Trailer covers pros and cons

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Peggyy

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 5, 2016
Posts
884
Location
Winter springs fl
looking for advice on using trailer covers during storage.  Someone suggested that they are not healthy for your trailer because if water gets under them they cause mold, etc.  seems to me they would be worth the money if they protected the trailer from rain, hail, etc.  pros and cons?  Best one to get?  Thank you.
 
Peggyy said:
looking for advice on using trailer covers during storage.  Someone suggested that they are not healthy for your trailer because if water gets under them they cause mold, etc.  seems to me they would be worth the money if they protected the trailer from rain, hail, etc.  pros and cons?  Best one to get?  Thank you.

I've never used one and probably never will. I can see where mold could be a problem.
The biggest complaint I've seen is that if they're not put on real tight, they would have the tendency to flop around in the wind and if there is any road grit on the RV surface, it will really do a number on the RV finish. I've see many RV's with them on and they are never real tight. The manufacturers do not provide adequate tie down straps in my opinion.
 
I used one a couple of times.  I was up on the roof folding it when a gust of wind turned it into a rather large sail and almost blew me off the roof.  I decided the risk of falling off was greater than the benefit of any protection it may have offered.
 
Had one, burnt it after using it one season... Don't waste your money.  Can't get them tight, instruction said to pad any area where it could rub. Try padding the rear roof corners  Had so many holes worn in it from flopping in the wind.

Wi1dBi11
 
The various trailer / rv covers are on sale at Camping World....but I wouldn't waste $400 on one to cover a 21' trailer again. They are very heavy, awkward to put on / off the trailer even if you have a roof ladder and twice as bad if you have to use stepladders, easy to tear, snag on everything imaginable, take up huge space when they are "folded up" when they're not on the unit and only last a couple years.
I have also used tarps, and find that the wife and I can use a couple of poles or paint roller extension handles and 'walk' a tarp over our trailer in a couple minutes and secure it in place with bungee cords and / or paracord (small rope). They last a couple years, fold up pretty small (compared to a cover), cost 10% or less than a cover for the size trailer we needed, ventilate well enough to not cause mold, and if they get a torn spot, I'm not cryin' over $400+ dollars that now has a  hole in it.
To get the size tarp you need, measure how tall the body of the unit is at it's maximum (the AC covers) multiply times 2 (for both ends) then add the length of the unit, for the "long" side. Then again twice the height plus the width of the unit for the "short" sides and find a tarp that at least covers the "long" way. Our unit, being 22 feet long, was covered well by a tarp 26 feet on the long side.
 
If I were storing outside I would not use one for all of the reasons already listed.  I store inside and use a roof only cover during the summer to keep the bird poop off the roof since it won't be cleaned off by rain.  Once the birds have gone south for the winter, one month ago, I remove the cover for the fall, winter and the beginning of the spring.
 
Back
Top Bottom