Cover. Yes or No

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Topic: Cover. Yes or No

Posted By: R Pod
Subject: Cover. Yes or No
Date Posted: 21 Dec 2022 at 6:59pm

Should we cobver our R Pod during winter storage

Replies:

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 21 Dec 2022 at 10:43pm

It depends. Do you have a covered carport, barn, or some place that protects it from the weather? It is capable of going through the winter without being covered if those aren't available, but it is optional. Put a good coat of polish on it before you put it up for the winter and it should be okay. A cover is optional.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 2:49am

My opinion differs a little. I wouldn't have another non fiberglas RV without keeping it covered. Even the one I have now, which is built like a boat turned upside down, iis at risk of water damage unless I'm very dilligent about window seals and other openings. I don't trust that I can catch everything quickly enough so it too stays covered when not in use.

I looked at many older RVs before buying the one I have now and 90 plus percent of the standard framed and sheathed ones like rpods had water damage of some kind. The only ones that didn't were barn or carport kept. RVs are just waiting their turn to be rot boxes. As they age the seams and seals can open up at any time without you being aware of it.

So keep water off of it if you possibly can, and inspect /reseal at least every 6 months as FR requires in their manual. I'd do it more often, it only takes one undetected leak event to destroy an RV pretty thoroughly.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 5:30am

obviously is a matter of pref with good points mentioned above. live in the st louis area and have never covered; nor is it parked under any barn/carport etc. inspect seals/top once a year and so far so good; no water intrusions. sides looked like new, top/slopes looks sketchy. i would hate having to pull a cover off everytime; but a barn to park under would be awesome!! just my thoughts. jon

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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
2010 F150
2017 HD Streetglide
2009 HD Lowrider
CHEESEHEAD

Posted By: R Pod
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 7:55am

Thanks everyone

Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 9:27am

We cover ours with a big real canvas tarp held in place with bungie cords. It works quite well. The canvas is much better than plastic because it is heavy and doesn't blow as easily in the wind. Also, the cloth stretches and shrinks a bit so it tends to conform to the things on the roof, such as vents, AC, skylights, etc. It is also much more durable than plastic tarps that usually won't last a season and shed a nasty plastic residue on everything they touch. This is our second season using it. I anticipate never needing another before I sell the trailer when we stop using it several years from now.

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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost

Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 9:33am

wish I would of done that fred. jon

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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177
2010 F150
2017 HD Streetglide
2009 HD Lowrider
CHEESEHEAD

Posted By: renhui
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 3:20pm

I recently got a Classic Accessories PermPro cover (~300US where I live) for my 2016 178, which has a pretty good fit, and can access the inside without taking off the entire cover because of the separate door piece.

Main reason I got it is because of the pretty harsh sunlight here and long winter here in the Rockies. While the interior of my Rpod is in pretty good condition (relatively light usage by previous owners) but the outside looks doesn't look great with gel-coat cracking, discoloration etc.

Also the PermPro version comes with lifetime warranty compared to the cheaper PolyPro.

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2022 at 3:55pm

I am fortunate in that we utilize an abandoned horse barn on our 20 acres to store our 177. Because of that, this 12 year old unit still looks nearly new being out of the sun and elements for the past 10 years when not being used. The first couple years we still had horses so the 177 had to stay outside year round here in northern Michigan.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2022 at 12:55am

+1 on the use of a heavy canvas tarp rather than plastic. I covered my boat with one when I lived in Hatteras NC. Believe it or not it withstood two 120 plus mph hurricanes without damage. That's 4x the wind force you get at 60mph. Plastic covers are just shreds after a Cat 3. Good canvas tarps are not cheap and are heavy so difficult to deploy and remove, but worth it. Secure tightly so you don't get flapping which will damage the finish. As LA says they will stretch to conform with irregular shapes.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2022 at 1:24am

In my search for a nice older class B rig which ended with my buying my 1995 fiberglas Chinook I looked at many standard stick built/sheathed (like rpods) RVs.

I was looking for an RV from the 1990s to keep my costs down and because it will be left parked at small remote airports, so my feeling is that a shiny new RV would just attract thieves.

So the units I looked at were all around 20-25 years old. I looked at many. What I found was that if a seller wasn't keeping it under cover and claimed it had no water damage, he was either lying or oblivious. They all either had visible damage or signs of repairs. Every one. The most common culprits were window seals rather than roof seals.

So I expect that while starting with a new trailer and being diligent you might go 10 or 15 years, at some point the seals fail due to age, thermal cycling, and and mechanical flexing. At that point if it has a stick built frame it will rot internally as many owners on this forum have reported, and either end up in the landfill or require walls off reconstruction.

I did find a few pristine 25 plus year old stick built RVs, but all were kept under cover. Which is of course why the older stick built RVs hold significantly less value compared to older fiberglas ones.

Since in my use case I won't be able to leave mine covered I realized after awhile that I had to spend a more for a fiberglas one and then re-bed the windows at regular intervals like boat owners have to do. In the Chinook the windows are constructed with clamp rings in the inside like boats so you can do just that.

Just my observations, YMMV.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: seafans
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2023 at 10:34am

I have two covers for sale. One is new in the box and the other was used very little. If interested just give me a ping. New:Classic

Accessories 80-475-173101-EX RV SkyShield™ R-Pod Cover, 17’7” L x 78” W, Model 4. $200 or offer.

Lightly used:Classic Accessories 80-257-171001-00 Over Drive Perma PRO,17' 7" long,door in bk. $100 or offer.