Slide out covers

[Mroe67]

When we bought our 3121RL it did not have covers for the slide outs. Outlast RV did. They kept the leaves and stuff off the slide top. The wife wants to spend the money to have them installed on this one. Personally i don’t they they that are worth it, any thoughts?

[JRTJH]

Having had slide covers on trailers in the past and not having them on this trailer, one of the first mods I did was install them. We do a lot of camping in pine trees or in oak trees. The slide tops are almost always covered with pine needles or leaves/small twigs, not to mention the pine sap. For us, it was "a necessity"....

If we lived in a place where most of our camping was in the open (think desert southwest) then I'd probably not want them. They are a PAIN when the wind blows (out in the open) and flap all night. A couple of nights on our last trip (Michigan to Las Vegas and back) I was considering taking them off just to get a night's rest. Now that we're back home, those thoughts are no longer a consideration.

So, depending on how you use your trailer, they may/may not be something you'd want to consider.

[chuckster57]

IMO slide toppers are a personal choice, and there are a few brands to choose from. Installation can be very simple, or a bit involved depending on brand/style. “Book” rate is 2.5 hrs per topper, that said take the labor rate at your shop of choice and add that to the cost of materials.

My personal favorite is this one:
https://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/products/sideout-kover-III.html

Not cheap, not real easy to install, but look the “cleanest” IMO.

Dometic would be my next choice.

[flybouy]

I've had campers with and without them. Current unit has them and I'm happy with them. In my opinion they are worth it in the rain as the least amount of water and debris I have to worry about when retracting the slide inside the better. In full sun I think it keeps the slideout much cooler having the shade over it. YMMV

[travelin texans]

From my experiences with them if you're in an area with lots of trees, rain, heat or during the fall they're priceless, if regularly in a windy part of the country I wouldn't give you .02 cents for them. But they do improve the appearance of the RV in my opinion.
Just be sure whether you mount them or a dealer to put some pitch on them so water doesn't pool on top of them.

[Laredo Tugger]

My camper came with covers for all 3 slides. They are great for the above mentioned reasons. The living room slide extends out so far that during heavy rain water will pool in center and sag the cover. Long term fix (for an extended stay) would be inflatable beach balls or something similar to raise slide cover center.
Short term, just move slide in,drain water then extend. Also my kitchen slide cover failed to retract on a recent trip. I got on the roof with some spray lubricant and the problem was fixed.
Just a few considerations for slide covers. Overall I think they are worth it.
RMc

[sourdough]

I've never had them but thought about getting them but...I live in the SW and spend a of time in this open country where the wind never stops blowing. 30mph is considered a nice little "breeze"; slide toppers don't like 30mph wind. If I spent more time under trees etc. I would get them because I would probably be somewhere with less wind like FL; if we were somewhere like that year round vs just the winter we would definitely have them. Plus, I do believe that having them would surely cut down on the heat generated by the black tops of the slides. Oops! Misspoke; the slide tops aren't black, they're gray. The ends are black.

[Getn off]

I cant justify the dead presidents for them.
I do use an electric leaf blower when braking down my site, which is easy cheesy.
Troy

[Park1911]

I've always had slide toppers and always will. I don't relish the idea of having to climb onto the roof to clean the top of the slideout when closing up. I also feel they help prevent leaks from standing water and driving rain plus all kinds of other nasty things on the roof finding their way into our clean trailer. They also shield the slideout roof from the sun's harmful UV rays.

[Dan Lockwood]

When I purchased my new to us '12 Raptor a month ago, the dealer said that it's a good practice to spray and wipe down the slide seals with a lube softener etc. He said that he sprays and wiped the outside of the seal and then with the damp rag wipes the inside of the seal to coat it as well. This make sense to me and I will do this.

But with slide toppers, how does one maintain the top slide seal? Do you unhook the topper and then inspect and wipe/clean the flap seal? That sounds like a lot of work.

Just being a newbie I thought I would ask.

Thanks.

