Snow Load

[BobW]

Hi 'all
I am the new owner of an Escape 19 from the west coast and am preparing to store it outdoors for the winter here in Northern Alberta. In addition to the usual storage concerns I have been wondering if fiberglass trailers have any snow loading concerns. Does the roof have enough mechanical strength to hold a metre of snow? Should I add some internal bracing just in case?

[Donna D.]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Even if NO ONE has ever suffered snow load damage, if YOU do... how much would their success make you feel? Check this egg out from an overloaded snow roof:

[Bob and Linda]

That picture looks like a very old scamp.....we live in Northern Alberta and have a 2005 Bigfoot trailer.....it shows no wear from all our snow falls.....however, after seeing this pic maybe I'll send my husband up to shovel the snow off from now on

[Brian B-P]

My Boler 1700 roof bends in substantially if I don't clear the snow long before it gets to a metre deep. I don't know if the Escapes are better.

[Bob and Linda]

I should have added that we just purchased an Escape 5.0 - we still have our Bigfoot for now....it's for sale but we don't plan to make any special modifications to our new 5th wheel regarding snow weight. Tammy and Reese know where we live so I think they would have mentioned something about snow fall weight if that would be a problem.

[ddevin]

Our trailer has endured 4 winters in Alberta with no damage. Last winter I started shoveling the snow off just to keep our cover from ripping, as we have some sharp angles over our antenna, solar panel etc.

[dave macrae]

We also live in Alberta , last winter when the snow started to pile up I used a foam snow pusher that we use to clear cars off at work to not scratch the gel coat. Seeing how much the shell flexes when leaning on it I wouldn't let any where near a metre of snow pile up before I removed it .

[Cam A]

Indoor storage saves sleepless nights.

[cpaharley2008]

The picture Donna posted is from a old Scamp that had been left unused outside for years and succumbed to nature like anything after decades of neglect. Not sure if it was snow or a tree branch in a snowfall that caved in the topside. It has been repaired and is currently being used by a member over on FGRV.