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Just popped for a 2020 Transcend and was pricing carports to keep out of Az sun but they are expensive. Does anyone use a cover if so what type and recommendations .Thanks
A cover would keep the sun off but my experience with a cover was that it was such a chore to put on and take off that I hated to use it and then the wind caused the seams to make wear marks from abraiding the finish. I decided that it faired better not covered. But I was not in AZ so that could make a difference.
Like Kirk said. I never put one on but watched, what a PITA. Then when they came back in the fall, usually a tie had snapped or the cover ripped in places. And when the dirt gets under it and the wind blows it acts like a piece of light sandpaper. A carport is OK, if you screen the sides, and it is built wide enough to get the slides out if you have any. Just my take after 16 seasons in Yuma, AZ. If you don't put the vent covers over the roof vents most folks build boxes to cover them. You sure don't one to blow off and let sand and or rain in.
Edited September 28 by bobsallyh
I agree with bobsallyh, if something comes apart or it gets a rip in it you won't be happy with what it does rubbing on your finish. If you were checking on it every few days it might take some of the worry out I suppose.
We've always used an ADCO cover with very good results. When we purchased our current RV almost six years ago we went with a fitted cover. We have used cut tennis balls to cover the sharp edges on the roof spouts. The straps are adjustable and can be tightened which we do as needed through the winter months.. It really doesn't take that long for both of us to get the cover on. Prior to getting the cover on we thoroughly clean and wax the outside of the RV. When we take the cover off in the spring it's easy to wipe it down and get the outside ready to travel. The cover we bought has a zippered access by the door so we can get access to the interior when and if we should need it. We store it on our property so we don't face the issues you might face when storing it someplace other than your own property.
Our neighbor bought an RV last year and didn't bother with a cover. Come this past spring he had so much stuff to clean off the roof and the sides that he asked us where we got our cover and we told him. He's putting his new cover on his RV this weekend.
Best of luck.
Fit is everything when it comes to RV covers! Less hassle, more secure fit, less chance of moisture and debris, etc.
I found RV Part Shop really helpful with guiding me through proper measurements and choosing the right cover. ADCO is definitely a first choice for quality, as other posters have said.
Well it will be parked next to my house and we camp all year pretty much, the one I was looking at has a lot of tie downs.
https://www.nationalrvcovers.com/s2expedition-rv-covers/Travel--Trailer/24.html
We used one and were very happy with the outcome. Putting it on was very easy. I simply tied a rope to it, hoisted it up on the roof (not as difficult as I thought it was going to be), rolled it out the length of the trailer, draped it first over the street side, then over the curb side, climbed down the ladder and finished the job. 1-2 hours tops. When we came back in the spring we found the trailer clean and in the same condition as we left it.
We got the Classic Accessories SkyShield™ Travel Trailer & Toy Hauler RV Cover-Model 8T
Edited September 28 by Jim1521
I'd go with the carport. No muss no fuss, and with the metal ones you can add more panels to the sides for evening sun. I'm just frugal and finally got it through my head we are living now what we worked and invested and saved for then. As my Significant Harassment of 47 said to me about buying the Colorado house, hey, it's time to spend some for fun, comfort and lifestyle. Being the wealthiest corpses in the cemetery is not a goal. So we are splurging a bit and redoing its dated update and flooring/colors. As well getting a couple of Tesla Powerwall's instead of another 25kw water cooled generator and auto switch running on natural gas. Go for it if you can!
Safe and financially secure travels!
Well it will be parked next to my house and we camp all year pretty much, the one I was looking at has a lot of tie downs.
Does that mean that you will be putting the cover on each time you return, then removing it again a short time later to travel again? Unless yours is more easily installed & removed than ours was you will be spending a lot of time with it. I don't believe that I have ever known an RV owner who put the cover back on more than once a month for very many months. Putting mine on for only a week or two was just too much trouble.
Being the wealthiest corpses in the cemetery is not a goal.
A very wise decision. Leaving a large estate to my kids isn't mine either.
I'd go with the carport. No muss no fuss, and with the metal ones you can add more panels to the sides for evening sun. I'm just frugal and finally got it through my head we are living now what we worked and invested and saved for then. As my Significant Harassment of 47 said to me about buying the Colorado house, hey, it's time to spend some for fun, comfort and lifestyle. Being the wealthiest corpses in the cemetery is not a goal. So we are splurging a bit and redoing its dated update and flooring/colors. As well getting a couple of Tesla Powerwall's instead of another 25kw water cooled generator and auto switch running on natural gas. Go for it if you can!
Safe and financially secure travels!
I agree, the criteria he has stated makes a carport the best choice by far. The AZ heat under a cloth covering IMO would cause damage to the RV roof.
Here in the hill country of Indiana I have only used a cheap plastic farm tarpaulin to cover my RV's with 3X the number of elastic tie-downs. I never did notice any wear/scuff marks on a trailer, but the on/off routine was strenuous and lengthy, and became more so every year older I got. I'd hate to think of doing that monthly when using the RV.
I finally had a 60'X40'X15' pole barn erected and poured a concrete floor inside; total price = $26K.
I'm considering the same to keep the sun from beating ours up. Meanwhile, I'm planning to put one of the fiberglass polish/waxes on it that is said to stop UV for about a year, now that it's finally cooled off. I don't have a place to put a carport, the trailer is in storage. Otherwise I'd really consider the carport. Also our trailer is much smaller so a cover would be easier to handle. Some people claim that a great wax applied yearly will do almost as well as a cover. We have no trees/leaves to worry about.
Just got back from the shakedown run, I prefer the carport but 1st quote was 5 grand ? waiting on another bid also my setbacks might be a problem Thanks for all the input
I used one for snow on our 5th wheel.
It worked well. There was a door opening so you could get into the 5th wheel without taking the cover off. It did hold on in the wind.
Gave it away when the 5th wheel moved to Arizona. It is rather large to store.
As others have said....a structural cover is a much better solution if you can do it.