Slide Out Awning.

[Deans25BRDS]

I noticed , here in Texas, the live oak leaves fall this time of year. My slide out gets allot of debris on it. I normally get up there and blow it off. But that is at home after maintenance or a repair. On the road I might not

be toting a blower. Does the retractable awning help ? Has anyone had one installed and the cost involved. What say Y'all ?

[bikendan]

I loved my slide topper. Well worth the money.
Of course, it's cheaper to have it installed at the factory.

[GolfingDave]

Does the retractable awning help ? Yes, leaves just roll off if dry. I like it also for helping keep the noise down when raining as there is no insulation to help deaden the sound on a slide out.

All depends on how handy you are and length of slide for costs. I installed mine by myself just over nine feet long. Keeps me from having to get up there for cleaning. The one time you do not there will be a branch up there, you can count on it.

I think some folks here recommend certain manufacturers over others as for quality.

I have a little battery powered blower that takes up very little space.
https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-co...nly-56416.html

[Chuck_S]

What Dan wrote!

Without a slide topper you bring all those leaves and bird poop into your living space when you retract the slide . Not 100% efficient but a quick wipe with a dog towel * will handle the small bit of dirt.

* Dog towel? One of those old bath towels you've kept for drying the pups after their baths. Keep a couple in the camper, they're good for lots of tasks you don't want to use your good towels for.

-- Chuck

[Mr. Dan]

I have 3 slide-out toppers and really like having them. Some don't like them because theirs seem to be too loose and pop in the wind or pool water. I don't have that problem. I can't tell you the price of installation, however. Forest River paid a local service center to install them because my dealership couldn't find/fix a leak in the bedroom slide-out. The topper solved the problem.

[LanceR]

@Deans25BRDS,

We have a long slide room the roof of which has proven to be a magnet for pine needles, hickory and walnuts, acorns and leaves. I've been using a collapsible ladder to get up there to clean it off before closing it which is a pain in the neck, especially when it's pouring out or there's a steep slope next to the camper.

We just bought a Lippert slide topper that will likely get installed in the next week..... along with a new awning fabric for the main awning and a set of JT's Strong Arm jack stabilizers and.........

If it takes my brother in law and I over an hour to install the slide topper it'll be because we're goofing off. It's pretty darn simple.

We paid $495 to Amazon for the 14' long topper and with Prime it was delivered for "free" about a week after we ordered it. I also ordered a roll of 1" butyl tape to put behind the top rail and brackets to water proof the screw holes.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PXL97XC...roduct_details

And the butyl tape:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0822FNHFQ...t_details&th=1

Here's a video of the installation:

https://support.lci1.com/videos/slid...ermarket-video

I hope this helps you. I'll post back with the results when the topper is installed. Don't expect any in-progress pictures though because my BIL and I tend to move pretty quickly while working and we both suck at stopping to take pictures.

Best regards,

Lance

[KTSTEELE]

Thank you Lance for the valuable info. I am in the research process of jumping into the Travel Trailer experience. Currently looking at the Flagstaff 25DK or the 21DS..... decisions... decisions.

Regards,

Kerry

[GolfingDave]

Awnlux slide toppers have been mentioned here before with positive results if you are doing a self install.
Factory installed Lippert came with mine.