Thinking of getting a caravan cover has anyone got any advise as to which type or brand to get.
Bryan.
Bryan.
Caravav Cover Yes or No ???
- Thread starter Bryan_5064490
- Start date
Damian
Moderator
Bryan,
There are many covers available on the market now.
The most important aspect is to make sure you get a breathable type.
If you get a non breathable one, everything under the cover, both the inside and outside of the van, will be covered in mildew in a very short period of time.
The better type have a soft lining to protect the finish of the van and windows.
Personally we have a Protec, which are not cheap, but are made to measure and are excellent covers.
When fitting it is a very wise precaution to put pipe lagging over every sharp part of the van, such as awning rail ends, water diverters on roofs, lower corners etc, and remove the spike from the status aerial, if you have one fitted.
When tightening the straps. make sure they are tight, but be very careful not to over tighten, or risk ripping the material.
There are many covers available on the market now.
The most important aspect is to make sure you get a breathable type.
If you get a non breathable one, everything under the cover, both the inside and outside of the van, will be covered in mildew in a very short period of time.
The better type have a soft lining to protect the finish of the van and windows.
Personally we have a Protec, which are not cheap, but are made to measure and are excellent covers.
When fitting it is a very wise precaution to put pipe lagging over every sharp part of the van, such as awning rail ends, water diverters on roofs, lower corners etc, and remove the spike from the status aerial, if you have one fitted.
When tightening the straps. make sure they are tight, but be very careful not to over tighten, or risk ripping the material.
I've had a full cover (Specialised Accessories and very good) but it was quite difficult to put on in anything other than flat calm. For the present van I've gone for one which just covers the front, top and most of the rear. It's actually a Fiamma motor van cover from Riversway leisure, folded in half lengthways with the eyelet holes jointed with cable ties. Long bungees from Screwfix with the hooks protected with a bit of pipe insulation complete the job - very easy to put on and keeps all the leaves and crud off while enabling easy access to the van, and all for about
Hi Bryan
Until recently we have been considering purchasing a cover for our new van. However the more i looked into it the more negatives i seemed to find. I agree it does help to keep the van clean but i have been told that some covers can scratch the windows and to avoid this it was recommended that cling film was put on all the windows before the cover went on - what a faf. Our van is also 26.5' long and no doubt a nightmare to put a cover on in the slightest breeze, so we have decided not to purchase one, our solution is "Fenwicks Overwintering Solution". You put it onto the van at the end of the season and in the spring just wash it off and all the dirt and grime just wash away.
Until recently we have been considering purchasing a cover for our new van. However the more i looked into it the more negatives i seemed to find. I agree it does help to keep the van clean but i have been told that some covers can scratch the windows and to avoid this it was recommended that cling film was put on all the windows before the cover went on - what a faf. Our van is also 26.5' long and no doubt a nightmare to put a cover on in the slightest breeze, so we have decided not to purchase one, our solution is "Fenwicks Overwintering Solution". You put it onto the van at the end of the season and in the spring just wash it off and all the dirt and grime just wash away.
I'm just about to consider a cover for the winter. Reading Hazel's comnents about Fenwicks Overwinter solution , can someone tell me how it works.
Not wanting to sound sceptical , if its 'easily washed off in the spring' (according to the Fenwicks advertising) whats stopping it being easily washed off by rain and snow?
I dont want to fork out shed loads of money on a cover if a protective wax would suffice.
Views welcomed!!
Not wanting to sound sceptical , if its 'easily washed off in the spring' (according to the Fenwicks advertising) whats stopping it being easily washed off by rain and snow?
I dont want to fork out shed loads of money on a cover if a protective wax would suffice.
Views welcomed!!
RogerP
Probably the best analogy I can think of for Fenwick's Over Wintering solution is one of the car "Wash and Wax" products. You wash the car - but leave behind a wax coat (which doesn't dissolve in water or shampoo).
The Over Wintering solution doesn't contain any shampoo - but once the water soluble "wax" has been applied to the caravan and has dried in place, you need shampoo to wash the product off - so normal rain, etc, won't affect it (too quickly) - but you can wash it off (and all the gunge) with normal shampoo
I use a good quality wax - then cover our Eriba with a generic breathable cover
Robert
Probably the best analogy I can think of for Fenwick's Over Wintering solution is one of the car "Wash and Wax" products. You wash the car - but leave behind a wax coat (which doesn't dissolve in water or shampoo).
The Over Wintering solution doesn't contain any shampoo - but once the water soluble "wax" has been applied to the caravan and has dried in place, you need shampoo to wash the product off - so normal rain, etc, won't affect it (too quickly) - but you can wash it off (and all the gunge) with normal shampoo
I use a good quality wax - then cover our Eriba with a generic breathable cover
Robert
I prefer to stick to a good wax like Zymol/Maguires/Swissol. This is mainly because we use our van all year round and also the Caravan Club warned against them (unless unit was stored under trees)
HTH
TONY
HTH
TONY
A few years ago we had a made to measure Protec cover. The first year we used it we were very pleased with the results of a clean caravan when it was taken off. The second winter we found upon removing the cover that the caravan had a mottled appearance all over it something like a leopards skin pattern. Protec were not very helpful in answering my questions but they did imply that it had happened on another caravan they had supplied.
Since then we have not used the cover and my thoughts are now such. Firstly they are heavy to use and need two people to put them on probably standing on steps or ladders. Even with the poles sometimes supplied they are not easy, even more so if there is any wind. If you are covering the caravan for a full winter it might be worth the effort but otherwise, doubtful.
We are now in the position of having bought a new van 6.5 metres and the thought of handling a cover of this size did not appeal. However, we are now stored under trees and find the birds are making a right mess of the roof in particular, so we have decided we need a cover of some sort. I found one on the internet under Speedwell Star and this is a very lightweight cover made of tent material which should do the job of keeping the van clean. We are away next week so we will not be putting the cover on for a couple of weeks, but I will let you know the results of our findings.
Since then we have not used the cover and my thoughts are now such. Firstly they are heavy to use and need two people to put them on probably standing on steps or ladders. Even with the poles sometimes supplied they are not easy, even more so if there is any wind. If you are covering the caravan for a full winter it might be worth the effort but otherwise, doubtful.
We are now in the position of having bought a new van 6.5 metres and the thought of handling a cover of this size did not appeal. However, we are now stored under trees and find the birds are making a right mess of the roof in particular, so we have decided we need a cover of some sort. I found one on the internet under Speedwell Star and this is a very lightweight cover made of tent material which should do the job of keeping the van clean. We are away next week so we will not be putting the cover on for a couple of weeks, but I will let you know the results of our findings.
My van is parked close to some trees but not directly under them (about 4-5 feet away).
I think I'm going to try a combination of a roof cover and an overwinter soltution.
So what would be the best roof cover to go for?
I think I'm going to try a combination of a roof cover and an overwinter soltution.
So what would be the best roof cover to go for?
I looked into roof only covers and found two. One is by Cover Systems which is very lightweight material, but very costly. The other is by Protec and there is one on the storage we use. It seems to consists of two velcro strips attached two awning rail beading which fits into the awning rail on either side of the van. A cover the size of the roof is then stuck to the velco and it is all held in place by straps going across the windows. I think it would do the job but it still looked as though it would be quite difficult to use. Me thinks, there is no easy solution.
hi bryan we put our pro-tec breathable cover on yesterday this is the forth season we have had and very pleased with we are no more alge and dirt each spring. won't be going out now till next march regards peter h
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