The Best 4x4 Awning for Your Off Road Adventures
After years of using a basic 4x4 awning on our truck camping setup, we recently upgraded the awning on our 4WD Toyota Tacoma Overland Build to a free-standing 270 degree 4x4 awning made by Kinsmen Hardware, and it’s a total gamechanger!
In this post we’ll cover the benefits of using a 270 degree 4WD awning for off road camping and overlanding, and why we think the Kinsmen 270 awning stands above the competition in the 4x4 awning space.
We also recognize that it isn’t right for everyone’s budget (we personally saved for years to get ours), so be sure to check out our post on How to Choose the Best Overland Awning, which includes several budget-friendly 4WD awning recommendations.
What is a 4x4 Awning
A 4x4 awning provides an outside covered space on either the passenger-side, driver-side, and/or rear of your 4x4 vehicle. These 4WD awnings give you protection from the sun and elements while camping, and extend the “living space” of your 4x4 while traveling on and off road.
Benefits of a 270 Degree 4x4 Awning
In our experience, standard 4x4 vehicle awnings - the kind that require you to manually unroll the canopy, extend support poles and legs, and secure with stakes and guy lines - can be awkward and take a good deal of time to set up.
This can really make your 4x4 awning feel like more of a hassle to set up than it’s worth, especially for short stops while traveling, or quick overnight camping or off roading trips. Plus standard 4WD awnings only offer coverage in one direction on one side of the vehicle.
A quality self-supporting 270 degree 4x4 awning, on the other hand, provides a much more usable coverage area and can be set up significantly faster because they typically don’t require the use of poles and rigging. This also allows them to be quickly and easily deployed over solid rock or uneven surfaces as well.
Why the Kinsmen Awning is the Best 4x4 Awning on the Market
Before upgrading our truck’s 4x4 awning, we did a ton of research and carefully weighed the pros and cons of the Kinsmen Hardware 270 awning before investing in one:
Pros
Fast and easy to set up (average time <30 seconds)
Packs relatively small [as far as 270 awnings go]
Strength (I can literally do a pull-up on the awning arms)
Material quality is unparalleled (more on this below)
Domestically sourced and manufactured
Application specific mounting brackets and hardware included
Cons
Heavier than similar 270 degree 4x4 awnings
Expensive (but you definitely get what you pay for)
Poles and rigging are not included
Awning Specs
Mounting Options: Driver-side or Passenger-side options are available
Weight: 70lbs
Packed Size: 91in. x 7in. x 8in.
Coverage Area: Appx 85 sqft
Awning Materials
The material quality of the Kinsmen 270 awning is where it really stands out from other 4WD awnings.
Welded 1 inch square steel tube truss frame and awning arms that provide an incredible amount of structural integrity
Stainless steel and brass hardware with poly bushings helps reduce corrosion and wear
Sunbrella 9-ounce/314GSM marine-grade fabric that is UV, mold, mildew, water, fade, and even salt resistant
Heavy-duty 18-ounce vinyl-coated polyester cover
All of this 4x4 awning’s materials are 100% domestically sourced and manufactured in the USA.
Accessories
Kinsmen Hardware offers a Full Wall Kit made of heavy-duty 500D mil-spec Cordura, or individual walls can be purchased a la carte to fit your needs or budget, allowing you to convert the 4x4 awning into a completely enclosed space.
How to Install the Kinsmen Hardware 4x4 Awning on Your 4WD Vehicle
Kinsmen Hardware’s 4x4 awning includes custom mounting bracketry specifically designed to fit your use-case (and they’re available for a variety of popular 4WD campers, roof top tents, and roof racks). This makes installation on your 4x4 vehicle very straight forward, plus Kinsmen Hardware provides very clear installation instructions.
Our install took under two hours, and consisted of the following steps:
Unpackage the awning
Lay out mounting brackets and hardware
Install the rear mounting bracket
Using the supplied diagram and the mounting holes in the rear bracket as a reference point: measure for the positioning of the two side brackets and install the side brackets at the measured position - but leave them just loose enough to reposition them slightly if needed as the awning is positioned for final install
After triple checking the measurements, cut holes (4 total) in the vinyl-coated polyester cover that correspond with the mounting holes on the awning relative to the side bracket bolt hole placement on the camper (the holes for the rear bracket mounting bolts are already made). This sounds more complicated than it is!
With the assistance of a helper (thanks Lindsey 😘), lift the awning and secure it to the mounting brackets with the included hardware - using the supplied blue Loctite on all fasteners
Double check that all fasteners are tight
Enjoy the satisfaction of opening your Kinsmen Hardware awning for the first time!
How to Use the Kinsmen 270 Degree 4x4 Awning
The Kinsmen 270 Awning is incredibly easy to use while off roading in your 4WD vehicle, and can be set up securely in a variety of different weather conditions.
For Fair-Weather Use:
Unzip the awning cover and ensure the cover is tucked behind the hinge and lock-pin
Unfold the steel truss awning arms
Ensure the lock-pin clicks into place
For Mild Wind (<35MPH) and Light Precipitation:
Secure the adjustable tension strap
Raise secondary pop-up arms to improve water shedding
For High Winds (>35MPH) and Heavy Precipitation (>3” Snow)
Install support poles (not included - we sourced ours from SpringBar - they’re US made robust and budget-friendly galvanized steel awning poles)
Use rigging attachments to secure the awning using cordage and ground stakes
The Kinsmen Hardware 270 degree 4x4 awning is SUPER fast to set up. Below is an example of the timed setup and breakdown of our our previous 4WD awning vs the new Kinsmen 270 4x4 awning:
Our Old Standard Vehicle Awning (ARB 1250) Setup & Breakdown Times:
Setup: 4 minutes 38 seconds
Breakdown: 5 minutes 10 seconds
Kinsmen Hardware 270 Awning Setup & Breakdown Times:
Setup: 28 seconds
Breakdown: 1 minute 15 seconds
While the difference may not seem all that significant, it makes a huge difference when you're traveling for extended periods of time in your 4WD vehicle, making and breaking camp frequently.
Another great feature of the Kinsmen Hardware’s 4x4 awning is that with awning poles in place, the awning arms are capable of supporting a hammock, which is really nice when you’re camping in the desert or on the beach where trees are scarce.
If you’re looking for the best 4x4 awning for your off road camping or overlanding setup, it’s hard to beat Kinsmen Hardware’s 270 degree 4WD awning. We’re incredibly happy with ours and hope this review can help you decide if it’s right for you too!
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