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Topic: To cover or not to cover that is the question (Read 293 times) previous topic - next topic
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To cover or not to cover that is the question
I've always kept my camper in my barn in the winter but it was on a 4x4 pickup so I could chain up all four wheels and drive out to the pavement for a spring getaway. Now with my new to me LD I'm going to keep it at a friend's house in town sitting out in the elements. Town is much lower than where I live but they still get snow and even more numerous melting events which could form ice on the roof. I bought a cover online but I'm really not happy with it because I found out it's not actually 100% water proof so it could aggrevate the icing problem. I'm curious how other people in here that live in a similar climate store their LD in the winter months. Cover? No cover?

Edit: If you cover what brand and model do you use?
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #1 –
Don't have to deal with ice here, so I can not offer much. We have an ADCO, it's breathable, so some moisture gets in.
Whatever cover you have, have one or two wheels high enough that the water from Lake Newton will drain.
Don & Dorothy
Sold our LD in June of 2023

Our boring always non-PC travel blog
Traveling Dorothy
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #2 –
Hi Sawyer,
Here in southern Michigan we cover.  The cover is breathable, not 100% waterproof, if it were that would create more problems.  We do park on an incline so that any melting runs off.  If we did not cover we would end up with frozen leaves on the top.  The cover helps keep the roof clean.  It does however cover the solar panels. This year we plan to add a float charger to our LD . Breathable helps maintain the interior of the RV. If it were waterproof any humidity from the ground up could not escape.
tlbh2o

p.s. breathable usually means large water drops don't penetrate but smaller sized water vapor can escape out. 
Sand Castle (Theresa & Everett) Surfside
01'  26.5 Mid Bath,   2018 31IB
Michigan born and starting to explore the US with my  spouse and our furry friend. Enjoying joining LD group rallies.
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #3 –
Quote from: tlbh2o  - 
Hi Sawyer,
Here in southern Michigan we cover.  The cover is breathable, not 100% waterproof, if it were that would create more problems.  We do park on an incline so that any melting runs off.  If we did not cover we would end up with frozen leaves on the top.  The cover helps keep the roof clean.  It does however cover the solar panels. This year we plan to add a float charger to our LD . Breathable helps maintain the interior of the RV. If it were waterproof any humidity from the ground up could not escape.
tlbh2o

p.s. breathable usually means large water drops don't penetrate but smaller sized water vapor can escape out. 
Thanks for info and it matches some research I have been doing on this and I'm going to try out my new cover and see how it holds up. I don't really have any choice because Adco wouldn't let me return it. I'm going to do as you suggested and get one end up so water runs off so that should help. Really I'd like to store it under a roof in the winter but the local storage place really jacked up their prices and I just don't want to spend that kind of money so I guess my LD will have to spend winter out in the elements like some kind of wild animal. Poor guy.
A little bit on Adco as an aside here though I thought I'd share. I went to their site yesterday to look into returning this and the chat thing came up so I started a conversation about my issue with the cover I think is way to flimsy for my needs. I told the person I was very dissatisfied with the quality and would like to return it. I think maybe I got the owner of the company or something because they got very defensive about their quality and in the end said they had a 30 day return policy so I was out of luck because I waited longer than that to open the box and look at mine. I said it's your policy and you can bend it if you want it's not a law passed by congress but they wouldn't budge. They did give me a link to the exact cover I purchased though saying how great it was and they told me it was their best seller in my part if the country and told me it has a two year warranty and I can return it if it fails so the conversation ended on a positive note.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #4 –
Just a thought, but if you stored the 4X4 camper in your barn, I would see what mods might allow the LD to use it. As far as driving it out in the spring snow cover, you probably have more traction for that than your 4X4 with chains (unless mud is the issue). Just a thought.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #5 –
Quote from: Steve  - 
Just a thought, but if you stored the 4X4 camper in your barn, I would see what mods might allow the LD to use it. As far as driving it out in the spring snow cover, you probably have more traction for that than your 4X4 with chains (unless mud is the issue). Just a thought.

