Hello All,
I have just bought a caravan and am storing outside in a secure compound.
I noticed that the majority of the caravans did not have any covers on them.
Is it not a good idea to protect caravans from the elements over winter. ?
Personally, I prefer to use a cover, but we have the problem that our neighbour loves to feed the seagulls and our caravan is their waiting area. At least the cover does protect the paintwork from their mess and clawed feet.
Pros and Cons to covers.
They require the van to be perfectly clean before fitting otherwise you risk dirt and grit causing abrasion damage to van as cover moves in the wind and 'chafes' during storage period. The paint thickness on caravans is VERY thin, potential to wear through if chafing is bad.
They generally take 2 people to fit them, and can be challenging to fit on a breezy/windy day.
The cheaper non breathable ones can trap moisture between cover and van which in turn possibly raises damp level inside van too.
Some don't seem to have a very long life, maybe as little as a couple of years.
On removal you have a very large potentially dirty/wet cover to stow, if damp/wet, you'll need to dry thoroughly before long term packing and storage.
Try and buy one that allows access (zipped panels) to gas locker and habitation door WITHOUT removing whole cover for routine checks/maintenance on van.
They do keep bird droppings, tree sap and general muck off the van.
They help reduce sun bleaching of decals and curtains etc., as well as reduce weathering of paintwork.
I decided not to use one. I picked my parking bay on the storage site carefully so that it was not under or even near any trees, to reduce bird droppings and tree sap. I also didn't think I'd be able to fit cover easily on my own. With likely need to wash the van either before the cover is fitted for winter storage, or start of season to clean winter grime, that was six of one, half dozen of the other, I was still washing the van! In general, after 4 years of storage without a cover, the van remains reasonably clean at start of new season, only a few black run off marks where rain drains off the roof, and a bit of green in the nooks and crannies, nothing that a start of season wash doesn't shift.
On my storage site, the vast majority of vans are left uncovered.
It’s like the towing cover. Ours clearly states to remove when finished towing, but the amount of vans In the storage with them still on. It also states the van has to be clean before using as said above, as it can damage the paintwork. We’ve never used a complete cover either.
Had one and binned it!
Our van was perfectly clean when the cover was fitted.
It was also fitted tightly, but with the winter weather (wind and rain), it left marks on the 'van paintwork where it rubbed.
Caravans are designed to be out in all weathers!
When has anyone seen a caravan covered at a dealers, when they're out all winter?
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Topic: Caravan cover
via mobile 17/10/2022 at 5:26pm
