To cover or not to cover?

[Jabrennan2]

I purchased this cover for my Chateau 24F.
KING BIRD Upgraded Class C RV Cover, Extra-Thick 5 Layers Anti-UV Top Panel, Durable Camper Cover, Fits 23'- 26' Motorhome -Breathable, Water-Proof,...

It fits well but I'm wondering how it's going to hold up in the long run and if there are any downsides to covering the rig. I'm thinking about trapped moisture and mold etc. Does anyone have experience with these covers? Pros or Cons?

 

[Matthew-THOR]

I've been covering my 2020 31y since I bought it with about 1,000 miles on it 4 years ago. Has almost 30,000 miles now.
Although it has full body paint, it looks like new and has needed minimal maintenance.
Clean and condition roof twice a year, and wash/wax body twice a year.
We use the camper about 25-30 nights a year. If we have a month between trips I cover it, sometimes more, sometimes less.
Sometimes if rough weather heading our way I'll cover it even if going in a week or two.
Can't imagine not having a cover, she looks brand new!
Never had a issue with moisture or humidity and we live near Charlotte.

Pros-
Looks great
Minimal maintenance
Peace of mind
When 100 degrees outside, camper 80 degrees inside.
When cold, camper substantially warmer inside
Cons-
Putting cover on and off
(I have figured out how to roll it up and unroll it to make this much, much easier. Took some thought and practice.)
Cover rips all the time
(Bought some heavy duty fabric tape to go over rips and this works well.)

I'm 56 and rock climb, mountain bike, backpack, etc. I can see a day in a dozen years or so when covering it is not practical/safe.

Hope this helps.

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

I have a 2020 24F purchased new fall of 2019 (Ohio). It got a judicious coating of Meguiar's wax the first fall, then covered with a "breathable" cover.

Removed cover in April and applied Meguiar's wax.

Winter of 2020 was a repeat.

2021 camping season the rig still looked new.

So... Winter 2021 was a repeat. Wax... cover... wax... then go camping.

Spring 2022, the cover was trashed. Started tearing at seams. Went into trash.

2022 did the usual two coats of Meguiar's wax... BUT skipped the cover over the winter of 2022.

April 2023... after a full winter with NO cover, rig STILL looked new. No fading/peeling decals etc.

This past April I switched to a different "test" product called RejeX (popular in aircraft industry) to replace the Meguiar's. The reasoning is that it's a polymer based coating "approved" to be used on vinyl decals.

So as of October 2023 the rig still looks new.

Bottom line... I think the important thing is preventing UV damage. Fiberglass will chalk, rubber will rot and decals will crack and fade ALL from the sun's dose of UV.

The key is meticulous preventive maintenance! It's a LOT of work! IMO, a cover WILL protect from UV, but SO WILL a coating applied directly to the RV. If that coating is kept viable (for me that's minimum twice a year) a cover is simply redundant. In my experience it's unnecessary.

I'm using RejeX as a UV protective coating on the fiberglass, and monthly I use a product called 303 Aerospace Protectant on all rubber window and slide seals... basically any exposed rubber.

This system has kept my motorhome looking brand new for four camping/travel seasons now. I see no reason to change.