It's slide topper time - What kind to get?

[tim myers]

I figure I am getting close to needing to replace the slide toppers on my Journey. I have no idea how old the ones I have are. They looked old when I purchased the Journey in early 2021. They are a little thin in spots, but no tears anywhere and it takes a pretty good quartering wind to make them move much.

The ones I have do NOT have hemmed and sewn edges like some of the more expensive toppers. I am looking at Tough Top which are cut to size and have sewn hems on the edges.

What have others used and it there an advantage to the sewn edges?

[l1v3fr33ord1]

tim myers-

I bought my slide toppers from Stone Vos (link here), along with main and window awning replacements. I've always found Ingrid, the owner, knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant.

I purchased vinyl toppers. I may be incorrect, but I seem to remember they did not have seams in the middle or hems at the front or rear edges. The awnings, made of acrylic, had both. I installed the toppers with a friend's help.

[tim myers]

Thanks for the information, I have contacted them, so far I have looked at Shade Pro, (expensive). Tough Top (middle of the road) and Rec Pro (inexpensive). Will be interesting to see how Stove Vos fits in there

[chewie37]

For no reason other than a couple of full-timers I watch on YouTube, I went with Tough Top for my slide topper. Came in earlier this week, hoping to get it installed this weekend. I'll try to circle back around if I do and drop some thoughts here.

[chewie37]

Just finished up; took a little longer than I wanted. Mostly because of a couple of brain fades on my part...

Anyway, the Tough Top material was a little 'heavier' in comparison to the Carefree that it replaced. But not significantly. Double stitching all around on the Tough Top, whereas the Carefree was single.

Dimensonally the original Carefree was 111.5 x 46, Tough Top is 111 x 34. Measuring the 111.5 was easy since the original topper was there to work with. I followed Tough Top's measuring process to determine my slide depth is 20" open; they did the math on their end to come up with the 34". Losing that extra 12" doesn't seem to be a big deal - just fewer wraps around the tube. Time will tell I suppose.

Although the sun here in Florida beats the snot out of stuff quickly, so if I'm not doing ths again in 5 years I'll be surprised.

[tim myers]

what is the warranty on the tough top and I am curious how the water runs off. The folks that make the toppers that are just cut on the sides (no sewn seam) say water runs off better with out the sewn hem.

[doorguy]

Tim, I ordered my new ones from ToughTop over 5 years ago. My two street side slides get all the sun so after 5 years I needed to replace them. Since I was over the 5 yr warranty period, she did give me a discount for being close to it and a repeat customer. I was able to install the bedroom myself but the long streetside took two people, one on each end. Easy to do if you follow the instructions from the RVGEEKS on YouTube or these forums.

[Dan_S]

Replaced my 3 slide covers a couple weeks ago, Dometic A & E. Just ordered a 50 ft roll of Dometic material for about $400 and cut to length as needed. Width seams pretty standard about 46 - 48 inches. Still have about 13 ft left. The ends on the originals were not hemmed. I think Tough Top says they are more likely to flop in the wind if hemmed.
Hope it goes well.
Dan

[GrumpyVet]

+1 on Stone Vos. Ten year NONPRORATED warranty on their awnings.



QUOTE=l1v3fr33ord1;3936600]tim myers-

I bought my slide toppers from Stone Vos (link here), along with main and window awning replacements. I've always found Ingrid, the owner, knowledgeable, helpful and pleasant.

I purchased vinyl toppers. I may be incorrect, but I seem to remember they did not have seams in the middle or hems at the front or rear edges. The awnings, made of acrylic, had both. I installed the toppers with a friend's help.[/QUOTE]

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by tim myers

I figure I am getting close to needing to replace the slide toppers on my Journey. I have no idea how old the ones I have are. They looked old when I purchased the Journey in early 2021. They are a little thin in spots, but no tears anywhere and it takes a pretty good quartering wind to make them move much.

The ones I have do NOT have hemmed and sewn edges like some of the more expensive toppers. I am looking at Tough Top which are cut to size and have sewn hems on the edges.

What have others used and it there an advantage to the sewn edges?

You might check this out on Amazon. This is where I got mine. I don't see the one I got several years ago but the process is the same.
Amazon.com: Universal Slide-Topper Replacement Cut-to-Fit Fabric for 5th Wheel RVs, Travel Trailers, Motorhomes, 50' x 48" roll, White - 432252 : Automotive
Rick

[Truckman]

Replaced 2 of ours in December with StonVos. We were going to Fl for the winter so had them also do the install, look good and they were installed in a couple hours. Would use them again for the other one.

[HollywoodGT]

I replaced all of mine with the Shade Pro Stay fast material. supposed to be the best. First off my experience with Shade Pro was very poor service. Also the fabric has seemed to loosen after the first year, Water drains through the material vs the more vinyl material. Me personally if they didn't start to fabric shield or waterproof this material. I would not do the material upgrade. Just my opinion but both my experience with Shade Pro is their customer service is poor since they feel they have a captive market.

[tim myers]

I did decide to go with the Stone Vos and they should ship in a couple days.