Get this....
I put a tarp over my trailer roof every winter. I too keep it in a campground all year, but I am in northern Michigan where the wind blows nasty, and the rain/snow can be crazy.
The reason I cover it it because I would HATE to come back to a water damaged interior in the Spring. To me, that's worth the minor deterioration of the finish to make sure the inside stays dry during the winter. I have no leaks that I am aware of, but when you are away from it for 7 months, you can't be sure what's going to happen.
What I have is a 30' Travel Trailer. It's a 27' long box, and 8 feet wide. I bought a tarp long enough and wide enough to hang over the front and the sides by 2-4 feet.
Here's where it gets weird......
I go around to all the grommet holes on the tarp, and loop a pseudo-rubber band through them. I make these rubber bands from old disposed-of truck (18 wheeler) inner tubes. I cut them up like slicing a big pie, about 1" to 1.5" wide. Loop them through the grommet holes.
Then I tie a piece of rope to each of the rubber bands, and cut them rope to apprpriate length so that it's tugging the rubber band a bit. At the other end of the rope I tie a loop, and use a little "S" hook to secure the rope somewhere under the trailer.
The rubber bands act as a little bit of a "snubber". You boaters may know what I mean by that. It provides a little "give" to the setup so that when a strong wind comes, there is a little less tension on the rope or the tarp itself, so over time the rope will not break, and the tarp is less likely to tear.
In the Spring, remove the "S" hooks, and leave everything else intact. re-use the setup the next Fall.
