How to Install a Camper Awning

Placing Your Camper Awning

1. 
   Purchase an awning kit. Most packages contain stainless steel mounting brackets, silver reflective material, and extra fiberglass poles to combat against the wind.
2. 
   Select a location for your awning. Though most awnings are placed on the front of the camper above the door, this is entirely up to you. You can put the awning on any wall of the camper that is long enough and thick enough. If you choose to put your awning on the backside of your camper, it will just mean that you have to walk around the camper to enjoy the shade.
3. 
   Use a felt tip marker to mark where the ends of the awning will be. You can use a tape measurer to measure along your camper and find the best place for your awning. Make sure the walls of the camper are at least 1 inch (2.54 cm) thick in this area to ensure the camper is structurally strong enough to hold the weight of the awning. You can confirm this in your owner's manual or measure the thickness of the wall in an opening such as doorway or window.^[1]

   1. Another way to measure the wall thickness is to drill a screw all the way through and mark it on the other side of the wall. Pull the screw back out and measure from the head of the screw to the mark and that will be your wall thickness. Be wary of making extra holes in your camper, though.
4. 
   Draw a straight line between the two marks. It will help to have at least two helpers for this task. Have one person on either end holding either a chalk line or a straight edge of some kind. As they hold, snap the chalk line or trace a line down the straight edge.^[2]