Topper and Vent Options Offered By Dealer for New Purchase

FORGET the toppers! I have had then and not and NOT is the way to go.

As far as vent covers spend your money wisely and tell them to install FantasticVent covers!!! I have owned the others and these are far superior in moving air.

We just installed 4 vent covers on our TT. The MaxAir II vent covers are about $41 each from Amazon and take about 10 minutes to install.

We also have 4 slides. Three slides are on the street side, one on the curb side. We camp seasonally and wish we had gotten slide toppers. The 3 street side slides get completely covered with leaves and other debris. In late spring, we actually had Maple tree saplings growing on the top of the slides. We had to clean the slides off on a somewhat regular basis.

As another user mentioned, I would have tried to negotiate the price on the slide topper and had the dealer install it if they came down in price. The vent covers are an easy DIYer.

-Michael

I personally would have gone for both although would have negotiated a better price.
Have always installed vent covers over roof vents, have never regretted the extra protection they offer.
Remember, water intrusion is your biggest enemy..

Absolutely yes on the toppers. Even if you don't camp near trees they do a wonderful job of helping keep the trailer cool by keeping the sun off the top of the slide. The price seems a little high. We had one installed on our big living room slide later and it was about $600. The dealer installed two smaller slide toppers for about the same price. We've never noticed any noise from the toppers on ours. If you frequently camp where it's very windy, like the beach, then it could possibly be a issue if they aren't taut enough.

We don't use the vents much so can't really say about the covers. But I would have to agree that they don't look that hard to DIY.

Both installed on ours and wouldn't be without them. The $130 for vent covers is way too high. Tell the dealer to install them at no charge or the deals off.

X2 on adding the topper. Every time you break camp you will be glad you did.

surfs-up-today wrote:
I just signed on the dotted line for a new camper.

It has one slide out and the dealer wanted to sell me a "topper" for about $800 installed (or so, if I remember correctly). Also 3 rain covers for the hatches. I think they were $130 each, installed.

I said no the topper as the unit will be closed 60% of the time (or more) and when open, I won't be near trees. I heard they make noise in the wind.

On the rain covers for the hatches, I didn't want the reduced air flow that might occur.

With both these items, I could install them myself if they are really needed. So price aside, are these things important to have? If so, why don't the manufactures install them?

I never installed a topper on my Coachmen because as a shallow sofa slide I felt it an unnecessary expense. However, I then did have to carry a 3-step ladder so I could reach the top of the slide before retracting it. It worked fine but if I were to ever buy another travel trailer that had a deep slide I would have a topper installed so I wouldn't have to fool with cleaning the slide top. For me personally I'd have the dealer do the installation.



As far as vent covers are concerned I'd never own any trailer without them because once installed the vent(s) can be left open 24/7 for ventilation despite what the weather may be outside. Installing them yourself is a one beer job - too easy. :) Install an Ultrabreeze vent cover by Fan-tastic Vent and you shouldn't experience restricted air flow - YouTube video proof is here.