Good RV Cover for my 361LEV

[grtoutdoors]

Hey Everyone,

After an amazing summer with our trailer at the lake (knock on wood - NOT ONE problem) we have decided to leave it there for the winter.

The weather can get darn cold and snowy up here in the north so we want to cover the trailer to try and protect it from the elements and just generally try and keep it in better condition.

It seems like there are two primary manufactures Adco and another one that produces Tyvek covers. Does anyone have any recommendation on good covers and other feedback I should watch out for?

Thanks in advance.

Curt

[JRTJH]

Do a forum search for "Trailer covers" or "RV covers" and you'll get more information than you'll be able to read in a day.

FYI: It seems that more and more owners are staying away from covering their RV. Between damage caused by wind whipping the cover against the RV, heat buildup (?) causing damage to the fiberglass skin, covers only lasting one year, difficulty in installing and damage to cover/RV when putting it on or taking it off, it's no wonder that they aren't being used as much as in the past.

Whatever your decision, you should find the info you're looking for on the search.

[grtoutdoors]

Thanks John!

[B&T]

It seems that more and more owners are staying away from covering their RV. Between damage caused by wind whipping the cover against the RV, heat buildup (?) causing damage to the fiberglass skin, covers only lasting one year, difficulty in installing and damage to cover/RV when putting it on or taking it off, it's no wonder that they aren't being used as much as in the past.

Good advice, maybe a sticky would be appropriate?

[Festus2]

What JRTJH said about more and more people are staying away from covers for a variety of reasons - most of which were mentioned above - may not apply to everyone.

IF you live in an area of little wind or your RV is kept in an area "out of the wind", the cover will not be exposed to that kind of flapping about and subsequent abrasion on the roof edges and sides of the RV. In addition, IF you go to the trouble of properly "wrapping" your RV with 2 or 3 soft, nylon lines that have been enclosed in foam wrap at strategic locations, this goes a long way to keep the cover secure and almost eliminates any kind of serious flapping. I do this and the cover is now on its 3rd year and hasn't caused any damage to the RV.

I also take a lot of time preparing the RV for the cover. All sharp corners and other protrusions are covered with padding and taped down. I go over the entire RV - roof included - and pad and tape up everything. No holes so far in the cover.

I also place Styrofoam containers (old coolers) along the ridge of the roof so as to form a greater slope or peak for the rain and snow to slide off easier. Except for the front cap, there is a fairly large air space between the cover and the roof which allows for better air circulation under the cover. There is no pooling of water on the cover on the roof.

When putting the cover on, I shame a couple of other people into helping the two of us. I use my old age and feeble-mindedness as an excuse and they believe me. So we have 4 putting the cover on. Having extra bodies certainly helps and makes covering it, once all the prep work has been done a lot easier.

I am looking at getting 5 years from our cover. I realize that members who live in hot, humid climates have a different set of factors to consider. Those were also pointed out by JRTJH. Folks will also point out that there are 10,000's RV sitting uncovered on dealers' lots - without any apparent problems.

For many, covering may not be the best option or even necessary. For those of you who are lucky enough to have your RV either inside or outside under a permanent shelter/roof/barn are fortunate. But or those who don't and live in an area where covering, if done properly, just might be beneficial. I would argue that you can't come out and say to everyone, "Don't cover your RV".

[camptails]

My new Laredo has the aerodynamic acrylic front cap. I am pondering covering for the winter but I am afraid that the wind and chafing could damage it or the freeze thaw under it from the snow. I would use an Adco Tyvec cover that is suppose to breathe but it is a concern. I live in Colorado so the UV is bad and we get our share of wind. My space in the RV lot faces east so the front cap will get blasted with the sun every day. Looking at some of the others in the lot who don't cover tells me the UV takes a huge toll on the decals. What do some of you think that might have a new Laredo?

[Festus2]

There is a thread (Good RV Cover for my 361LEV) currently here on the forum -- check today's threads and posts about this topic. Another member just asked the same question as you have. If you do a forum search, there are a ton of posts about RV covers.

[aehjr]

Originally Posted by grtoutdoors

Hey Everyone,

After an amazing summer with our trailer at the lake (knock on wood - NOT ONE problem) we have decided to leave it there for the winter.

The weather can get darn cold and snowy up here in the north so we want to cover the trailer to try and protect it from the elements and just generally try and keep it in better condition.

It seems like there are two primary manufactures Adco and another one that produces Tyvek covers. Does anyone have any recommendation on good covers and other feedback I should watch out for?

Thanks in advance.

Curt

I don't recommend Adco. They don't seem to hold up well to wind and flapping. Replaced that with an Expedition brand cover. The Expedition has a three year warranty. That held up much better to the wind flapping. As others have said, use styrofoam or other material to shield the cover from sharp points on the trailer. I never saw any indication of water being trapped under the cover and it protected the trailer from the intense sun here in CO. People in campgrounds were frequently surprised at the age of our camper, commenting that "it doesn't look that old." The Goldline brand is a step up from Expedition and has a 5 year warranty. I've not used one yet but from the web description, it looks like a good product.
That being said, the cover does cause wear in the places where it rubs. We put extra wraps around the cover to reduce the amount of flapping. That gets you less damage from the cover and the cover lasts longer.

[cathcartww]

We love the way a cover keeps our trailer looking clean and new between uses. We also think it protects the fiberglass gelcoat, roofing, caulking, and decals from the sun - we haven't noticed any oxidation at all during annual re-waxing jobs. We also think that a cover protects from minor leaks, and keeps wasps and other nesting critters away. It also provides an extra level of security as it sits in the storage yard. It takes the DW and I about a half hour to put it on and secure it, and less to take it off and fold it up.

For our first cover on our first trailer, we were not sure whether or not we would like covering things up so we bought the cheapest we could find - an Expedition brand made of non-woven fabric. It almost made it through the 3 year warranty period, but the fabric became very weak, and the zippers and other hardware failed.

It is important that the cover fits properly. It is sort of a crap shoot as to whether a generic cover from a manufacturer will fit your specific trailer or not - too small stresses the fabric and makes it difficult to install and remove, and too big makes it difficult to secure properly and the wind will beat the cover (and maybe the RV) to death. You might luck out and get a good fit.

We ended up with a semi-custom cover from CalMark. Made in the USA from USA made Sunbrella brand woven fabric using high quality zippers and hardware. They send you a worksheet so you can make measurements on your particular trailer, and the manufacturer the cover to order. A real pleasure to do business with - even if they are in California!

[cathcartww]

Also add "CalMark Cover" to your search. They made one for our Outback that fits the front cap like a glove.

[Festus2]

Since there are two, separate "cover" threads running at the same time, they have been merged into one, single thread. All posts in each thread are intact.