To cover, or not to cover..that is the question

[danrn]

I have used RV covers in the past; they can be hard to put on (windy days), some have been torn by winds, but I want to protect my new investment.
The dealer wants to sell me a product they apply to the RV that, "creates a transparent barrier of polymeric coating that protects and seals out the elements". It comes with a five year warranty which states they will repair any fading, or environmental damage.
OK, that's great, but I feel a cover would provide more protection. So, the possible problems with a cover is, as I mentioned earlier, they can be hard to put on, they can be damaged in winds, but the one thing I worry about the most is the rubbing of the finish. It has been many years since I have purchased a cover and wonder if they have improved over the years. Are they more durable, are they made to protect the finish?
Personally, I don't mind the effort to put on a cover, but would I be doing more damage to my finish, than I would be protecting it from the elements?
Thanks

[superduty glampers]

Originally Posted by danrn

I have used RV covers in the past; they can be hard to put on (windy days), some have been torn by winds, but I want to protect my new investment.
The dealer wants to sell me a product they apply to the RV that, "creates a transparent barrier of polymeric coating that protects and seals out the elements". It comes with a five year warranty which states they will repair any fading, or environmental damage.
OK, that's great, but I feel a cover would provide more protection. So, the possible problems with a cover is, as I mentioned earlier, they can be hard to put on, they can be damaged in winds, but the one thing I worry about the most is the rubbing of the finish. It has been many years since I have purchased a cover and wonder if they have improved over the years. Are they more durable, are they made to protect the finish?
Personally, I don't mind the effort to put on a cover, but would I be doing more damage to my finish, than I would be protecting it from the elements?
Thanks

I covered my tt with a adco cover it was soft on the underside and it had vents so the wind could kind of get out of it (never seen it balloon up) but it was gel coat no rub marks in 4 years don't know about the paint though. I'm still up in the air on the cover

[redwoodin with remy]

I would opt for a very good cover. The UV rays are more harmful to a finish than environmental fallout. As far as a poly sealant......magic snake oil. Besides, your Redwood will still look good in five years without the sealant.

[atom ant]

We just can't do them around here - too close to the sun and the wind just destroys them, along with the coach. I have mine in a covered storage barn, and I worry that it will be able to withstand the wind sometimes!

[danrn]

Originally Posted by redwoodin with remy

I would opt for a very good cover. The UV rays are more harmful to a finish than environmental fallout. As far as a poly sealant......magic snake oil. Besides, your Redwood will still look good in five years without the sealant.

Funny that you said that. I was thinking the same thing, that the RV would still be looking pretty good after 5 years. Now if they gave a 20 year warranty......well then maybe.
Thanks

[superduty glampers]

I would think if you keep it waxed good you wouldn't need a cover. It has a automotive finish cars set out for years and years and still look good, if you keep them waxed.

[redwoodin with remy]

Originally Posted by superduty glampers

I would think if you keep it waxed good you wouldn't need a cover. It has a automotive finish cars set out for years and years and still look good, if you keep them waxed.

I concur, keeping the paint clean and waxed will prolong as well as anything. But pay more attention to the plastic, aluminum, and rubber items. They usually take a beating first.

[johnboytoo]

re covers - I go back to a nice little red sports car I had a while back - that expensive front bar looked very nice and all...
but the finish under it was sand papered by the buffeting...
and that was with the best available at the time installed correctly ...


So IMHO, no go on the covers - but it's your rv, so do your due diligence and decide how you'd like to do it...

(Oh, they do sell lifts to get the covers on the roof for a reason too !
I'm just saying )

[usaf1949]

Like AA, I put mine in a pole barn and just keep it waxed! A lot of work but worth it in the long run!

[Dave&Ginny]

Like others have said, I'm worried about the damage the covers cause. I raise the front end of the Redwood so the snow and ice will run off of the roof and that's it. I do go out and start the generator every couple of weeks to keep it running and prepared for emergencies.

A friend of mine has asked that I rent his warehouse this winter (for insurance reasons), so I might have a huge building to keep mine in.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

Like others have said, I'm worried about the damage the covers cause. I raise the front end of the Redwood so the snow and ice will run off of the roof and that's it. I do go out and start the generator every couple of weeks to keep it running and prepared for emergencies.

A friend of mine has asked that I rent his warehouse this winter (for insurance reasons), so I might have a huge building to keep mine in.

Nice! You should sublease the rest and make a few

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Nice! You should sublease the rest and make a few

That might be the plan......This is a huge 275 x60 foot building but he can't insure an empty building.

[atom ant]

As long as it has good access doors so you don't have to shuffle around a lot when someone needs to get out, it could be a good sideline.

[Dave&Ginny]

I'm hoping to get my son to paint the ends of my slides to match the sides while I have this building to play with.

[TNTBaker]

Beware of excessive HEAT under a cover. I read this on a product page for plastic awning covers. Using an RV cover VOIDS their warranty. This is from their website and worth considering:

Do NOT use a full, pull-over RV cover with our product
We have discovered that the heat load that can build underneath an RV cover can reach 150+ degrees even when the outside air temperature is in the low 80’s. This is a discovery that has really disturbed us and this is why: The manufacturers and sellers of the many fabric types and styles of RV covers neglect to tell us RV owners that these covers meant to keep our Rv’s clean and protected, might actually do more damage than good.

We heard from a Customer of ours, that they had found our covers, which they purchased and installed on their RV patio awning, “laying on the ground, spread apart”, “opened up”, or “pancaked”. This was baffling to us and took some time to finally figure out that the Customer had been using our covers underneath a full RV cover. Through further investigation and testing by us, we discovered that the heat build up under these covers is astounding. As mentioned earlier, the temperature under a fabric RV cover can reach 150+ degrees when the outside air temperature is in the low 80’s. This can soar to 200+ degrees as the outside temperature rises. Imagine what it could be in the extreme outside temps here in the Southwest of 100+ degrees.

This is what concerns us: With a full cover on, you could be literally cooking everything inside your RV – causing advanced aging and damage to everything affected by the heat load. (the manufacturers and retailers don’t tell you this, right?) In addition, when our awning protectors are used underneath an RV fabric cover the extreme heat load causes them to soften at 150+ degrees and eventually they will spread open under their own weight and drop off.

So, we highly recommend not using full RV fabric covers and just deal with having to clean your RV more often. You are far better off. If you have purchased one, you might want to try to return it and get your money back! You CAN NOT use a full RV fabric cover when using our awning protectors. This is the only way that our covers can fail and we will not warranty them for you if you use a RV fabric cover and/or any type of cover such as a tarp.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

I'm hoping to get my son to paint the ends of my slides to match the sides while I have this building to play with.

Oh that would really be nice! Somebody on here grabbed this one or the other one, not sure who it was or how it is dong. (Redwood special edition)

[Dave&Ginny]

I think it adds a bit of "class" to the look.

[atom ant]

No doubt - a bit of "Prevost"!

A very strong turnaway for us on the Montana Big Sky was the black sides of the slides, preceded by white the few years before. It always looked unfinished. We felt the base color used by Redwood was a much better approach, and what you are talking about would really top it off!

[Dave&Ginny]

He was going to do mine this past summer but the Redwood wouldn't fit in the body shop due to height. Now that I have this building available, we'll be able to get it done as soon as his schedule loosens up.

[superduty glampers]

The old carriages where striped on the slides ,wander if the new ones are?