To cover the RV, or not.

Before I full timed (hard to cover when you live in it!) I covered with a good quality cover and good ties. I think this might be the key but it was also stored directly beside my garage so only if the wind blew in one direction was the cover even affected. I would recommend a cover to keep the clear coat from deteriorating, but with enough time in the sun the clear coat is going to go no matter what. The cover simply delays the inevitable. How and where you park the RV makes a bigger difference.

MinnCamper wrote:
gdopp
The original post is talking about COVER'S not garage's. Geeez- read slower next time.??

I am a slow reader, trust me.
You missed the point of my comment. Apparently no one in Minnesota keeps their car in a garage during the winter. :)

This is from our RV's owner's manual in the chapter for Maintenance and Storage, "Avoid covering painted surfaces.When paint is covered (especially in outdoor conditions), water may appear between the cover and the vehicle due to rapid temperature fluctuations. The water may vaporize under certain conditions and migrate into the painted surface, possibly resulting in blisters and/or bubbles in the paint. These blisters/bubbles are not covered under warranty. Covering your RV is at owner's risk."

This, plus the Motorhome article, is what prompted me to pose this question. I agree that a carport, pole barn structure would be ideal, however, there isn't enough room for that type of structure next to our house. As stated earlier, this area receives very little sunlight and is quite sheltered from wind. Snow and ice would be my only concerns.

So far the cons outnumber the pro's. I await further input from other readers/owners.

Thanks,
Chris

If I added up the dollars for every cover each season that ends up shredded in the storage yard and all the damage they cause to the paint seen on others rigs, it would be in the tens of thousands of dollars - every year.

I never have in over 20 years and never will put a cover on ours.

I've covered my TT with an ADCO cover for the last three years. The cover just went on to cover it for the upcoming fall/winter season. There has been no damage to the trailer as a result of covering it.

Where there are sharp edges where the cover rest on the trailer I put extra padding (cut up tarp) to diminish the amount of wear on the cover in those places. The cover is breathable, the straps are not pulled super tight (as recommended by the cover manufacturer) and I leave on window partial open to allow fresh air into the trailer during the off season.

When I remove the cover in the Spring I'm greeted by a clean trailer surface that isn't covered with six months worth of dust, dirt, leaves, bird droppings or other assorted stuff. In addition with the ventilation allowed by the breathable cover and partially open window there is no mold, mildew or bad odor.

The $225 I spent for the cover and the 30 ~ 45 minutes it takes to put the cover on or take it off in my opinion is well worth it. I much rather start the camping season pulling the cover off and finding a clean, ready to use trailer versus having to clean six months worth of crud off of it.

If you park it on your own land, you can build carport for about $400.
I used 2 of those tent garages sold at Costco for about $140 each and put them together.
To lift it to coach height I pounded fence pipe into ground and slide the frame pipe over them with clamps to hold at designated height.
The tarp in CA sun deteriorated in 3 years, so I put thin metal roofing on the frame.
That probably would not withstand heavy wind in some areas, but work for me for 10 years.
I made a mistake of buying cover about 20 years ago. That thing not only rub the paint from the coach, but taking it off in moderate wind become life-threatening job.

gdopp
The original post is talking about COVER'S not garage's. Geeez- read slower next time.??

I store mine inside for the winter and I cover it despite the fact it is inside. Keeps barn dust, bird do-do, etc. off it. I put it away clean and it is clean when I retrieve it.

For years I stored rigs outside in winter. I always covered them when stored outside as well.

Putting the cover on takes maybe 30 minutes of my time, taking it off maybe 20 minutes. Is it a hard job? I guess it could be if you wanted it to be.

I have never had paint damage from the cover but the cover has prevented countless hours of sun, hail, freezing rain and snow from damaging my rig.

Leave it exposed to harsh winter weather or protect it? Seems like a no-brainer to me!

I have used a cover in the past and the main reason I quit using it was because it was such a pain to take off and put on. I found myself wanting to take the RV out for the weekend, but not doing it because the cover was such a pain. And yes it also did make some rub marks on the paint. The worse thing for a motorhome is sunlight. That tears everything up. If you have a roof leak rain will destroy your RV too, but if you are water tight then rain isn't causing any damage. I don't know about snow and ice as I don't have any of that where I am.

ArchHoagland wrote:
You said you read an article in Motorhome Magazine that recommended it.

Notice that the magazine has advertisers who sell covers. Of course they recommend it otherwise they lose their advertisers.

Used a cover a couple times years ago. Won't ever do it again for all the listed reasons.

X2 - Motorhome mag is fun to read but at the end of the day it's a glorified brochure for GS and CW with a few articles sprinkled in.