Let's see those Alu-cab setups

Pretty sure it’s the middle height set.

AVO set it up and if you’re looking, I would highly recommend them. They drilled the tent for the awning mounts, ran wiring for me to connect to, and installed the shell, awning, and the RTT.

 

I got a quote from them, I live like 13 hrs away and it is hundreds more. Luckily I have my awning and tent already, just need the canopy.

 

Secluded sunsets

(Portsmouth Island, NC)

 

One of the few places in Canada to get an Alu-Cab got back to me on a Contour. Delivery will be Q1 of 2023 and they want the full payment up front. Not really into giving someone $5200+ for a product that I won't see for 6 months minimum.

 

Yea, that seems a little excessive.

 

I would go back to them to see if they’ll work on their price if you’re finding something better. The 13 hours may not work at all for you though. However, Asheville is super nice if you’ve never been and plenty of great spots to camp nearby. Pisgah is like 30 mins from the shop.

For me, early this spring they had canopies in stock, they’re 3 hours away, and they were competitive on price with everything else I found… AluCab from others, RSI, RLD… so I went for it.

 

I would love to plan my vacation around them

 

Same here. I priced out AVO vs having everything shipped to my house and (at the time) I saved $100-$200 by having them do it. install and everything. But I am only about 40 minutes from their shop, so it was a no-brainer for me.

 

You and I would get along. I also take my alu-cab setup surf fishing at the OBX.

 

Got a reply from Alu-cab regarding the contour long box version. Sounds like the side doors are the same size as short box and they add filler plates on the front and rear so the door stays centered on the canopy. This is different than the explorer, and I think it will look better.

 

Great news!! At least they’re centering it

 

Can anyone confirm if an alucab for a colorado would fit a tacoma?

 

Any one know if it's possible to mount an Alu-cab awning to the roof of an Explorer canopy without adding roof rails?

 

canopy or camper? Canopy I would say no based upon

https://www.alu-cab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/EXPLORER-CANOPY-CHEV-COLORADO-GA.pdf
https://www.alu-cab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/282-TOYOTA-TACOMA-2016-SB-CANOPY-GA-1.pdf

 

I'll need to view these on my computer to see the specs

 

The rails are built into every explorer canopy. Did you mean roof bars? I am not sure how the awning attaches.

 

sorry, I mean without adding roof cross bars.

 

Probably need custom plates to mount to the channels on the roof

 

Short answer is "no". Long version: the awning, especially when open, applies a strong rotational force to the awning body and the mounts. This is due to the leg-less/free-standing design - in essence the whole structure is trying to bend to the side it is open. Alu-cab went to great lengths to counter this:
- The bracket is pocketing the cross bar (wraps it on 3 sides)
- They added a stout metal strap that connects the awning to about 6 inches inwards of the edge of the cross bar to counter this force.

Without a cross bar, you could connect the bracket to the longitudinal rails with one or two carriage bolds, but being a single connection point (and barely any surface contact), it will, in my opinion, rip right off, with minimal leverage.

 

If you get cross bars, I have the 90 degree brackets left over from the previous owner that had my awning mounted to roof cross bars on a Jeep…. Let me know…