Kelty Sideroads Car Awning - Universal Fit

Video Transcript for Kelty Sideroads Car Awning Review

Hi, everyone. It's Evangeline here at etrailer.com, and today we'll be taking a look at something pretty cool. That is the Sideroads Awning from Kelty. So we'll take a look at some of its different features, different specs, and how it looks on under vehicles, right here at Etrailer. So the main thing about the Kelty Sideroads Awning is, how it blends versatility and function. So versatility is you can use it on the side or the back of your camper, your vehicles, your hatchbacks, your SUVs, things like that.

And function is how it works as beyond an awning, but line of like a mix of a tent and an awning. So first, let's take a look at that function. This is a three season awning, so that means spring summer, fall, not really ideal for winter, but you can do what you wanna do with your own awning, especially with the way it's tied down. We have a really nice and secure fit. So it's been a gusty, windy day here at Etrailer, and our awning has held really true.

So, let's take a look at those straps. So we have touch points at the top, and then the bottom of our awning. And that's unique in that we have a wall at the back, which helps with shelter. We'll take a look at that later, but we have these straps for the awning itself. We have fiberglass poles holding it up, stakes holding it down, and you have included guidelines as well, to stake the sides down.

And then on the top, that's gonna go over your vehicle or your camper. And then you have the straps tightening things down. Your fiberglass polls go straight up, and they're super easy to attach. A big thing about this awning is how big it is. Now, you can upgrade to the Kelty Backroads Awning, but I personally think this is more than enough space, since you have that covering over you for the shade from the sun, as well as from the wind.

But then you also have that back wall creating a nice cozy tent feeling. So this awning can fit six plus people in terms of capacity. Now that's, if everyone is staying together, or you can have a couple of your friends just hang out here while everyone's outside playing around. So let's talk about those dimensions. So our peak height and our peak lengths, of course those measurements are gonna change, depending on where you have this setup. But for peak height, it's from 80 to 108 inches. That's gonna be about six and a half feet up to nine feet. And for peak length, where I have it here right now, it's gonna be about nine feet long. The width of your awning is gonna change depending on how you set it up too. But where I have it right now, from stake to stake, it's 90 inches. So Kelty usually does a really good job from all the reviews I've had to make for them on their products, especially with how things are constructed. So all of our hems and all of our seams here look really good. We don't have any frayed edges, since they're doubled over, and this is gonna be made of a polyester material, just like a lot of your other tents. So you've seen it in the wind, but how does it go held up to a quick rain shower So you can see here how we have it weatherproof with the water just sliding down. Even after pouring a whole bottle of water on the outside, the inside is completely dry. So we have it set up on our little tear drop camper here, but this also works on your other vehicles. Let's take a look at that process. So this is what it's gonna look like off of the back of a vehicle, especially one that has a hatchback, like my Prius V. So our hatch is open. We have it attached over the hatch and down by the tires. If you don't have a roof rack, this is also a really good option for you. Although, you can still load this up with that roof rack onto the side. So this is a really quick awning to set up. It takes about 10 minutes, I can do it by myself. Of course, it depends on the weather outside. Let's take a look at that quick and easy process. So this is what our awning looks like all packed up. So this is how it's gonna arrive. It has its own bag with a strap. The weight of everything is gonna be about eight pounds by 14 ounces, so on the lightweight side. And then for our dimensions, it's gonna be 22 inches long, eight inches wide, and seven inches deep. So start the setup by unzipping your bag. And you're gonna have plenty of space for your awning inside. So you're gonna have instructions, or you can follow along with this video, as I guide you through that setup process. What's included is gonna be your awning, your poles, and some stakes. So I do recommend grabbing your own mallet. We have them here at Etrailer, as well as if you wanna use easier to use stakes than these, you can find them here to add on. Now let's set up this awning, by starting with unrolling our tarp. So what I did, is I got the longer poles, and I put them into the pockets first. And once you have your two poles in the pockets, you then start clipping in your clips on top of your awning, into the poles. Remember your awning is still gonna be lying on the ground. And once you have all your clips inserted, you're then gonna get the shorter pole or the brow pole, and that's gonna go right into this grommet in the center, and it goes over the main poles. All right, once you have your awning all set up, the next thing to do is to put it onto your vehicle, or onto your camper. So in the corners, you're gonna have these nice and neat pockets, and inside are gonna be your attachment straps. So you also have the optional roof rack straps, depending on where your mounting is to. So we have two straps hanging here on the edge, and that's gonna change how you're gonna set up your awning. So what I'm gonna do is all by myself, I'm just gonna lift it up right over our roof rack, and then we're gonna strap it down. The first thing I'm gonna do, is attach this to my roof rack, right over here, tighten that down, and then I'm gonna do the same thing on the other side. Then we'll use these longer straps to bring the tension across. Now there's a bunch of different ways to tie this down. So whether you have a teardrop camper, or an SUV, or a hatchback, or a truck, it's gonna be up to you to figure out what works best for you. So there's two things to be staked down, and if you are setting this up in like a parking lot or gravel, you are gonna need to use sandbags instead. So we have a grommet right over here, just insert your stake into that grommet. And I'm just using a sharp tool right now instead of an actual mallet, just drive that down. You're also gonna have your guidelines, and Kelty went ahead and made it super easy to set those up. So get your stake and a drive, or guideline your awning down as well. Kelty uses this nice little stopper, I guess you would call it. And that makes it super easy to make sure everything is nice and tension down, before you lock it down. Make sure all your straps are tightened down, especially the ones on your roof or on your wheels. And once that's done, that's it for the setup process, you're ready to set up camp and just enjoy the day. So I've tried a couple different awnings here at Etrailer, and I have some thoughts when it comes to comparing the different awnings. So this one, which is the Kelty Sideroad Awning, I think is a really good balance of versatility and function. If you're not sure what kind of situation you're gonna be in, or if you're planning on being in a lot of different types of areas, this is gonna be a great way to get a good awning that works all around. If you want something that's gonna be more compact, more affordable and takes up less space, you may wanna take a look at the Rightline Gear Tailgate Awning. Doesn't cover as much, doesn't give you as much shade, but it's really nice and compact. Another one is gonna be a larger awning, and that's gonna be the Kelty Waypoint type, that gives you a lot of tent space, a lot of square footage; great for those big parties and big adventures. Now it's a little trickier to set that one up, since it is a big awning. So definitely you have your pros and your cons there. This was a lot of fun to set up, since it was so quick and so easy. If you want a stress free awning, with something that gives you all that shade and all that protection from the wind, as well, this might be something worth considering for your different types of adventures. And that was the look right here at our Kelty Sideroads Awning here at etrailer.com My name is Evangeline, and I hope you enjoyed the journey..