The R-Pod 192 has a surprisingly large awning for the size of the trailer, and honestly it’s one of my favorite features. It’s electric, which sounds like a small thing until you’ve wrestled with a manual one—one button and it rolls out slowly on its own, fully extended, no cranking. Same going back in. There’s even a light strip on the post where it retracts, which is great for keeping bugs away from the trailer door at night. Less useful when you actually need light and it’s already too windy to have the awning out, but still.
If you’re on the fence about whether an awning matters on a smaller trailer, it does. We consider it a must-have. A hot afternoon at a full-sun site feels completely different with it out—not just outside in the shade, but inside too, because the sun stops beating directly on that wall of windows by the dinette. We’ve also used it in the Pacific Northwest when it was doing that thing where it’s barely raining but just enough to get you wet if you’re sitting outside. The awning kept us dry and we stayed out in our chairs for hours. That’s the kind of thing that turns a frustrating weather day into a good one.
We spend a lot of time under it reading, listening to podcasts, just sitting. It extends your living space in a way that’s hard to appreciate until you have it.
One thing nobody tells you: slide a pool noodle over the arm before you do anything else. You will walk into it. Everyone does. With a pool noodle it’s annoying instead of painful.
When to Put Your RV Awning Away
We retract it every single time we leave the campsite. No exceptions. There have been a few times driving away where one of us goes “did we close it?”—and we always did, but that reflex took a while to build and it’s worth building deliberately.
We saw why in Southern California. It was a windy day and someone pulled away with their awning still out. It ripped clean off the side of their trailer. That’s not a slow process when it goes wrong—one gust from the wrong direction and it’s done. Replacing an awning isn’t cheap, and damage to the trailer wall underneath can be worse. It takes two seconds to retract before you leave.
We also pull it in at night, even when the air feels completely still. Or we’ll leave it out just a foot or so—enough to keep dew off the steps without leaving it fully exposed. Some newer rigs have wind sensors that auto-retract. Ours doesn’t, so we just do it ourselves and it’s become second nature.
How to Handle Rain With an RV Awning
Most awnings can take light rain without a problem, but water will pool in the middle if you leave it flat. We angle one arm down slightly so it runs off to the side instead of collecting. Just remember to level it back out before you retract it or it won’t roll in evenly.
We’ve had to put it away wet with leaves on it—it happens. When we could, we opened it back up, knocked the leaves off with a broom, and let it dry fully before rolling it in again. Rolling it up wet is what causes mildew, so if it goes in damp, make a plan to open it back up the next day.
RV Awning Wind Limits
We start thinking about retracting around 15 mph, and if it’s flapping or bouncing at all, it’s already coming in. Gusts are the real issue—a sudden hit from the wrong direction can twist the arms or pull the whole thing off the side of the trailer. The mistake people make is watching what the wind feels like right now instead of watching the forecast. A calm afternoon can turn fast, especially in certain parts of the country. We check the forecast before we put it out and keep an eye on it while it’s open.
How to Clean an RV Awning
For regular cleaning we keep it simple:
- Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray—spray it on, let it sit, rinse off. Works on the fabric without much scrubbing and we already keep it in the trailer for other cleaning anyway.
- Magic Eraser or Scrub Mommy/Scrub Daddy—for anything stubborn that doesn’t rinse off easily. We grab whichever is closest.
- Microfiber cloths—for wiping down the frame and arms after rinsing.
- A regular hose is enough. No pressure washer needed.
For everything else we use to clean the R-Pod, that’s all in this post.
RV Awning Not Working? Check This First
We hit the switch once and got nothing—no sound, no movement. We knew immediately it was the fuse, checked the fuse box, swapped it out, and were back up and running without a trip to the hardware store. If your awning suddenly stops responding, start there before assuming anything is seriously wrong. We keep a fuse assortment kit in the trailer specifically for moments like that—it’s a small thing that earns its space immediately the first time you need it.
Do You Need RV Awning Tie-Downs?
We don’t use them. Stakes and straps might help in mild wind, but the awning is still mounted to the trailer—if the wind is bad enough, it can rip off regardless. We’d rather just retract it and not think about it.
RV Awning Care for Small Travel Trailers: The Short Version
Retract it when you leave. Let it dry before rolling it in. Clean it a couple times a season. Keep spare fuses. And put a pool noodle on the arm.
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