Thule Approach 2 Awning Full Wall Enclosure Kit - Large - Ashland Gray

Video Transcript for A Closer Look at the Thule Approach 2 Awning Full Wall Enclosure

Hey, everyone, I'm Evangeline right here at etrailer inside these sidewalls for the Thule Approach 2 tent awning. This is gonna be an extension that creates an annex beside your Thule Approach 2 tent. So if you're looking for some extra privacy or maybe you just really wanna create a larger campsite for all your friends and family, this is the way to do it. This kit is gonna consist of four different panels. So you're going to have what's usually a vehicle side door, you're gonna have two connecting panels that work as a window, and then you have your other door here. Now, usually this is how people will have theirs set up, but I understand that everyone has a different type of overlanding rig, a different campsite setup, a different trailer, so you can customize the locations of those panels as much as you want to get the best fit for you and your adventures.

There's a lot of space in this tent, and it's very lightweight while giving all this space. So you have the same material that you're gonna have with your awning, so it's lightweight, but also waterproof. And then you have the options of using either the doors for rain protection or the bug screens or netting if you want the air, you want the sunlight, but you don't want the bugs with you. This is just an extension of your rooftop tent because picture this, you wake up and it might be a little too rainy to go outside just yet, so you don't have to venture out into the stormy weather. You can just relaxingly get out of your tent.

You still have all this dry space and all this area to just enjoy a cup of coffee, maybe make some breakfast, and then when you're ready to venture out there, you can do so at any time. This can be as organized or as easy to use as you want. For example, there's a lot of intentionality here when it comes to how you adjust the windows and the doors, like this nice pouch here just to hold the rest of your window when you want the breeze. So for me, the thing I like the least about tents and camping is just all the different zippers that I feel like I have to do and use and all the things I have to roll up. Here, it just makes it easy for you.

The thing I love the most though is since Thule designed everything together, it looks like a seamless connection from the tents to the walls. But there's actually three separate parts. So just for your sake or curiosity, what we have is the Thule Approach 2 large in Ashland Gray. We have large awning attached to it. And then finally we have the large sidewalls.

So this all works together for a complete campsite, but if you find that maybe you get to a spot and you don't think you need the walls, you just wanna enjoy the awning, then you can use the awning on its own. You don't have to set everything up. It's totally a pick and choose according to your adventure. For me personally, the Thule Approach 2 tent in and of itself is already plenty of space for me and my husband as we go camping. If it's gonna be a rainy day, we have all that space with the tent to, like, play a game of cards or just chill and enjoy the rain. But definitely understand that when I start bringing friends on camping trips, it's nice to have a good base camp to have the extra space that the awning gives and even more weather protection that the sidewall gives. So it's definitely about what type of adventure you're going on and what type of space you are expecting to have for those adventures. And if you're not quite ready for all those extra add-ons, maybe you don't need the sidewalls or you find you don't need the awning just yet, well, we have all of them right here at etrailer for when you're ready to step it up. Now, if you're curious about the setup process, once you've got it down the first couple times, it's very quick and easy, but there are definitely some tips and tricks to help you along with making sure you do it properly, it is safe and secure, and it's speedy. So let's go take a look at my setup process of the sidewalls. For the installation, all your awning walls are gonna be right here in this bag. So usually you'll have this stored in your storage area of your vehicle or your camper. So just grab that bag and we're gonna start setting up. When you first get the sidewalls, they're all gonna be an individual panels, but when you pack them up the first time, usually you'll pack them up all zippered together, which is what our other panels behind me are. But the very first panel you need to look for is going to be your vehicle side panel. So that's going to have these grommets on top and then these loops over here. So this will be very different looking compared to your other panels. Underneath your Approach 2 tent, you're actually gonna have these threaded holes, and the amount of them is gonna depend on the size of your tent. So what we're gonna do is we're going to secure this back panel to those threaded holes, and we have a different number of knobs that are included. But what you're just gonna do is you're gonna go ahead and heighten them down. It's gonna be knob, then fabric, and then tent. On the edges of your wall, you're gonna have this hook-and-loop-strip, so we're going to use that to secure around the D-ring of the awning you already set up. So fit that around and then just tighten it back into place. Now, do this on both sides. And now you can go and attach your side panels. I actually have the full thing all zipped together. So what you need to do is you need to find your window panels first. So if your panels look like this where it's not a door, but rather a window, no door opening, then this will go into the awning side. So first you need to get that edge lined up with the zipper on your panel. Then you can go ahead and bring it on through. (zipper zipping) Once you get that side panel in place, now's a really good time to start connecting your panel pieces together. So this will be a similar connection, but this time it's gonna be an up-and-down movement. (fabric rustling) (zipper zipping) And once you've gotten to the end, then don't forget to zip up all your side panels, and then the most important part is to make sure everything is secured. Staking down your walls is very important because as wind picks up, even if you have wind blowing through, this is gonna be a lot of fabric and could cause a lot of force when they get carried along with the wind. So you have to put options here for staking down your walls. Non-optional are going to be these anchor points with the straps. So depending on the height of your awning, you're going to stake these down right where the ground meets and then you're gonna pull the strap so that this is tight. What are optional is how you treat these bottom panels. So some people fold the panels out like this and then they stake out the panel. That's gonna be ideal if you are expecting water and you want the water to just have a curve to it and then flow away this way. Another option is to stake your bottom panels folded inside the tent just like that. Now, this is an option that a lot of people like if they maybe prefer to weight down the floors of their panel or if maybe they're more worried about insects crawling through underneath. Having the panels fold inside is sometimes more preferred because then you don't have as much crawl space coming from outside. Hopefully that will get you started on how to set up your own sidewalls for your own Thule Approach 2 tent and awning. With that, you can now customize the fit for your own area, campsite preference. Do you want the windows up Do you want them down Do you need this higher or lower Just adjusting to everyone's different campsite since everyone is different. May be a little tricky the first time, but as you camp more and more, it'll be second nature to you. So if you have any questions at any point or you're trying to figure out what exactly is the right fit for you when it comes to matching up the sidewalls with your awning, with your tent, we are here for you and all your journeys. But today, this was a look at the sidewall attachments for your Thule Approach 2 rooftop tent awning right here at etrailer. My name's Evangeline, and I hope you enjoyed this journey.