Community Forums

Oregon RVer · 11-04-2012, 01:32 PM

We're thinking about covering our 5th wheel for the winter and would appreciate some feedback as to the best type and brand of cover to use.

We live at the base of Mt. Hood, Oregon, so get a lot of rain and snow during the winter. We plan to keep a small heater running in the unit instead of winterizing it.

We're considering either a water-proof tarp with grommets, or an ADCO breathable RV cover.

The tarp is a lot less expensive, but we're concerned about condensation build-up due to lack of breathability.

We'd like to hear about your experiences, and we welcome your recommendations.

trackman · 11-04-2012, 02:20 PM

Buy 3 tarps or 1 Adco and you will be okay

jesilvas · 11-04-2012, 02:31 PM

Hope you thought of that heater being able to heat the underbelly or storage bays where there's pipes with water in them.

Delrob · 11-10-2012, 02:53 PM

Why leave it heated? Not a good idea IMHO. What if you loose power?

**NLOVNIT** · 11-10-2012, 03:11 PM

Adco covers will last 3 years, 4 tops, IMO. If you do a search on RV cover, you'll find several threads about them. HERE's photos of what we had happen w/ours the 1st winter we used one.

It did keep our coach nice, clean & UV unaffected over the course of the 3 winters we used one, though.

Lori-

figallegro · 11-10-2012, 03:22 PM

We padded some of the areas we thought would wear through our Adco cover like gutter ends and places on the awning. When we removed the cover, there wear a couple of tears elsewhere. Adco had adhesive backed repair pieces available and that has helped extend the life of our cover. I think many people experience tears due to putting the cover on too tight. I will get another Adco cover when our's finally needs replacement.

okgc · 11-10-2012, 03:54 PM

Heater inside will not keep the pipes in the basement level warm. Winterizing should not take much more than 15-20 min and prevent a costly repair

**NLOVNIT** · 11-10-2012, 03:57 PM

okgc is correct. A heater inside won't do anything to keep pipes from freezing. $12-$15 worth of antifreeze is a small price to pay for peace of mind during the harshest of winter temps.

Lori-

clyon51 · 11-10-2012, 04:47 PM

IMHO ...Covers are a waste of money. Depending on type, they hold humidity, causing mold/mildew on at least the outside. RVs are built to withstand the elements. If rubber roof, cleaning and UV Protection once a year. Wash and and wax when needed.

MickBrennan · 11-11-2012, 03:50 PM

Ours went on yesterday. Lets see how well it holds up.

All plugged in too. We leave the country for 4 months Wednesday. (Not because of the election.)

clyon51 · 11-11-2012, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MickBrennan

We leave the country for 4 months Wednesday. (Not because of the election.)

LOL, I hear ya

mikell · 11-11-2012, 04:58 PM

Funny story a friend of mine put a cover on his motor home for the winter then wrapped shrink wrap around it a few timed to keep it from blowing around a few weeks later we had a major ice storm 1" thick or more. No power but had city water so they decided to move into the MH. It took him all day to get in and the cover off so he could run the generator and stay in it destroyed the cover and never bought another.

Muddypaws · 11-11-2012, 05:06 PM

I bought a cover for my last fifth wheel. I put it on a couple of times but decided that the risk of getting blown off the roof as the cover catches a gust of wind like a giant sail was not worth it. Tyvek is slippery too!

I've made the trek to Hood River a few times for windsurfing. It's slightly windy there isn't it?

mikell · 11-12-2012, 05:01 AM

PPutting a oil filled radiator type heater in the basement will keep it warm and you will need to take the wall out to the crawl space and put a small fan to move the air around. Drain what you can if you don't want to winterize but the cost of electric and possible repairs . If you have a rear kitchen it will freeze no matter what you do