Preventative hail damage

Underpasses, trees, under canopies........some kind of cover

Out in the open...LUCK and good Insurance for not just vent/sky lights but windshields, windows and full body panels

Good luck!

Underpasses are usually your best bet if you're overly concerned. These storms generally are accompanied by heavy lightning, so use caution if taking shelter under trees. Make sure your insurance is paid up and hope for the best....Dennis

yeah we are hunkering down here in TX. Lots of storms coming through. We generally spread old bed comforters on top of all of our coaches because we don't live near an underpass. It's not fool proof, but it can take the ding out of some hail.

OP: Debating hunkering down, where we can take some sort of preventative measures, verses, on the road and taking our chances. This area is new to us, so we have no idea if bridges are even an option.

We are in Beaumont, TX. Plan was to head to Columbus, TX tomorrow. West of Houston.

Just not sure what to do.

Cover it with a tarp for a little bit of protection. If you can put some cardboard boxes betweed the roof and the tarp, even better.

They make covers that go over your vents to allow you to open your vents while it is raining. From experience, they provide excellent hail protection. I would pull in any slides that you have and not worry too much about your skylight over the shower. If you go up on your roof, you will find that the skylight is fairly flexible. Chances are it will not be affected but if it does break, it is over the shower.
On another note, after a hail storm is a great opportunity to pick up a toad. ON one of our trips in Albuquerque, we were able to pick up a Chevy HHR from Enterprise car rental that had MINOR hail damage. The vehicle had less than 10,000 miles, was less than one year old, and had a sticker price of $24,000+. We got the vehicle for $8,500 out the door and had a base plate installed by an RV shop in town. We sold our Saturn to a dealer and feel that we made a great deal. The auto rental places DO NOT repair their vehicles with hail damage. They get rid of them at deeply discounted prices.

With potential high winds there isn't much. Anything uou might try and cover the coach with the wind might determine otherwise. Best is to find something to park under until the storm passes. Easier said than done. Another option is the down wind side of a building that with a bit of luck will give you a hail shadow. Taller the better.

I got caught in a hail storm on I 95 when my MH was 14 years old. Stones were from 1/4 -1/2 in in Dia. It stopped highway traffic for 10 mins. I thought the stones were coming through the roof. After it was over there were no cracked skylights,AC covers or max air covers. I was glad for a rubber roof and not Al or FG at that time. My thoughts afterwards was that the AC covers were flexible and would give a little when hit. The Max covers were a different type of plastic and thicker. The skylight was what I thought for sure had cracked but did not. Maybe the curvature gave it more strength. Having said all that if I was in Tx and new one was coming I would leave for a safer area everything is bigger in TX including hailstones.

A hail storm can be devastating and deadly as well. You start getting up toward baseball size hails and they can kill you.

I was in a severe hail storm in South Texas Easter 2013. Early 1993 diesel pusher and my Suburban with hail as big as softballs. There was no shelter. It tore big limbs off mesquite trees and came through tin roofs like butter. The RV had long been paid for and only had the minimal insurance on it.

I wish the damage had just been vent covers and glass. It put holes through the roof decking. It put holes through the SIDES of the RV -- not dents-- holes! The Suburban had been paid off a few months earlier and I had not canceled the full coverage insurance. I replaced the glass and used the balance of the insurance money to buy another RV. The Suburban still carried hail dents you can lay your fist in.

I carry full insurance on both vehicles now even though the are paid off. That is the only thing you can really do to offset the risk of spring weather in Tornado Alley.

If you want to see pictures and read the whole story here is the link.

The Big Hails

Well if we are really talking about preventative measures don't be on the road. Think about your safety before the coach. In heavy rain and wind visibility is typically lousy. Hiding under an over pass is dangerous.