SELF-SUPPORT

WE ADDED AN AUSTRALIAN-MADE 270° AWNING FROM BOSS ALUMINIUM TO THE RANGER AND WE COULDN’T BE HAPPIER WITH HOW IT WORKS

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

IN A WORLD of cheap imports and copied products it’s great to find a quality Australian-made awning that delivers on its promise.

Boss Aluminium is a Melbourne-based company that earned its stripes building quality ute trays and canopies, and it has also built some amazing 4x4 and 6x6 rigs over the years. In recent times Boss has expanded its product range and its production facilities to include some of the products that touring four-wheel drivers bolt to their canopies, namely rooftop tents and awnings.

As proud exponents of Australian-made products, Boss sought out the best Australian-made canvas for these products and had them made locally to suit its requirements. As the popularity of the product range grew, Boss’s boss man Dave Whitehead made the call to bring the canvas work in-house to BA’s new factory in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Boss still uses Australian-made 304gsm dynaproofed canvas, which it now purchases in rolls, but all the cutting, machining, stitching and fitting is done in-house.

Bringing this process in-house has allowed Boss to expand its line of canvas products and it now sells a range of storage bags as well as RTTs and awnings.

After being impressed with the first Boss Aluminium freestanding awning we saw, when we heard the company had developed a Mk2 evolution we wanted one for our Ford Ranger build.