cover or no cover??

[kjyoung24]

This our first winter "winterizing" our travel trailer. We live in PA, therefore we have lots of snow with days that are frigid cold and other days the sun will peek out. My question is...should we cover our camper or not? It will be outside all winter long. Pros/cons?? Please help.

[dadmomh]

We always have our trailer undercover 24/7, but with our ROO we also used an Adco we'd bought the first year, before building the cover. It does keep it clean and protect the decals, especially, from sun damage. With our TT, it is also undercover 24/7 and we have not bought the cover yet....mainly because other money drains keep popping up. The only places that have any sun exposure are the back and street side and we're even considering mods to the Rockyport rather than getting the cover.

I'd probably not enjoy dealing with covering after every trip, but for the winter, yes. It's not a hard job, maybe 30 min or so, but DH has that high tech hip and some foot/leg issues on the other leg, so he's not crazy about climbing the ladder to get on top of Rocky. If it were sitting out even through the TN winter it would definitely have an appropriate trailer cover, not a tarp which is not breathable and can cause scuffs.

[ktmrfs]

Bill & Kate wrote:
Do a search on here and you will get dozens of threads - some (like us) love them, others don't. A lot depends on how you use your trailer, and where you keep it and what kind of tree dirt, etc. can get on it. We use our trailer for longer vacations and trips like 4 times a year, usually with several months between trips. We love how clean and shiny and ready to go the trailer is when the cover comes off. It also helps keep wasps and other flying critters from taking up residence. I would advise going with a cover made of Sunbrella brand woven fabric rather than the non-woven Tyvec type material. It is nice and soft, light, and holds up well in sunlight. We have a custom made cover from CalMark which fits like a glove, but there are others using Sunbrella .....

yup, pretty much personal preference. We use one, love it, keeps the trailer nice looking. It's easy to see which trailers in our community RV lot are covered. They are the ones that have nice white plastic, few/no black streaks, no delamination, no
faded/crinkled graphics.

And in the summer, the trailer interior is MUCH cooler. the cover reflects suns rays and the top/sides stay cooler. Keeps the interior from baking.

However, we seldom get wind. That can destroy a cover in short order. But we get LOTS of rain.

And personally I'd avoid any of the "blue" tarps. Why? well primarily since they don't breath. they will trap moisture. Secondly, they are more abrasive than a RV cover.

We use the trailer 60-90 days/year, anytime it won't be used for more than a few weeks the cover goes on. First cover was an Adco, lasted 4 years, probably could have got another year out of it. New one is a different brand made with ripstop material, much lighter and more compact to pack/carry/install. We'll see how it holds up.

[Bill___Kate]

Do a search on here and you will get dozens of threads - some (like us) love them, others don't. A lot depends on how you use your trailer, and where you keep it and what kind of tree dirt, etc. can get on it. We use our trailer for longer vacations and trips like 4 times a year, usually with several months between trips. We love how clean and shiny and ready to go the trailer is when the cover comes off. It also helps keep wasps and other flying critters from taking up residence. I would advise going with a cover made of Sunbrella brand woven fabric rather than the non-woven Tyvec type material. It is nice and soft, light, and holds up well in sunlight. We have a custom made cover from CalMark which fits like a glove, but there are others using Sunbrella .....

[avoidcrowds]

I cover. I recommend a tarp from Harbor Freight, as they are the least-expensive I have found. I have seen folks that get the Adco covers say they last two or three years. Pretty pricey for a few years, when a Harbor Freight tarp will last two years.

With the AC and roof vents, and especially if you have the covers over the vents that allow you to keep them open in the rain, there should be ample circulation between the tarp and the roof to avoid much condensation.

As said, there are many opinions regarding covering. In my mind, it helps keep the caulking from aging any faster than it already does.

[jfkmk]

You'll hear arguments for both sides. It's really personal preference. I cover mine in the winter. I would NOT use a blue tarp. Get something made for covering a trailer. It won't scratch and will breathe.

[poncho62]

They say that a tarp will increase the chance of condensation.....I cover mine anyways, with the tarp just coming down about a foot on the sides. I figure that gives it ample air circulation. I am sure there will be other opinions