Truck Camping: ARB 2500 Drop Down Room Set Up

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Here is a video showing the entire process of setting up the ARB 2500 Side Awning Drop Down Room. I really love this shelter. Such a great addition to my truck camping adventures. Here's the link to this item:
store.arbusa.co...

[@daviddionne8296]

I use this on a Honda Element. If it rains, just drop one of the outer poles lower and the water will run off to that corner. You will also notice ventilation ports high up, left and right. The lower ones near the floor I use to run electrical cords into the tent.. I also lock my ARB fridge thru them to a wheel rim with a cable and lock.

[@judichristopher4604]

EXCELLENT VIDEO Since it has been 6 years... Do you still like this Drop Down Room set up? Thank you for sharing this great video

[@afkorey2151]

This ARB room is pretty incredible. Makes camping enjoyable, setup is well under 10 minutes for the complete awning & room assembly (staked down, ready to camp) if you're fumbling around.

[@dmwi1549]

Nice! Suggestion? A pulley at the far end with a rope attached to the wall will allow you to feed the channel and pull it to the end with a rope. Pulleys at both ends compensates for wind blowing against you. Harken sail boat gear makes some nice high abuse plastic flat mount styles.

[@DawnAdventures5678]

I have the ARB screen room on my NAPA auto awning. The hardest thing for me to do is thread the channel. I’m interested in your pulling thoughts. How would you attach the pulley to the rubberized part to pull it through?

[@dmwi1549]

I learned this from a guy with an airstream who had an old style awning that has a rope in a hem that slides into a channel on the vehicle. The pulley is mounted at either end of the channel on the vehicle. The rope is attached to the awning or tent wall that needs to slide into the channel. By pulling on a rope that feeds all the way down thru the pulley at the opposite end it leaves your other hand free to feed the panel into the channel without it getting caught or bunching. Having a pulley at opposite ends allows you to feed into the channel from either direction. So if the wind is blowing from the rear of the vehicle you can feed from the front of the vehicle and pull it towards the rear. Hope this is explained the concept. Simplifies a one person job.

[@bikeninja956]

I'd go with sleeping in the truck, use this space for cooking, sitting and general living...pretty cool stuff.

[@RogerSayers]

Howdy again Brian... I had seen the awning on your truck in another video and I had asked what you thought of it. Well guy after seeing this video, I'm SOLD! Now I must get this awning, along with the room addition. That is awesome! Thanks for the link, gonna have to make an order now... I'm wanting to do some boondocking in Arizona near Quartzite, and this is going to be perfect for me the girls (dogs) I really like the fact that this room is fully enclosed, That helps to keep some of the little critters on the desert like rattler snakes and such.... Man I'm loving all of you videos... you are a great guy... Thanks again.

[@bigtransitadventures7449]

Really like that room, what a great way to expand your living space. Great demo, thanks for sharing. Safe travels my friend 👍

[@azshoppingprincess4298]

Brian you make it all look so easy😊 I am not a camping person at all but I would love to add this to my bucket list👍🏼

[@CaptChaos1964]

Awesome set up, I have an ARB awning, this room would have saved a lot of grief when I was camping in Scotland back in the summer, the weather was fantastic, but the midges were not! All the best from 🇬🇧

[@lwoodstock1]

