Roo Systems Awning Review
Roo Systems are well known for their range of 4wd and camping accessories, so we thought we’d have a look at their awnings. After all that’s what we do. Their range is made up of fairly conventional models and we’ve looked at quite a few of these, but it’s always good to check out a few more. We had a look at what was on offer, which is 1.4 x 2 metre size for the rear of your vehicle and 2 x 2, 2 x 2.5 and 2.5 x 2 versions for the side, and we decided to try the 2 x 2.5 one. All other details are the same for all models, though, so what we say applies to them too.
The heart of the Roo Systems awning is its base, which is made from an aluminium extrusion. The rest of the awning and its PVC cover are attached to this, and the base itself gets bolted to your roof rack. It uses the standard and effective system of captive mounting bolts that run in two channels down the back, and you can use these bolts to either fasten it directly to a cage or mount it on the L brackets supplied with the awning. The base and the rest of the frame are typical for a reasonably cheap awning like this one – they’re strong enough and reasonably well finished. All the fittings are stainless steel or hard plastic and seem like they should stand up well enough. The awning itself is heavyweight 420 gram ripstop canvas, which is waterproof and gives good UV protection as well. The stitching is generally good and all seams are sealed with waterproof tape. There’s nothing really remarkable here, but it’s a capable enough bit of gear.
Setting up the Roo Systems awning is pretty easy. Just unzip the cover and fold out the side struts, then unroll the awning from its end bar. The ends of the struts slot into the bar, and once that’s done you just have to unfold the legs – which fit away neatly into a channel in the end bar – and adjust them to the height you want.
Roo Systems aren’t doing mozzie nets or tent kits for their awnings right now, so if you want a full on package for sleeping in this might not be for you. Of course because it’s a standard design a lot of awning tents will fit fine, and that might be an option. Otherwise this is a plain awning that works well at giving you some shade to sit in and relax.
