Towing covers - One size fits nobody

[CustardAvenger]

I know that towing covers divide the community; some say they cause more damage than they prevent, some swear by them - Horses for courses. But I wanted to share my experience with a cover. I had a new Sprite and I wanted to keep it looking good, so purchased the Pro-Tec tailored towing jacket from the NEC show in February. Saw the demo on a Swift caravan, so knew it fitted well.

Unfortunately, the delivery of the cover was delayed. We picked up the van at the end of March and planned to go away the week after. We did not have the cover for the tow home, but to their credit, Pro-Tec sent me their generic cover as a stop-gap for the longer trip.

This generic cover seemed to go on quite easily; 2 strips which feed into the awning rail, with a large panel which covers the front and clips into buckles on the strips. What was immediately evident was that these strips do not like the compound curve of the Swift caravan front panel; they seem more suited to a caravan with side and front panel at right angles. Also as the Sprite awning rail does not run to the bottom edge, a 2-3" gap was left. across the front.

All looked OK, until 60mph: the small overlap of the main panel with the awning rail strips, meant the air could rush in and cause the fabric to come loose. If the strips had been a few inches wider there would not have been an issue. As it was, I could see fabric billowing in the towing mirror and caused a fairly obtrusive blind spot. Each stop meant strap adjustment on the cover.

Now I have received my Towing Jacket and had a chance to use it, I can say the difference in price is worth it. The cover fits down to the bottom of the caravan and covers the area which got covered in crap with the generic cover and fitting does not require 20-odd straps to be adjusted just right. It zips up the front, so care is required to keep the zip from contacting the window, but it does mean the windows and gas locker can be accessed without removing the cover and there is no loose fabric.

I doubt I would change anyone's mind with the post, but thought it was worth sharing.

Paul.

 

[Parksy]

I bought a generic front towing cover (I can't remember if it's from Pro-Tec but I think it is) but haven't had any real problems with mine.
The cover is wide enough to cover both side strips adequately and there's a short strap that goes underneath the A frame which holds the front down.
The cover fits from the curve of the caravan roof to the bottom of the awning rails so no issues with billowing, the cover fits quite snugly and keeps the road grime off the front of the caravan.

 

[CustardAvenger]

I bought a generic front towing cover (I can't remember if it's from Pro-Tec but I think it is) but haven't had any real problems with mine.
The cover is wide enough to cover both side strips adequately and there's a short strap that goes underneath the A frame which holds the front down.
The cover fits from the curve of the caravan roof to the bottom of the awning rails so no issues with billowing, the cover fits quite snugly and keeps the road grime off the front of the caravan.

I think the problem is the shape of the Sprite/Swift caravan. On the PracticalCaravan.com sidebar there is a picture of a Venus 620/6 and a Sprite Major 6. I think this illustrates the difference. The flat plane of the Sprite caravan front panel (ignoring the curve from A-frame to roof line) meets the flat side panel and the awning rail by way of a curved 'shoulder'. The Venus has a slight curve where front and side meet, but not as pronounced. This is where the generic cover struggled, as it had to flex in 2 dimensions in a quite dramatic way; this reduced the effectiveness of the strip and resulted in very little overlap of the main cover panel.

Paul
P.S. I noticed that a Bailey Ranger that had stopped next to me at the services as I adjusted the cover straps, had the ideal shape for the generic cover.

 

[Parksy]

Our caravan (A 2007 Abbey 620) has a curved front panel but the side strips have midway slits so that they overlap at the curve and of course the main panel simply clips on to the strips.

 

[Brasso530]

I'm firmly in the "won't tow without cover"camp.I bought a universal specialized one off gumtree for £25 just to try,not so much as to keep clean but as its a good thickness and fleece lined,to stop damage.Will buy a proper fitted one when required or van change.
The new pro-tec ones look really good,are they a good thickness and fleece lined?as I think they look better than specialized one.
P.s I've found with the universal covers,first fit to van properly,then just undo buckles down near side every time,leave offside ones in situ.

