Darche Eclipse 180 Awning Gen 2

G'day Bronywn,

This isn't a free standing model, so you'll need to set the legs up.
If you want one without legs, check out the 180 Eclipse Freestanding option.

G'day Duncan,

It's a combination of both.  Check out our 'How to Set Up & Pack Away' video for a run through of the pole system.
Hope that helps!

G'day JD,

These awning comes with brackets and a basic kit to attach to roof racks.  I have seen the kinds of awnings mounted to caravans of trailers, however, that's a custom set up that does require aftermarket/DIY fixings.  If you're not a handy person or know someone with trade-based skillsets, you may have to get in touch with a caravan or roof rack specialist to see what the next steps would be.

G'day Russ,

This awning doesnt come with hardware for channel mounts, but can absolutely be done with Darches Channel Bolts.
Bare in mind this awning comes with 3 brackets, and all must be installed - meaning you need 3 x roof rails.  You'll need 3 packets of channel bolts to cover this.
Hope that helps!

G'day Will,

Generally awnings should not be mounted directly onto roof top tents.
The fixings required for the tents shouldn't interfere with or prevent an awning from being mounted to existing roof racks or platforms.  There is room between the base of the roof top tent and the rack system for the awning brackets to be mounted, as the tents sit on additional raised rails.

G'day Conor,

No unfortunately, due to the weight of the awning, the Eclipse 180 and 270 must be mounted with all 3 supplied brackets.

G'day Bill,

I'm not 100% sure what you are asking sorry!
If you are talking about a wall that goes along the full straight length against the car, then no unfortunately - no such wall exists.
You may be able to have something custom made by a canvas/awning specials that would be suitable, or doa  DIY rig up with some tarps.

G'day Sam,

The awning is waterproof and has a Waterhead rating of 1500mm.
Obviously it's only a canopy with open sides, so if you are wanting full rain protection you'll need to look at getting the compatible wall set.

G'day Craig,

The issue is:
1. Some customers are not reinstalling the rubber grommets on the end track after they attach it to a car leaving it open for water to get in.
2. In seriously heavy rain a little water can get in the rear edge of the bag where it mounts to the aluminum track.  This issue exists for ALL brands of 4WD awning where the bag is designed to be removable.  The bag itself and the zip are waterproof.

Darche suggests that as best practice, after heavy rain, you should open up your awning bag zip to allow airflow and if any water has managed to get in through the bag, it will dry out.
They have indicated that its a known issue purely because they have had a handful of customers provide this feedback over the years, but it is not a "known issue" such as a warranty/batch/manufacturing problem.

Regardless of what brand of awning you have, the above should be part of your general care practice!

G'day Richard,

They are the same material and build quality, but the versatile 180 has been previously known as the Rear 180 or Compact 180.
Its a much smaller awning alround and has the versatility or being able to be mounted to the rear or side of a vehicle.
If you are wanting to rear mount, or have a smaller SUV or Wagon, the Versatile awning would be the preference.

G'day Mark,

We're not overly familiar with every different style of roof rack as we don't sell roof racks, but the final image on the product page shows the contents of the bracket kit. Generally they'll fit most roof rack styles.

G'day Paul,

The Darche Awning Tents aren't designed to fit their 180 and 270 awnings, however, you could make some alterations to it in order to make it fit. It wouldn't be an exact fit, and you would need to add a spreader bar across the outer edge of your awning to secure that side.
You could consider the Eclipse Retreat as an alternative.

G'day Trent,

Yes, the Eclipse Retreat is compatible with the Eclipse 180 awning.

G'day Jason,

Unfortunately these walls aren't interchangeable, the zip trackers specifically line up with the model they're designed for. The 270 awning has three separate walls, and therefore three separate zippers for attachment. The 180 awning has one long wall that attaches on one long zip tracker that goes the entire length of the awning edge. For this reason, they're not compatible or interchangeable.

G'day Karen

Darche indicates that the awning is designed to go up to 2.3m high (this is the maximum height the walls can fit). The poles themselves have a little more length in them and can go up to about 2.5m total length. There are no extension pieces available, but if you're handy you could most likely make some chocks to raise the base height up a little.

G'day Jannene,

The arms of the Darche Eclipse 180 Awning Gen 2 are 200cm long or 203 if you take into consideration hinge depth.
Hope that helps!

G'day Daniel,

It's not something we sell, however, Darche does supply Alloy Hinges directly on their site. Best bet will be to reach out to Darche for instructions and purchase, however, I'm lead to believe it is fairly straight forward. 

G'day Stuart,

I've just measured the distance between the two channels for the mounting brackets, they are vertically 10.5cm apart.

G'day Ann,

It's hard to know to be honest, these are designed to be fitted to the side of a vehicle with roof racks, so if your JPod has roof racks, or a way that L brackets can be attached it could work, but it's not something we'd be able to say yes or no to sorry.

G'day John,

In terms of thickness of canvas, the number refers to the number of grams per square meter, so the higher the number, the thicker the canvas.

G'day Karen,

This awning is designed to attach to a roof rack on a vehicle, in our experience its best to contact a roof rack specialist who can determine the best way to safely fit it to your exact setup.

G'day Pete

The Eclipse 180 Awning is self-supporting on setup, however, it must always be used with the poles to avoid damage and voiding of your warranty.

Hi John,

I just had a wander underneath the Eclipse 180 awning that we currently have on display in our Keswick store to try and give you a good answer here. We currently have a 2-person hiking tent underneath the Eclipse 180, and there is just enough room to walk around the tent whilst remaining completely under the awning.

So, I reckon that if you set the swags up along the outside edge i.e. utilising the extra space provided by the sloped walls, ensuring the poles are sloped outwards also, you'd be able to fit both swags underneath and still have room to move between them and the vehicle, possibly even enough to still completely open the vehicle doors.

G'day Jay,

Darche provides 3 brackets so we'd strongly suggest utilising all three. We'd also suggest you double-check the load rating of your roof racks as different manufacturers specify different weight load limits. It would also be wise to check that it is securely mounted and the load is evenly spread across the whole length of the awning.

G'day Daniel,

Darche doesn't make a tent that will attach to the external edge of the Eclipse 180 Awning. Darche do walls for weather protection, but generally, suggest sleeping in a swag or on a stretcher with a separate mozzie net.

G'day Simon,

I've just given Darche a buzz to double check this for you and they told me that you do need to have the Eclipse 180° Awning tied down at either end. If you opted to tie it off on a tree or peg it into the ground, rather than on the car, then you might be able to get away with it without it impeding your boot.