Good day, Just wanted to get everyone's opinion on covering your travel trailer with a good quality rv cover. Only thinking of covering mine during the winter while it is in storage. pros? cons? thank you in advance.

Cover mine every winter. I give it a good wash and it looks nice and clean when pulling the cover off. I had an ADCO cover on my previous 5er for 6 years and when we got rid of the 5er I stuffed the cover under the bed because it had several more years left and I didn't need it.Bought another ADCO for our present TT. Put tennis balls on the gutter extensions to keep it from tearing. I have owned trailers before and not covered one year and they were a mess to clean up in the spring.

I no longer cover, had significant mildew on top and interior of trailer. We did however have record breaking rain that particular winter, took HOURS to clean. I now use a dehumidifier and rub down the entire exterior with 303 UV protectant. Your situation may differ as our trailer sits at home plugged up.I'm thinking I may cover if off site with quality cover, several windows cracked.

You will get different opinions. I think a cover is a good idea.Make sure the TT is clean before you install the cover. The cover should be snug fitting.I have never had any damage from the cover rubbing and we get a lot of winter wind in our area.It does help keep your rig cleaner.

I covered out last TT every winter for the 13 years we had it and would absolutley do so again. Keeping the weather off them virtually stops the clock on aging. One caveat, if you live where its very windy then they may not be a good idea, or at least that's what some say. They're fine for the occasional blow though and I never had a problem. Here's what our old TT looked like the day I traded it in. I attribute its like-new look to covering and waxing it regularly.

Regardless of the cons you hear about it, pretty much any cover is better than exposed to the elements. I found with the soft covers, snow was harder to remove off the roof and freeze thaw resulted in large icicles that pulled at and tore the sides of the cover. (Well, I tore it trying to remove the ice...lol)If you get a bunch of snow, I’d recommend a plastic tarp over the soft cover. At least just over the root area, much easier to get the snow buildup off.

Covering your travel trailer | Good Sam Community

18 Replies

whjco
Explorer
Feb 09, 2020
I always cover mine during the winder months. It really helps slow the weathering of the exterior.
Hannibal
Explorer
Feb 09, 2020
Keeping my 20' boat covered is easy, even with the T-top. Covering our 32' TT is a dangerous chore. I'm sure it would help preserve it from the blistering Florida sun but, It's off more than it's on.
Grit_dog
Navigator II
Feb 08, 2020
Jay flight, remember what I said in my first reply, because the anti cover crowd has showed up. They might sell RVs for a living is the only thing I can figure....
And wax doesn’t hurt decals either.....
Dick_B
Explorer
Feb 08, 2020
One of our more popular subjects. For even more posts search this Forum for `RV Cover'. We use a Sunshield tarp.
At the present time there are a few inches of snow on top of the tarp that is on top of the RV; black side up.
edbehnke
Explorer
Feb 08, 2020
don't waste your money.
LibertyMan
Explorer
Feb 08, 2020
jfkmk wrote:
I’ve been using the same Adco cover now for 9 years. It does have a couple of minor wear marks where I didn’t pad sharp edges well enough, but it still works great,

It is on the second tt, and both of them stayed new looking the entire time I’ve had them.

ADCO has a repair patch kit on their website for 25 bucks. I just bought it to patch a few small holes/tears on my cover. I was really pleased with it.
jfkmk
Explorer
Feb 08, 2020
I’ve been using the same Adco cover now for 9 years. It does have a couple of minor wear marks where I didn’t pad sharp edges well enough, but it still works great,

It is on the second tt, and both of them stayed new looking the entire time I’ve had them.
camp-n-family
Explorer
Feb 07, 2020
Did it for the 1st time last winter. Never again. Did more damage than good and the cover (Adco) shredded within the first 2 months. It was a tight fit and strapped well but still rubbed the front cap and several other areas dull.
ScottG
Nomad
Feb 07, 2020
rwess wrote:
Oh, I almost forgot. Do not wax the decals! You will be sorry.

See my pic above. As long as you don't scrub hard in one place for a long time, they will be fine with waxing. It's the sun that really kills them.
Mine were waxed at least twice a year for the 13 years I had the rig but were also kept out of direct sun. Graphics aren't as sensitive as they were decades ago but the UV is still hard on them.
K-9_HANDLER
Explorer
Feb 07, 2020
Have had mine since 05. Never put a cover on it.