Caravan Covers

leachio

Hi ladies and gents

We are very new, only joined this site today and hope to buy our first caravan this week.  We hope to keep it on our driveway but it will be under a huge tree which birds delight in pooing from! I think a cover sounds like a good idea but believe its got pro's and con's. Please can anyone offer advice?

 

Thanks 

ValDa

Good luck and welcome - and I hope you enjoy your caravan as much as we do!

There are a lot of other threads about caravan covers, and people seem to be firmly in one of two camps - using one and having no problems, or refusing to use one because they perceive problems, or have had problems in the past.

We've had our caravan covered, now, for about twelve years - initially on the top of a windy wide open hillside, then in a dusty factory, then in a barn with lots of nesting swallows, and now back in the open air.  Our cover is a cheap and cheerful one, and is still going - all the zips still work, it has no real damage apart from a small tear caused years ago when someone stole the end cap from the 'skirt' rail.  We clean the caravan before putting it 'away' and it's joyful to take the cover off after the winter, and to discover that it's still as pristine as when it was covered - no black streaks, no greenish mossy tint to the roof, and no bird poo whatsoever.

People say they trap moisture, but our caravan is now seventeen years old (eighteen next year) and has absolutely no damp.  They say they scratch paintwork and scuff windows - our paintwork is still unscratched, and our windows clear from scuffs.  We can get access inside the van, even with the cover on - just undoing two of the ties which hold it underneath. 

For us it's a 'no-brainer' - but others have equally firm views that a cover is an absolute 'no no'!  Basically after all the replies you still have to make your own minds up.

gatewaya89

Hi Newbie's

Glad to hear someone else buying a van and joining us all..lol

We like you brought our van this year and like ValDa says sometimes its a "No-brainer" in our case No Damp and we brought a 15 year old Avondale van and No moisture either and that was using the cover week in and week out when we left our van on our storage site, again benefits no mess! no streaks,no mossy bits just as we always left it polished and ready for use next time. We would advise look around at Gumtree and Preloved classified as you will probably find one that's fits the van you buy cheaper than buying new! Again there are those that will have different views but it will be up to you guys how you want to look after your van, Hope you have as much fun as we have in our first year of caravaning there's loads of help on here for buying and all the other stuff you will need if this is your first van don't be afraid to ask as we all try to help each other!

Have Fun all the best

paul56

We too are in the 'cover it over winter' camp. We'll be off for our last trip in a couple of weeks and then the van will be lifted onto axle stands and a cover put over it until March time. Never had a problem. Some will no doubt say use it all year round but we tend to do a winter sun holiday before Christmas, ski in Jan and Lanzarote in Feb before the 'season' starts again. I simply can't see a problem with spending £100 or so on a cover to protect your pride and joy from the worst of the winter ... and bird droppings! 

Tigi

Sorry to be a damp squid no pun intended yes its worth it under a tree but we find it did increase damp inside in the form of mould spots over much of the interior. They did wipe off easily and no harm was done but it put me off further use of a cover. 

Hedgehurst

Enjoy your new van!

We bought a cover to keep ours dry inside, rather than clean outside, when it became apparent that work done by our dealer in replacing a de-laminated front window had been frankly skimped. Hopefully that problem's sorted now and that's another story. But we still have the cover, & are thinking about using it when the van goes to storage in a couple of weeks. Those who do - do you leave it all completely closed inside its cover, or do you have windows slightly open on the catch to allow air circulation?

ValDa, glad to hear that your basic cover works well - I looked at the expensive ones, and also went for a basic model, partly 'cos with our unusual van anything was going to have to be custom built and that would have been seriously costly!

Since it's a pop-top van, even the smallest cover has a sort of over-long trousers look to it, and has to be caught up in the straps going under the van to stop it developing a water-holding bag round the bottom.

 

G Cherokee

 Hi Leachio,

I hope you enjoy your caravan as much as we do.

We're fairly new to the fold and I am a cover fan.

Last weekend, our van was washed, waxed cleaned inside and the cover put on.

It is a generic cover that we bought with our new van, it is a 4 ply waterproof cover with straps that are fixed just above the halfway point on the van. They then go under the van to a buckle on the opposite side.

A zip at the front allows you to access the door should you need to.

I think it is a ROYAL and we are very impressed with its performance.

The only thing I will say is make sure that the surface that lies against the bodywork stays off the ground when fitting it ( and removing!).

All in all a bit thumbs up from me. It also stops you having to wash the van every other week!

I have also made it a "snugger" fit by using plastic ground sheet grips and bungee cord.

Make sure the caravan drop vents aren't blocked or covered. And check the inside once a fortnight. I do this when I put the battery on charge.