The Wildside Campervan Tarp Is Built For Adventurous Vanlifers

We’ve been searching for a weatherproof awning for our own campervan for years, and we’ve finally found the solution; the Wildside campervan tarp.

What do you do if you can’t find the perfect awning for your campervan? Tape bin bags together? Hold up an umbrella and hope for the best?

No; you crack out the sewing machine and make your own.

That’s what vanlifers and inventors Florian and Marcel have done, and now they’ve started their own company making weather-proof awnings for vandwellers all over the world!

Checking Out The Wildside Campervan Tarp

A Quick Note About My Awning Struggles…

I’ve found it difficult to find an awning for my camper that isn’t fixed to the side of the van.

I have a fibreglass roof, and I don’t fancy screwing something too heavy into it. Plus there isn’t a lot of space between my sliding door and the base of the roof.

If I did have space, most of the awnings that I have looked at either come with ugly tent attachments that wouldn’t be very useful for life on the move, or they are only ‘sun shades’.

What use is a sun shade when you have to come back to the U.K every winter for a vehicle M.O.T?

About as much use as a chocolate teapot…

The Wildside Campervan tarp is the world’s first all-weather awning that can be used freestanding or attached to your camper using sucker pads.

Users can adjust the poles to their own specifications to create more shade or rain protection, and it is compatible with every make of camper!

About The Makers

Florian and Marcel are two Swiss vanlifers on a mission. They bought their very own VW T6 Bus Camper and, like me, found it difficult to find the perfect awning for their needs.

Here’s the issue; roof-mounted awnings usually get battered by the wind, you can’t leave them up before you set off on a journey, and they cost a small fortune.

Sure, you could always get the kind of tarpaulin that construction workers use on building sites, but it’ll rip and flap around uncontrollably in high winds.

Florian and Marcel know the value of being outside in the great doors first hand, especially when travelling in a smaller van.

Their Wildside campervan tarp started out as a prototype that they lent to friends and family.

Now, they’ve created a super-successful Kickstarter campaign that shows that there are more people in the world who find it difficult to find the perfect camper awning!

What Is The Wildside Campervan Tarp?

This campervan awning system is simple, versatile, and effective. It provides the user with an extra outdoor space that can either be attached to their campervan or built free-standing so that you can drive your camper away without packing it all down.

Now, when the rain comes or the sun is scorching, you can continue your adventures and still take in in the sights and sounds of nature.

The Wildside campervan tarp packs down small, about the size of a typical gym bag, and weighs just 11.8 lb.

But once erected, it provides a whopping amount of space next to your camper.

The tarp has a surface area of 3m x 6.5m (9.8ft x 21.3ft) and can either be placed widthways or lengthways by your camper.

How Does It Attach to My Camper?

The most ingenious part is that you don’t need to worry about what size camper you have or whether this awning will fit or not.

How many products like this can you buy with confidence without having to check that kind of thing before hand?

The Wildside campervan awning can be put up by one person, even in wet and windy conditions.

You can use your own existing Keder c-channel mounting rail or the included suction cups, and the tarp itself attaches on using a waterproof zip system.

There are different anchor points for you to use depending on what type of terrain you’re camping on.

Sand, grass, snow, mud; there’s no place that you can’t put the Wildside campervan tarp.

And if you want to drive away, just unhook it and leave it where it is!

How Weatherproof Is This Thing?

The Wildside campervan tarp is 100% weatherproof. You can adjust the poles and anchor ropes to ‘batten down the hatches’ in stormy weather, providing a place for you to keep outdoor equipment and boots dry.

You can also have it set up at it’s full height and length to create a shady spot in hot temperatures, giving you a place to cool off no matter where you are.

The tarp itself is made from 80D Ripstop nylon made that has been produced from from recycled PET bottles.

It undergoes 3x silicone-coating process and is both waterproof & UV-proof!

Now that’s weatherproof!

Our Verdict

We haven’t had a chance to get our hands on one of these to test out ourselves yet. But we’re seriously impressed by what we see!

Having an awning that doesn’t come with a massive tent attachment means that the Wildside campervan tarp will be both easy to set up and simple to store.

It’s a practical piece of kit that will provide vanlifers the world over with a simple solution for staying dry and cool no matter what the elements throw at them.

As I’ve said before, outside space is important when travelling in a tiny home, and the Wildside campervan tarp gives you a comfortable spot to relax under no matter where you are.

Plus it doesn’t block off the views of your park-up spot, which is the best bit about travelling in a van, after all!

Find out more about the Wildside campervan tarp and back Florian and Marcel on their Kickstarter page!

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