Storing pop up camper for the winter

rooner444 wrote:
What is the best way to cover my pop up camper that will be stored outside through winter in MI?

breathable RV cover, like ADCO.

2nd best way, very effective: a tarp that covers the camper just below where the top meets the body (when the top is latched down). This allows some "breathing" but protects the roof from leaks. Bungie the tarp down to the frame, so it doesn't blow around. This worked well for us for about 12 years.

Rooner,

In this area (we live near Metro Airport and I worked in Jackson), you have two big issues.
1 - Moisture
2 - Vermin

In case one (1). You don't say what your PU is. If it has a solid fiberglass or plastic cover, leave it alone. It will be just fine. It was built to be out in the rain. Unless you put an A/C on the roof. Then you need a cover as the water will get to the gasket.

But, if you are parking it in your yard over soil, Get either a large sheet of heavy (at least 6mil) plastic or a cheap tarp to park it over. Moisture in the ground will be drawn up by the changes in temperature. (BTDT)

For case two (2) Good Luck. Cover all opening and leave nothing that even looks like it might ever be food in the PU.

If you can find affordable inside storage do that. Look at the fairgrounds (I don't know if they still do) and warehouses.

Matt

Put some moth balls in it! :)

peppermint oil on a cotton ball in a small cup (like shot glass size) has kept animals out of ours. And it smells better in the Spring than moth balls.

I bought one of these. I cut the legs down to a short enough height that the canopy fit better over the popup. I tied it down very thoroughly with lots of ropes. The tarp material is very heavy duty and served very well for the two winters I used it this way. It endured lots of snowfall without an issue. I did go out and knock the snow off of it when it got to be over 6" deep.

I recommend this method of protection.

-Speak

someone wrote:
It was built to be out in the rain

Words escape me when I see this.

I think that rain turns to snow and ice at some point during the winter - I could be wrong though...

By all means, cover it with something that breathes like the ADCO cover someone mentioned. Don't put a tarp over it as tarps trap moisture. Of course inside storage or something like a carport is the ultimate, but it's not made of super duper weather resisting materials. Boats are made to be outside too. Ever see a boat who's owner cared about it sitting uncovered outside in a Michigan winter?

Show me a breathable cover that is good at letting moisture vapor escape and I'll show you a cover that lets water in and allows ice to cling to it and eventually tear it apart.
Breathable cover is great, but in snow country cover the cover with a tarp that sheds rain snow and ice, not absorbs and clings to it. Plus your $300 fancy cover will last much longer if it's protected by a cheap plastic tarp.
Good idea about the plastic (or gravel or pavement) underneath.
Coving the top part is the first and best defense, but the drier you keep it overall the better.

Our 11 year old popup still looks new. Live in the garage. I figure cars wear out in 12 years/200k miles, so might as well keep the camper in the garage and leave the car outside. At this rate the camper will last forever. The cars I burn up driving.

If I did store outside, I'd probably get a cheap tarp and stick build a frame for it so that I had a roof ridge running front to back and air circulation between the tarp and camper to avoid condensation. Would require snow removal

Whatever you do, make sure you do what you can to prevent a mice infestation, and check the unit very frequently. Years ago I had a pop-up, covered it with a 300 buck cover for the winter, opened it in the spring to $4000 worth of damage. It actually was more than $4000 but that's what the insurance company gave me and I did the work myself. All of the canvas, screening, inside plastic was destroyed. All of the curtains had multiple holes chewed in them. The mattresses and seat cushions had holes. There were mice turds and urine on everything. I actually cried when I opened it. It technically should have been totaled, but my boys and I nursed it back from hell. For the most part, still had many blemishes. We kept it for another 8 years, and from that point on I actually left the unit open all year round. Only time I closed it was when a snow storm was on it's way. I missed one and both end poles snapped under the weight. Easy enough to replace. The other negative of being open all the time was mold. I had to keep up with cleaning the inside and outside of the canvas or it became a mess real fast.

The pop-up was good to us and fit our needs at the time. We've since graduated from it to a trailer and to a class c. But I'll tell you I'm nervous as all get about the mice. I've been using Fresh Cab (on an automatic deliver of it) in all of units and (knock on something!) we've been mice free. I do use my motor home a lot and check it constantly.

Sorry to scare you, but I don't want anyone to have to go through what I did. Best of luck!