The first couple times I had taken the van on a trip it had rained. This wasn’t a bad thing because I like the rain but I found myself stuck inside the van trying to stay dry. When I was by myself or one other person it was fine but with 3 or 4 people the van gets kind of crowded. My solution was to get an awning.
After doing some research I decided that I wasn’t ready to make that much of a monetary investment in an awning so I chose to make my own. For this project I used the following: an 8′ x 10′ tarp, four 10/24 hooks with bolt ends, a roll of paracord, three metal tent stakes and three 8′ adjustable tent poles. Everything except the tent poles I purchased at a local hardware store. The tentpoles I purchased from Cabela’s.
To fix the awning to the van I drilled four holes in the rain gutter and inserted the hooks to line up with the corresponding holes in the 8′ side of the tarp. I then sealed around the hook holes in the gutter with clear silicone. Once hooked to the van, stretch out the tarp and put the tent poles in each corner. For the third pole you will have to make your own hole in the center of the tarp. After you have the tent poles in place use the paracord and the tent stakes to hold the awning in place.
Vanagon Nomad 