cover for a 40' older toyhauler

Wow Jason - I didn't know you ended up in WY. It's so gorgeous up there, but boy is that state harsh.

It's only Sept 29, and this morning's Facebook memory was a photo from one year ago today when a storm hit us hard. We started in Rawlins (not a great place to crash for the night, but we survived) and then around Rock Springs the wind blew the bedroom window out of our fifth wheel.

September is barely even the Fall.

dedmiston wrote:

WhitehouseLV wrote:
We have a 2009 Keystone Raptor 380LEV. ~40' long with 2 slides & 2 entry doors.

Looking to get a cover that will cover the full length of our toyhauler and still allow access through at least one of the doors, preferably the main and garage doors.

What has been your experience with one (pluses & minuses)?

How do they hold up with the changing of the seasons...when it snows and the snow melts?

Which material is protects your RV the best?

Are they difficult to install and remove?

Do they make them that allow you to put the slides out?

Do they make a cover that allows you to put the rear ramp down?

Some Manufacturers choices are 37'1" - 40'0". Our toyhauler according to the mfg measures 39'11". Would you recommend the next size up 40'1"-44'?

Anything else we should know?

cheers!
Jason

It's great to see you around again, Jason.

I don't recall where you live, but is it very windy there? The wind is really the biggest enemy of the RV covers.

When time permits, I like to take a lap around the storage yard after I park ours and put it away. There are a couple of oddball things that I see, so I like to watch them over time just to see "how's that working out for ya?" One of the nosy games I like to play is RV Cover Rodeo: When I see someone put on a new cover, I like to watch and see just how long they can ride that horse.

Every last cover user in my storage lot gives up eventually; it's just a matter of how long they'll last. The owners who use their rigs often are the ones who quit the soonest. I can't tell if that's because they get tired of removing and replacing the cover, or if it's because they're more attentive and see the damage sooner. The owners who use theirs less often let the wind take over. The wind destroys the covers, and then the covers destroy the coaches. The trademark sign is the long upside down rainbow arc of damage caused by loose lashings that swing back and forth in the wind. It's so cringeworthy.

There was one guy with an absolutely gorgeous motorhome near our dumpster, so I'd look at his rig after every trip no matter what. When he added a cover, I figured "this ought to be good". He worked so hard to tailor fit his cover to his beautiful coach, but his mirrors stuck out too far and he had to make cutouts for the mirrors. He was really diligent about strapping down his cover and adding padding beneath the friction points, but he quit after about nine months after it started rubbing the finish on the nose of his rig just beneath the windshield.

It's not that they don't work for anyone, but I've yet to see one last even a year in our 28 years of using storage yards. I keep watching and rooting for them, but I haven't seen a real winner yet.

I should note that we don't even live in extreme weather. We don't get extreme high or low temps (except for the usual hellish high temps for a week or two in August or September) and not a ton of precipitation either. The winds are pretty constant in the wide open parts of town where we have so many storage yards, but even those aren't very extreme. Those constant winds are too much for the covers though.

Good luck with your shopping and your choice.

It's good to see you again. Take care.

Thanks Dave! I'm in Wyoming base of the Bighorn Mountains, where your daughter ran the Bighorn 100!! We moved here in March of 2017 knowing that my job in Montana would likely go away with the closing of 2 power generating units. I did the commuting thing, drove 120 miles in the morning, worked 10.5-11 hr day, then drove 120 miles home. Did that for 2 1/2 yrs until October 1 last year when my position was officially eliminated. Now we are self employed and loving every minute of it!

If you or anyone in this group is ever making the trek between Yellowstone & Rushmore message me because, we are halfway and have a lot of trails to ride, moose to see and very friendly boondocking sites on the mountain!

Most people here don't cover their RVs. I've probably only seen a handful with covers. Majority of reviews I've read on various brands of covers don't seem to last. Anything over 3 yrs is doing good. We can get that Wyoming wind that acts like a sandblaster. It might tear the cover to shreds but my hope is that I can get 2 yrs out of it and it will protect the Raptor & I'd think it would better than leaving it exposed.


The ideal solution is to build a big shop ;)

Thermoguy wrote:

WhitehouseLV wrote:

Thermoguy wrote:
I have an Adco - not a toy hauler. I have zippers where I can unzip to access entry door, also the back has zippers on both sides. I'm sure you can open the ramp. No, you can not open the slides. Mine is going on 5 years old this winter.

Lots of posts on this forum about covers. Some like them some do not. I think if you get it really tight so it doesn't blow in the wind, it won't rub the sides. I like that I clean the camper in the fall, cover, then it is clean when I take it off in the spring. It is a lot of work so I put it on once and keep it on all winter.

did your Adco fit true to length? I'm at 39'11" and thinking I should move up one size as Adco choices are 37'1"-40' or 40'1"-43'

You buy one that is longer than the rig. The back has straps to take up the excess cover material. Mine cover is much longer than the 5th wheel, but never had a problem. I have also had some good wind, but never an issue with the cover. It also does not rub, I do use the material that came for the downspouts and have protected a couple sharp edges.

thanks! I will adhere to that advice and get the next size up if O get purchase one.

