What do you do with your wet RV cover???

[Qwkynuf]

Living in the lovely, rainy, Pacific Northwest, we opted to pick up a cover for our new MicroLite 21DS when we bought it.

Our lot is pretty small, nowhere to park the trailer at the house - so we're renting a space at a storage lot nearby. We figured that the cover would help with dust and rain and stuff. So far, it has been working pretty well.

However, we aren't the type to park our toy for the winter, so we had it out for a week in December, and will be out again in a couple of weeks.

But here's the problem - if it's raining when I pull the cover off, I don't want to roll it up and put it in the bag while it's wet, but I also don't have any place at the house that's covered, where I can stretch out 650 square feet of vinyl so that it can dry out.

I'm wondering what others do in that situation?

[Skip12]

I stretch mine out in the basement and then rotate it every couple of days until its dry.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by Skip12

I stretch mine out in the basement and then rotate it every couple of days until its dry.

Thanks! That would be soooooo much easier if I had a basement! In December I stretched it out as much as possible in the garage, but our garage is really small, and more of a storeroom than a place to park a car, so it got a bunch of stuff wet and didn't work out very well....

I realize that there might not be a practical solution to my particular dilemma, I am just interested in learning whether this is a problem for others, and how they manage.

[PatrickY]

Qwkynuf - how about some kind of clothes line setup? Maybe a couple of 10' 2x4s with a rope between them? (just trying to come up with an idea for you)

Or, if you really don't have anywhere at the homestead, why not just let it get wet? That's what it was made for, and since it's vinyl it won't rust or rot.

As long as the inside that touched the RV stays clean I wouldn't think the outside getting wet would hurt anything.

Or maybe offer to "store" it on someone else's RV at the storage facility?

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by PatrickY

Qwkynuf - how about some kind of clothes line setup? Maybe a couple of 10' 2x4s with a rope between them? (just trying to come up with an idea for you)

Or, if you really don't have anywhere at the homestead, why not just let it get wet? That's what it was made for, and since it's vinyl it won't rust or rot.

As long as the inside that touched the RV stays clean I wouldn't think the outside getting wet would hurt anything.

Or maybe offer to "store" it on someone else's RV at the storage facility?

Clothesline is an interesting thought, thank you for that. I couldn't do it in the garage - 7' ceiling, 8' tall cover - but I might be able to rig something up in the back yard for a week... Hmm...

[PatrickY]

8' tall yes - but if the bottom edge was spread out it could be only 6' with a 4' spread at the bottom …

If you angled it so that the end nearest the garage door was a little lower than the other end it would encourage the water to run toward the garage door, and hopefully your garage is slightly sloped, the water will run down the driveway.

Besides, it doesn't need to be "dry", you just need to shed the majority of the water, right?

[NJKris]

I know you've had crappy rainy weather almost every day up there, but can't you watch for a day sometime before your trip, even a week before or more, to take it off dry? Or are you that spontaneous with winter trips?

[madatme]

Like NJKris said, my tt is in my backyard and I watch the weather and remove it prior to that week or weekend. The clothes line idea is good, or if you have a fence to hang it on. Stretch it out on a sidewalk flip ever hour or so, Better than nothing
Ps though about your roof but you might kill yourself

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by madatme

Like NJKris said, my tt is in my backyard and I watch the weather and remove it prior to that week or weekend. The clothes line idea is good, or if you have a fence to hang it on. Stretch it out on a sidewalk flip ever hour or so, Better than nothing
Ps though about your roof but you might kill yourself

Roof's not happening, for sure. Two story house, and I have already fallen off of that sucker once! Not to mention, it's fairly challenging carrying that cover 10 feet up the TT's ladder. No way I would try to haul it up 25 feet up an extension ladder!

If the forecast can be trusted, I *might* get a break in the rain on Sunday - we'll see how it goes.

[D W]

I only put my cover on one time a year - when it goes into storage for the winter. That way if I take it off and it's wet, I only have to dry it one time. I never put it back on during the camping season. Too much of a hassle to be taking it off, and then putting it back on while its in use. If the rig gets dirty I wash it. When you go camping it usually does get dirty anyway, right?

[JayArras]

Originally Posted by D W

I only put my cover on one time a year - when it goes into storage for the winter. That way if I take it off and it's wet, I only have to dry it one time. I never put it back on during the camping season. Too much of a hassle to be taking it off, and then putting it back on while its in use. If the rig gets dirty I wash it.

