Some car awnings had been fast to deploy and retract, however folded in winds I thought-about weak. Others required far more effort and generally two folks to arrange. Placing them away might be extremely inconvenient and time-consuming. And I didn’t take into account any of them “adventure-ready,” which means I might get them up as quickly as a rainstorm blew in, they usually might endure not less than average winds.
When Kammok launched its Crosswing awning, I used to be intrigued however wasn’t hopeful that it might fulfill my necessities for adventure-readiness. However Kammok is shut by in Austin, and the model supplied me a unit that was cosmetically broken in cargo with no strings connected. So, I acquired the 7-foot-wide model (the model additionally has a 5-footer) for my Subaru Outback Wilderness.
For a stable yr, the Kammok Crosswing lived on my automotive, and I deployed it not less than a couple of instances per week, which I by no means did with different awnings. Typically, it was for only a cellphone name or a web-based assembly. And, after all, I used it throughout in a single day or longer tenting journeys. It withstood two brutal Texas summers, spring flooding, a Colorado highway journey, and, extremely, an icy winter.
In brief: The Kammok Crosswing modified how I take into consideration and use car awnings. The category-crushing pace at which it may be deployed and retracted removes all of the inconveniences and frustrations I’d had with different awnings. The Crosswing is in an echelon by itself, and its pure comfort has led me to make use of it a lot greater than every other awning in my a long time of adventuring and each day dwelling. The self-supporting, cantilevered design withstood wind higher than others as nicely.
Kammok Crosswing Overview
Specs
The awning cloth is a heavy-feeling 8-ounce 600D PVC-coated polyester that’s waterproof and mildew- and UV-resistant. The housing is powder-coated aluminum with ABS finish caps, whereas the mounting {hardware} is powder-coated hardened metal.
The supporting arms beneath the material are powder-coated 6061 extruded aluminum (this was up to date to an anodized end). Inner mechanical parts are rustproof stainless-steel.
The Kammok Crosswing housing has two customary T-tracks on the again for mounting functions and one on the underside to connect equipment akin to lights and kit hooks.
When closed, the unit measures 88″ x 3″ x 5.7″. The awning can deploy to a few lengths: 35.5 inches, 58.5 inches, and 77.5 inches. At full size, the material covers 42 sq. toes. Kammok claims the 7-foot Crosswing weighs 45 kilos.
Kammok presents the Crosswing in a 5-foot extensive model (MSRP $950) along with the 7-foot mannequin (MSRP $1,100) reviewed right here. Each are available in charcoal grey or desert tan.
Mounting
Mounting the Kammok Crosswing to my Thule cartop rack crossbars was a single-person affair that solely required a 5mm and 8mm hex wrench.
Like every other rack accent, a bracket was connected to every crossbar’s T-slot. It was anchored with two customary T-track sq. nuts contained in the crossbar and two hex bolts on high. The identical technique secured two awning mounting brackets into one in all two T-slots on the again of the Crosswing housing.
The awning-mounted brackets hooked into the crossbar brackets, and I used to be in a position to modify the horizontal place and awning angle to my liking. For rooftop racks with out T-slots, Kammok consists of crossbar clamping {hardware}.
Kammok Crosswing Deployment & Retraction
The Kammok Crosswing deployed and retracted again into driving mode sooner and simpler than every other awning I’ve ever used or seen by an enormous margin. It wasn’t even in the identical ballpark. I might do it on my own, constantly, in the identical period of time, each time.
There is no such thing as a overestimating how this affected my view of utilizing a car awning. I might deploy or retract the awning in lower than 30 seconds with out hurrying, no matter situations. This opened up so many extra use circumstances.
Organising the awning consisted of shifting a lever on the left finish cap to the unlocked place, unbuttoning (up to date to Fidlocks) two loops that linked the vanguard of the awning to the case, after which pulling on these loops to deploy the material. I might cease at one of many three discrete awning lengths dictated by ball-and-detent mechanisms. These are absolutely housed contained in the crossed assist arms beneath.
As soon as on the desired awning size, I articulated the lever on the left finish cap so as to add pressure to the material after which put it again into the locked place. That’s it. There are not any legs to deploy, no man traces to anchor, nothing to assemble.
Taking the Kammok Crosswing down was basically the reverse of the above steps. After unlocking the lever, an outward tug on the awning launched it from the chosen place, and it virtually pulled itself again in. I solely wanted to use a bit of little bit of strain to nudge it alongside.
A spring-loaded spooling system saved the material beneath pressure, and it easily disappeared into the housing. A couple of tugs on the lever tightened up the material, after which I locked it and snapped the finger loops to the housing.
