Blue Tarp

Never use a blue tarp. It will trap the moisture, potentially causing rot, and as pointed out, could rub the paint off your camper or scratch it.

tnrv'er wrote:
So are you guys recommending either not covering it or just biting the bullet and buying the Adco?

Umm.. yeah, that seems to be the consensus..

If you really FEEL you MUST cover it, buy a properly made RV cover.

As someone else has pointed out, tarps if allowed to be loose anywhere WILL rub ALL the paint off right down to metal or in the case of fiberglass take the gelcoat off.

Either way the cost of repairs will far exceed what a properly made RV cover would cost.

HOWEVER, since you are planning to build some sort of structure next year, why not SKIP a soft cover.. One year without being covered is not going to hurt your RV's finish at all.

I have never covered my RVs, just seems to be a waste of money and my time.. They are made to live outdoors and pretty hard to camp with a cover on a RV let along drive down the road with a cover on..

If it's for one winter, use a tarp. Make sure you secure it well or the wind will remove it.
I wouldn't buy a cover for one season.

I use a cover on our Southwind and never had a problem with it rubbing or damaging the paint. We get a lot of winter wind in our area.

For the past two months I've had the roof covered with a tarp because of a leak. I plan on installing the cover and leaving the tarp in place for the winter.
I did this a few years ago when we got a lot of rain/ice/snow. There were no proasblems from the tarp under the cover.

But, a car port is a much better cover. Build it first thing in the spring, it's easier to use. :)

So are you guys recommending either not covering it or just biting the bullet and buying the Adco?

I use a silver tarp from Harbor Freight. It is heavy, and is in its second winter of use. Since I cut a hole in it to allow one of my solar panels to be exposed to the sun, yes, it is getting to the end of its life. I tie it down with rope, not bunji cords, so it does not "blow all over the place". 10 minutes to remove and store, and 15 minutes to put it back on.

To me, it is well worth the $30 for two years of cover. I take it off often through the winter (I use my TT through the winter), and cover it in the summer if I will not be camping for a month. With all that handling, it would still hold up for one more year if I had not cut the hole for the solar panel.

If you want to cover it with a tarp make sure there is lots of air able to circulate around. Use something to hold it up a bit off the roof and don't pull the sides down tight. It is all about letting air move easily in and around the rv at the same time protecting it from the elements.

tnrv'er wrote:
Any cons by using the blue tarp for one winter?

The wind will either tear it off, or cause it to rub at the corners of the TT and tear holes in it. Not a great choice for long-term storage - unless you want to keep replacing it.

no cover

I've never used a cover. Always worried about moisture build up and rot. Im sure that I'm not alone either....