The West Coast and Covers

[RMarkH]

Hi all, my apologies if there has been a discussion on this topic before, but I did a search and did not find what I was looking for.

So we will be parking our Escape 19 on our front driveway. We don’t have the luxury of a high entrance garage, carport or have access to a barn. I have bought the cover that Escape sells and plan to use it. Here are my questions:

1. Is the consensus that covering is best? I have heard that if you keep a good wax on it and just wash it a few times over the winter that is better. The argument against covering is that it traps moisture under the cover and you get mold.

2. Do you only use the cover for the winter or for any time of the year if you don’t plan to use the trailer for any length of time?

3. I’ve heard that many that use a cover also wrap a rope or strap around the mid section. I assume this is to better protect the cover in the wind.

Anyways, any thoughts on these newbie questions would be much appreciated.

Mark

[Fox hunt]

I have a cover found it useful for winter keeps the trailer cleaner. although i never did cover my trailer this year just didn't get around to it. I will have to shell out some bucks to get it waxed this spring.

[saguarocat]

Mark, we bought the ETI supplied cover too for our 17b. Ours is a very snug fit along the top edges and corners.


Do you have solar panels?


We learned the mitered corners on the solar panel frame are very sharp and easily cut through the cover material. We covered the frame edges with some spongy packing material and plan to remove the arris with a file and sew the cuts in the cover this Spring.

[gbaglo]

I cover my trailer with a good coat of wax twice a year. Makes it easy to wash off green and black stuff ( easier than washing a fabric cover ).
I don't have to take a cover off to use the trailer, or seek help to put the cover on.

My trailer lives under a cedar tree in the driveway.

[Upfisk]

We have very aggressive rodents. We put a good cover on our old Casita. When we removed it, we found the rodents had used the cover to pull themselves up to the fiberglass roof. They used the area between the awning and roof as a community toilet. It was an awful mess. Without the awning they would not have been able to climb up the slick sides.

We now have a tent like structure covering our Escape, 12ft high and 12ft wide. Same rodents but they cannot get on the roof.

[RMarkH]

Great points, thanks all. I have a little bit of the OCD going so will likely go with the cover and the twice a year wax. And great tip on protecting the corners of the solar panels.