 

[Alanbrooke]

What on earth are they for? In 20 years of towing in UK and on the Continent I've never had need to consider any protection to the caravan front. At trade-in there were no adverse comments about the caravan front panels and windows. And the covers look ridiculous!!

 

[Parksy]

I don't care how 'ridiculous' towing covers apparently look, my 'one size fits all' cover stays on in the storage area which is under cover but with a half gate at the front which in the past allowed dust, leaves and dead flowers from trees and shrubs from the farm where the caravan is kept to cover the A frame and front windows with crud.
I remove the cover when I'm pitching up to see a pristine front panel.
I pop the cover back on before we leave the site and we're good to go again the next time with no need for a pre-trip expedition to the storage site to clean the front of the caravan again.

 

[Kevin2306]

Quite agree with your comments Parksy.
I picked up a Specialized Tailor made cover last night and look forward to using it.
The roads around my home are peppered with potholes, loose gravel etc plus add to that the local authorities implementation of tar and gravel type resurfacing doesnt bode well for a damage free van.
I had 2 front screen changes last year on my previous car, all caused my debris being flicked up by other vehicles, how bad would it be having a holiday ruined by losing a window or other part on the way there or home?
It must happen as I seen a van only last week with the front windows gaffer taped up, may have been some other event however but for circa £200 i dont see it as a risk worth taking.

Kevin

 

[CustardAvenger]

I always thought that towing covers looked quite smart!

They certainly keep the front clean, especially when construction vehicles leave mud and crap all over the roads (Didn't wheel washes on construction sites used to be a thing?). I do always remove the cover when in storage, as the van is not under cover, to prevent dirt/grit getting trapped behind it.

They are obviously a personal choice - I didn't have one for my old caravan and that has a glass front window!

 

[CustardAvenger]

The roads around my home are peppered with potholes, loose gravel etc plus add to that the local authorities implementation of tar and gravel type resurfacing doesnt bode well for a damage free van.
I had 2 front screen changes last year on my previous car, all caused my debris being flicked up by other vehicles...

Kevin,
Same here, pot-holes galore. A few years ago they resurfaced the dual carriageway bypass with the tar & gravel; every trip down there resulted in some idiot overtaking at speed with chippings flying everywhere.

The worst incident, ignoring at least 4 replaced screens and multiple filled chips over several cars, was a stone being flicked up on the motorway hitting the a-pillar of my old car dead centre (lucky shot ). It needed to be repaired by a bodyshop as the dent was huge and the noise cause a small heart attack when it struck! I'd hate to think what it would have done to the acrylic windows had I been towing!
Paul.

 

[otherclive]

For interest if you are travelling a good way with short overnight stopovers do users leave the cover on, can they be lowered below the window line and what's the sort of fitting time?

 

[Brasso530]

For interest if you are travelling a good way with short overnight stopovers do users leave the cover on, can they be lowered below the window line and what's the sort of fitting time?

Depends on what cover you have.For instance if you want to lower it below windows you'd need the more expensive covers,although the new pro-tec one does this,but I wouldn't want to leave it flapping about overnight.If you look at the two main manufacturers websites/videos you get an idea of what would work best.
Fitting time is literally minutes,piece of cake and can easily be done solo,even universal ones with loads of buckles.

 

[CustardAvenger]

For interest if you are travelling a good way with short overnight stopovers do users leave the cover on, can they be lowered below the window line and what's the sort of fitting time?

Depends on what cover you have.For instance if you want to lower it below windows you'd need the more expensive covers,although the new pro-tec one does this,but I wouldn't want to leave it flapping about overnight.If you look at the two main manufacturers websites/videos you get an idea of what would work best.
Fitting time is literally minutes,piece of cake and can easily be done solo,even universal ones with loads of buckles.

I have that new ProTec cover - I know there are toggles at the top corners so you can hold it up to access the Gas Locker - I don't know if it can be held down for window access... I'll need to check that. Personally if I were to keep the cover on overnight for a stop, I'd zip it back up before going to bed.