Escapees September-October 2023

Getting a good fi t with any RV cover is essential because too loose or too tight a fi t will result in cha fi ng or the fabric smacking the sides of the RV in the wind, shortening the longevity of the cover and possibly damaging the RV. Our trailer is 32' 10" long and 13' 6" high, so we went with a 33' fi fth wheel RV cover which is essentially 33' long by 25' wide, a huge piece of fabric. There are four panels on each side of the cover that can be rolled up by the roof or lowered down and zipped closed. This allows access to the RV entry door, windows and hatches along the sides of the rig as needed. Goldline makes an RV cover speci fi cally for toy haulers that has an additional zippered opening at the back end to accommodate the ramp door. However, they are available only for travel-trailer toy haulers, not fi fth wheel toy haulers like ours. The installation is straight forward. First and foremost, installing and removing the cover must be done when there is absolutely no wind! We lay the RV cover out on the ground next to the toy hauler, putting the “Front of cover” label at the front of the rig. My husband, Mark, then grabs one edge of the cover and holds it in his hand as he climbs up onto the roof of the trailer. This is where the weight savings of the Marinex fabric vs. Sunbrella shines. He uses a sturdy ladder rather than relying on the light duty toy hauler ladder that’s permanently attached to the side of our rig. He spreads the fabric out on the roof and drapes it down the sides of the trailer. The trickiest aspect of the entire installation is keeping a solid footing on the RV roof while maneuvering the fabric. Once it’s spread across the roof, he walks on it gingerly to get back to the ladder and come down to the ground because it can slide around and become quite slick under foot! Once the sides of the cover are down and he’s back on terra fi rma, he moves the ladder to each of the zippers that connect the side panels and zips them all closed. Last of all, we tighten the straps on the rear end that seal it up like a large Christmas package and tighten the fabric under the fi fth-wheel overhang. This is a durable cover that’s provided our rolling home great protection from the elements during the off season.

“This is a durable cover that’s provided our rolling home great protection from the elements during the o ff season.”

The Marinex fabric has a 600D weave density whereas Sunbrella has a 900D weave density which translates to a 33% weight savings. Even though this means 33% less UV protection, the lighter weight is extremely important when pulling a large cover onto an RV roof. The fabric is polyester which holds up well in the sun and is used for many outdoor products like tents and jackets. The fabric’s thread is dyed before it’s woven, so the color penetrates thoroughly, helping it retain its color much longer than an RV cover fabric that has been dyed after being woven.

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ESCAPEES Magazine September/October 2023