To cover or not to cover

[Traindude]

I told the wife that I would ask the question here as I am sure it has been asked many times before. Should the 5er be covered or not while it’s being stored. I store it outside so it’s in the weather. Don’t get much if any snow here but lots of rain. I am leaning towards not covered but the wife is going the other way, please help settle this debate. Thanx in advance

[JRTJH]

Based on the timing of your question and your "profile information" that for the past 5 years it's been uncovered.... Why the sudden shift to change what's been working? How many RV dealerships have you seen with covered trailers?

Really, the few who love to store covered (I'd guess about 10-15%) feel it's the only way to go. The rest, well, that 85-90% wax well and keep the roof sealed.

[nellie1289]

Originally Posted by Traindude

I told the wife that I would ask the question here as I am sure it has been asked many times before. Should the 5er be covered or not while it’s being stored. I store it outside so it’s in the weather. Don’t get much if any snow here but lots of rain. I am leaning towards not covered but the wife is going the other way, please help settle this debate. Thanx in advance

Train dude. Living in Oregon I choose covered storage but frankly it’s more about the sun that the rain for me. For the extra 100$ a month it’s worth every penny to me for covered storage. To me the sun is far more damaging than the rain here in Oregon. While I enjoy thinking about my trailer under a roof in these blinding rain storms we get i think the sun is the real enemy. I think if I was forced to put outside I would put on a Cover. I can tell you of the hundreds of trailers parked at my lot stored outside maybe 1 in 10 have a cover over them. That being said 50% of them that do have the cover on poorly not cinched down well. The wind blows even a little bit and they are flapping all over the place

[Traindude]

Let me rephrase that. We got a new (or new to us) 5th wheel. 5er not five years. Sorry about the confusion. Wife just concerned because we are getting the roof patched and sealed.

[chuckster57]

Good quality wax on the sides, front and rear. Quality roof treatments and you should be golden. When I sold my Jayco after 13 1/2 years of ownership, the roof was in good shape, no leaks. I waxed all 36 feet 2X a year.

[Greg58]

Everyone will have a different answer, here in the southeast the sun is our problem. We have owned five Travel trailers with the sun causing a lot of problems, roof material shrinkage and deterioration no matter how much I tried to stay ahead on maintaining it. I finally decided on a building for ours, we have a 31x20 with 12’ legs that I can store both of our trailers with each facing opposite each other. With the tall cover I can get on top of either and do maintenance anytime I need to. Our rv’s are a major investment so 4K for a structure that will last a lifetime was worth it.

[flyingjack]

Same dilemma in 2019; bought best cover available- Colo wind shredded it in 3 months; company replaced new cover (as per warranty) ONE TIME. Spent several hours covering every protrusion (ACs, vents etc) with foam & tape, even ladder. Also used three extra straps so no wind issues and in 4 months, cover started getting holes worn through. Removed and went back to NO cover and wash and wax/seal each spring: about the same amount of time. BTW, covers cost nearly $600 each. Back in the NO COVER camp. My hometown won't let my install a fixed sunshade due to location issues.