Houston Trailer Storage - Covered vs Uncovered?

That brutal sun can destroy things quickly. Covered is always better.

The sun is a killer down here. When we were shopping for my son's rig we couldn't find one that wasn't water damaged in his price range anyway. He had put a deposit on a 2013 and after I looked at it discovered that it was also water damaged.

We looked at one dealer on 45 North and probably out of a dozen used towables about half of them had water damage. When I mentioned one of the more severe ones they said oh no worries we'll check it out completely before you take delivery. Sure you will.

Even when my sons travel trailer when undercover the decals were cracked and fading at 8 years old. Mine has been in a less harsh environment and covered for the first 10 years of its life it's now 18 years old and the decals are still in good condition.

Look at a lot of the road signs and business signs down here.

Doesn't matter where you live....covered storage is ALWAYS preferable.

Just depends on how deep your pockets are.

downtheroad wrote:
Doesn't matter where you live....covered storage is ALWAYS preferable.

Agree, but it's such a PITA installing & removing a cover that here in Ontario I only use mine for winter storage. However, much further south where the sun is a killer it would be another matter so if it were me I think I'd opt for storage in some sort of building or at least carport type of protection, though I bet that would be costly. :E My BIL lives in Australia and on visits there I've noticed everything outside fades really noticeably from exposure to the sun - cars, houses, caravans, anything, it all fades in time. :(

downtheroad wrote:
Doesn't matter where you live....covered storage is ALWAYS preferable.

X2!

When I posted, "Doesn't matter where you live....covered storage is ALWAYS preferable." I certainly meant some kind of storage building...

I agree, canvas covers are a huge PITA.
We pay for storage in a building, it's expensive but worth it.

My Winnie is never at rest uncovered.

Same as in Calgary, protection from sun and water.
Depends on your use. If I was using it 6mo out of the year I wouldn’t spend more to cover it the other 6 unless from solid rain/snow. If it’s used that much, its less ROI if you’re paying for storage.
Remember too, covered storage is handy, covers and tarps aren’t, but they’re effective and cheaper.

100 percent agree that getting your camper under a roof is 100 percent better than leaving it exposed to the elements, especially intense heat and sun. If you can afford a covered storage facility, then do it.

Second best is a fabric RV cover. This may be a real headache putting on and taking off if you use your camper very much. But in the extreme elements or if parked under messy trees, covers are worth it.

Third best, (but you should do this anyway), is to keep the roof treated with RV conditioner at least once a year, more if you have the time.

One argument for having a dirty roof, opposed to those us of 'crazy people' who like to keep them spotless clean ... at least dirt puts a layer of protection between the sun's UV rays and the rubber the roof is covered with! So, if you live in Texas, because of the extreme sun, I suggest you never wash your roof if you can't keep it under a cover and hope acid rain doesn't dissolve the rubber.