Camper cover?

[JRJR]

I am looking at a Cal Mark camper cover made from a material called Sunbrella.
If anyone could tell me anything good or bad about this specific cover before I buy one I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks
John

[skanj0]

We've had our Calmark cover for 3 years now. Still in great shape. Expensive but worth it.

[kerry4951]

JRJR wrote:
Thank you all for the great information.

While I am a little concerned about the waterproofness ( ave. yearly rainfall here is 140 inches ) I am going to go ahead and order one and hope that the moisture under the cover will not be a concern.

Thanks
John

The Calmark covers would be exceptional if they just had the top roof portion covered with some sort of waterproof material. Even the cheaper covers have a waterproof top. No reason Calmark could not come up with something like those. They could do this and still have a breathable cover.

[joeshmoe]

terryrey wrote:

It appears to be a lighter material. What's the denier count?

[JRJR]

Thank you all for the great information.

While I am a little concerned about the waterproofness ( ave. yearly rainfall here is 140 inches ) I am going to go ahead and order one and hope that the moisture under the cover will not be a concern.

Thanks
John

[lookatdirt]

Thanks, terryrey, I think I'm putting one on my list.

[805gregg]

Sunbrella is the best on boats it will last 15 years, just make sure you get a light color

[Grit_dog]

Sun fella is the preferred premium fabric for boat covers so you pretty much can't get a better material for UV resistance, durability, water resistance and breath ability all in one.
I have one of those soft covers for my camper. It is a few years old. Not much sun exposure and it has held up well except for large icecicles forming on it last winter. They stuck like glue to the soft cover and some of the bigger ones tore the cover from their own weight.

[terryrey]

Hi Lookatdirt: I paid $675 for my cover. Shipping was an additional $47 to Utah for a total of $722. The pictures don't really show it, but there are zip open door openings on the back to access the camper door and also on the passengers side of the truck to access the truck when the cover is in place. Terry

[trvsdad1]

You cannot get a better cover than Calmark. I have one and love it. I now have an RV garage so I have a my cover in a box in the garage. I will hang onto it just in case I ever have to move the camper the weather again.

[lookatdirt]

Hey terryrey-

Whats the ballpark $ on a truck/camper cover like yours? It's sweet!

[terryrey]

Hi JRJR: I have been using a CalMark cover on my truck and camper for 2 years now. The cover is sized to fit the camper mounted on the truck. This is how I use the cover in the summer. In the winter, I demount the camper, put the truck in the garage, and use the cover on the camper with the front part of the cover pulled up and strapped tightly around the cab over. We get a lot of sun and snow in Utah and the cover has performed very well in protecting the camper (and truck). The cover is not waterproof, but water resistant, and as such does allow some water to seep through, but dries out very quickly - no mold, etc. It is bulky and heavy and requires two people to put on, but without a carport to park under, is worth the effort. Here are a few pictures...Terry

[kerry4951]

I used a Cal Mark cover for one season until I put up a permanent metal structure. Although it appeared to be very well made, mine allowed a lot of water to come thru. So much water that it would bellow under the cabover and cause the cover to droop down by forming a pocket of water that would not seep out. Ironically that part of the cover seemed to be waterproof since the water would not empty until I manually dumped it out. I was expecting more of a "waterproof" quality which I did not experience.

[Bill___Kate]

HMS Beagle wrote:
Actually I think that subrella is acrylic, not polyester, ........

I stand corrected. Definitely is acrylic .....

[HMS_Beagle]

Actually I think that subrella is acrylic, not polyester, and not that it matters. It is commonly used for boat canvas like dodgers and bimini tops and lasts just short of forever in the sun or rain.

I have a Cal Mark cover, they were easy to work with and it does fit and protect well. But it is a bit heavy and cumbersome to put on and take off - substantially heavier than the light weight disposable kind from CW. I'm sure it will outlast 4 or 5 of those, but I find I put it on less often because of the labor involved. I left mine on over the Winter and didn't see any problem with it. It will not keep the roof dry though it will shed most of the water. It will also not keep the roof wet, when things dry out as the material is permeable.