Winterizing My Vista in Alaska - Cover?

[AKWahine]

Winter is quickly approaching up here in Alaska. I will be putting my Vista into hibernation soon. I am wondering what the pros and cons are regarding putting a fabric cover over the RV for the winter. She will be sitting outside all winter.
Thanks for any thoughts, lessons, or experience you may have.

 

[Morich]

Quite different winters and weather but I have mixed feelings about covers. They have some very good aspects but can also have some very bad!
Wind and water and snow can have some really bad things sneak up on us. No cover and the snow and begin to melt just a bit and since it may not run off to dry, it can have more time to find those tiny leaks, where it goes in and really damages things.
A cover can do some good to cut that damage but in different ways it can lead us into letting even more damage happen. If we have a good tight cover that fully hides things, we are far less likely to go in the RV and look at what is happening!
Temperatures that change often and combined with less air flow can mean condensation? If you don't go in occasionally will you know when water is forming on windows and running down to damage the interior walls?
Does a nice tight fitting cover also tend to make you check things like the battery far less often? Or do you take the batteries inside in winter so that they don't run down or go dry? Both chassis and coach batteries have small drains still left on when we turn the battery disconnects to OFF!
Batteries almost need a full time companion to stay happy!

In this part of the world, sun is a big problem for RV, so we tried going all out and keeping the cover on but that did not work well for us.
It saved the decals from sun damage but we have so much constant wind that the cover rubbed to get holes in it as well as rub the paint off the top corners of the RV! We had a bat wing OTA antenna and found it was sticking out through the cover when we went to remove it!

Terrible thing to put on and take off and constant stress over what it was doing, so our last RV got no cover!
We have decided letting the RV fall apart is cheaper than me falling off the roof!

 

[Horse54]

I will throw a comment in here as well. No cover is going to protect from the weight of snow and ice. Neither is your roof on the motorhome. They are just not built for it. Your house is built to withstand the weight (hopefully) and your roof pitch is there to help it slide off. Even given those 2 factors, I have seen some collapse.
My opinion is that you should take the money and find another solution. It could be an indoor storage facility or even some sort of A frame cover. As Richard said, you need to also consider that you will need to get in the rig to give it a wellness check during the winter. So, you need access.

 

[Eagle5]

Greetings AKWahine,
How many inches of snow do you anticipate building-up upon your motorhome. Alaska is a very big place. Ketchikan, for example, is primarily rainfall (like 150" per year.)
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5
P.S. Trivia: Ketchikan the Animal Man

 

[HappyNomads]

Winter is quickly approaching up here in Alaska. I will be putting my Vista into hibernation soon. I am wondering what the pros and cons are regarding putting a fabric cover over the RV for the winter. She will be sitting outside all winter.
Thanks for any thoughts, lessons, or experience you may have.

Here in the eternally damp winters of the Pacific Northwest, we've successfully used expensive covers on a travel trailer, and on our 31' Adventurer A-class. The two priorities were to (1) use a basement grade dehumidifier to remove the water from the cabin area (gallons and gallons of water!!!) when putting the rig to bed and then again a couple times during the winter; and (2) do it only on a zero wind day. You are going to be standing (or crawling under it when removing) and holding this great Spinnaker of a wind catcher. Exciting when a gust comes up.

Of course, a quality cover with a soft liner side and a breathable water repellent exterior is very bulky when you remove it. How do you make sure it is fully dry before packaging it back in its big storage bag, and then where do you store it? It is big and bulky!

Bottom line: up here in the PNW your rig will grow mold and stains just about everywhere on the outside if you store the rig uncovered next to your house. The cover prevents that mold entirely.

 

[RayIN]

Here in Indiana, I covered our 5th wheel with a farm tarp from Harbor Freight. Then I added double original eyelets and bought elastic cords( I think there were over 20) instead of rubber to hole the tarp taut. I placed basketballs under the tarp on the roof in addition to the AC unit already there to provide air space and a slant to the tarp so water would not pool. The tarp I bought was large enough to cover the sidewalls and end caps too.
I never had any rub spots on the 5er or rub holes in the tarp this way.
I did have UV damage to the tarp after 7 years though, but the total investment was about $300. That tarp was usable for 7 years, the key is to use enough elastic cords to hold the tarp against the sidewall and end caps.

 

[Lv2Roam2]

In our 5 winters in Anchorage we covered our 32' trailer much the same as RayIN described. My comfort zone for snow on the roof was one foot; we used a yard blower to keep it manageable. Keeping the snow load down prevented weight issues, especially when warmer temperatures led to ice build up, and reduced free-standing water which always finds its way to a leak if available. Do your due diligence on seam sealants - it may be necessary to reseal yearly given freeze / thaw cycles and summer's constant sun exposure. And use that RV - we were amazed at how many rigs sat in storage year-after-year.

 

[Scubadude62-WO]

I love Ketchican the Animal Man. I was a Patches Pall when I was much younger, and had the honor of meeting Bob Newman as an adult.

 

[Eagle5]

My dad would watch JP and he would laugh at the double entendre jokes, which at the time I did not get. Bob Newman was the perfect complement to JP. My wife and I met Chris Wedes (JP) and Bob Newman (Ketchikan) at the Yakima Fruit Market in Bothell; I'm thinking about 25 years ago. It was an honor.