MU-X build: OZtrail BlockOut 270-degree awning

If you’re using your 4x4 vehicle for camping adventures, then a pull-out awning is one of the best pieces of kit you can add to it.

Mounted to the roof rack or trailer, these awnings provide quick and easy shelter from the sun and rain no matter where you are. They can be a godsend when it comes to beating the conditions.

Vehicle-mounted awnings come in a range of designs and styles, ranging from simple ones that pull straight out from the side of the car, to 180° and 270° units that fan out around the vehicle to give the most amount of coverage.

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For the Isuzu MU-X we fitted a 270° BlockOut awning from OZtrail for maximum coverage. The 270° part of the name indicates that the awning fans out to extend not only down the side of the Isuzu but around the back to cover the area under your tailgate.

The BlockOut part of the product name refers to the dark material used that is claimed to block out 95 per cent of light passing through the top of it and reduce temperatures under the awning by up to 10 per cent. Clever stuff.

The black material used is a 280gsm ripstop poly-cotton canvas that is seam-sealed and has a 1500mm waterhead rating, so it’s pretty much waterproof – just as you want for camping on Australia’s East Coast in the current climate.

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The awning fans out on four aluminium C-channel arms, each with fold-down telescopic poles for strong support. One of the arms swings forward toward the front of the vehicle, while the last three pivot around the rear of the car to give the 270° and up to 20.96m² of coverage.

Maximum coverage is achieved by unfurling the included wall sheet an extra 3.2m forward of the front support arm and propping it up with poles, or it can be pegged down to the ground to give protection from inclement weather.

OZtrail also offers optional zip-on walls that fit to the outsides of the awning panels, to provide even better protection by creating a full enclosure.

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The BlockOut 270° awning includes all necessary poles, pegs and guy ropes to erect and secure the product for all conditions. It also includes brackets to mount the awning to most popular roof racks. We mounted ours to the Rola Titan Rack using quick-release brackets from RacksBrax, for fast and easy removal from the vehicle when it’s not needed.

The awning and its poles pack up neatly in the heavy-duty PVC zip-up bag on the side of your vehicle.

Put to the test

I have to admit I was slightly daunted by the prospect of setting up the big BlockOut 270° awning for the first time when I pulled up to solo camp in the Victorian High Country. I needn’t have worried as it was pretty simple after unzipping the storage bag and unfurling it in to position, dropping the telescopic poles and then tying them all down.

I did have some trouble with the MU-X’s rear door fouling on the awning arm when set-up and not being able to open the door to its fullest. I have since rectified this by loosening off the mounting brackets when the awning was packed away, and moving it forward on the roof rack around 50mm so that the rear door clears the awning when it is unfurled.

We reckon you could get away with unfurling it without tying it down for quick-stop shade on a still day, but it’s essential to tie it down securely for longer and overnight stops and/or with any hint of wind present. All that canvas easily catches the wind and can easily cause damage if it does.

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You need to tie down the awning not just to secure it against any wind but also to pull the material taught to prevent the pooling of any water in between the awning arms. If and when it does rain, you can then lower the poles at one end of the awning to allow any water to drain away where you would prefer it to and not pool up above.

I’ve only used the awning in light rain so far and there was no problem with pooling. On that occasion I unfurled the front wall and pegged it to the ground and put my swag under the front section to keep it dry, allowing it to be packed away dry the next morning. With the swag under cover, there was still enough room under the awning for a couple of us to sit in shelter.

Pack-up for the first time was again daunting but proved to be relatively easy and has become more so with repeated use. Once you unpeg it from the ground and fold the poles up to where they clip to the C-section arms, you simply close it up, folding the material around the arms, and it all tucks back in place where it is secured with heavy-duty Velcro straps.

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Try to keep the material spread across the arms rather than bunched up and it will be easier to do the zipper up on the storage pouch as this can get tricky. I would like to see a heavier duty zipper used here with a bigger pull-tag on it, to make it easier to close up.

All in all the OZtrail BlockOut 270° awning has done what it says it will do in the brochure. It has provided us with cover from the sun and rain, and it’s self-contained and relatively easy to unfurl and put away, even single-handed. Shorter users will want to have a step handy to make things easier, especially if their car has a high roof – but this isn’t an issue for my 185cm height.

The BlockOut 270° can be mounted on your vehicle rack, along with other accessories and even a rooftop tent if they are your thing. The awning weighs 27.17kg, so adding it with an RTT and the weight of the roof rack itself could be pushing your vehicle’s roof capacity to its limits.

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We know it would certainly exceed the MU-X’s 100kg rating. The other alternative is to mount the awning on your camper trailer, which would allow you to drive your car away while leaving your camp set up.

At $1199.99 the BlockOut 270° is at the more affordable end of awnings of this design, so you could potentially buy one for both your 4x4 and your trailer for the same price as one of the more expensive examples.

Pricing

RRP: $1199.99
Available from: www.oztrail.com.au