Cruise from campsite to campsite with a superior respite setup, owing to the 180 Freestanding LED Awning by Darche.
A robust 230gsm ripstop polycotton canvas is tough against the outdoor elements, featuring a 3000mm waterhead rating and additional height to promote water run-off in wetter weather. Plus, boasting X-tube aluminium alloy hardware in the rafter arms, backing plate, and hinges, this awning holds its ground with ultimate outback durability.
Step up your setup by switching it up and turning it on – all thanks to the height-adjustable brackets to suit a wide range, while dimmable white and amber LED lighting integrated on four rafter arms are ideal during those after-dark dynamics. Spanning across 8.2 square metres of space and withstanding wind speeds of up to 30km/hour without poles or pegs, a fully-enclosed transit cover and two-piece backing plate also maximises weather resistance, so you can spread these wings through wind, rain, and shine – meanwhile maintaining the flexibility to conveniently move the awning from one vehicle to the next.
The Darche 180 Freestanding LED Awning covers all grounds with protection, resistance, and heavy-duty strength.
Wind-rated to 30km/hr in freestanding mode
8.2m2 protected cover from the elements
Fully-enclosed transit cover and 2-piece backing plate for weather resistance
3 height-adjustable brackets included for various setups
X-tube aluminium alloy rafter arms, backing plate, and hinges for strength and durability
Integrated dual-colour dimmable LED light on all rafter arms (Power bank not included)
I have seen pics of this mounted on the rear of vehicles. I have roof bars on my vehicle, so in theory there would be only 1 bolt attached to bracket/ roof rail. Is this sufficient if not is there another bracket/ way around this to make it more sturdy? Hoping this makes sense. :)
Deb - Busselton, WA(2 months ago)
G'day Deb,
This one is too big to fit to the rear of the vehicle, but your question does make sense!
The Darche awning you would have seen on the back of some cars is actually the Darche 180 Versatile Awning (previously known as 180 Rear, or 180 Compact) Its a smaller 180 awning designed for the rear of you vehicle, or for the side of SUV's and smaller 4WD.
These do need both bolts on the bracket to secure it, otherwise it will camber and break off or damage your roof rack. Realistically rear mounting is best suited to platform racks. Otherwise you'd need to set up two roof rails close together at the rear.
Hope that info helps!
Lauren - Snowys(2 months ago)
Tailgate1 answer
Hi there, Just checking if the strap at the back interferes with Landcruiser boot that lifts up?
Simone - Raglan, VIC(4 months ago)
G'day Simone,
We dont have any feedback from someone with a liftback Landcruiser to confirm either way - I'd say the strap will be in the way, but it shouldn't really impact your ability to open up the vehicle as it's a soft strap. Depending on how often you'll want to back opened up, there would be ways to make it work.
Lauren - Snowys(4 months ago)
Lighting1 answer
Is there an option to not have the light strips or can they be removed? Also does it have legs for extra security?
Meryl - Nelson Bay, NSW (4 months ago)
G'day Meryl,
The light strips are integrated into the frame, so cannot be removed, but you can choose not to plug them in. Yes, it does come with 2 poles for abit of support in windy weather.
Lauren - Snowys(4 months ago)
Darche eclipse awning and tender tent1 answer
I already have a darche 2.5 tender tent and, while I'm waiting to do a canopy tourer build in the future, I'm looking for an awning to get me by now that I can attach the tender tent to. If the free-standing 180 darche eclipse isn't compatible, can you advise what is? Thank you in advance
Ben - Keswick, SA(4 months ago)
G'day Ben,
The Xtender only attaches via sail track, so will be compatible with side pull-out awnings such as the 2m & 2.5 Eclipse that have the sail track plating at the end.
Lauren - Snowys(4 months ago)
Sag4 answers
On the verge of purchasing this awning, but I’ve seen a few YouTube videos of the middle section of the awning sagging down a fair bit even when fully extended. This still an issue or has it been fixed??
Will - Bacchus marsh, VIC (7 months ago)
G'day Will,
Its not something I've personally heard of as being an known issue, although it may effect some awnings sometimes. I know with my 270 awning for example, the tension of the canvas can change based on the weather. When its a hot dry day the canvas shrinks a bit, and if its been raining or is quite humid with moisture in the air, it may be a bit looser.
Generally it wont be permanent, or effect the performance of the awning.
Lauren - Snowys(7 months ago)
This is definitely an issue. I've just bought one and the sag is ridiculous.
Stacey - Hervey Bay, QLD(2 months ago)
$1400 and a generation 3, and the sag is still there? is there a solution or aftermarket product?
Paul - Shell Pocket, QLD (6 days ago)
G'day Will,
It's not generally an issue Will, I've checked our history of product faults and feedback on both the 180/270 awnings and it may come up once or twice a year on awnings in general, not specifically Darche. Theres no record of any of these instances being a fault, because it's rectified over time - as I've mentioned above the tension on the canvas will change due to weather, moisture & rain, etc. Awning are also manufactured to account for this, so there's no chance of over tensioning which causes strain on the awning arms.
Lauren - Snowys(5 days ago)
Installation1 answer
Can this be installed on a rhino rack pioneer tradie roof rack?
Joel - NSW(8 months ago)
G'day Joel,
It can be, but depending on the gap between the t-channels from the edge to the next channel over, the brackets may not be long enough. Usually the way around this is grabbing some galv steel flat bar from Bunnings to bridge the gap & create more anchor points, or using something like the Rhino Rack accessory bar, but you'd need 3 of them to match the 3 required brackets for the 180 Awning.