the description. The sizes and amount needed. Let us know if you have any other questions!

[@Edawgg424]

So there all 3/8 in diameter correct ? And different lengths

[@boyfester]

I really dig this setup. I created my awning out of PVC tubing back in 2015 but it lacks the horizontal tubes that extend out from the roof rack and the tensioning tube that your awning drapes over on the other end. As you can imagine, it takes some time to set up the vertical legs with one person. Thanks so much for all of the detailed videos. You gave me new ideas that I didn't think of before like using bungees to increase the tension in the awning. The link below is when I first created the awning but I've made a few mods since then. I'll use it a few more times before pulling the trigger on your design. www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/107166-what-did-you-do-your-5th-gen-today-582.html#post2027107

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Oh I’m sure that hard to do alone. Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. The only thing I’ve added is an additional bar with two bolts through it that slide into the bottom of the two legs. Helps keeps the legs from bowing in when it’s windy

[@boyfester]

Actually it's not too difficult to set up. I did a practice run this weekend and was able to set it up in less than 5 minutes. The expanding PVC tubing houses the guy lines and metal stakes when not in use. The expanding tube that attaches to the rack is attached via Quick Fist Rubber Clamps.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Oh cool. Doesn't sound so bad after all

[@karanorman3163]

Not a tap n die. A PUNCH is the tool you were looking for

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Kara Norman Yeaaahhh it’s painful to hear that in the video now. I know very clearly that tap n die is for threading and a center punch is what we meant to say 😖 We all learn sometime! Either way, I appreciate the comment

[@1966cambo]

Ummmm,not a tap and die, a CENTRE PUNCH lol

[@RayJames552]

I do not think you need the bolts to be so big.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

You’re probably right. We just felt like the bigger radius of the bolt would be better for the strength of the hole in the conduit. Conduit is actually pretty soft so you have to be a little careful in the design to make sure there aren’t any pinch or bend points. That said, over a year later the it still works great!

[@RayJames552]

If you want a large nut on the end of the bolt just use a thinner bolt and then add additional washers. Use a small washer to hold a larger washer onto the bolt that gives you a large diameter to grap and hold the tarp. The smaller diameter bolt is strong enough and will leave more metal on your long bars .

[@mrs7978]

Is this TRAILER PARK SOYBOYS ?. yes I gave this a thumbs-up, I was joking about BUBBLES.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

LETS HAVE IT STRAIGHT lol Thanks for the thumbs up!! 👍

[@Adeline9418]

You're Soo cute.

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Which one of us!?

[@karanorman3163]

If his main priority is to be getting an engine in that 4runner why is he working on an awning

[@TrailBendersOverland]

Kara Norman Because the awning was less than $100 and we wanted to make a build video for all our viewers that had been asking for it. He did get a new motor. And now the truck is actually gone. But we still have a cool build video for the awning!