slide out toppers YEA or NEA

[muddyrode]

slide out toppers YEA or NEA.
pro and cons please, who uses them and who does not and why?

thanks

[Dave Lyon]

Yea for sure. They provide shade for the top of slide, they keep it clean, no leaves and debris inside the camper rotting in between trips, plus additional rain protection.

[Dodge Guy]

12 years and 2 trailers with slides and never once did I wish I had them. the only time I had anything on the slide was after a storm. a couple minutes with a hose and it was clean. and on my current trailer I have 2 skylights in the slide out, so an awning would cover them. not necessary in my opinion.

[Black]

Originally Posted by Dave Lyon

Yea for sure. They provide shade for the top of slide, they keep it clean, no leaves and debris inside the camper rotting in between trips, plus additional rain protection.

Same here, would not buy a trailer without them !

[ependydad]

There are distinct schools of thoughts on toppers:

• Have had them and will always have them (equally split with the never had/no reason)
• Have never had them and see no reason for them (equally split with the have had and always will have)
• Have had them and won't again (rare, but it happens)

I fall into the first category. Have had them and appreciate having them. I won't go without.

[Auscon]

I think it really depends on the area you will be camping. I camp in an area that is covered with trees. If I did not have a slide topper on I would be constantly cleaning needles and other junk that falls off the trees. But if you are in an area that does not have that much you could get away with it. Like everything in comes down to $$$. You could spend money and not have to clean the slide when you bring it in or save them and clean the slide. JMHO

[5picker]

Originally Posted by ependydad

There are distinct schools of thoughts on toppers:

• Have had them and will always have them (equally split with the never had/no reason)
• Have never had them and see no reason for them (equally split with the have had and always will have)
• Have had them and won't again (rare, but it happens)

I fall into the first category. Have had them and appreciate having them. I won't go without.

^^X2^^
We ordered our new unit with them.
Our last 5th wheel didn't have from new but it didn't take long to add for all the reasons mentioned.

[Blackhat6mike]

I have them and find them very useful, otherwise, I have to carry a fold up ladder to clean off the leaves and/or pine straw. If not cleaned off before rolling the slide in, the trash comes with it.
I can assure you seagull poop does not fall off once it is deposited on top of a slide. I would rather have it rolled up outside than splattered all over the top of the slide and inside.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by ependydad

There are distinct schools of thoughts on toppers:

• Have had them and will always have them (equally split with the never had/no reason)
• Have never had them and see no reason for them (equally split with the have had and always will have)
• Have had them and won't again (rare, but it happens)

I fall into the first category. Have had them and appreciate having them. I won't go without.

I'm in the second category. Although my slides go out in April and don't come in until October, so I don't have to worry about what's on top of them quite as much as others. They get cleaned off along with my roof a few times a year.

[Scubanut]

Lots of advantages, two that quickly come to mind is the topper will provide shade so in theory should help the AC in cooling your trailer. The other is to keep the water and dirt out of your slide seals. I think there a good investment. I never sweep the topper off, when I pull in the slide the dirt falls off as it retracts.
No cons that I can think of other then some flapping noise when windy.


2012 F150 FX4 Crew 5.0 3.73

2012Coachman Freedom Express 292BHDS (outdoor Kitchen)

[dieselguy]

I live in Kansas where wind is near constant. I grew tired of listening to them flap at night. I know some use bungie cords and some tethered soccer balls, but just something else during set up and tear down. They hold water after a good rain and create an unwanted shower should you be standing near the slide when retracting. They also get nasty underneath and are hard to clean even with a Swiffer mop. I did have them on my previous SOB and they did do their job of keeping debris off the slideout roof. The noise and the nasty underside made me go without them on my current fiver. A leaf blower with a gutter nozzle blows off what roof debris I accumulate.

[bikendan]

There tons of threads asking the same question, on the forum.
It gets asked probably every two weeks.

Bottom line is the vast majority love their slide toppers, including me.
We made the mistake, by not having one installed, before we bought our HTT.
After one year of camping, we had so much tree sap and residue, our slide seals stuck so badly, I had to use a butter knife to break up the adhesion.
So after paying CW to install a topper, we have never had this issue again. And no more climbing on a ladder to sweep off pine needles, leaves and other junk.
Plus it helps keep water off the top of the slideout.

