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Old 01-30-2015, 10:43 PM   #1
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Slide covers?

We currently have a small, older MH with no slides. We are planning to upgrade to a newer, larger RV with slides in the not-to-distant future. Some of the units I've seen have slide covers, some don't. We anticipate taking our future RV to places where we will experience something other than our current arid California weather. (I miss rain. It's January, the hills are supposed to be green, not brown.)

So, for those of you who have experience with slides, with or without covers: is this something that should be on our list of must haves? Have you found it helpful, or a hindrance, and why?

Mrs. M
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Old 01-30-2015, 11:20 PM   #2
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You will need slide toppers unless you want to be climbing a ladder or climbing on top of the RV to clean the top of the slides off before you pulling them in.

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Old 01-30-2015, 11:55 PM   #3
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It is not uncommon to see some Class A's without a slide cover over the Passenger Side Slide.
This is because there is no room to mount the awning And the slide cover. For this reason they mount the awning but no slide cover.
My Dutchstar is one of those. For me it is not a problem because I extend the awning to cover the slide. If it is windy, I will retract the awning such that it still covers the slide but is not in jeopardy to wind damage.
Hope this helps in your decision.
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Old 01-31-2015, 12:08 AM   #4
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There was recently a good thread that discussed this topic in some depth. Suggest to search for it.
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Old 01-31-2015, 12:09 AM   #5
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Slide covers are a must for us. Not so much for the weather, but we often park for short periods in places with trees that drop plenty of debris. Would hate to have to clean the slides every time we moved. On the flip... there have been a few times where wind gusts have caused us to bring in a slide for a short while.
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Old 01-31-2015, 06:15 AM   #6
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Don't have slide toppers, and in 5yrs. of fulltiming I've only had to clean the slide roofs a handfull of times. Just two days ago I saw a slide topper ripped off a coach across from me in strong winds. The owners were gone for the day. I've also seen people trying to get things out from under them, after blowing debris went under it. Not to mention blowing rain. And I don't have to get up at 3am to bring the slides in if the wind picks up. Not having them has worked for me, so I'll just go along my merry way.
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Old 01-31-2015, 06:36 AM   #7
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I have not yet had to bring slides in due to wind and I have been in winds strong enough to turn a pop up over. I would suggest having toppers and also inpectings them for condition holes, sagging in the middle which makes a pool.
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Old 01-31-2015, 01:20 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jfran304 View Post
You will need slide toppers unless you want to be climbing a ladder or climbing on top of the RV to clean the top of the slides off before you pulling them in.

Jon
With my Carefree toppers I still have to get on the roof to sweep the toppers off prior to pulling the slides in. If there is something on the topper (large stick, pine cone, etc) it will get stuck in the metal cover when the slide comes in. The metal cover is on the outside of the slide so the topper rolls up into the cover.
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Old 01-31-2015, 01:26 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tha_Rooster View Post
I have not yet had to bring slides in due to wind and I have been in winds strong enough to turn a pop up over. I would suggest having toppers and also inpectings them for condition holes, sagging in the middle which makes a pool.

Our full wall slide topper is 27 foot long, a well placed 40 mph wind has picked the whole slide up and in about 4 inches. Pressing the button to bring the slide in, was the fastest that slide has ever moved.
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Old 01-31-2015, 06:25 PM   #10
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We used slide covers for 16 years with no problems, no cleaning them off and not necessary to bring the slides in if windy. They need to be adjusted correctly when installed so there's not a sagging/blowing issue. They kept a lot of leaves/pine needles and twigs off and when it was time to bring in the slide they just fell off. If raining at the time, the water washed them off. No issues. They're great!
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Old 01-31-2015, 06:38 PM   #11
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I will say this - there are more people without them that wish they had them than there are people with them and wish they did not have them.


I am certainly glad we have them. They keep at least the top of the slide in shade when the sun is hot. No thicker than the roof of the slide is, it can/could heat up pretty quickly without them.
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Old 02-01-2015, 01:27 AM   #12
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With my Carefree toppers I still have to get on the roof to sweep the toppers off prior to pulling the slides in. If there is something on the topper (large stick, pine cone, etc) it will get stuck in the metal cover when the slide comes in. The metal cover is on the outside of the slide so the topper rolls up into the cover.
I never did understand the logic of that design.
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Old 02-01-2015, 03:40 AM   #13
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Yes, you should have slide covers. They prevent a lot of debris and rain from setting on the roof of slide out. When bringing slide out in, all debris and water rolls off. The covers can be added to coach if they are not on, but make sure, if it is a used coach, to check the roof for damage. Awnings are good to have, also.

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Old 02-01-2015, 08:43 AM   #14
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Hi Mrs.M,
There are two reasons for slide toppers.
1. Like previously posted, keeping debris off the slide.
2. Moderate the sun's heating up the cabinets inside the coach. Without a topper, the cabinets (near the ceiling) will collect quite a bit of heat. With toppers, the temperature inside the cabinets is much less, more like the interior of the coach.
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