+1

If you are facing this dilemma and have all of those constraints, just leave it off.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by D W

I only put my cover on one time a year - when it goes into storage for the winter. That way if I take it off and it's wet, I only have to dry it one time. I never put it back on during the camping season. Too much of a hassle to be taking it off, and then putting it back on while its in use. If the rig gets dirty I wash it. When you go camping it usually does get dirty anyway, right?

Originally Posted by JayArras

+1

If you are facing this dilemma and have all of those constraints, just leave it off.

We don't store for the winter. If I can book some time off and it's not snowing, we're gone for a few days.

It does get dirty when we go camping, and I wash it after each trip. But when it's parked, in the rain and with no direct sunlight on anything but the front and the roof (storage spot faces east/west, with a huge 5th wheel in the spot immediately to my south), I would rather have algae building up on the cover than in all the nooks and crannies around the windows and doors.

We have to pressure wash the north face of our house about every two years around here, so I figured that if I have to throw a cover away and buy a new one every few years, I'm probably still better off.

Again, I appreciate the suggestions, I just haven't come up with a good plan myself, and hope that others had faced a similar dilemma and found a good solution.

[Blank]

Two screw eyes in the roof trusses in your garage, about 15 feet apart and on the side of the space. Fold your cover over a rope and hang between them and your cover will be dry in a few hours. Then you can either put it away in the bag, or put it back on the RV when you return. Painless and easy.

[Chuck_S]

I had this same issue with my little cabin cruiser. But I had a place to hang it up in my garage. Wasn't pretty though!

Wet camper or wet cover + dirt = mildew. Both need to be absolutely dry -- and clean -- before you cover the trailer.

-- Chuck

[U.S.ArmyVeteran]

I can relate to this problem on a different level


When I first arrived at Fort Lewis Washington, I was issued U.S Navy wet weather gear. I was Army. It rains every day!


I was there 45 days. Woke up on day 46 looked out the window and there was a 14,000 foot mountain. I had not seen yet. Mount Rainer. Notice Rain-er haha


Any way back to the problem at hand. using what ever space you have available. Small garage or what ever.


Try one of these carpet dryers. You can rent them at Home Depot or where ever.

[nomad297]

Buy a second cover and rotate usage.

Bruce

[NMWildcat]

Or stop using it all together. I'm way too lazy to put a cover on and take it off, even if it was only once a year.

[Chuck_S]

When I first arrived at Fort Lewis Washington, I was issued U.S Navy wet weather gear. I was Army. It rains every day!

I was there 45 days. Woke up on day 46 looked out the window and there was a 14,000 foot mountain. I had not seen yet. Mount Rainer. Notice Rain-er haha

We were issued the same (smelly) USN rain suits Jan-Mar 67 for Infantry AIT. North Post. Morning formation was before the sun came up but after a couple of days we could avoid the permanent puddles on the parade field with our eyes closed. Mount Rainier ("rainy-er) was visible some days and between the mountain and the lights of Tacoma the navigation courses were simplified.

A couple of guys took a weekend and climbed to the summit -- or so they claimed. Most of us settled for Rainier Beer which I recall was 10¢ or 15¢ on post.

-- Chuck

[TitanMike]

Might also consider just laying it out on the garage floor or driveway even if you have to fold it in half, then use a leaf blower to get as much water/moisture off the exposed surface as possible. If folded, flip over, repeat. To dry other side, spread out, put "dry" side down, fold if necessary, repeat process.

If you have a 2 story house consider installing a lift point in one of the eaves, hang a rope and pull (like a flagpole halyard) and just hoist by one corner. Let it hang and wind will shake it out as well as drying it rather quickly. To speed the drying with this method use the leaf blower to remove as much water as possible while hoisting. Think Car Wash Blowers.

FWIW, I too live in the rainy PNW. I don't cover my TT because I'm retired and don't want the extra work you describe in order to take off at a moments notice. Preventing Algae/Moss/Dirt buildup for me is as simple as just regularly washing. It takes me less time to wash the entire trailer, including roof, than it would to wrangle the cover into place, secure, and then remove, dry, and re-pack.

[OKI Marine]

I thought they were suppose to shed water. How about hitting it with a leaf blower to blow the water off.