RV Cover

[BlueThunder34]

Do you put your trailer cover on in between every trip or just when putting it away for the winter?

[JRTJH]

My trailer cover is in the pole barn, on a shelf. I'll probably put it on Craig's List next spring ???

If you've ever tried to get a cover off a "half frozen trailer roof" so you can escape to warmer climates, you'll know how futile and frustrating that action can become. Besides, as snow fell onto the roof, pulling the cover down over the A/C, TV antenna and refrigerator vent, my level of concern for damage increased significantly.

That's why I went ahead and built a pole barn to park the trailer in. No more frustration when trying to leave in the early spring... Well, as long as the pole barn door isn't frozen to the ground... But that's a story for another time.....

[BlueThunder34]

LOL, yes they are a pain to use all around. I wonder how much good I am really doing covering it vs just leaving it uncovered. Living in the PNW we don't really get that much snow if any at all. I was just hoping that it would protect the trailer from the elements, being its brand new I want to keep it looking that way as long as possible :). I wish I had a covered area to park it in but it has to be in a storage area in our HOA. I'm one of those crazy people who waxes their cars every 6 months (and yes that also includes the wife's minivan)

[JRTJH]

Not crazy. I wax my truck and the DW's Escape at least that often. As for RV's. For me, pulling the cover off and on is probably exposing it to more damage from broken plastic parts than the cover would protect. There are a large number of threads that discuss the pro's and con's of covering an RV. Some people think it's a "good thing" and there are probably just as many who think it's just the opposite.

So, take your pick as to which camp you're in. I don't think you'll find any "long lasting proof" that covering it or leaving it uncovered is "the only way to go"....

[BlueThunder34]

Leaks are my greatest concern, does the cover do anything to prevent that? I plan to keep up on all yearly maintenance. From what I've read the only real benefit the cover would provide in this area would be from snow melting on top of the trailer which we rarely see here.

[14george]

I cover mine just in the winter months don't use the camper I the winter. Leave it in covered all summer to much of a hassle to cover and uncover

[bsmith0404]

The cover will protect it from the elements, but I think most people would agree they are too much of a pain to use between each trip. If yours sits for long periods it may be worth the hassle to pit on. If you are taking it out on a regular basis, maybe not worth it. You already mentioned that you are meticulous about waxing your cars every 6 months (FYI, wax typically only lasts about 3 months) if you are willing to do the same with your RV as well as protect the room and continue to maintain the seals the cover probably won't gain you a lot as far as protecting the appearance.

[cathcartww]

As others have mentioned, it mostly depends on how you use your RV. We tend to take longer (2-8 week long) trips in the fall, winter, and spring, but since we live in a resort area, we seldom use it during the summer. As a rule of thumb, I put it on if we are not going to be using the trailer for a month or more.

[uct]

My trailer cover is in the pole barn, on a shelf. I'll probably put it on Craig's List next spring ???

If you've ever tried to get a cover off a "half frozen trailer roof" so you can escape to warmer climates, you'll know how futile and frustrating that action can become. Besides, as snow fell onto the roof, pulling the cover down over the A/C, TV antenna and refrigerator vent, my level of concern for damage increased significantly.

That's why I went ahead and built a pole barn to park the trailer in. No more frustration when trying to leave in the early spring... Well, as long as the pole barn door isn't frozen to the ground... But that's a story for another time.....
What size is your pole barn especially height and width Thanks

[JRTJH]

Ours is 24x32. I built it when we had the Springdale 242 which is 28' long. When the tree fell on it and we decided to upgrade, I wanted to stay with an RV that would fit in that pole barn, so we chose the XLite 27RKS. I've got about 6" in front of the big side rolling door (mounted outside the pole barn). If I had rollup doors mounted inside, the trailer probably wouldn't fit.

The Pole barn is 14' tall (to the bottom of the rafters) and the side rolling door is attached to the face of the building at the height of the rafters, so the available "drive in" height is "to the bottom of the rafters", which is the total 14'.

When we built it, I wanted to go 13', but the contractor talked me into building it 14' tall. His reasoning is it costs more to special order the siding "custom cut" to 13' than it costs for standard stocked metal. Normally it's stocked in 8,10,12,14,16,18,and 20' lengths. To special order would have added almost $1500 to the cost of the building. So, I got "a free foot" and saved money to boot...

If I were to build another pole barn, I would stay at 24' wide, but would build it 48' long. To add the extra 16' during construction would cost about half as much as it would cost me to add it now. But, we probably won't upgrade trailers, so it's not an issue for us.

Any questions, I'll try to answer what I can.