Add - A - Rooms: Love them or hate them? Discuss.
We have never had one before and I would like to get one for our hybrid. DH isn't so sure. We have 5 of us in "Joey" and often camp with family and friends who are still tenters so they all end up at our site. I think it would be great for rainy long weekends. Any thoughts?
We have one and we only use it on trips where we will be camping at least 3 nights in a row. It's not overly difficult to set up, but it's too much trouble on a short trip. But on a longer trip, or one that's not the greatest weather, an AAR is a welcome addition to the pup.
I don't know if I'd get another one or not, but since we have one, I'll continue to use it on longer trips.
Quote from: canuck_girlAdd - A - Rooms: Love them or hate them? Discuss.
We have never had one before and I would like to get one for our hybrid. DH isn't so sure. We have 5 of us in "Joey" and often camp with family and friends who are still tenters so they all end up at our site. I think it would be great for rainy long weekends. Any thoughts?
We had one also. We just never used it after about the 2nd trip. It just didn't seem big enough for us to hang out in. Instead we bought a large screen room (14 x 12) that we set up over the campsite picnic table. Great place to hang out, eat and play games even on wet days.
We are also a family of 5 and camp with friends. It works for us.
We have aar and it is good to use it if there is rain coming. I liked it when even though it was raining(hard) we could be out side!?not all cramped up in the camper we usually have 6 of us.If you look at the 30 min to set it up compared to the 4-5 hours of rain you have it's a good trade off
Quote from: PLJInstead we bought a large screen room (14 x 12) that we set up over the campsite picnic table. Great place to hang out, eat and play games even on wet days.
That's what we are currently using. When it is really bucketing down it is a pain to run back and forth. Especially for meals when all our stuff is in Joey and we have to make several trips to the screen house. We have set up our screen house right off our awning before but the amount of work to set it up and then cover the whole thing with a tarp so you don't get a puddle of water at the screen house door is probably more than the amount of work to put up an add-a-room.
Quote from: campingnutWe have aar and it is good to use it if there is rain coming. I liked it when even though it was raining(hard) we could be out side!?not all cramped up in the camper we usually have 6 of us.If you look at the 30 min to set it up compared to the 4-5 hours of rain you have it's a good trade off
Only 30 minutes of set-up. That is good to hear. What about take down?
Anyone have any advice for purchasing one? Brand? Design (i.e. how many panels, how it attaches, etc)?
Quote from: canuck_girlAnyone have any advice for purchasing one? Brand? Design (i.e. how many panels, how it attaches, etc)?
Depending on what brand awning you have, there is a guy on ebay who has A&E shademaker addarooms for $115. They attach with velcro but be sure your awning has the loop side of the velcro not the hook side.
I purchased one for my 12' fleetwood awning and when I got it, both the awning and the AAR had the hook side. As luck would have it, I had to replace my awning this year so we got a Shademaker awning to match the AAR. Now it works real good! His website is:
//www.bontragerssurplus.com Also on ebay there are a few other companies selling AARs for $200-300
Hope this was helpful.
If you are looking at a free standing screen room, I just bought a 12x12 Paha Que at Amazon for half price. From what I have read here and on the reviews online, they stand behind their product 100%. No, I don't work for the, but am excited to set it up whenever it warms up!
We have an add-a-room on our Jayco including the skirt below the camper. We set it up ever trip, takes about 20 minutes, and take-down time is even less. Love it, wouldn't want to be without it.
We have one but never use it. Its too much trouble.....It came with the camper so I dont feel too bad.
heres another idea .... when we camp with the inlaws they bought a free standing tarp like what they use at the flea markets it's long enough to play washers under or the ball toss game....we even run lights around it attaching to the top poles --- if weather looks like it's going to be bad we put the tables under it too --- we set it up so that it meets both our camp sites and basically its just a short jump to under the unit -- he got it at our grocery store on bonus buy for $99.00 --- they use it for their camping club outings too.
i also second the screen room in front of the awning - we did that when we tent camped and only put the tarp partly over the screen room....i think a separate screen room would probably afford you more room than one on the camper and they are very easy to set up and take down.
hope some or all of this is helpful
We have one that was never used. The awning has always been enough for us.
