Rpod covers

I'm thinking a cover for my new 178 wouldnt be a bad idea.  Forest River now stocks a cover made by “R,D &G”, sold only by FR. for $400.  They say it has a zip-off door.  Breathable polyester w/a urethane coating (so how is it breathable?)  so moisture wont build up.  Their 18’(?) model fits 178 Hood River editions, and garage models.  FR now makes a 19’ 179, and they have an even longer cover to fit that model.  FR says that preventing sun fading is the primary purpose, and that the Cool Vanilla (lamilux 3000) shouldn’t fade, but the decals will peel off.  Snow getting into the a/c isn’t a problem.  So the question is, is it worth $400?   

“Adventure Classics” makes a custom cover for Rpods, and they sell for $144 on Amazon.  They look just like the description of the RDG one for $400, but as of early winter 2014, they didnt make one long enough to fit the 178.  The 2 sizes available are too small.  Maybe with the popularity of 178s and the new longer 179, they'll come out with a 3rd, larger size in the future.

So my questions: Does anyone have experience with the RDG cover, and is a cover worth the expense?

We have the FR cover for our 178.  This is our first winter with the pod, so I can't speak to whether it would be better with or without a cover - but we figured since we cover our boat, we should cover our pod. Keeps the pine sap off at a minimum. The FR cover seems very well made and fits the 178 perfectly.  The zippered door opening is a nice feature.  We ran some bungees underneath just to keep it in place but it fits so well that is probably overkill.

  We got a cover with our 2010 174 and have never used it, haven't even taken it out of the canvas bag. We keep it in our dry loft. Could make someone a heck of a deal,as we don't need it.

On a related subject, I'm looking for an RDome for my 171.  Any thoughts on who sells them?  Haven't seen anything on eBay.

For my 172, I bought a cover from Northern Tool. It fit well. It was construction of a light, Tyvek type material, but it turned out it was highly durable, particularly in our occasional 60-70 MPH winds.  My current 177 came with the Forest River cover, make of a heavier material.  It also fits well, but heavier and more difficult to slide over the top of the pod, particularly over that sword-like TV antenna, but it is equally durable.  There is enough give and space between the pod and either cover to keep it well ventilated and mold-free - at least in semi-arid SW MT.