Mod 23: ROAM Adventure Co Awning

We’ve all been there. You pack up the rig with your camping gear, you see beautiful weather in the forecast, and then when you get to camp, the clouds roll in and some random rainstorm ruins the day. Now sometimes it can truly be a random rainstorm and other times it’s just my dumbass forgetting to actually check the weather. Either way, camping in the rain isn’t super fun. That’s where an awning comes in. You can add an awning to almost any roof rack system (including the stock one) available for 4Runners. I have a Gobi Stealth Rack, and Gobi offers some easy-to-use awning brackets that make install a breeze.

Now there are a number of companies that make awnings, so you really have your pick of the litter when it comes to the features you want. I decided to go with an 8ft awning from a company called ROAM Adventure Co. Their lead times weren’t crazy long, they were reasonably priced, and they had some great customer service when it came to answering questions before and after my purchase. I ordered my 8ft awning in their slate gray color, and it is a great looking bit of kit. I am so impressed with my initial uses of the awning that I am definitely going to be considering their roof top tents when it comes to that point of the build.

With an awning installed, whenever inclement weather rolls in, you can simply unroll it and have access to your own little safe haven. The canvas rolls out, two legs fold down from the end, and then two additional arms fold out from the roof rack and everything connects together. This gives the awning a really solid structure for withstanding rain and remaining upright. For those windy days, ROAM includes built-in guy wires as well as some stakes to keep your awning standing tall.

All in all, I’ve been super impressed with the initial quality of the awning. Our last camping trip involved a very unexpected rain storm and we were beyond excited to have the ability to roll out the ROAM awning. With a slight tilt to allow the rain to roll off, we read our books, drank some beer and cooked some food while listening to the peaceful sound of the rain hitting the canvas.