Carol's Piece of Mind

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To Cover Your RV Or Not

My husband and I are newbies to the RV world but I admit we dove in with both feet. Of the many things one must consider before buying, while buying, after buying, maintenance, storage etc., something we grappled with was whether or not to cover the RV during our pretty severe winters we have in Michigan.

We chose to cover our 2021 Class C Jayco Greyhawk Prestige 31FP and I’m actually very glad we did.

We looked into indoor covered storage and in our area in mid-Michigan, the closest was a forty five minute drive away. Seriously, the pickings were slim to none unless we wanted to drive 50 miles or more away. In addition the price was not cheap. Even though there would be no electric, heat or anything other than a closed barn-like structure, the cost was hundreds a month.

We thought of just allowing it to withstand the elements. I mean after all, we did get the bumped up version of the Greyhawk with the special paint job. Cars withstand the outdoors in all types of weather so what was my fear?

I didn’t want that though, it just didn’t set right. We paid cash for our beautiful RV and I wanted to do better than just leave it to the elements.

So we began our research into covers. There are pros and cons and I did pay attention to the cons.

When you winterize your rig, you still need to check it no matter where it is stored. We wanted it close by and have the ability to get into it to check for critters (mice here are like the plague). Not to mention smells especially mold and mildew. I am fanatical about any odors coming from any source inside our RV. I am hyper careful.

Obviously keeping it clean is one way to make sure there are no odors. Check. Call me obsessively clean. I’m that RV owner that asks you to take your shoes off when you come inside…yeah…and even then, I’ll clean the floors daily after any use. Multiple times a day.

There are other ways odors can permeate your motorhome and that is why I wanted it near, with easy access to maintain it through our long Michigan winters.

Another reason to cover is the ice and snow is tough on those seams, no matter how well done, that are part of any RV particularly with regard to the slide. I wanted that protected.

This weekend the cover comes off, we are de-winterizing and getting The Blast, as she is affectionately known, ready to roll for our future adventures, however we have been very pleased with how well the cover held up during even the worst winter squalls, and through the icy March and even April weather.

This is not written to try to convince anyone one way or another. I am writing to give our experience and for us, it is something we will repeat. Our choice, Overdrive PolyPro 3 Class C RV Cover.

We were sure to properly winterize, I put charcoal packets throughout the rig, I fully made the bed and then covered the pillow area with towels and the entire bed with a lightweight easily washable cover that I will now strip, along with the towels and wash.

When we took the cover off there were zero smells and The Blast actually smelled surprisingly fresh.

Let me say kudos to Overdrive for making a sturdy cover and kudos to Jayco for making such a fine rig. I am stunned by how well made our Blast is!

Please note, I get zero money or kickbacks for saying positive about either company. I’m not important enough…😉

Until next time: Duty, Honor and Seeing the Country RV Style!