Using and Maintaining a Pop-Up Camper Awning

Here’s one of the most important things you should consider when deciding whether a pop-up camper is the right RV model for you and your particular brand of travel: in most cases you’ll have to set up and tear down manually. This applies to the pop-up camper awning as well as the walls and roof. Very few brands come with push-button extending systems to get your awning set up automatically.

So in this quick video lesson, our RV repair and maintenance expert walks you through the process of extending a pop-up camper awning and discusses some of the minimal but crucial components of proper awning maintenance.

How to extend a pop-up camper awning

The process for extending the awning on your pop-up camper may vary slightly, but by and large it’s a fairly simple process. If you’re a bit vertically challenged like Dave, he has a solution you can use to easily reach the awning’s zippers and open the bag holding the awning in place. From there, all you have to do is pull out the poles and make sure they’re properly fixed once you have your height right.

How to maintain your awning

Similar to the extension process, there’s not a ton you need to do to keep your pop-up camper awning in good working order. Dave recommends keeping a close eye on the weather conditions at your campsite. Given that these types of awnings are a little flimsier than most, you’ll want to roll it up prior to any storm’s arrival.

If your awning does get rained on, you should be sure once you’ve made it home or to your next campsite that you let it completely dry out. It’s not a big deal to roll it up and head out after a rain, but you won’t want to leave it too long after. Otherwise you run the risk of mold and mildew setting into the canvas.

For further maintenance, Dave suggests that you clean it annually with dish soap (Dawn is ideal), and apply a canvas conditioner every now and again (these are available through many various providers). Apart from these few things, there’s not too much to worry about regarding your pop-up camper awning. Do the bare minimum, and your awning should last you a long time!