rfloyd99
Florida
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We live in Florida and have never covered our TT. This year I plan to winterize it and leave it in Colorado October through June. It will be at about 8,300 ft elevation, so quite cold, lots of snow and very low humidity. Also intense sun at that altitude.
I'm pretty sure it should be covered, for protection from the sun if nothing else. Here's my question:
Can, or maybe should, I use tarps instead of a breathable cover? Beside the fact that the tarps would be much cheaper, I'm wondering if the breathable cover would allow moisture from the snow that will accumulate on the roof to affect the RV. Tarps wouldn't let moisture in, and in the low humidity there wouldn't be moisture inside that would need to get out.
Anyone have any thoughts, or experience?
Thanks!
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Lwiddis
South of Lone Pine, California
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Breathable coverings are always better for RVs than ones that don't IMO. Use extra straps too.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, 300 watt solar-parallel & MPPT, Trojan T-125s. TALL flag pole. Prefer USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state & county camps. Bicyclist! 14 year Army vet-11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad
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Thermoguy
Graham, WA
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A tarp will get mildew underneath. It will scuff the surface of your RV if it moves, and if long exposure the tarp will start to deteriorate with weather and wind.
A RV cover is much higher quality than a typical tarp. And probably not that much more expensive when you start looking at how many tarps or the cost of a large tarp that can cover most RV's.
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ktmrfs
Portland, Oregon
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Thermoguy wrote:A tarp will get mildew underneath. It will scuff the surface of your RV if it moves, and if long exposure the tarp will start to deteriorate with weather and wind.
A RV cover is much higher quality than a typical tarp. And probably not that much more expensive when you start looking at how many tarps or the cost of a large tarp that can cover most RV's.
exactly. a plastic tarp is a BAD idea, will trap moisture, scuff the surface. In our community RV lot it seems like every year someone (tries to) cover their trailer with a tarp. Even with moderate wind and moderate sun, by the end of the year it's shredded and the next year that trailer is either uncovered or a trailer cover over it. And then someone else tries the same experiment, same result.
What I can say is that the trailers that are covered with a trailer cover are in much better shape than those that are not. No yellow plastic, minimal or no black streaks, no chalky faded sides, no cracked peeling decals.
Now, we seldom have winds over 25mph and even those are rare, and lots of rain but not a great deal of sun or snow.
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hotjag1
Lake Chelan, Wa/Lake Havasu, Az.
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We have two motorhomes and leave one of them covered all winter. I bought a good quality breathable rv cover which covers the entire motorhome. I then bought a blue plastic tarp of a size that covers the roof and only comes down over the sides and front and rear cap about a foot. The tarp does NOT cover the windows.
I leave a roof vent open(it has a vent cover over it). We get quite a bit of snow, wind, and rain and I have never had any mildew or mold because of the breathable cover and the tarp not covering the windows. We also have never had any chafing on the motorhome since the tarp only comes down about a foot over the edge of the roof. You could leave a window cracked if more ventilation is wanted. This method has worked for several years for us without any problems.
hotjag1
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jdc1
Rescue, Ca
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Who's shoveling the snow off that trailer?
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rfloyd99
Florida
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OP here. Seems like I better start shopping for a cover. Any suggestions for the best/least expensive option, and where to look for one?
And, it will be at my daughter's, so there's someone to help with the snow. Good question though.
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Lwiddis
South of Lone Pine, California
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National RV Covers should be considered.
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coolmom42
Middle Tennessee
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hotjag1 wrote:We have two motorhomes and leave one of them covered all winter. I bought a good quality breathable rv cover which covers the entire motorhome. I then bought a blue plastic tarp of a size that covers the roof and only comes down over the sides and front and rear cap about a foot. The tarp does NOT cover the windows.
I leave a roof vent open(it has a vent cover over it). We get quite a bit of snow, wind, and rain and I have never had any mildew or mold because of the breathable cover and the tarp not covering the windows. We also have never had any chafing on the motorhome since the tarp only comes down about a foot over the edge of the roof. You could leave a window cracked if more ventilation is wanted. This method has worked for several years for us without any problems.
Why do you use a tarp on top of the cover?
Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board
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hotjag1
Lake Chelan, Wa/Lake Havasu, Az.
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coolmom42 wrote:hotjag1 wrote:We have two motorhomes and leave one of them covered all winter. I bought a good quality breathable rv cover which covers the entire motorhome. I then bought a blue plastic tarp of a size that covers the roof and only comes down over the sides and front and rear cap about a foot. The tarp does NOT cover the windows.
I leave a roof vent open(it has a vent cover over it). We get quite a bit of snow, wind, and rain and I have never had any mildew or mold because of the breathable cover and the tarp not covering the windows. We also have never had any chafing on the motorhome since the tarp only comes down about a foot over the edge of the roof. You could leave a window cracked if more ventilation is wanted. This method has worked for several years for us without any problems.
Why do you use a tarp on top of the cover?
The breathable rv cover is not waterproof, so even though I check and keep all roof seams sealed, I don't want any possibility of water getting in a roof seam crack that may appear during the winter. The tarp is waterproof.
* This post was
edited 09/26/20 12:20am by hotjag1 *
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