Your Valued Opinion Please

In 20 + years of rv'ing, we find slide toppers to be nothing but a pain in the backside.
They catch wind, are a pain to clean, and don't really ( for us anyway ) serve any purpose. If you keep your seals in good condition, leaking shouldn't be a problem.
Our last 3 fivers haven't had them, and it seems much less worry, especially during travel. Our current rig has all the hardware, but haven't even considered installing any.

If the brand is a Silverback with the cathedral slide out, then yes it would be a deal breaker for me. Having a curb side slide out that dumps water directly at the door makes zero sense. Why have an awning that could provide rain protection but a slide out that totally defeats that function? Some owners report water problems inside the RV if they need to retract the slide while it is raining. And there is no way to add toppers that might minimize the problem.

Any unit I buy must have toppers. The slide out roof has less insulation, so toppers help in the summer, both in overall cooling and less temperature variation around the RV. And I prefer to retract the slide outs any time I want, not just after the roof has been cleaned.

Our fiver is 15 years old. It has two slides and neither has an awning. We have never had a problem with the slides leaking. In my opinion, slide awnings are just something else to maintain. Having slide awnings might be a deal breaker for us.

RustyJC wrote:
We've owned 4 5th wheels since 1996. One had slideout covers. By choice, three did not. Neither of our DRV Mobile Suites has had slideout covers, and neither has had water leaks. If the seals on the slideouts are in good shape and doing their job, leakage shouldn't be a concern.

Frankly, I got tired of the whipping of the slideout covers in the wind, the mold growth from moisture on the underside and the difficulty cleaning it off, still having to fish under the slideout covers to remove branches and debris that find their way in, etc. To each his/her own, but they're not for me.

Rusty

I did the same. I don't want them !!!!

rskeans wrote:
Are we discussing a Slide Topper or an awning that attaches to the slide.

Wrong post

Our 5th wheel is 20 years old never had a slideout roof leak on either slide. Don't have slideout awnings and would never add them.

Are we discussing a Slide Topper or an awning that attaches to the slide.

We've owned 4 5th wheels since 1996. One had slideout covers. By choice, three did not. Neither of our DRV Mobile Suites has had slideout covers, and neither has had water leaks. If the seals on the slideouts are in good shape and doing their job, leakage shouldn't be a concern.

Frankly, I got tired of the whipping of the slideout covers in the wind, the mold growth from moisture on the underside and the difficulty cleaning it off, still having to fish under the slideout covers to remove branches and debris that find their way in, etc. To each his/her own, but they're not for me.

Rusty

I say, why can't they install a slide awning on the door side?

There are many trailers out there with door side slide outs that have slide toppers on them.

You just have to know how to size them to clear the awning arms from the main awning.