Your Thoughts on RV Covers

[GeorgeR]

Hi All, New 30' Travel Trailer owners here, and looking to treat our new baby right. But also not looking to overdo it, because money is most definitely an object. So I'm wondering if the King Bird "extra thick breathable RV cover" is so worth it for $270, or should I just get a big cheap 40'x60' tarp from home depot for $90 instead?

Thanks!

[Lake Huron]

No tarp, very, very bad idea.
Never heard of the King Bird cover but Adco makes a nice cover. I know q few people that have them. Ours is a Classic Accessories cover and been pretty happy with that too. Ours is all washed and waxed in the fall when the cover goes on and when the cover comes off in the spring, it still just as clean as when it went away for a long winter nap.

[Jolvi]

Originally Posted by GeorgeR

Hi All, New 30' Travel Trailer owners here, and looking to treat our new baby right. But also not looking to overdo it, because money is most definitely an object. So I'm wondering if the King Bird "extra thick breathable RV cover" is so worth it for $270, or should I just get a big cheap 40'x60' tarp from home depot for $90 instead?

Thanks!

I was considering the KingBird but as our trailer is 25.1 inch long seems that they are out of stock wherever I look for the size of 24 to 27 foot all gone. Now that being said I did purchase a cover from carcover.com it is not a KingBird but has 3 ply on top and 2 on side. It has a lifetime warranty and I had chatted with representative and even RV cover is lifetime. The have excellent reviews. They have two different styles according to their website. I opted for the silver as we do not have terrible weather. Hope that will give you an alternative choice if needed. Oh yeah the include ladder cap, and rain gutter covers storage bag so a bonus. I have not received it yet but seems 4 days is a pretty quick time.

[muckinfuss]

absolutely stay away from a tarp.
we have an elements brand cover. this is its third winter in the snow zone of north ohio and it's holding up with only a couple of holes from winter damage. we didn't look for the cheapest, we looked for one with a fair amount of good reviews...and on sale. the under frame straps control billowing without damage to the exterior and large heavy duty zippers for trailer access sealed the deal.

two things to consider no matter which way you go....POOL NOODLES. pool noodles can be trimmed to fit over all those places that stress the cover and are a key to making it last with minimal weather damages. the other item to consider is to not wrap your trailer cover with cording in an effort to keep it from billowing or flapping in the wind. that's counter productive since most anyone who has tried that, especially with tarps will tell you that the damage from rubbing at the cord area is very obvious. like my signature says; experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

[michael.g]

Wind is not a friend of RV Covers. If where your RV will be parked will be exposed to wind, keep a close eye on the cover to make sure it doesn't tear. If it tears, it can cause damage to the RV.

We had a Camco UltraGuard cover. It was a very nice cover, but between the wind our seasonal site received throughout the winter, our cover failed and caused some small tears in the TPO on the edge of the roof, where the roof meets the walls.

-Michael

[CAG]

There are multiple threads on this topic that may help. Search in the gold bar at the top of the page, or as someone else suggested awhile back, Google and you get what is in this site as well as others.

[LuckyDuck]

OP: I’ve never heard of King Bird either but $270 actually seems cheap for a 30-foot trailer cover. I would stick to one of the name brands recommended by JOF users. Like muckinfuss, we are in our third year with an Elements All-Climate cover and it is still in great shape. I use tennis balls on the gutter spouts and sections of foam pipe insulation where the straps wrap around the TT chassis. It’s been through winds, snow, hot sun and rain with no problems.

[travelingjw]

I would spend the extra money. We bought an ADCO cover, but didn't research it well enough. It didn't last the warranty period. ADCO gave us a new one and suggested that when it wears out that we purchase one with a heavier roof cover like vinyl. I have nothing but praise for ADCO customer service. Even though we should have purchased a better cover, they didn't hesitate to replace the cover under warranty.

[Grumpy]

Personally--over 40 years and never used a cover. Midwest winters and never had any issues with the roof's or the finishes being weathered.

[Murff]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

Personally--over 40 years and never used a cover. Midwest winters and never had any issues with the roof's or the finishes being weathered.

Grumpy appears to be immune to "Murphy's Law"!

Murff

[EBCTrekker]

We have never had a cover on our 2004 Jayco 29FBS and it is located on a site outside of Madison Wis. No leaks etc. Only in the last couple of years have we had a couple small roof surface imperfections appear and those were easy to fix.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by Murff

Grumpy appears to be immune to "Murphy's Law"!

Murff

Why do you say that? If you check the roof and all the seams as recommended and keep the rig waxed you shouldn't have any issues either. I know many, many people who never covered their rigs with the same outcome. You will find many more owners who don't cover than do, just drive by a storage lot. How many rigs sit on a dealers lot for months on end uncovered? Besides they are a PITA to install and remove especially if you use your rig most of the year which I did.

How many people never use their garage for their car? A little TLC goes a long way.

[DUX4LIFE]

I bought the Kingbird cover that you are looking at. This is my first cover but it seems nice enough. I've seen other RV covers that are so thin they are almost see through. If I had to do it again i would have went 1 size smaller. My TT is 3" longer than the size chart said so I went with the next size up and it is about 4" too long. Fits nicely and does not bellow in the wind.

[poohbear]

The best thing is spend the money and get a roof built over your rv parking area. I know not as inexpensive as a cover but it's worth it.