Nice set up and room. Here's my set up: When I camp solo, I use my minivan for safety (cargo area/floor lined with puzzle mat from Home Depot) for a bedroom (with yoga mat, sleeping bag, pillows, and soft-sided carriers/beds for my two border collies/mixes) and my cabin tent for a living/kitchen/bathroom (with table, chairs, yoga mat, potty bucket). I have Skeeter Beater screens for my minivan windows, and have a well-screened cabin tent. Both nice for ventilation. (When I camp with family or friend, we sleep on cots in the cabin tent.) For cooking, I pour hot water over my French press, to make about a 20 oz. cup of gooood coffee. I boil water on my little propane stove for most hot meals...soup, spaghetti, pasta, noodle dishes, rice, oatmeal, etc. and eat salad, raw vegetables, and fruit so I just need my two cooler bags hung over the back of my front seats (no refrigerator). Of course, there's always room for smores. I currently camp for fun and recreation, usually in a campground with family or friend, and always with my collies. Everything is lightweight and easy, since I'm an older gal with arthritis. Very comfortable set up. Gotta have my coffee in the morning, in the tent, and play my ukulele, then do yoga later in the tent. (Pulling and setting up a trailer, or climbing up into a pickup truck, seems too complicated for me. Putting up the cabin tent takes about fifteen minutes. Yoga practice and hiking with my dogs help me keep strong.) In the near future, I plan to upgrade my nylon/cabin tent to a Springbar canvas/cabin tent. Guess some would call it "glamping." I'm glad you found something that works for you. Happy trails.

[@1shotbarbeque881]

That awnings pretty sweet but I prefer a springbar tent from kirkham's or Kodiak that way if I want to drive around to see the sights who got a room when I get back

[@insonh21]

i built a teardrop trailer back in 2014 and tried a couple of DYI awnings after seeing someone build one that came out ok, i used a mesh tarp for the top, althought it workede great i thought i might have a hard time in a campground if they didnt like the tarp setup, i just ordered an ARB Awaning and Drop Down Room just to give it a cleaner look, i'll keep my DYU awaning to mount on top of my Honda element for a little extra filltered shade, been planing on doing a little off grid camping for the last 3 years in the southwest staring this November on the Texas coastline

[@axedog1395]

Rain would 100% destroy it!!!! ARB should address that problem with a clip on ridge beam.

[@insaynbcr]

Thanks for the detailed setup visual. I have a home built off road trailer I built that has an AutoHome Maggiolina AirTop on it. The trailer also has a heavy duty kayak rack that is adjustable and plan to add an ARB 2500 to the side, and a 2000 on either the front or back. With the enclosed room attached to the 2500, it looks like I could pull the inner (carside) door panel up and bungee it over my tent roof line to give me a dry entrance into the Maggi tent. I use the fender as a step, as well as a fold out step that attaches to the tire. I would have to add an additional panel opening to the right of that inner door panel so my future slide out kitchen can pass through into the room. Hmm? You have me scratching my head for sure now.

[@georgekrug2071]

Couldn't you just drop down the outside poles to the next adjustment ? I realize you'll have slack on outside wall but would that work for the rain runoff? Love the vids got a lot of great ideas 🤠👍

[@peterrabbitroberts4469]

Man I thank you,I might need that in Florida this winter to keep bugs out,I hate ticks and mosquitoes

[@bbbmmm1713]

That is a nice set up. I prefer something separate from the truck like a tent or EZ up with walls. That way I can take the truck without tearing down down my tent.

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

I agree, it would be very nice to have something that isn't attached to my roof rack. Overall this is a good solution for rainy days, I'd just like to have the option to leave camp if needed to run errands with my truck.

[@inurbinurb292]

ARB awning comment. Have been using a 2.5 x 2.5 in Aust for 3 years. generally ok but problem is if you use the ARB drop down delux awning room you will find that the awning room ( 8kg )tends to bend the horizontal swing out arms. We told ARB head office and manufacturing plant in Melbourne Australia ( where we live) about the issue and asked to speak to a technical ARB person. Unfortunately the sales staff at the Glossy Melb showroom say NO NO No way the poles bend ( despite have two bent poles of ours in their hands. Reluctantly they replaced them and when it a hAppened again we approached ARB in another state whilst on the road travelling with some very convivial feedback and got the same result excuses excuses excuses except this time they said 'stiff luck buddy' and no replacement so we bought more poles from them. So we just STOPPED sing the Drop down delux awning room and put it into storage at the back of our garage and continues to use the awning . NO PROBLEMS SINCE WITH THE POLES.. it is clearly apparent that the weight of the drop down awning is just a bit too much for the awning . We are about to travel again in late 2020 and may try to use the awning tent again and have now purchased two vertical poles to place under he awning arms about a metre out from the vehicle to support the swing out arms . Over the last three years we have purchased thousands of dollars of gear from ARB. inc fridges, underbody protection plates , awnings, drop down awning tent rooms, spot lights, radios, snorkels, recovery gear etc etc. generAl quality of ARB gear ok price point is expensive but generally ok BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WILLINGNESS TO TAKE A BIT OF CONVIVIAL FEEDBACK FORM AN ESTABLISHED CLIENT ABSOLUTELY LOUSY.

