Rhino Rack Batwing Awning

My truck has been undergoing an overlanding transformation these past two years. Our ATV group here in Colorado do a large 5-7 day camping trip/ATV ride every year. The worst part about the trips has always been fighting with erecting the 10x10 canopies for shade and weather. I did a TON of research to find a solution to the problem, and I settled on the Rhino Rack batwing awning. It's a GAME CHANGER! Less than 2 minutes to deploy and tear down. The coverage area is more than adequate. I am looking forward to getting a sidewall or two in the future. They attach to the awning with a simple zip and stake, and will be a great addition. I recommend ditching the little tent stakes, and getting yourself a set of drill in ground anchors to really secure the awning against any wind gusts (see more in next paragraph).The awning mounts right to your roof rack. Firstly, you do have to purchase the right mount for the awning based on what you have for a roof rack or platform, so be aware of that. Also, to make things easier on yourself, buy a 6-pack and invite a friend over to help mounting the awning on the rack. Lastly, don't get an ego after you have mounted the awning, and immediately open the awning in gusty wind conditions ... speaking for a friend! That's an easy way to use up the extra hinges that Rhino Rack gives you. These are the weak point of the awning, and they are made to break to save the canvas and poles of the awning in the off chance you get an ego and attempt to open the awning in gusty wind conditions. You can buy more on Amazon or at Rhino Rack.

This is the second one that I bought. First one is on my overland trailer. Got this second for the SUV so I can have an awning when I am out exploring without the trailer. Also got the enclosure side panels that I trade out with the trailer. Will probably get a second set of those also.

My Jeep is LOADED with gadgets and gear, but this is BY FAR my favorite product on my Jeep. I love showing it off and using everywhere. It’s so easy to set up and take down. Please be carful though. This thing is NOT ment for wind without stakes. I set up to camp one day and before the stakes went in i got a slight wind. The sucker whipped over my Jeep , broke the plastic hinges(where it’s supposed to break) and the leg cracked a dent in my hood. 20 bucks to fix the hinges and a nice dent to remind me not to be stupid. Either way, definitely a must to camp or tailgate. Can’t imagine not having it now.

Just as some of the other reviews have stated, the hinges are not built to support their own weight. The very first time I set up the awning two of the four hinges snapped clean off before I could even strap the far end. I went slowly, there was no wind, no sudden movements, they just simply could not support themselves and immediately broke. Luckily they supplied two replacement hinges, which seems to imply this is a very common issue, but I am definitely afraid to use it again.If you end up purchasing this awning, do not deploy it as shown in the demonstration video. It will break. I would recommend extending each support leg as soon as you unhook that section of the awning and then slowly extending the awning while making sure each section remains fully supported.I am very happy with the look and functionality beyond that issue, and hopefully a very gently setup will keep all of the parts in one piece, but it is not designed to be used as shown.

Friends have had the original and I think they have done a great job addessing previous issues. In no particular order the poles are now integrated into the canopy vs separate, the pole feet nicely accommodate the stakes, all components fit nicely with the canopy no separate parts to store. The canopy material seems durable. The channel and mounts are nice. The improved stake out configuration is less cluttered than the previous. Very nice product at this price point. Sheds the rain well and did well with 20 mph wind gust and rain.

We used to bring a 10' x 10' gazebo with us when we drove our Jeep on the beach. It wasted a lot of space on our roof rack on the ride to the beach and took a considerable amount of effort and time to unload, setup and anchor as well as to put away when we were finished. This Batwing has been a great purchase for us. We love that it mounts to the side of our RhinoRack Pioneer platform and gives us more usable rack space. Furthermore, we can both set it up and stow it back away in a matter of minutes. My only concern that I had was that I saw where people had complained about the quality of the hinge joints, however; now that I've used it a few times I can say that the quality and durability of the awning seems to be perfectly fine in my opinion.

Product is so nice however it is NOT HEAVY DUTY AT ALL, I just used it once, due to mild wind I broke two hinges and bended one leg (with I have not find a replacement), I ended deployment my 30usd Academy canopy with no issues. Also just noted that the bag is NOT waterproof so if it rains heavy water will get into the bag, the end part of my bag its ragged, where it touches the hinges due to how tight it was packed.Worst thing is that this was shipped with USPS, guess what! USPS trucks cannot fit this for delivery, so I had to pick it up 3 days after the supposed delivery date, as USPS did not provided feedback on the shipping exception. Why would you make your customer go thru that, if you carrier cannot deliver final mile. This should be advice since the beginning.Overall the design looked perfect, I guess its great if you are replaying with NO wind at all.