Slides in or out while in storage?

[Wolos68]

I'm finishing up a 2-week stay in Florida. Since I'll be back in February, I chose to store my RV in Florida and rent a car to get back to NY. (This will save 2,000 miles of driving the RV.) I'll rent a car again to return in February. The forecast calls for rain while I'm packing up and getting my RV ready for storage. Slides in before rain starts is not an option. Here's my question. Assuming it's raining when I close my slides and drive from campground to storage place, should I leave slides closed at storage place or leave slides open while RV is being stored for 6 weeks to enable slide walls and toppers to dry out? Should I be concerned about slide walls and toppers not being able to dry out if slides are closed while my RV sits in storage?

[007matman]

While the former pop-up owner in me would tell you that drying out the topper prior to storage is the best idea..

The RV owner in me would tell you that some moisture (including wet toppers) is normal. There is more risk of damage in high winds so, I would just out the slides in. It'll be fine.

[KyDan]

It's Florida and mold/moisture is the enemy.

Be creative. Use a broom or mop handle and a big towel and dry as much as you possibly can with the slides in and leave them in.
Or open the slide, dry as much as possible and close immediately.
My 2¢

[A32Deuce]

Stand too much of a chance of damage by leaving out. Dry the best you can and put in. I don't know how they do it but awnings and toppers always get wet in storage from rain.

[Bama Rambler]

Just another take on it. We haven't put our slides in for the last 10 years unless we're on the road. They stay out all the time. Personally if they're really wet, I'd put them out and not worry about it. That's my 1½¢.

[frank4711]

stored on side of house slides in a/c set 83 ... after all we are subtropical

[Iwritecode]

If you're storing in a storage lot I'd say put them in. Less chance of damage from others moving their rigs around.

[Wolos68]

Thanks to everyone who offered a response to my questions re: best storage position of wet slides and toppers. The consensus seems to be to leave the slides in, not out. And that's what I'm going to do. I will also try to dry off the toppers as much as possible just before retracting each slide. Special thanks for that idea! And I guess I'll find out if everything's ok when I return to Florida to enjoy another week in my RV in February.

[SLU2]

We are stationary in a seasonal campground in N.J.. Last spring we found our slide out carpet wet and full of mildew when we returned in the early spring with the slide out in. This is the first time this happened since we bought it in 2016. We lubed all the seals and cleaned off the slide outs before we closed them. Only thing we can think of is that the water running off of the roof got between the seals and the slide out. All season in heavy downpours never had a leak here. This winter we left the slide outs out so that the water will just run off of them. So far(checked in late Dec) no leaks! Go figure.

[A32Deuce]

I would try and figure out how the water got in with them in. That should not happen.