Great MoonShade awning, but serious sizing issue with the strut poles:
absolutely love the MoonShade awning itself — it’s one of the best additions to my overlanding setup. The design is smart, the materials feel high quality, and once set up it works beautifully. That part is easily a 5-star product.
However, I ran into a major issue with the strut poles for the short 7' side. No matter how much I tried, I simply could not get the pole to fit between the two metal grommets. I'm a pretty strong and handy person who regularly works on vehicle mods and camping gear, so this wasn’t a matter of technique. If I struggled this much, I honestly think many users — especially smaller individuals or older campers — would find it impossible.
To make it work, I actually had to modify the pole by cutting one of the middle sections and essentially re-engineering it to slightly reduce the overall length. After doing that, it fits properly and works great, but this really shouldn’t be necessary on a premium product.
I'm honestly surprised because MoonShade is a reputable company and the awning itself is so well designed. This feels like a QC or tolerance issue that slipped through.
Summary:
MoonShade awning: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Strut pole sizing: ⭐⭐ (only because modification was required)
If the sizing issue gets addressed, this would easily be a perfect setup.
