Storing for winter - what?

[srgallan]

Hi,

We just bought our new travel trailer and trying to sort out what I should be making arrangements for regarding Winter.

Is storing it outdoors acceptable? If so is a RV cover recommended and durable? Is storing indoors the only viable solution? Mice control?

Just looking for insights from those with experience.

[Kimber45]

Inside storage would be very nice. If you don't have your own barn you are going to pay big $. Your unit would def look great down the road and be worth top dollar. I don't think in the long wrong the expense would pay for itself. (say 1,000$ a year for 10 years your camper is not going to be worth 10K more)

On the other hand parking it and leaving it and doing nothing also causes fading wear and tear etc. I would split the difference and get a quality cover for winter.

[Hutch333id]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I see that you're in PEI so I'm sure the weather conditions are very different there from Alberta. You'll certainly have more moisture in the air than we do and consequentially, more heavy snow. I have stored our various trailer outside and without a cover for the last ten years without a problem. I wash off any dark streaks early in the season and make sure the roof is washed before I put the rig in to storage for the winter. You can buy a good cover but I have never gone to that extent. I have heard of them rubbing once the wind picks up and causing some damage to trailers

I've never suffered from rodents but I do have some deterrents that I put in behind the drawers and cupboards. These leave a smell - possibly cedar, I don't recall - that is ok for humans but seemingly deters mice.

This year is the first time I had left it stored on grass at a friends acreage. Previously, we've had it stored on gravel in a locked compound but never any problems at all. Just make sure you properly winterize it before it gets too cold for long periods of time. There are countless threads on the forum about how to winterize all of which offer great advice.

[srgallan]

Thanks for the info.

Our PEI winters as of late have much less snow and we hit periods of freeze/thaw and the usual winter winds. I was not sure if these aluminum sided/wooded framed trailers expand/crack at the seams in winters more when new vs older?

We are seasonal campers for the first time this year and the campground offers local storage both indoor and outdoor. About 588 to store indoors and 287 to store outdoors in the field, might be a couple of spots I can store indoors as low as 420-450 if I do some looking.

I will do some reading for winterizing.

[oldsmasma]

North Eastern Ontario here so we probably split the difference between you two lol. We park our motorhome at our own home parked on gravel. We have never covered any of our trailers or motorhomes also because we have heard of damages caused by covers chafing against the paint. We have had mice from time to time over the years despite trying every remedy under the sun. Luckily no serious damages requiring anything other than some cleanup and disinfecting. Happy camping!

[Comanchecreek]

Tried covers without success. They do more damage than they help I found and they are expensive and cannot take wind. I have a barn now and keep it in there. Anything you can do to keep the sun off of it is a help, (rv storage building, awning over the top, etc. Sun ultimately rots anything plastic and over time degrades your EPDM roof. It also fades your caps and ages the trailer faster than keeping it covered. Snow load is also a consideration depending on where you live so be aware of how much snow the trailer will hold on the roof.