OK, so the not so nice weather is here for much of us and our fiver has been in indoor storage for almost 2 months now :(. As much as we hate not having it with us it is comforting knowing it is dry and clean indoors. We live in the very wet West coast that is not kind to an RV sitting outside in the elements. Unfortunately we do not have enough property to have a shop so we are forced to pay to have it inside a former chicken barn on an agricultural property about a 20 minute drive from our home.When we started RVing over 20 years ago we always left our units outside and dealt with moldy awnings, extremely grime, black streaks, etc. in the spring and then we finally had a Terry fifth wheel that developed a leak. Friends of ours convinced us to store indoors for the late fall/winter/early spring months and we have been doing so since. It is great to put the rig indoors and pick it up 6 months later completely clean, dry, and looking exactly as it was when we put it away.So what are others doing?

I am in south western Louisiana so also a good bit of wet weather, also hot weather in the summer, though rarely does it get very cold in the winter, last night was our first freeze of the year with lows around 25 degrees, and tonight the forecast calls for a low of about 30. It is rare for out temperatures to stay below freezing for over 24 hours (maybe once per year), and the all time record low in the area was in the mid teens. I store my coach indoors in a metal shed with a roll up door on the family cattle ranch also about a 20 minute drive from my house.

Central Oregon, east of the Cascades, at about 4200', so yeah, we store inside.

Its snowing and my new camper is outside uncovered and I'm not ready put it away yet. Ill get a cover soon and plan on building a roof on the back of the shop for next winter and I cant seem to stay out of it right now.

Outside, next to the S&B, no cover except snow. Did the same with the TT but had a cover. Roof vents open on both.

Who Stores Their Rig Indoors Over the Winter? | Good Sam Community

SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Dec 10, 2017
Water intrusion is always an issue on any RV, especially when the owner is lax about maintaining seals and caulk. I look at keeping the unit inside (or under a cover / car port / roof) as added insurance against leaks plus it keeps the unit from weathering over time.

All pluses and no minuses in my view. I'm about protecting my investment.
Supercharged
Explorer
Dec 10, 2017
Inside a Big Boy Toy storage, a condo I own.
blofgren
Explorer
Dec 10, 2017
SidecarFlip wrote:
Water intrusion is always an issue on any RV, especially when the owner is lax about maintaining seals and caulk. I look at keeping the unit inside (or under a cover / car port / roof) as added insurance against leaks plus it keeps the unit from weathering over time.

All pluses and no minuses in my view. I'm about protecting my investment.

My thoughts exactly. It does cost me $1200 for 6 months but that is cheap compared to dealing with water damage. I sleep well during stormy nights knowing it is safe and dry inside!
Arcamper
Explorer
Dec 10, 2017
Ours stays indoors with the truck year round heated in winter and air conditioned in the summer. We are very fortunate to have this ability. Don't let anyone ever tell you there is no advantage to storing indoors. When we sold our 7 year old Laredo the people could not believe how good it looked compared to the same age units they had seen that had faded decals and paint.
ScottG
Nomad
Dec 10, 2017
blofgren wrote:
ScottG wrote:
Ours will be covered it I can get the car port company to ever show up and build the structure.
I'm beginning to think I'm dealing with a bunch of flakes.

LOL, that is always a risk. How big is your property?

Not very big!
I installed a 15'X 42' slab in our back yard and the roof was to follow but strangely enough, I could not find a local installer. I ended going with a Ca. Co. that said they would do it in 3~6 weeks.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Dec 10, 2017
There's a storage facility less than 1/4 mile from us with only indoor storage, electricity, water, sewer, and private entrances. I'd love to put our toyhauler in there, but he wants about $375/month. A bit steep for my blood.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Dec 10, 2017
fj12ryder wrote:
There's a storage facility less than 1/4 mile from us with only indoor storage, electricity, water, sewer, and private entrances. I'd love to put our toyhauler in there, but he wants about $375/month. A bit steep for my blood.

Look at it this way...

What did you pay for it?

What value do you place on it?

How much depreciation are you willing to take on a weathered unit when selling it?

My philosophy is, if you can afford the luxury of an RV you should be able to afford to store it inside, on your own property or elsewhere.

How I look at it at least.

I knew where I was storing mine before I even bought it. Not as an afterthought.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Dec 10, 2017
You can look at it any way you want, but $4500/year is $4000 more than I pay now. So if I had stored it there for the last 6 years I would have spent $24,000, more than a third of the purchase price! If I had money to burn, maybe then, but being the frugal money minder that I am, not a chance.

You can store yours anywhere you wish, but I'll spend my money on using it rather than storing it.
SidecarFlip
Explorer III
Dec 10, 2017
fj12ryder wrote:
You can look at it any way you want, but $4500/year is $4000 more than I pay now. So if I had stored it there for the last 6 years I would have spent $24,000, more than a third of the purchase price! If I had money to burn, maybe then, but being the frugal money minder that I am, not a chance.

You can store yours anywhere you wish, but I'll spend my money on using it rather than storing it.

It's your money. I don't care if you use it for toilet paper.
down_home
Explorer II
Dec 10, 2017
We do. Too much invested to let it weather. Been storing indoors for many years now.