[@kevineversole6860]

"Hayduke Lives" sticker...that's awesome. Loved the Monkey Wrench Gang

[@annkamarauskas6362]

You make everything look so easy. I love watching your videos

[@karenr67]

Best add on I've seen so far.

[@martinhinkins5574]

Fantastic video on the awning room. With it being fully enclosed is great. And the second door to have access to Crewcab part of truck, is the best. Where I also have a Crewcab truck. Thank you for sharing. God Bless

[@chrismarshall4742]

Great review getting mine next week so great thumbs up 5 stars

[@michaelfletcher1224]

Lovely interior design. I like the way you've arranged the table before cooking. lol Seriously though, the setup looks awesome. I think I'm going to get one.

[@DerrickLytlephoto]

Hayduke lives! Just got mine today. Stoked to test it out.

[@marcomac8824]

Thanks Brian. Very useful video! I note Gordigear has some really great tent rooms - very high quality (no, I dont have any commercial relationship wth them - just very impressed with the functionality of their awning rooms). Worth checking them out.

[@Radnally]

I saw that Napier has a tent that attaches to a truck with canopy. So you have the back of the truck as an integral part of the tent. Very handy. About $300.

[@jopalo31675]

That's really nifty. Maybe you can use EMT tubing diagonally to go across the support rods to form an "x". Where they cross you can bend the top diagonal brace to form an apex. Use u-bolts(1/4")to fasten in place. Just a thought. What's the size of the space?

[@juancarlosverdugosanchez4296]

never mind, you explained at the end about my question

[@urbanguy37]

great system...

[@carlaifera5254]

......can we get an awning on the back of the truck to act as an enclosed porch, off from the tail gate/shell area?

[@mikehoward8201]

I purchased a tent that attaches to my tailgate camper on my Tacoma. You can drive off and leave it freestanding, which is, for me, a better option! But I did enjoy seeing this being set up, so,thanks for the video!

[@jotsingh8917]

The Ironman 4x4 has the same set-up with a quick release and with two poles for the awning. This way it will stand by itself and you can leave without tearing down everything. Did you truth ARB quick release?

[@dsmdallas2466]

oh lord there is way too much messing about to get this up and going. Pro tip: Take pliers and bend the end of the track feeds to 30 degrees out. This will make sliding the room into the tracks much easier without catching on the ends as you feed and lowers risk of tearing it.

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

It's fine, I won't be bending anything on my tracks as I feel that's just splitting hairs to save a few seconds. Thanks for watching!

[@juancarlosverdugosanchez4296]

nice camping tent. what happens when it rains. will the water stay in the middle of the tent?

[@BasoholMedia]

i wonder if the Napa awning has the grooves for this as well!?

[@joaquin698]

Great👌🏻; just subscribed, Tks for sharing

[@hhhhh-bz5ue]

Great video as usual. Thanks

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Thanks Al! Wishing you the best in 2018, cheers!

[@debslifesimplified6406]

Now I"m wondering if this will work with my van, I don't have a rack but do have a place I think where I could hook this to my vehicle.

