Our Bushwakka 180° Awning Review
Our Bushwakka 180° Awning is permanently mounted to the roof rack on our Y62 Patrol, and it's been a fantastic bit of gear.
An awning is one of those things we use constantly when we're travelling. Whether we're stopping for lunch on a travel day, setting up beside the Patrol for a few hours or heading away from the caravan to explore for the day, being able to quickly create a decent amount of shade and shelter makes a huge difference.
The Bushwakka has been exactly what we wanted — quick to set up, solid when it's open and easy enough that we actually use it.
Why We Went With a 180° Awning
For our setup, a 180° awning made more sense than going all the way to a 270°.
It gives us a large sheltered area down the side of the Patrol and around the rear corner while keeping the setup relatively simple.
Most of the time we're accessing the fridge, drawers and other gear from the back of the Y62, so having coverage extending towards the rear of the vehicle is particularly useful.
It creates a genuinely usable area rather than just providing a narrow strip of shade beside the car.
Quick to Set Up
This is probably one of the biggest reasons we like it.
If an awning takes too long to set up, eventually you stop bothering with it for shorter stops. That's never really been an issue with the Bushwakka.
Undo the cover, unfold the awning and secure it.
For a quick lunch stop or a few hours somewhere, we can have a good amount of shelter without turning it into a full campsite setup.
And when we're ready to move again, packing it away is just as straightforward.
Freestanding When Conditions Allow
The freestanding design is another big advantage.
In suitable conditions, we can open it up without having poles all over the place, which keeps the area underneath much more usable and makes setup even quicker.
Obviously we're sensible with it. A big awning creates a big sail, and conditions can change quickly.
If there's wind around, we'll secure it properly rather than expecting the freestanding frame to perform miracles.
Great for Day Trips
This is where the awning really suits the way we travel.
Once the caravan is set up, we'll often take the Y62 and spend the day exploring away from camp.
Having the Bushwakka permanently mounted means we've always got shelter with us.
We can pull up somewhere, open the awning, get the chairs out and have lunch in the shade without needing to carry a separate gazebo or shelter.
When you're doing that regularly, the convenience is hard to beat.
Access to the Rear Setup
Our Y62 has a full touring setup in the back, including our drawers and Bushman fridge, so we're constantly accessing the rear of the vehicle.
The 180° design works really well with that setup.
We can have the awning open while we're getting food and drinks out, preparing lunch or using the gear stored in the back of the Patrol.
It's one of those things that doesn't sound particularly important until you've spent a hot day standing beside the vehicle trying to make lunch without any shade.
Permanently Mounted & Ready to Go
Our Bushwakka stays permanently mounted to the Y62's roof rack.
We don't want touring gear that needs to be fitted every time we're heading somewhere. The whole idea is that the Patrol stays ready to go.
Having the awning permanently mounted means it's there whether we're doing a dedicated 4WD trip, travelling between camps or simply heading out exploring for the day.
There's nothing extra to remember or pack.
How Has It Held Up?
Really well.
It's travelled with us over highways, 4WD tracks and plenty of corrugated dirt roads, and we've been extremely happy with it.
The frame feels solid, the awning is easy to operate and nothing about it has made us wish we'd chosen a different setup.
With something this large hanging off the roof rack permanently, durability was important to us. So far, it's handled everything we've thrown at it.
Would We Recommend It?
Absolutely.
The Bushwakka 180° Awning has been fantastic and is one of those modifications to the Y62 that we use far more often than you might expect.
It's quick enough to open that we'll actually bother using it for shorter stops, gives us plenty of usable shelter and works perfectly with the way we've set up the back of the Patrol.
For touring, camping and day trips away from the caravan, we wouldn't want to be without it.