[Festus2]

If you live in an area that has windy conditions, securing an RV cover so that it doesn't flap or move about is essential. The constant movement of the cover can, over a period of time, mar the finish coat as well as abrade or wear the edges of the rubber roof. If your rubber roof has rounded edges rather than square, this is less likely to happen.

I use a cover and my experience has been generally positive. Over the years, I have learned to ensure that it is fastened securely to prevent as much movement as possible. To that end, I've "wrapped" it by using soft, pliable line which has foam pipe wrap placed at all sections where the rope/line comes in contact with the body of the RV. I have 3 such lines running around the RV from top to bottom and a single line running from front to back.

You also have to make sure that all "sharp" corners have been covered with some kind of protection such as dense foam, carpet underlay, carpet pieces, etc., to prevent wearing at those points and eventually holes in the cover.

The cover helps keep the RV cleaner and protection against UV rays. I think we get more rain than sun so UV damage isn't a huge problem here on the West Coast.

These covers won't last forever. They do get ripped and holes appear despite precautions you take to avoid them. I would consider myself lucky if I were to get 5 years out of my cover. I think we've had ours for 3 years and it is now showing signs of wear and tear and will need a few "patches" before we put it on again next Fall.

A cover is a bit of a nuisance when you want to get in and out of the RV to check things out and it also makes putting the slide out rather difficult!

You will see far more uncovered RV's than covered and probably they don't suffer from not having a cover on. How many covered RV's do you see on dealers' lots? In that sense, I suppose you could say that it is a "waste" of money but they don't appear to wash or wax them either.