Hmm, a free standing tarp to put between the screen house (which we already own) and the camper. Not a bad idea. I'll look into that.
I've been looking for a 12ft AAR for my Fleetwood Tacoma. Anyone with one wanting to get rid of it let me know and what price you want
Looking for a 12' aar for my niagara. Anyone that would be willing to sell let me know. ken
I have had one for several years and only use it occasionally, but I would not get rid of it. :)
I wish AAR's were easier to find USED but I guess they go with the pops they were originally used with. They just cost to much new for the amount of use we think we'd get out of it - plus we'd like to upgrade in the future and are trying to limit what we spend on this one...
I don't believe that AAR's count as "tents" in most campgrounds, but are simply counted as part of the tent trailer itself. This maters when you add a second or third tent (like a port-privy, screen house, or tent for the kids) and the CG has a limit on how many you can have onsite. We like as much space as possible and when it does rain, or bugs are a problem the more screened in space the better... I think that if we did have one we'd only use it as needed given the additional set up time which is already to long but it would be nice to have.
Masspopup
I have an Add-a-room for my 06 Niagara, and love it. In all honesty, once a routine is established, it might not take as much as 30 minutes to put up. I raise my roof all of two inches (enough for the PUP door to open), snatch the AAR pieces (3 plus a skirt), lay them out, unroll the awning, beginning center front attach the ridgepoles and AAR to the awning working out on each side, tie the side pieces to the end ridgepoles and adjust the velcro accordingly, then raise the roof a foot or two, adjusting the legs for awning/add-a-room as I go up with the roof. Once it's all the way up, attach the elastic loops to the hooks, zip up the sides to the front, and get down on my hands and knees to do the skirting. If you've got someone to help with this procedure it goes faster. I do it solo. Taking it down is faster - unzip, detach loops and ties (from the front awning poles), lower the roof a foot or more and adjust the legs down accordingly and bingo - when its at a manageable height, untie the pieces, unvelcro, take them out of the ridgepole holes and you're pretty much done (except folding). (I cheat and cram the pieces in the entry way to the camper for easier access as it's first out and up, last in).
We love the AAR, whether for us to sit outside bug free, rain free or for our dogs and grandbabies to be in a protected space.
On thing I would like to do to my AAR is to sew the end panels to the awning. Then cut the end flaps so that the triangular section of the AAR end panels are permanently attached to the awning (the top section of the end panels). Sew a zipper on the 2 pieces of the AAR where it was cut, so that there would not be any velcro/tyeing needed to use the end panels of the AAR. With a zipper I would not have to worry about the AAR coming apart when there are high winds, and set up would be easier.:)
We had an AAR with our pop up and loved it. The AAr became our kitchen and we just used the inside for doing everything else. It saved us many a time with the weather.
With the 5th wheel though we find we have no need for the extra room. I have seen one set up but it seemed almost claustrophobic.
Quote from: tlhdocOn thing I would like to do to my AAR is to sew the end panels to the awning. Then cut the end flaps so that the triangular section of the AAR end panels are permanently attached to the awning (the top section of the end panels). Sew a zipper on the 2 pieces of the AAR where it was cut, so that there would not be any velcro/tyeing needed to use the end panels of the AAR. With a zipper I would not have to worry about the AAR coming apart when there are high winds, and set up would be easier.:)
Good idea. I never really though about doing something like this. I would think the sewing on the awning would have to be done by hand or one of those hand held machines. I might have to look into this, I would think it would make it easier to set up.
Quote from: fritz_monroeGood idea. I never really though about doing something like this. I would think the sewing on the awning would have to be done by hand or one of those hand held machines. I might have to look into this, I would think it would make it easier to set up.
I am thinking of having an upholstery shop do the job for me. I don't have a sewing machine of any type and I am sure a heavy duty machine is needed.:)
Do they blow around or flap in 20-25 mph winds?