[travelin texans]

When I purchased my new to us '12 Raptor a month ago, the dealer said that it's a good practice to spray and wipe down the slide seals with a lube softener etc. He said that he sprays and wiped the outside of the seal and then with the damp rag wipes the inside of the seal to coat it as well. This make sense to me and I will do this.

But with slide toppers, how does one maintain the top slide seal? Do you unhook the topper and then inspect and wipe/clean the flap seal? That sounds like a lot of work.

Just being a newbie I thought I would ask.

Thanks.

The factory techs recommended Pledge furniture polish, the dollar store brand works just as good, for all the rubber seals & gaskets throughout my rv, used it for last 6+ years once a month & when I sold the 5er in Jan all seals looked new. Only wiped the top ones as far as I could reach under the toppers.

[Mic]

it keeps the leaves and rain out when closing up

[sonofcy]

When I purchased my new to us '12 Raptor a month ago, the dealer said that it's a good practice to spray and wipe down the slide seals with a lube softener etc. He said that he sprays and wiped the outside of the seal and then with the damp rag wipes the inside of the seal to coat it as well. This make sense to me and I will do this.

But with slide toppers, how does one maintain the top slide seal? Do you unhook the topper and then inspect and wipe/clean the flap seal? That sounds like a lot of work.

Just being a newbie I thought I would ask.

Thanks.
This is how
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vIL93AeaDs

[BadmanRick]

Spend the money and put them on. They save the slide top seals and keep leaves and debris off the top of the slide

[CaptnJohn]

I’ve been with and without. My last four 5ers are with. Only way to go. They are on all 5 slides. I’m 71 and not going up there to clean up slides before leaving.

[markjamestx]

We do a lot of State and National Park camping and I wouldn't be without the toppers. Easy to install and yes rain water does still get on the top of your slide but not nearly as much as without the topper. Never have heard them flapping in the wind. Got ours at etrailer.com. Quick shipment, shipped in a hard tube for protection and lot less money. A little bit of drilling needed, and follow the instructions or get on YouTube.

[Blucaddy71]

I had them on my last 5er and put them on myself on our newer 5er---2 guys (3rd guy sh owed up late), 2 A-frame ladders, some caulk strips for mounting channel and brackets, couple screw guns and about 5 hrs for 3 slide toppers----love not having to worry about debris on top of the sliders.

[Miloski]

Since the topic of slide toppers is being discussed I have a different question on this topic. I had toppers put on our new unit and was wondering if there's something any of you do or use to keep the living area topper from puddling water. The dealer said you don't want to tighten up the tensioners any more then they are do to possible failure. Anyone one out there that has knowledge on this subject?

David

[busterbrown]

Since the topic of slide toppers is being discussed I have a different question on this topic. I had toppers put on our new unit and was wondering if there's something any of you do or use to keep the living area topper from puddling water. The dealer said you don't want to tighten up the tensioners any more then they are do to possible failure. Anyone one out there that has knowledge on this subject?

David

I guess it's all about pitch. I had 2 installed on my coach and they never pool any significant water. The dealer installed the mounting points as high up as he could. Ive seen other installations where the topper has no pitch as the fabric sits parallel to the slide ceiling.

[jimborokz]

I have them on all six of our slides. We do get a little water pooling now and them but I don't worry about it, that's what the rubber seals are for. I got more pooling on our old 5er w/o slides. We park all winter under GA pines so lots of needles and pine cones, no sap though. At 72 I don't like to go on the roof to sweep the slides every time we move. I would not be w/o them.

[flybouy]

Since the topic of slide toppers is being discussed I have a different question on this topic. I had toppers put on our new unit and was wondering if there's something any of you do or use to keep the living area topper from puddling water. The dealer said you don't want to tighten up the tensioners any more then they are do to possible failure. Anyone one out there that has knowledge on this subject?

David

They are pretty much parallel with the slides on ours. Only get the "ponding" on a heavy rain. When it happens I just run the slide in 6" to 12" and it will "dump" the water. Some people will place a beach ball or some elaborate pvc pipe contraption to hold the topper up. To me, I don't want to be on a ladder installing/removing stuff when a push of a button works, for my camper anyway.