Y-Guy wrote:
Jason it's good to see you around here again.

thanks for the welcome back!

WhitehouseLV wrote:

Thermoguy wrote:
I have an Adco - not a toy hauler. I have zippers where I can unzip to access entry door, also the back has zippers on both sides. I'm sure you can open the ramp. No, you can not open the slides. Mine is going on 5 years old this winter.

Lots of posts on this forum about covers. Some like them some do not. I think if you get it really tight so it doesn't blow in the wind, it won't rub the sides. I like that I clean the camper in the fall, cover, then it is clean when I take it off in the spring. It is a lot of work so I put it on once and keep it on all winter.

did your Adco fit true to length? I'm at 39'11" and thinking I should move up one size as Adco choices are 37'1"-40' or 40'1"-43'

You buy one that is longer than the rig. The back has straps to take up the excess cover material. Mine cover is much longer than the 5th wheel, but never had a problem. I have also had some good wind, but never an issue with the cover. It also does not rub, I do use the material that came for the downspouts and have protected a couple sharp edges.

WhitehouseLV wrote:
We have a 2009 Keystone Raptor 380LEV. ~40' long with 2 slides & 2 entry doors.

Looking to get a cover that will cover the full length of our toyhauler and still allow access through at least one of the doors, preferably the main and garage doors.

What has been your experience with one (pluses & minuses)?

How do they hold up with the changing of the seasons...when it snows and the snow melts?

Which material is protects your RV the best?

Are they difficult to install and remove?

Do they make them that allow you to put the slides out?

Do they make a cover that allows you to put the rear ramp down?

Some Manufacturers choices are 37'1" - 40'0". Our toyhauler according to the mfg measures 39'11". Would you recommend the next size up 40'1"-44'?

Anything else we should know?

cheers!
Jason

It's great to see you around again, Jason.

I don't recall where you live, but is it very windy there? The wind is really the biggest enemy of the RV covers.

When time permits, I like to take a lap around the storage yard after I park ours and put it away. There are a couple of oddball things that I see, so I like to watch them over time just to see "how's that working out for ya?" One of the nosy games I like to play is RV Cover Rodeo: When I see someone put on a new cover, I like to watch and see just how long they can ride that horse.

Every last cover user in my storage lot gives up eventually; it's just a matter of how long they'll last. The owners who use their rigs often are the ones who quit the soonest. I can't tell if that's because they get tired of removing and replacing the cover, or if it's because they're more attentive and see the damage sooner. The owners who use theirs less often let the wind take over. The wind destroys the covers, and then the covers destroy the coaches. The trademark sign is the long upside down rainbow arc of damage caused by loose lashings that swing back and forth in the wind. It's so cringeworthy.

There was one guy with an absolutely gorgeous motorhome near our dumpster, so I'd look at his rig after every trip no matter what. When he added a cover, I figured "this ought to be good". He worked so hard to tailor fit his cover to his beautiful coach, but his mirrors stuck out too far and he had to make cutouts for the mirrors. He was really diligent about strapping down his cover and adding padding beneath the friction points, but he quit after about nine months after it started rubbing the finish on the nose of his rig just beneath the windshield.

It's not that they don't work for anyone, but I've yet to see one last even a year in our 28 years of using storage yards. I keep watching and rooting for them, but I haven't seen a real winner yet.

I should note that we don't even live in extreme weather. We don't get extreme high or low temps (except for the usual hellish high temps for a week or two in August or September) and not a ton of precipitation either. The winds are pretty constant in the wide open parts of town where we have so many storage yards, but even those aren't very extreme. Those constant winds are too much for the covers though.

Good luck with your shopping and your choice.

It's good to see you again. Take care.

I hate to do this but did you search this Forum for `RV cover'? We use a Sunshield tarp and have for years.

Jason it's good to see you around here again.

Thermoguy wrote:
I have an Adco - not a toy hauler. I have zippers where I can unzip to access entry door, also the back has zippers on both sides. I'm sure you can open the ramp. No, you can not open the slides. Mine is going on 5 years old this winter.

Lots of posts on this forum about covers. Some like them some do not. I think if you get it really tight so it doesn't blow in the wind, it won't rub the sides. I like that I clean the camper in the fall, cover, then it is clean when I take it off in the spring. It is a lot of work so I put it on once and keep it on all winter.

did your Adco fit true to length? I'm at 39'11" and thinking I should move up one size as Adco choices are 37'1"-40' or 40'1"-43'

I have an Adco - not a toy hauler. I have zippers where I can unzip to access entry door, also the back has zippers on both sides. I'm sure you can open the ramp. No, you can not open the slides. Mine is going on 5 years old this winter.

Lots of posts on this forum about covers. Some like them some do not. I think if you get it really tight so it doesn't blow in the wind, it won't rub the sides. I like that I clean the camper in the fall, cover, then it is clean when I take it off in the spring. It is a lot of work so I put it on once and keep it on all winter.