It’s laborious to convey how straightforward each of those actions are compared to all different car awnings. Actually, the Kammok Crosswing was in a category all by itself. I actually might have deployed and retracted the awning not less than 10 instances within the period of time it took me to arrange or stow the final crossover-vehicle-style awning I used. And the PITA issue was nonexistent with the Kammok Crosswing. Different awnings had been typically super-frustrating, particularly when erecting or stowing them in inclement climate.
Kammok Crosswing Stability
The self-supporting, cantilevered design of the Kammok Crosswing was not solely fast to deploy and retract, but it surely additionally gave the awning extra built-in stability than all different awnings I’ve used.
The 2-segmented, sq. tube extrusions beneath the material are spring-loaded and maintain the three set positions through a ball-and-detent mechanism. They cross to type an “X,” which lends assist, identical to spokes in a bicycle wheel. The spring-loaded cloth spool, which was ratcheted tight with the lever, additional added stability by forming a cantilevered construction as soon as the material was tight.
Once more, the bottom line is that the ball-and-detents within the supporting body ensured rigidity and the power to bear a compressive load from the stress ratcheted into the material. No legs or man traces are required. This additionally saved the realm beneath the awning clear and eliminated any points from uneven or rocky floor. All this made the Kammok Crosswing extra usable than different awnings.
In 20mph gusts, I might see and listen to the awning shifting, however I used to be by no means fearful about harm, and none ever occurred. I used to be nonetheless assured at 25 mph, however the awning motion was regarding, so I guyed it out with two traces on the entrance two corners.
It looks like Kammok agrees with this reinforcing technique, because it now presents an awning tie-down equipment that features two man traces, two screw stakes, and two sandbags. Kammok additionally presents a pole pack to make use of beneath the entrance two corners for much more stability.
More often than not, I used the awning at full size. Retracting it to the center place drastically elevated its stability; 25mph winds had been no drawback at this size. And when it was super-gnarly, retracting it to the shortest place didn’t supply a lot space beneath the awning, however not less than it was a spot to gap up and wait out the rain.
The Elephant Beneath the Awning
I can not fathom one purpose to not get the Kammok Crosswing aside from the sock-you-in-the-wallet value. At each sizes hovering across the $1,000 mark, the Crosswing is greater than twice the value of well-liked models just like the ARB Touring Awning and even prices greater than some 270-degree batwing fashions.
However after I take into account the useful worth greater than the sticker value, when you have the means, I feel it’s completely price it. The benefit, comfort, and pace at which I might arrange and take down the Crosswing made me use it exponentially extra typically than every other awning I’ve used. After the primary week with the Kammok unit, I adjusted my considering and awning-deployment methods.
I didn’t take into account unfurling an awning until I wanted protection for not less than a couple of hours. On some fashions, it wasn’t price it to me until it was a day or in a single day. However with the Kammok Crosswing, I’d bust it out, even when it was for a fast cellphone name whereas I used to be on the go.
Being in Texas, the season to keep away from late morning to early night solar is lengthy. And the Crosswing made my not less than twice-weekly days of cellular working in Austin so significantly better. I had no excuse or purpose to take a seat or stand within the solar for even a couple of minutes when it was sizzling.
I can not overstate how far more I used the Crosswing awning than others. I estimate that inside the first three months of use, I had deployed it greater than all my different automotive and van awnings I had owned mixed.
Kammok Crosswing Overview: Last Ideas
The Kammok Crosswing is a major funding, to make sure. 4 digits is lots to pay for a car awning, particularly contemplating there are completely usable variations for as little as a few hundred {dollars}.
However the less-than-30-second setup and the equal take-down pace rendered the Kammok Crossing into an equivocally far more usable class. I didn’t have to justify any time or effort to reap the benefits of the shade or shelter from precipitation. Even pulling off the highway to take a 10-minute cellphone name or Zoom assembly was sufficient. There was no trepidation and nil hassles to sheltering within the candy shade on a sizzling summer time day.
Unimaginable comfort and value didn’t come at the price of stability or sturdiness. None of my different awnings might stand up to the winds the Kammok did, and if it required reinforcement, it was simply managed with the man traces I had available. Moreover, Kammok presents equipment to shore up the Crosswing. However I solely wanted to tie it out as soon as in all the yr of use.
Lastly, after a yr of sitting on my automotive within the brutal Texas solar and equally brutal rain storms and tornado-watch winds, the Kammok Crosswing has suffered zero structural harm.
