Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Modifications and Upgrades
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-18-2018, 08:39 AM   #1
SC Dreamer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Columbia
Posts: 128
Slide toppers ?

I'm on the fence about adding them. My Carbon 347 has a ladder so ok to walk on roof. I kinda like having to go up and look at everything when sweeping slides off. Other side is a concern of getting lazy about going up there. Other question is are you ever worried about debris blowing in under edges, then you have to have a ladder to check under them?
SC Dreamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2018, 08:48 AM   #2
MerlinB
Senior Member
 
MerlinB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Newport News, VA
Posts: 221
Quote:
Originally Posted by SC Dreamer View Post
I'm on the fence about adding them. My Carbon 347 has a ladder so ok to walk on roof. I kinda like having to go up and look at everything when sweeping slides off. Other side is a concern of getting lazy about going up there. Other question is are you ever worried about debris blowing in under edges, then you have to have a ladder to check under them?
I have them. This is my second 5th wheel and I wouldn't be without them. I have never had any debris blow up under the toppers.
__________________
Merlin B.
U.S. Army Aviator, Retired
2016 Cougar XLite 28SGS
2007.5 Ram 3500 DRW
MerlinB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2018, 09:02 AM   #3
Beechjr
Junior Member
 
Beechjr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Crawfordville
Posts: 8
Quote:
Originally Posted by SC Dreamer View Post
I'm on the fence about adding them. My Carbon 347 has a ladder so ok to walk on roof. I kinda like having to go up and look at everything when sweeping slides off. Other side is a concern of getting lazy about going up there. Other question is are you ever worried about debris blowing in under edges, then you have to have a ladder to check under them?


Same situation, I had my Fuzion for over one year before installing the toppers. Best investment I made and pretty easy to install. You can still get on roof and inspect when you get home. Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_0292.jpg
Views:	230
Size:	139.8 KB
ID:	16504
__________________

Donny and Lori Beech
2005 Chevy 6.6 3500
2016 Fuzion 325
Crawfordville Fl
Beechjr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2018, 09:28 AM   #4
Javi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,456
Three things that I will not own another RV WITHOUT... Slide Toppers, EMS & Auto Level...
__________________
2015 Ford F350 DRW 6.7 Diesel XL
2020 Avalanche 313 RS
Javi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2018, 10:24 AM   #5
busterbrown
Senior Member
 
busterbrown's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: SE Michigan
Posts: 1,659
I agree with the above. I've had them installed the day I took delivery and they provide one less worry on camping trips. They work as intended, protecting the slide tops from debris, and even keep the coach a bit cooler on those sunny days. Toppers are a worthy upgrade.
__________________
2017 Keystone Bullet 308BHS in Saddle.
2017 RAM 2500 Laramie Mega Cab 4x4 Hemi 6.4L
2008 GMC Yukon XL Denali (SOLD)
Hensley SwiftArrow Control Hitch with 1000 lb Spring Bars
Me, DW, (3) little DS's, and 1 rambunctious Boston Terrier

busterbrown is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2018, 01:37 PM   #6
SC Dreamer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Columbia
Posts: 128
Thanks for the replies!
SC Dreamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2018, 08:47 PM   #7
pitman44
Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Dryden
Posts: 84
We just spent our first night in our new, to us, Montana 343RL. Rained fairly hard at times. And it was loud in the bed slide. Does a topper help reduce the noise of a hard rainfall on the roof? Seems like it might.
pitman44 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2018, 03:38 AM   #8
notanlines
Senior Member
 
notanlines's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Germantown, TN
Posts: 6,308
Pitman, the short answer is "no." Actually, the long answer is "no" also. The rain hitting that metal, EPDM, TPO, or fiberglass roof is making enough noise that subtracting the small area of slides just wouldn't make much difference.
Had to edit my roof materials to make a member happy....
__________________
Jim in Memphis, Wife of 51 years is Brenda
2019 F450 6.7 Powerstroke
2018 Mobile Suites 40RSSA
2021 40' Jayco Eagle
2001 Road king w/matching Harley sidecar
2021 Yamaha X2 Wolverine 1000
notanlines is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2018, 07:42 AM   #9
Frank G
Senior Member
 
Frank G's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Dade City
Posts: 1,039
Neither the two of us is capable of a romp on the roof, so toppers are a must. Our maintenance guy services the roof on a annual basis, on site.
__________________
2021 Surveyor Legend 19rble
2017 Laredo 325RL
Travelers Rest Resort
www.travelersrestresort.com
Frank G is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2018, 08:22 AM   #10
travelin texans
Senior Member
 
