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Truck camper cover for 6 months

dennych1
Explorer
Explorer
Does anybody use a good grade tarp to cover camper. I would think that I could get this over top without going on roof.
19 REPLIES 19

jefe_4x4
Explorer
Explorer
If you own a TC long enough, you go through the 'protection of property' dance, which can last for years. In the 17 years we've owned our Lance, we started out with a thin plastic woven tarp which lasted one season here on the west slope. We then upgraded to various thicker plastic tarps which covered the sides about halfway down, also getting a year or sometimes two seasons out of them. Next was a bonafide trucker's tarp, made from very thick and resilient, water resistant and slightly breathable tan cotton duck material. The woe was it weighed 80 pounds. Difficult to install as it takes at least two hefty installers, and you really don't want to take it off after all the effort to get it up. It was so heavy I made a pitched center ribbed framework from 2x4's to go on the roof to shed rain and snow and keep the weight of snow off the vents. This worked pretty well with the caveats. Finally, to ward off the encroaching wood frame rot associated with weather, I built a small (too small) pole barn specifically for the TC, and my tractor. This worked fine until I installed solar panels which don't keep the batteries up in the dark. So, I keep the TC on the truck now-o-days and it lives in sunshine 6 months of the year and is pulled into the pole barn when the snow starts to fly.
When we lived in L.A. it was difficult and expensive to find a place to store our TC, but I did find a storage place for a couple years and that worked @ $45 per month. You do have some latitude here with some roof-only, RV storage businesses.
jefe



This one has the heavy trucker's tarp installed before the snows:
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

mkirsch
Nomad II
Nomad II
Get a tarp, cover it up for a season, and see how it works out for you. Worst case you'll have some mold and mildew to clean off. Best case it will work fine.

Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.

SideHillSoup
Explorer
Explorer
Only pzroblem with a tarp, it doesnโ€™t breath well and keeps in moisture, bin there done that.
Soup.
2018 Northern Lite 8-11 EX Dry Bath
2017 Sierra SLE, 3500 HD / 4x4 / Duramax with a 6 speed Allison Trans
Torklift Super Hitch 20K, 48" Super Truss, front and rear frame mounted tie downs
Fast Gun Long Range SS Turnbuckles, Fast Gun locks

moebedick
Explorer
Explorer
Google search- Home Depot,tarpaulin...
See Everbilt 10x20 heavy duty tarp.
I use good 1/4 nylon rope,not bungee,to tie fore and aft.

bigfootgrey
Explorer
Explorer


Weโ€™ve been using ADCO Aqua Shed covers. They are lightweight and easy to install like the Classic covers. No mildew problems and they hold up ok to the wind and snow, just make sure you pad any sharp areas and keep the cover tight. Ours last about three years but we keep the camper covered in summer when not being used to protect the graphics and caulking from UV rays.
2011 Ford F-350 PSD SC DRW
2008 Bigfoot 25C-10.4E
Firestone airbags - torklift stable-loads,fastguns,Talons Rancho rs 9000XLโ€™s.

jaycocreek
Explorer
Explorer
dennych1 wrote:
Does anybody use a good grade tarp to cover camper. I would think that I could get this over top without going on roof.


I also considered a tarp but got the Classic TC cover like Sidehillsoup pictured,instead..If you roll it up right,you can put it on the TC without getting on the roof...And ofcourse with two people it is a breeze to put on..Rolling it up correctly is everything if you want to do it by yourself..

I had it on all last winter and it took some heavy winds and alot of snow and rain..It still looks like new..I would buy this one again for sure!
Lance 9.6
400 watts solar mounted/200 watts portable
500ah Lifep04

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Tarp vs mold vs soft cover vs ....whatever depends on your climate and how diligent you are with it.
Some people could break an anvil due to lack of maintenance and some could drive a modelT coast to coast.
You need to tailor the "stuff" to the situation.
Sure, cover something in SE BC or Seattle, back under some trees in 6 months of rain, something is likely to get moldy. Cover something in Phoenix and the sun will beat it to death.
Bottom line, not exposed to the elements is better than exposed to the elements in general, however that is accomplished.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5โ€ turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

mikakuja
Explorer
Explorer
I have tried different qualities of tarps in the past and they don't work well... They don't tend to stand up very well to the changing elements or constant UV abuse, and as already said tend to leak easily. As tarps don't breath they will trap moisture and can cause mold/mildew issues. I have also found that no matter how well you secure them wind will cause them to chafe the surfaces of the camper and cause damage. A good camper cover will breath and doesn't trap moisture or damage the campers surface, and when you uncover the unit in the spring it will look as good as it did when you covered it.. Well worth the investment, IMO.

Travels_with_Yo
Explorer
Explorer
This is the cover I used on our adventurer 80RB. It also was a Classic Accessories cover. It was a very good value for the price. Durable material, well vented and zippered rear access was very convenient. It fit the 8 foot box pretty loosely as it was meant to fit an 8 to 10 foot box but the looseness never seemed to be a problem. It was secured with cords that went under the camper. Used it for two winters and included it with the camper when we sold it. It held up very well and exceeded my expectations.

Classic Accessories Truck Camper Cover

I posted a review video on Amazon demonstrating its ability to deal with high winds.

Video

SideHillSoup
Explorer
Explorer
My wife and I put this Classic Assecory cover on the camper in about 10 minute using two telescope paint poles. I have used this cover for two seasons on my camper, however imowns 5th Wheels before this rig, and my classic Assecory cover on my 5th wheel lasted 12 upuears on two different 5ers. It should be noted when I sold the last 5th wheel the cover, was about 1 season past itโ€™s prime. Last winter I used my snow rake and pulled the snow off the roof, and went to AZ to get out of the British Columbia winter...
2018 Northern Lite 8-11 EX Dry Bath
2017 Sierra SLE, 3500 HD / 4x4 / Duramax with a 6 speed Allison Trans
Torklift Super Hitch 20K, 48" Super Truss, front and rear frame mounted tie downs
Fast Gun Long Range SS Turnbuckles, Fast Gun locks

dennych1
Explorer
Explorer
Moebedick, I am having trouble finding tarp you use any help would be appreciated.
Dennis

dennych1
Explorer
Explorer
Moebedick having trouble finding the tarp you use any help would be helpful

dennych1
Explorer
Explorer
Moebdick did you use bungee cords to tie it down?

dennych1
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the detail instruction on putting tarp on I will give it a try