New gear: Crosswing quick awning

First there was OzTent's '30 second' tent, and now an American company is selling a '3 second' pull-out car awning.

After running a successful crowd-funding campaign, outdoors equipment group Kammock has released the Crosswing instant awning, which it claims is the 'fastest deploying awning' on the market.

It's available in five foot and seven foot lengths, and mounts on the vehicle's cross bars for quick deployment wherever you pull up and need some shade or extra cover.

Colours available include 'Granite Grey' and 'Tan', and the Crosswing canopy is made from hard-wearing UV and water resistant, VeloX 600D PVC coated polyester fabric, and housed in a tough aluminium casing when travelling.

Kammock says the cantilevered design eliminates the need for support legs, and the free-standing awning can withstand winds of up to 40km/h.

The user-friendly design incorporates a 'Pronto Latch' that allow users to add tension to the fabric and lock the awning in place. The shade angle can also be adjusted to three set positions during on-vehicle installation.

Each unit weighs around 17-20kg, and each Crosswing kit includes a fully assembled awning, mounting hardware, a user manual and installation tools.

The Crosswing is currently advertised for US$800 on the Kammock US website, with no word yet on whether it will be available locally from Kammock retail outlets in Australia.