travelin texans's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Picacho, Az
Posts: 6,809
Quote:
Originally Posted by pitman44 View Post
We just spent our first night in our new, to us, Montana 343RL. Rained fairly hard at times. And it was loud in the bed slide. Does a topper help reduce the noise of a hard rainfall on the roof? Seems like it might.
Ours has them & does help with the slide noise a bit UNLESS the wind is blowing, then it will replace the rain noise with the topper flapping in the wind.
If I were buying another rv & it already had toppers I'd keep them, would I add them if not, don't think I would! They are nice looking & if you go where there's not much wind they are nice to have, but if traveling in windy areas they are a PITA.
We like hearing the rain hitting our roof, its kind of soothing!
Ours is not a metal roof & can't think of one rv today that has a metal roof.
__________________
Full-timed 10+ years
Sold '13 Redwood FB
Traded '13 GMC Denali DRW D/A
Replacement undetermined
travelin texans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2018, 02:29 PM   #11
Retired Copper
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Hurley
Posts: 350
I am on the fence also, I like the look and they probably help to keep the slide a tid cooler. I am in the process of helping my son in law replacing a seal on a slide that was covered with a topper. The seal failed right in the middle of the topper, the metal springs where rusty. Just yesterday I wiped and applied sealant protector to the slide I have and it sure was easy to inspect and maintain, so easy I do it every couple of months. So like you I am thinking about it but not fully committed.
__________________
Kenny & Susan
2017 Passport 2670bh
2017 F250 6.2 4wd
Equalizer 4 pt.
Retired Copper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2018, 06:40 PM   #12
pitman44
Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Dryden
Posts: 84
Quote:
Originally Posted by notanlines View Post
Pitman, the short answer is "no." Actually, the long answer is "no" also. The rain hitting that metal roof is making enough noise that subtracting the small area of slides just wouldn't make much difference.

We came from a Keystone Outback 5er with a north/south bed. We could hear a hard rain, but nothing like it is on the slide roof with our heads 18" or so beneath. The difference was kind of surprising. I think we have an EPDM roof.
pitman44 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2018, 06:43 PM   #13
pitman44
Member
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Dryden
Posts: 84
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
Ours has them & does help with the slide noise a bit UNLESS the wind is blowing, then it will replace the rain noise with the topper flapping in the wind.
If I were buying another rv & it already had toppers I'd keep them, would I add them if not, don't think I would! They are nice looking & if you go where there's not much wind they are nice to have, but if traveling in windy areas they are a PITA.
We like hearing the rain hitting our roof, its kind of soothing!
Ours is not a metal roof & can't think of one rv today that has a metal roof.

I agree the sound of a gentle rain is soothing. This was a gully washer. lol We're on a seasonal site and it's not particularly windy there. I'll have to think about this some more.
pitman44 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-24-2018, 08:03 AM   #14
Tbos
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Solomons
Posts: 3,874
I was seriously thinking about not getting toppers until I saw the top of my slide last night. It was covered with those little helicopter seedlings. The past week we’ve had heavy winds and rain. Unfortunately Keystone says we can only put toppers on 2 of the 3 slides. The LR/dinette slide has an awning and it supposedly will get in the way. I don’t mind getting on the roof occasionally but having to do it each time I break camp can get tiring.
__________________
Tom
2019 Alpine 3651RL
2016 F350 CC DRW
Tbos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2018, 08:38 AM   #15
tubacjohn
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Arizona
Posts: 18
Living in Southern Arizona, my mistake in NOT having slide toppers is degradation of the black slideout seals. The top ones turn to a gooey mess from the sunlight.
tubacjohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2018, 08:48 AM   #16
larryflew
Senior Member
 
larryflew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Young America MN
Posts: 372
Our first did not have them. On the way to AZ from MN via TX we hit an ice storm and had to stop for the night. Took 3 hours to chip the 2 inches of ice off of the single slide.

Our current Alpine has them and I am 100% certain they would be worth it if that happened again just once. Really helps keep the dirt and crud from sliding inside when you hear back out. I used to check them before sliding in (3 years) but since I never saw anything that needed to be removed I no longer even do that much.
larryflew is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2018, 10:11 AM   #17
Path2ground
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Roanoke
Posts: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by SC Dreamer View Post
I'm on the fence about adding them. My Carbon 347 has a ladder so ok to walk on roof. I kinda like having to go up and look at everything when sweeping slides off. Other side is a concern of getting lazy about going up there. Other question is are you ever worried about debris blowing in under edges, then you have to have a ladder to check under them?


We have had trailers with and without toppers in the past. They are really good to have when camping around trees in the area to keep debris from damaging the seals (which has happened to us in the past, BUT, we spend a lot of time at the beach where there can be strong winds more often than not, it sounds like the toppers are being ripped off when the wind that gets under the toppers, so much so, that we have had to bungee them down to keep the noise down. With our new Fuzion, we have chosen to not have them for that reason. So, yes, they are great to have, but keep in mind if you camp in typical windy areas, I would not recommend them.
Path2ground is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2018, 10:35 AM   #18
Phil Saran
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Parker, Colorado
Posts: 126
My first TT did not have the slide out covers, my second TT I added the
cover, my just sold MH has them. Unless you can stay away from the
winds of WY and MT the covers are great. I had a 30 MPH side wind
break the springs in the slide out cover on the drivers side of the MH,
there I am out in the wind in a rest stop cutting the slide cover material
off because the slider did not have a billow protector to stop that happening.

That was $800 worth of material I cut off and had to replace after the trip.
I paid that out of pocket since I had already turned a claim in on a $4K windshield replacement for rock chip cracks the same year.

We are in the process of buying a 2018 Keystone Cougar 30RLS 5th wheel
and if it does not have the slide out covers I am fine with that.
Phil Saran is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2018, 01:27 PM   #19
Tbos
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Solomons
Posts: 3,874
Has anyone ever had a slide topper on a slide that already has an awning installed?
__________________
Tom
2019 Alpine 3651RL
2016 F350 CC DRW
Tbos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-27-2018, 01:41 PM   #20
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tbos View Post
Has anyone ever had a slide topper on a slide that already has an awning installed?

We did 2 and each time the screws holding the bracket hit some 12V wiring so we won’t do it.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
slide

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:26 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.