We sell 7 different styles and sizes of side awnings here at Adventure Kings – ranging in size from a 1.4 metre wide rear awning that’s perfect for mounting to the rear of a vehicle or a ute canopy, right through to the amazing Kings Instant Ensuite Awning Shower Tent and all the way to the range of 270° King Wing and King Wing Deluxe wrap-around awnings. While each of the sizes and styles vary, they all have the same incredible build quality, using 100% waterproof UPF50+ rated ripstop material and tough alloy poles, legs and hinges. My personal favourite of the lot – and it’s a close one, because it only just pips the Awning Shower Tent to the post, that thing is amazing! – is the incredible 270° King Wing Deluxe.

This amazing wrap-around 4WD awning extends directly out the side of the vehicle, and then wraps all the way around it to provide a thumping 14 square metres of shelter. We originally developed this vehicle awning to suit the Kings MT1 Camper Trailer, as it offers the perfect shelter right out over the pull-out stainless steel kitchen, and all the way around to the back of the trailer. But if you think this Kings side awning is only for camper trailers, you’d be wrong!

I’ve got one mounted to my Isuzu DMAX’s alloy canopy, and I think it’s absolutely ideal. For one, I can set this camping awning up myself in about three minutes flat (though if you’re new to this style of awning, I would recommend having a mate help the first couple of times, or whenever it’s windy – as it needs to be supported while you drop the legs down). The missus and I pull up to camp, let the dogs out and while they’re running round looking for a tree to pee on (the dogs I mean), I get stuck into the King Wing Deluxe side awning straight away. Once that shelter is setup, it doesn’t matter whether the wind changes, the rain blows in or it’s just blazing hot – we’re covered!

I’ve setup the rear of my ute canopy so that down the passenger side is a kitchen and living area, with a pull-out fridge slide, 90L dual-zone fridge, storage drawers and gas cooker. The fact that the King Wing Deluxe Wrap Around Awning extends directly out over the top of this entire setup is amazing, and gives so much shelter whether we’re camping or just stopped by the water somewhere cooking up a bit of lunch.

What I also love about this setup is the area we’ve got directly at the back of the canopy, still under the shelter of the rear section of the camping awning. We’ve found that it’s the perfect spot to put our Big Daddy Deluxe double swag, as it’s protected by the 4×4 awning but is still well out of the way enough that you’ve got the entire living area around the side of the vehicle to cook, eat, hang out and relax!

This amazing camping awning suits so many different setups. In fact the only defining factor is whether you’re able to mount it with the rear mounting bracket as close to the tail end of the awning frame as possible – so that when it’s setup, the hinge is supported. Unfortunately that means the only type of setup it won’t really suit is a dual-cab ute without a canopy. On the upside however, there are so many other applications it WILL suit!

I’ve been spending my spare time lately building a beaut campervan out of a cool Japanese-import Toyota Hiace that I bought about 12 months ago. I’ve always wanted to build a campervan, but I didn’t want to buy a busted old tradie’s van. This one is an absolute ripper, and in time I’ll put together a rig review on it and show you how it’s come together. My latest addition however is – yep, you guessed it – a Kings 270° King Wing Deluxe camping awning! It’s so ideal for this setup as it fits perfectly on the custom roofrack that I’ve built for the van (which is another story altogether, and took close to 20 hours to build with my less-than-amazing welding skills, but I did save about $2000 in the process). When setup, the wrap around awning opens up directly out from the passenger side sliding door (being an import, this Hiace has awesome twin sliding doors) and wraps right around to the very back of the van, with the rear tailgate opening perfectly underneath it. It’s an amazing setup that is tied together so well thanks to this incredible wrap around awning!

As you can probably tell, I’m a huge fan of the King Wing Deluxe awing. I think it ticks every box I can think of for a vehicle awning – quick to setup, huge amounts of shelter underneath, and tough as nails too. Vehicle based camping awnings have come a seriously long way in the last couple of years, and while I still think there’s definitely a place for a  regular pull-out awning – you can’t beat their sheer value for money for instance – I just reckon you can’t beat a wrap-around awning. Take it from me – if you’re looking at one of these bad boys and wondering if you should pull the trigger, my advice is simple. DO IT! You won’t look back, but you know what else you also won’t do? You won’t get soaked if it rains, you won’t get scorched if it’s hot, and you won’t trip over all your gear trying to keep it all under cover. The King Wing Deluxe 270° Wrap Around Awning will transform the way you go camping!