Slide toppers

[kydale]

Don't have slide toppers. Thinking about adding them. Good idea or not. Opinions please. Water stands on slides during rain and if I have to bring slides in. A mess for DW. Dale

[Dutch___Di]

I'm with you! I would not have an RV without them.

tcamper wrote:
I’ve had my current FW for 10 years and had the slide awnings added when I bought it new. After 10 years my opinion is that I would not have an RV without them. When we occasionally find ourselves in cold weather those toppers help keep us a bit warmer too. Hugs, Di

As far as I’m concerned they are not noisy at all. I have never heard any noise from them period.
No matter where you camp…you always get some debris on your slide out…even if it’s just bird poop. Close the slide….now the debris is inside your camper. The flaps are very good for most debris…but not all.
I also think the side awnings provide a buffer in heavy rain storms, and certainly help keep heat off of the slides during the summer.

I have always kept my slide awnings clean. Every time I do a full body wash…the awnings get scrubbed as well. I look at my slide awnings now after 10 years, and can’t imagine how I would feel seeing the same wear and tear on my slide out that I see on my toppers.

[blofgren]

We bought our current FW early this year and it is our first unit with slide toppers (Carefree units). I would say they have good and bad points.

The good:

Overall keep the top of slides clean
They look nice
Reduce or eliminate water on top of slides and wear/tear
They keep my winter cover away from the sides of the trailer (good airflow)
Trailer is noticeably cooler in hot weather

The not so good:

Water pools on top of them, even in heavy dew
After a rain, water cascades off the toppers and down the sides of the trailer
They are magnets for all types of dirt and grime
If you don't wipe/dry them prior to retracting slides the toppers are dirty top AND bottom
The bottoms of them are a PITA to clean
The tops of the slides get very dirty and grimy and are also not easy to clean

Overall I do like them, but I wish that the tension was adjustable on them and I wish there was a way to retract them with the slide out to clean/inspect/maintain the tops of the slides. This would make them a lot more user friendly.

[tcamper]

I’ve had my current FW for 10 years and had the slide awnings added when I bought it new. After 10 years my opinion is that I would not have a FW without them.

As far as I’m concerned they are not noisy at all. I have never heard any noise from them period.
No matter where you camp…you always get some debris on your slide out…even if it’s just bird poop. Close the slide….now the debris is inside your camper. The flaps are very good for most debris…but not all.
I also think the side awnings provide a buffer in heavy rain storms, and certainly help keep heat off of the slides during the summer.

I have always kept my slide awnings clean. Every time I do a full body wash…the awnings get scrubbed as well. I look at my slide awnings now after 10 years, and can’t imagine how I would feel seeing the same wear and tear on my slide out that I see on my toppers.

[Dennis_M_M]

Halmfamily wrote:
We had them installed on our new fiver and they are great. No more water or debris coming back in while retracting the slides. Helps keep the slides cooler and ours do not flap in the wind. Well worth the money.

X2 Only issue I ever had was snow in Denver melting and then freezing the topper to the top of the slide. PIA to get that unstuck on a cold morning! Now I just pull the slides in to dump the fresh snow whenever that happens (we often hit Denver in Nov & March so snow happens.) Never let the snow sit there.

[christopherglen]

I had them added to the super slide and bedroom slide on my trailer. No more standing water when retracting the slides, just a light film of moisture (think condensation). No more sweeping pine needles off the slides, or snow / ice, they all fall off the edge (yes, it makes a mess) when I close the slides. On the fridge I didn't bother getting the topper, as it is under the awning. In the summer the slides are also cooler, as the topper acts like a permanent shade tree that follows you around. I got the toppers with the metal starter ~6 inches long, so the fabric is not in the sun when closed.

[Winged_One]

kydale wrote:
Don't have slide toppers. Thinking about adding them. Good idea or not. Opinions please. Water stands on slides during rain and if I have to bring slides in. A mess for DW. Dale

Depending on the trailer, sometimes there is not a lot of angle for the toppers. We have one side that is flatter than the rest and it will accumulate water. You can just roll it in and most of the water will roll off, but you can still get some in the trailer.

I found the easiest way to handle it, based on the amount of extension of the landing gear at level, is to raise or lower the landing gear for just long enough for the water to slide off the topper before closing. Best done soon after a rain to take the weight off.

I do like the toppers as we like to camp under trees.

[PegLW]

We've had one trailer without and now one with for the last five years -- LOVE them!!! Would never have another trailer without the slide awnings. Ours are Carefree and they don't flap either. I think proper installation is the key element for that.

[3oaks]

I never had them before, but then I never had a slideout before. However I did add a slide topper as option on my new TT which is on order.

[Arcamper]

Ordered ours from the factory when trailer was built. I like them and have never had any flapping or problems on this or our other trailer.

[ford_truck_guy]

Mine are Carefree and do not flap.. I think this is the first slide topper thread that I have read that there are no haters ( yet )..
In case you did not catch that , I am in the like them camp! :B

[Happy_Prospecto]

Thanks for the info, now the search begins.

[Halmfamily]

Happy Prospector wrote:

Halmfamily wrote:
We had them installed on our new fiver and they are great. No more water or debris coming back in while retracting the slides. Helps keep the slides cooler and ours do not flap in the wind. Well worth the money.

You say that your slide toppers do not flap in the wind- what brand do you have, as I will be ordering some toppers soon?

Mine are Dometic. Not sure of the model and my fiver is three hours away so I can't get the manual. Dealer installed them.

[downtheroad]

fj12ryder wrote:
You'll get two opinions: "like 'em" and "hate 'em".

Very true...
I have had trailers without them and with them....
My opinion, I like em.
Pros far outweigh the cons.

[Dick_B]

This is one of those topics that will have proponents on both sides. We wouldn't be without them. I wonder how many trips to the emergency room RVers take after falling off their roof cleaning off their slide without the covers?