I have both Zip Dee and Girard awnings on my coach. I like the Girard much better; it works everytime.

Can it fail with a high gust of wind, sure it will - any awning will.

I have also experienced my Zip Dees opening while driving in windy conditions when we first bought the coach. The C clamps were broken so I tie-wrapped them until we could install new C clamps.

I don't know how Girards work but when they are in the closed position and I am driving in high winds they stay shut, period. The Girard when extended can not take as much wind as a manual Zip Dee but they will close themselves up when the wind exceeds 25 mph. That is a pretty nice feature IMO!

Another nice feature of the Girards is the remote control. It is small enough to carry in your pocket so whenever you want to open/close the awning you just hit the button.

In 5 years of use I have never had an issue with the motor on the Girard. If the motor were to fail there is an extension pole that facilitates closing the awning manually.