Steve

Mud and ice with deep snow thrown in just for kicks getting off my mountain. First quarter mile from my house is a section I call the bowl. Cold air just sits there and I swear the first snowflake of winter is their until the fourth of July. There's is still snow there when much of the remaining road is dry and dusty. Then there's a half mile down a steep hill with good exposure that melts off nicely and the road is solid Rock so it never gets muddy. Then there about a mile of 5% grade that gets  deep ruts in slimy mud that I have to fix with my tractor every summer after driving on it in spring. Then there's about half a mile with about a 3% downgrade that goes along a creek with huge cedar trees that never let the sunlight hit the road. This section has springs in the road that run down it year round but it's very rocky so that's fine except in winter the water freezes and you end up with that section covered in over a foot of solid blue ice. Kind of pretty but you need all four wheels chained up with very aggressive off road tire chains or you will be in the creek upside down. After that the road mellows out for the next mile  or so but has some pretty bad mud spots. Getting my LD in and out of here in summer is a bit of a challenge, getting it out in spring would be a miracle.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #6 –
Sawyer,
I guess you could get one of these to help get it out for winter use:
 

They only cost about $5K/hr to rent.  You could buy one and rent it out summers for firefighting.
But, would it fit in the barn?
 :)
Joel & Terry Wiley
dog Zeke
2013  31 IB   Orwan   / 2011 CRV Tow'd LWEROVE
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #7 –
Your road sounds like a very good reason to be gone for the winter, along with about half of your fellow Washingtonian LD owners.
The March GTG, at Morro Bay, always has several snowbird LDs, from Washington, on their slow spring migration north.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #8 –
Quote from: Larry W  - 
Your road sounds like a very good reason to be gone for the winter, along with about half of your fellow Washingtonian LD owners.
The March GTG, at Morro Bay, always has several snowbird LDs, from Washington, on their slow spring migration north.

Larry

There may come a time we do just that as we get older and out planned spring getaway this coming year is kind of a test on how long we are comfortable in the LD and how long until we miss being home. We plan on leaving the first part of February and heading as south as we can get as fast as we can get and then working our way home with the weather. My wife wants to get home by the end of June to start planting  her garden. That would be a very long trip for us. I think the longest we have ever been out in our lives is four weeks.
As far as being gone all winter though I think we will stay put until age or health force us to do otherwise. We really enjoy winter's out here with the extreme quite and feeling of solitude that comes with being snowed in. We park our pickup down at the county road and commute to it for twice a month trips to town in a Honda side by side with tracks on it. It's a quiet peaceful winter and we do lots of snowshoeing and X country skiing and last winter I must have read twenty books. Someday we might not be able to do this anymore but not today.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #9 –
Quote from: Sawyer  - 
Thanks for info and it matches some research I have been doing on this and I'm going to try out my new cover and see how it holds up. I don't really have any choice because Adco wouldn't let me return it. I'm going to do as you suggested and get one end up so water runs off so that should help. Really I'd like to store it under a roof in the winter but the local storage place really jacked up their prices and I just don't want to spend that kind of money so I guess my LD will have to spend winter out in the elements like some kind of wild animal. Poor guy.
A little bit on Adco as an aside here though I thought I'd share. I went to their site yesterday to look into returning this and the chat thing came up so I started a conversation about my issue with the cover I think is way to flimsy for my needs. I told the person I was very dissatisfied with the quality and would like to return it. I think maybe I got the owner of the company or something because they got very defensive about their quality and in the end said they had a 30 day return policy so I was out of luck because I waited longer than that to open the box and look at mine. I said it's your policy and you can bend it if you want it's not a law passed by congress but they wouldn't budge. They did give me a link to the exact cover I purchased though saying how great it was and they told me it was their best seller in my part if the country and told me it has a two year warranty and I can return it if it fails so the conversation ended on a positive note.
Since I am storing my LD outside for the 1st time (not under a storage canopy), I just bought the ADCO All Climate Wind Designer Tyvek cover 82623 on line at CWorld for $350. Based on my research, for the money it seemed to be the best buy. Generaly, we don't get that much snow in Denver so I'm hoping this works well for me.

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: To cover or not to cover that is the question
Reply #10 –
Quote from: Chris Horst  - 
Since I am storing my LD outside for the 1st time (not under a storage canopy), I just bought the ADCO All Climate Wind Designer Tyvek cover 82623 on line at CWorld for $350. Based on my research, for the money it seemed to be the best buy. Generaly, we don't get that much snow in Denver so I'm hoping this works well for me.

Chris
Put mine on yesterday. Looks good actually. I should have took a picture.
Discuss anything with anyone and disagree agreeably. Always be polite and respectful.