The 180 XT MAX Awning is the ultimate solution as a free standing shade awning in terms of massive shade coverage (8.53m2 / 91.82ft2), wind resistance, and shares the same strength and durability as our famous 270 XT Awning and 270 XT MAX Awning.
The 180 XT MAX Awning is 2.3m (90.5″) longwhen packed up weighs only 26Kg (57.3lbs) and can be easily mounted to most roof racks or heavy duty load bars using our Heavy Duty L Brackets (supplied with the awning) or to our Roof Top Tents. The awning has two fully trussed arms that sit at 90o degrees at each end of the frame, as well as an additional aluminum pole at the front and rear end of the awning that fold out to be parallel with your vehicle. The combination of forward and rear folding arms means the 180 XT MAX Awning provides an incredible amount of shade (+/-8.53m2 / 91.82ft2) around your 4WD for you to set up your camp kitchen, swags or just a shaded seating/chill out area. When extended the rear of the awning measures a total of 5.84m / 19.16ft. As you can see from the video the awning is easily set up by one person in about 60 seconds and the pack down is just as simple. The 180 XT MAX Awning has a heavy duty stainless steel hinge at the rear and also the front section of the frame, all of the arms are made from an aircraft grade aluminum alloy, and the front and rear single arms are strengthened with a honeycomb cross section throughout their length.
The 180 XT MAX Awning is made in South Africa from the finest quality components. The awning bag is 460gsm/16.2oz poly-cotton rip-stop canvas with YKK Zippers. In contrast to PVC awning covers, the canvas allows the awning to breath while keeping it dust/dirt free and moisture is able to wick out through the zipper reducing the risk of mold or mildew. The rip-stop material on the bag also reduces the risk of large running tears in the bag as a result of contact with tree branches, and the front and rear sections of the bag have a double layer of canvas providing extra protection. The canvas on the awning itself is a 320gsm/11.3oz poly-cotton rip-stop canvas in The Bush Company’s traditional olive green colour that is mould and mildew resistant. There are no seams in the canvas section (not including the edges) and the canvas is pre-treated during manufacture for water resistance. Like any canvas it should be seasoned before use by pre-wetting and drying, and over time if the stitched areas show signs of water ingress this is easily treated with a canvas aqua proof product to seal the stitch holes. Where the canvas is attached to the ends of the awning arms there is additional triple reinforcement to eliminate chafing, and the front and rear arms slide into a triple stitched canvas sleeve.
The structure of the awning is made from an extruded alloy composite which has been specifically designed to provide the elasticity, strength and durability required to enable this awning to be fully free standing. The main brackets for the hinges is constructed from 316 marine grade stainless steel providing huge strength. The main arms on the awning have been gusseted for additional strength, which enables the awning to be fully free standing without any poles in even strong wind conditions. We do not supply poles for the awning as it does not need them, but we do supply guy ropes and pegs for use in strong wind conditions to prevent damage to your roof rack or vehicle. The guy ropes attach to the stainless steel D-rings that are attached to the canvas using 1 tonne webbing strap and incorporated into the ends of the arms and also midway along each canvas section. In conjunction with the natural rake of the awning, the guy ropes should be used to prevent pooling of water on the canvas and to guide water runoff in preferred places. We do not recommend leaving the awning up unattended during snowfall due to risk of canvas stretching as a result of excessive weight.
Around the inside edge of the awning is a 50mm / 2″ thick triple stitched velcro strip which can be used to attach the optional awning walls enabling you to fully enclose the area to provide protection from the elements or additional privacy.
Fitting the 180 XT MAX Awning
The 180 XT MAX Awning is supplied with a pair of Heavy Duty L Brackets, a fitment bracket must be attached to the stainless steel sections at each end of the awning frame no more than 200mm / 7 ⁷/₈inch from each end. The awning is not suitable to be fitted to a roof rack shorter than 1.9m / 74.8inches in length or to load bars where the width from front to rear is less than 1.9m / 74.8inches. When using our Heavy Duty L Brackets for mounting the 180 XT MAX awning, we recommend using one pairs of the brackets, with one at each end.
