Storing RV outside

[Keeth1123]

Although a pole barn is in the future plans, currently our Roo is just sitting in the driveway. I am worried it is just wasting away slowly. How many people store their RV in this manner and how much of an added tole has it taken?

[Sunseeker16]

Most RV's never see a roof over their head. Some handel it well some don't. It all depends on how he owner cares for it. Short term, no worries.

[TitanMike]

My previous travel trailer never saw any cover and it was in good condition when I sold it after 22 years. Regular washing, roof included, and attention to caulking was all it needed.

[Bob K4TAX]

Agreed with what TitanMike said. Ours is outside year around. Maintenance is the key to longevity.

Bob

[kenandterry]

Yup. We use our motorhome in the outdoors, and it’s always in the outdoors.

Another TitanMike follower.

[Chuck_S]

The Florida sun will eventually eat the exterior of your Roo as the seals leak and the plastic parts turn to granola. First thing to go on mine was the range vent. A coupe of summers ago I found fragments of the roof hatch in the main cabin on the floor -- even under a protective hood it turned to small bits, crumbled, and fell out. Bathroom roof hatch under a different hood seems fine. Decals are facing. VIN sticker became unreadable.

This camper only spent 7 months annually outdoors for its first 12 years in Ohio as it was winter stored indoors. A couple of years constantly in the Virginia sun and most of the problems showed up. Cover? These lasted at most two years. Trailer has been stored indoors all year for the past 3 years. I can't park at home so the additional expense for indoors isn't staggering compared to just outdoor storage.

-- Chuck

[Reverse_snowbird]

We live near Houston and stored our trailer in an enclosed storage area for a couple of years. Then we tried storing it outside at rv storage on a private campground.

Big mistake. The hot sun started to bake the rubber roof and dry out the seals. Storing outside in a hot humid climate is a whole lot different.
If you can get it in the shade, that would help.

[BehindBars]

Do what you have to do for now, but it’s only reasonable to expect accelerated aging if the RV is left outdoors. I just spent about a month camping amongst about 500 RVs that come and go. Sampling them as I’d walk around, many showed light to severe aging likely due to exposure to the elements.

I would expect that summer heat intensified by sunshine would increase aging of interior materials as well as exterior surfaces. Storing outdoors in shade would surely be better than direct sun.

It would seem obvious that the sooner you get your RV in the pole barn, the better it will keep and much less exterior maintenance will be required. My wife and I have owned RVs for 25 years and always parked them indoors, the vast majority of that time on our own property. My maintenance routine is mainly just to wash off road grime and bugs. Roof maintenance needs are almost nonexistent.

[moose074]

I don’t have access to indoor storage for probably 70 miles. I’m not sure I would use it if it cost to much more than the $50 I pay now

[NMWildcat]

The majority of RVs are outside all the time. Even if I had a covered storage area, it would not be there long enough between trips to make any difference.
I believe the biggest factor in deterioration is lack of use and neglect.

[Nick Danger]

I've only had mine for 3 years but it looks the same as the day we bought it except for some pine sap marks on the roof. It sits in my driveway whenever we're not at the campground using it between April to Nov. It's covered only in winter months from Nov to April with a Camco cover. I do wash and wax (one step cleaner) it every month during camping season, clean the awning and check all the seals. Just looking to get at least 7 more years out of it before I have to evaluate my age and ability to maintain it.

[LivingToCamp]

I live in Florida. TT is outside at a storage lot in my community. I keep it clean and waxed. When we are not using it for a long period of time, I keep it covered.

[rsdata]

biggest problem area for any is roof seals leaking water into interior

second biggest is for hybrids is bunks seals leaking

for the bunks I use 2 inch wide blue painter tape to bridge the gap from sidewall to bunk door to help shed rain water off the seals when parked for long periods

For roof I did preventive maintenance

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nce-90060.html

[Rhumblefish]

Like house prices: impact of outdoor storage is about location, location, location.

As many have mentioned, most RVs spend their life outdoors.

Southern sun can be merciless, and heat doesn't help. Swap that for freeze/thaw cycles, and the inevitable dirt buildup and you can still see a clear difference between RV's that age in outdoor storage vs indoor storage. A cover helps, as does keeping your RV clean, but you shouldn't ever defer maintenance and inspections.

Mine gets to live inside for the winter and whenever we're not using it, this makes a significant and noticeable difference. A friend bought a camper at the same time; his lives exclusively outside/uncovered. We clean, do maintenance together and generally help each other out with our campers. Coming up with two years in, you can clearly see the difference between his and mine.

But if you're just waiting a couple of months for a pole barn, you'll be more than fine. Just got to manage dust/dirt buildup inside. Keep it clean, inspect/treat your seals, keep a little wax on it, and you'll be sitting pretty for years to come.

just my .02, hope this helps.

[ppine]

I just park on the north side of a fence with shade trees nearby. North side of the house is another good place.

[5picker]

I agree... LOCATION is often a big key in how quickly something can deteriorate.
Southern sun can be brutal as can heavy winter snow up north.

Maintenance is key wherever you live.

That said, mine is under roof anytime we are not camping in it.

[Velosprout]

Storage inside is best practice. Build your pole building bigger than you need currently! I built a 24’ wide x 30’ long pole building with 14’ sidewalls and a 12’ tall roll-up door. The interior usable depth is 28’ 6”, (accounting for the posts and recessed roll-up door frame) so just over 27’ total hitch-to-spare tire length is max RV size. I have started considering a new hard wall camper to replace our Roo someday and find that my pole barn size is severely limiting my choices.

[jd4010]

Our new/current 5er is stored inside our barn so fully protected from all elements. However our prior 5er was outdoors 100% of the time and it took a beating in the NC sun. The roof was in decent condition after 10 years but I was routinely replacing the vent/attic caps. Additionally despite washing and waxing, decals faded and cracked to the point where I found myself using bondo to fill in the decal cracks and repainting the decals.

If I ever had to store it outside again....I would be at least using a cover albeit on a 5er is pain to put on and take off. BUT it would have saved those decals for sure.

[Keeth1123]

Originally Posted by Velosprout

Storage inside is best practice. Build your pole building bigger than you need currently! I built a 24’ wide x 30’ long pole building with 14’ sidewalls and a 12’ tall roll-up door. The interior usable depth is 28’ 6”, (accounting for the posts and recessed roll-up door frame) so just over 27’ total hitch-to-spare tire length is max RV size. I have started considering a new hard wall camper to replace our Roo someday and find that my pole barn size is severely limiting my choices.

I am looking to do a 50x60x14 barn. Eventually, a 24x50 section will be enclosed. This will leave a 36x50 section an open ag style area.

[Keeth1123]

Originally Posted by jd4010

Our new/current 5er is stored inside our barn so fully protected from all elements. However our prior 5er was outdoors 100% of the time and it took a beating in the NC sun. The roof was in decent condition after 10 years but I was routinely replacing the vent/attic caps. Additionally despite washing and waxing, decals faded and cracked to the point where I found myself using bondo to fill in the decal cracks and repainting the decals.

If I ever had to store it outside again....I would be at least using a cover albeit on a 5er is pain to put on and take off. BUT it would have saved those decals for sure.

My last camper didn’t have anything stuck up except for the ac. The Roo has an antenna among other things. Would these be a problem for a cover?