COVER?

The only time a cover provides some protection is when it is new. Once the cover has been taken off, or has been in use for a short time, it will start to get dirt that will accumulate on the inside of the cover. This dirt will act like sand paper and when the cover is moved by the wind, it will eventually sand away the paint surface.
Even in my coastal Florida home, I will not use a cover and if the manufacturer used a good quality paint, it should last for a long time exposed to the elements.
On the other hand, I do enjoy watching my neighbor struggle whenever he puts on or takes off his cover. I always wonder when the cover will win. :B

I have a cover and have used it a couple of times, but my biggest concern with a cover is they are a pain to put on and take off. It's actually a dangerous thing to do because you have to get on the rood unless somebody has developed a better system that I don't know about.

The main thing that is going to harm your motorhome is sunlight. If you have a way to build a roof over the motorhome that protects it from sunlight, in my opinion that is just as a good as a cover if not better.

I use an Adco and find the material very breathable and soft where it touches the RV. It might be my imagination but it always seems more shiny when I remove it. Maybe it polishes it? At any rate I am very happy with it, but the thin breathable material is prone to getting a small tear here and there after 2 years. Also I don't use it in winter. Always afraid a bigger snow or ice and I'd never get it off if we are planning a trip. All in all I am happy with it. Not a lot of fun to put on or take off but it does it's job. Is it worth it? Well if you are like me and like your RV nice and clean for a trip, it's good to keep it that way. Does it protect it? I am sure it does but with modern gel coats I am not sure just how much compared to the length of time it's uncovered vs covered.

I remember a post awhile back where a poster had damage to his coach from a cover. Wind slapping the cover onto the coach caused damage to the paint. I can't recall if the wind had caused the problem are if the cover was put on wrong?

I use a cover on our 96 Southwind. It helps protect it from the sun and keeps it clean over the winter.
I bought a Champion cover on Ebay, it was fairly inexpensive and I knew it was not the best. It has survived 5 Pennsylvania winters and will be good for a couple more. I've had not problems from the cover rubbing the paint, and we got a lot of winter wind in our area.
When this one fails, Ill buy another cover.

I've been covering all of my coaches (1 TH & 2-A's) over the years, all of my RV covers seem disintegrate after about 1 - 1.5 years of usage in SoCal no matter how expensive the cover is. So, I just buy a new $200 cover each time. I'd rather the RV cover disintegrate than have the gel coat look terrible from sun damage. I was looking at building a portable garage for my coach, but I don't own the land where I park my coach. As for a covered storage facility, they are pretty pricey out west.

If you buy a cover made for rv's the material will be "breathable", and therefore won't hold moisture or condensation. If you cover with a regular tarp, it very well may create and hold condensation.

I left mine exposed and after five years, all the clear coat had peeled off of the rounded top edge where the roof meets the side panels. Last winter I built an RV garage so now our new mh will have a protected facility.

I don't know if I would go with a cover as I have heard some bad stories about them and if you don't have a garage, maybe you should look for a RV in-door storage facility. Altho, that may be more expensive than a new paint job every five years.

Ron