[youroo]

If where you camp has Sun and you have slides you need them to help Cool the roof of the slides! If your unit is like a Freezer during the Hot Summer Days,dont put on covers! If you camp where there are Trees in the Fall with Leaves I recommend covers! If it Never Rains where you camp you can skip the covers! If you camp where/when there might be Freezing rain/Ice/Snow you might/will be delayed in Retracting your Slide and Covers! Most of the RARE times that the covers flap and make Noise we hardly notice because the Entire Unit is Moving from the WIND! I find More + than - to have Slide covers! Youroo!!

[5er_tom]

We occasionally camp in cold weather. Once we woke up to discover it had snowed overnight. Cannot imagine how we would have gotten the slides in with 2" of snow on them.


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[Ashley]

Originally Posted by bikendan

There tons of threads asking the same question, on the forum.
It gets asked probably every two weeks.

Bottom line is the vast majority love their slide toppers, including me.
We made the mistake, by not having one installed, before we bought our HTT.
After one year of camping, we had so much tree sap and residue, our slide seals stuck so badly, I had to use a butter knife to break up the adhesion.
So after paying CW to install a topper, we have never had this issue again. And no more climbing on a ladder to sweep off pine needles, leaves and other junk.
Plus it helps keep water off the top of the slideout.

That's Funny bikendan, as I started reading the OP I was thinking, "Really, seems like about every two weeks this subject comes up" , But I started reading the post anyways to see if the same people, give the same Pros and Cons and the same things get hashed and rehashed over and over again. I guess I'm a sucker for cheap entertainment like everyone else.

[Auscon]

Originally Posted by Ashley

That's Funny bikendan, as I started reading the OP I was thinking, "Really, seems like about every two weeks this subject comes up" , But I started reading the post anyways to see if the same people, give the same Pros and Cons and the same things get hashed and rehashed over and over again. I guess I'm a sucker for cheap entertainment like everyone else.

I guess this must be the wrong place for people to ask questions. I guess the OP could have done the search function but not everyone is tech savy.

[Ashley]

Originally Posted by Auscon

I guess this must be the wrong place for people to ask questions. I guess the OP could have done the search function but not everyone is tech savy.

No Sir, not the wrong place at all. It just cracks me up how little the search function apparently ever gets used. Not just on this forum, but on about every different forum I have ever been a part of.

I didn't intend to insinuate someone shouldn't ask questions, I was merely stating the obvious and voicing the humor I found in the fact that I had thought the same thing as bikendan as soon as I read the post.

Stick around for a while and you may end up coming to the same conclusion I have, although the well placed, the search box on this forum, as well as others, is one of the least used features you will find. And I would have to question your assumption that someone is not tech savy enough to use a search box, after all, how do you think they found this forum. Most likely a Google search box

Sorry I offended you, been a long day, but it's getting better now.

[doc73]

I am of the theory, never had one... But might add one.. Big might. Not sure if it is needed. I am able and will use my step ladder and clean off the roof of anything. If it is rain, I will just use a towel.. I have yet to deal with bird poo, mostly just leaves and general dirt which I would guess (minus the leaves) would still eventually get under the topper and be a pain to clean. If I had snow, see the ladder use above. I am very torn on whether to be for or against.

As for the search, I do not mind answering the same question multiple times, it is the reality in a forum. I will chuckle when I see three people asking the same question in the same sub-forum at the same time though, I will admit..

[Kenny kustom]

I've had to use boiling water to get the ice off my slide.
Last May.
Still not something I would bother having installed.


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

I am nice!

[doc73]

Originally Posted by Kenny kustom

I've had to use boiling water to get the ice off my slide.
Last May.
Still not something I would bother having installed.


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

I am nice!

Yeah, for us northerners... I guess at least snow or ice on the slide and it might make a bit of a wt mess. A frozen topper could mean no moving until defrosted or risk it tearing from getting brittle in the cold (if possible).