[@rcinoc3948]

Just set up a tent next to the truck👍

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

I only have a small 1P backpacking tent so it's nice to set this up during bad weather and have a full enclosed room with an 8 foot ceiling to operate out of. Monsoon season can bring 3-4 days of continual rain so I prefer to have a bit more room to stretch out.

[@user-vh7rs2cs9z]

Hi, I am from Taiwan. Could you tell me where I can find the arb 813104 room as the one in your video now? Because I cannot find it. Thank you.

[@pickitup1]

I got this to sleep in after watching reviews on KZbin it was the most horrible night I ever had outdoors from the walls flopping around to the stupid metal zippers jingling in the wind. I really wanted to like it but it’s getting returned.

[@HeathBlythe]

That might happen with everything that has zippers and plastic covered surfaces... Did you apply enough tension to the fabric?

[@katrinmcdonough2414]

looks big enough to sleep in and I like the fact you can access your truck from it through the second door. Is one made that can set up over the tailgate?

[@lindafarner9755]

I think I would like it better if it was attached to the rear of the truck. So you would have direct access to the open truck without going out into the rain etc.

[@trumpafarian7129]

Really useful video. Thanks for the review

[@davidjohn9006]

Thanks for the demo 👍🏽😎🇦🇨

[@jasonmccabe6945]

What size lift and tires do you have? Also what rack are you using? My Tacoma is lifted and was wondering about the fit if the truck is too tall and then the awning would be hanging where the floor is pulled up off the ground around the edges. Also with the opening that is near the truck does it give you access to the rear doors of the truck only or would you be able to access the windoors on your topper if you had them?

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hi Jason, I have a 3" Old Man Emu Lift and 33" tires. This ends up being the perfect height for the drop down room. I positioned the awning on my Yakima rack so I can still open the front door to my double cab Tacoma. There's an extra "door" inside the drop down room to access the back portion of my double cab. I'm very impressed with this set up!

[@haroldsakin355]

Do think this would work with the Yakima Slim Shady ?

[@CreachterZ]

What factors did you consider when choosing which side of the truck to put that rig on? Is putting it on the drivers' side pretty much standard here in the US?

[@ElFrijoleroAcordeonero]

Hey man. How were you able to bolt awning on to the round tubes. I have a Yakima with round tubes but not sure how people are bolting up the awning

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hello, I ended up using a pretty powerful drill to knock holes through my round tubes. They have been rock solid for 5 years so I can attest to this sort of mounting. It's kind of hard to drill into your round tubes but the mount ends up being super strong. The only drawback to these awnings is if they aren't strapped down good inside the cover bag then they can make a bunch of racket on trails. I actually wrap my awning with a bungee cord and anchor it to my roof rack when on trails. Makes it super quiet...just a tip I learned over the years. Let me know if you have any additional questions. ~ Brian

[@24trumpet]

Great video! One question, how did you mount your awning to the Yakima round bars?

[@MichaelSeanMiller]

Will it work if I have a ARE Mx series raised camper on the back of my long bed Tacoma? Love all your videos by the way. I so appreciate you making and sharing these. YOU are freaking awesome!

[@PWlangford1]

Can you use this on the back of the truck?it would make a nice penthouse for your camper ! 🇨🇦

[@motodoe8208]

Anything like that for the tailgate of a 2015 Tacoma short bed?

[@sjr7822]

Nice to have a room you can actually stand up in, the draw back, you can't drive the truck for errands, seeing the room is attached to the truck

[@missouritraveler6401]

thanks for the video!

[@marybarton8987]

that is so cool, how much does that cost

[@kennethworde862]

Very informative, I am getting one, is it flammable?

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hey Kenneth! The material is fire resistant so I've not experienced any issues. Happy New Year!

[@alvaradacosta4111]

can use it also for sleeping...

[@lillyy9939]

This is an awesome set up! I saw your roof basket in another video as well and curious what brand is it? Thank you!

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hello, that is a Yakima Mega Warrior roof basket.

