I have a 2004 Jayco Freedom 17ft Pop Top. I am wanting a decent cover to fit over this van when it's parked at home. Roof length approx. 4.8m and 2.5m wide (incorporating the roll out awning. The longest part of our van is 5.4metres, (behind the spare wheel carrier)
-- Edited by Charkey on Thursday 18th of January 2024 05:54:13 PM
I have stored my van under cover for over 20 years & concluded :-
The best option is to buy or construct a shed or 'lean to' with a concrete floor. I decided not to as I was only going to keep my van for a few years. Bad mistake.
I have watched & listened to people who have purchased various commercial covers. While they look nice they certainly have relatively short lives. Most frequently about 2 years in the Qld climate.
I use the best quality silver tarps. I fit them over a 'frame' of broccoli boxes. A string of three across the roof at both the front & back. Another is attached to the A/C cover. This provides an air space under the tarp reducing the van Temp, increasing hail protection and preventing the tarp from rubbing paint off the van.
For extra sun & hail protection I put my shade cloth floor mat over the top of the silver tarp. A rope thrown over the lot at the mid point greatly reduces flapping in strong winds & I use rubber shock cord with home made "S" hooks at every tie down point for the same reason. Sure, it takes me a bit longer to fit & remove but I think that it is worth the effort.
I get around 5 years life out of the $140 extra large tarp & the shade cloth seems to last forever.
Yes it doesn't look as nice as the commercial covers but it does the job at a good price. But I wish that I had built the 'Lean To' 20 years ago like my neighbour did.
I agree with Cupie that covers do not last forever especially in QLD.
However I use an ADCO cover and the previous one lasted four years. Of course, some of that time it was not over the van as the van was mobile.
ADCO covers have three year guarantee and I was lead to believe that they honoured their guarantee well.
The body of my van is just under 18 foot and it is poptop. The first cover that I purchased, I ordered to fit an 18-20 ft van because it has a bicycle rack on the rear. It came for a full van of that length. In hindsight, that size was too large and made tie down and rub points difficult to protect. That was the cover that lasted four years.
My latest cover was ordered as for an 18ft poptop van and deliverer accordingly. It is snug fit which helps getting tie down easier and I use pieces some soft marine carpet at the corners for wear protection. Similar to Cupie, I also use some polystyrene fruit boxes on the roof to give the cover a pitch so that water does not pool. Around the solar panels, TV antenna and hatches, I have cable-tied some pool noodles together so the sharp corners of the panels are not rubbing on the fabric. If the cover lasts four year, that is $100 per year.
The silver tarps that I put over my boat only seem to last about 2 years for me.
