Dear Dave,
There is a tear in our awning that I’m planning to repair with Gorilla Tape waterproof patch and seal. I will be patching the tear from both the top and bottom sides. Might the Gorilla Tape be too thick and cause issues when the awning retracts? Thanks. —Rod, 2024 Leisure Travel Van Unity
Dear Rod,
I have not used Gorilla Tape but have used Flex Tape to fix a tear in an awning that was about 6′ long. It has held up for more than 4 years. The black tape matched the awning color and I did both the top and bottom, like you are suggesting. I know of a few owners who used EternaBond; however, it was not very flexible and did not work well.
Check out the article I posted last year on various options here.
Rod’s follow-up email
Hi Dave,
I contacted Carefree of Colorado, the maker of the awning. They also suggested Flex Tape, which is about the same thickness, maybe a little thicker than the Gorilla Patch and Seal.
Our awning is one of their legless models. The tear is about 6-7 inches long and on the left side, on top of the left hand support bar (about two feet in from the far left edge). I patched the tear top and bottom and when I retracted the awning, the left side retracted faster than the right side and so the right side didn’t retract all the way.
That’s what I was worried about. I called Carefree again and they said the tape thickness, especially with such a large area to patch, was causing the uneven retraction.
They suggested removing the bottom patch. That helped, but the right side still wouldn’t retract completely. So I removed the top patch too. Now the awning retracts.
I may see if I can find some thinner tape. Tyvek tape comes to mind. —Rod
Rod,
Thanks for the follow-up on the awning repair and relating your issue with the fabric retracting. We got several comments on the last post including Gorilla Tape, EternaBond, and Flex Tape. Another product that came up was Camco Awning Tape.
I have used a similar product to repair a tear in the vinyl of a pop-up camper. It was very thin and flexible. It is called Dulepax Awning Tape and you can find it on Amazon here.
One thing you might try is applying the repair tape to the other (right) side of the awning. This would provide an even thickness on both sides and might retract all the way since one side is not binding more than the other.
You might also enjoy these posts from Dave
- Why does RV awning operate opposite direction of what switch says?
- How do I manually retract my RV’s electric awning?
- What is best tape to use for tear in awning?
- Follow-up on repairing RV awnings post; plus, should fabric be conditioned?
- My RV awning rail pulled away from the sidewall. How do I reattach it?
- Why does my RV’s electric awning retract only intermittently?
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RVDT2727
Dave: I have run into the same issue with my awning, and, like Rod, I repaired it using Gorilla tape. Then when retracted, the awning rolled up askew. After a couple of tries, I decided to add some of the same tape to the other side of the awning, which fixed the rolling up issue.
Hear is another suggestion- tape one side of a tear with cheap packing tape to align the sides. Sew the torn region (especially the ends of the tear for reinforcement) using a sewing awl (may need two people). Tear off the tape (you sewed through it so some will remain). Lightly spray both sides of the tear with either Flex Spray or my favorite Plasti Dip Spray Smoke.
Camco awning repair tape is the best IMHO.
Thank you for the discussion and responses, Dave! We have used Gorilla tape to patch a worn spot in our patio awning. We only patched the top and it continues to extend and retract evenly. The manufacturer is Girard. Our slide toppers are by Carefree of Colorado, but I do not think we have patched any. I saved the Amazon link for future use. Have a great day and safe travels!