[@TheEliteAnimal]

The link to arb doesnt work. Do they not sell this one anymore?

[@travis_c4469]

I don’t think they sell this room anymore

[@mbrannis]

did you get the aluminum poles?

[@johnnycat17]

How much is the awning room with privacy?

[@The1980toyota]

Just caught one of your videos. Great job, subscribed!

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Thanks Nomadic Newfies! Hope your new year is starting off on a great note!

[@mkaberli]

Have you stayed in this drop-down room during a storm with 30-50 mph winds? If so, how did it do?

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hello, I've experienced 30mph winds and the drop down room performed well. The only thing I don't like about this room is the windows zip open from the outside so you have to exit the shelter to open the windows. Otherwise, I have no complaints about this drop down room and love having a place to hang out that is protected from the elements when the weather is gnarly.

[@aldho0gamer]

Is this compatible with yakima awning?

[@CallaFab]

Can this be put on so the door faces the opposite side? My awning is on the passenger side and I want the door to face the rear.

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hi Ed, yes you can put this on both ways so it works on both the passenger side and drivers side to have the door at the rear of the vehicle.

[@JimBurwellsPetiquetteHouston]

Hey Brian, been following you for a while and you’ve got great tips. Here is a question about your ARB awning room: is it suited for adverse conditions? Like heavy rain and cold weather? Would it be better to use a 4 season ground tent and use the awning from the rain and sun? Thanks in advance for your reply!

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Hi Jim, thanks for the kind words for my channel. I think the drop down room is best suited for average weather but would have a hard time standing up to adverse conditions. If you are going to be cold weather camping then I would most likely go the 4 season tent route. However, in heavy rain you'd be okay in this shelter as long as you have the awning angled in such a way to shed water. I've done that in the past during monsoon season and it always seems to work well. Let me know if you have any additional question. Thanks!

[@JimBurwellsPetiquetteHouston]

Colorado Backcountry Adventures Do you have an opinion of the kodiak 2person canvas tent as a 4 season?

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

I have some friends who use the Kodiak and they seem to really like it. They installed their own stove jack and put a small wood stove in there when temps get super cold. Overall, I think those are pretty solid canvas tents.

[@prepared2thrive101]

Very cool option. Just found your channel & sub you. -Corey @ Prepared 2 Thrive

[@richOtyrant]

Where did you purchase that specific awning room?

[@ronbaker7969]

Did you get one yet? Ron Baker

[@maryburt3114]

Can this set up be put on the top of a car?

[@DailyInspirations101]

That's a very funny question. What you should look for is something like rooftop tent, like ikamper, airtop, roof nest, etc.

[@MiaVoss]

BG!!

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

Mia! What's up girl?!

[@myadventureoutdoors]

I notice that ARB does not actually sell this room on their site (they refer to dealers) and it's not available on Amazon. Can you tell me which online site you purchased from?

[@jackrabbitjiro]

how did all of the awning and tent cost?

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

The awning was $300.00 and the drop down room was $190.00.

[@mkaberli]

Just go to ARV.COM. They have all the styles and prices.

[@scottfergusson8411]

If you had to leave in a hurry....??? Not for me !

[@rangerdoc1029]

I love mine, but damn it's a bitch to thread into the channel all by yourself.

[@StupidInternetPeople]

How exactly would rain be able to pool on the room roof when it's covered by the awning?

[@DonaldChapman]

That's true. Also you could shorten the outside legs just a bit and that would cure that problem.

[@OffGridBackcountryAdventures]

It doesn't pool on the roof, it pools on the awning.

[@billsoucess2448]

Colorado Backcountry Adventures then drop the leg hard on one side. Or like u said get a pole or get a spreader bar.

[@chrisbarton1517]

Correct but I think Donald is right....just shorten the outside legs a few inches if caught in a downpour and you'd be fine. At least that's what I've seen others say......BTW great video......cause of you this set up is now on my short list.