I have a 2016 Keystone Bullet travel trailer. We have owned it since January 2021 and it is in really good shape. Before we bought it the owner kept it at their house and covered it in the winter, since we have had it we have stored it indoors. We lost our indoor storage and I am wondering what I should do? I am looking for indoor storage now but I am thinking about a back up plan of covering and outdoor storage.
What does the hive think about this? Is my camper going to degrade significantly faster with outdoor storage and a cover? If I am going to cover it is there a good brand?
The County fairground is only 2 miles from me and I see campers, RVs and boats stored in their covered areas for the winter. These are about 80 X 120ft. with open sides and concrete slabs. It's one day in and one day out, no messing around in between. I don't know what they charge, but for me, something covered is always better. One tree branch through the roof and you'll think the fee is cheap.
There are several schools of thought. Cover them and deal with the scratches and mildew. Leave them uncovered and apply a good wax or ceramic coat.
I leave mine uncovered. We use it year-round at least once a month. I decided covering and uncovering it constantly would do more damage than keeping it clean and a good coat of wax on it.
This winter I will probably be building a carport to store it under.
Mine stays outside in Canada 365 days a year. I used to cover it (never again. It took me a decade and gallons of mildewcide to get the smell out) but now I just winterize, lock the door, and drive away. I wash it every 5 years whether it needs it or not. Any longer than that and the algae starts to form lichens, and they're hard to scrub. It's now 32 years old and it looks great.
I think what I'm trying to say is.... don't overthink it. It's a fiberglass and aluminum box designed to weather the elements.
An RV is an investment in mental health, but I don't think you'll preserve any value by being fastidious about which wax to use. Edit to add: Look up a product called Reliable. It's a cleaner that you won't want to live without. It's somehow super good at cleaning without being too much. Use it with a scrub brush on the outside and you'll be amazed. Use it on your tires and watch it just melt oxidized rubber away.
'Outside and no cover' camp here. Ironically I also have a Keystone Bullet of that vintage, and it has survived 8 NH winters stored outside. I hop on the roof every fall for an inspection of caulking and roof seams before snow flies, but so far haven't had to perform any repairs yet. I then give it a good washing every spring.
My parents used to cover their camper every winter and had horrendous rodent issues every spring, in addition to the sort of damp, gross smell. An old-timer told me that covering it provides an insulating barrier, and the mice thrive in that environment (dark, moist, and above freezing)... So I winterize it, completely empty the unit of any unsealed food and paper products, leave all cabinets and doors open, and I've not seen a single rodent or rodent dropping in 8 years of ownership.
Wow, these are all great answers. I have to admit I am anal about how it looks, I like to keep my stuff nice. I usually wash it a few times a summer and use the 303 spray wax on it. I even use tire shine. Usually when I show up at the camp site it looks like it came off the lot, when I leave it's a wreck but that's part of the fun.
I was worried about mildew and mold so that is great feedback Curtis and golfduke. I am not going to build a car port for it this winter so that is out, I rent a garage but it is standard height and I can't fit the camper in it, heck the Escalade barely clears the door!
I got a quote for storage at another indoor place, $25/linear foot. I think I am at 24' including the tongue, so that is $600. It is $35 a month to leave it outside at a local storage place so ~$250 depending on when I take it and leave it. I'm thinking it is worth the extra $350 as long as I can get it out when I need to in the spring, I know the outdoor place I can get it whenever I want.
Appreciate the responses
NYN
Another great product that I use incessantly... Sun Pac. They are little sachets of paraformaldehyde that you hang inside and they kill mildew before it can happen. I hang 6 or so around my 32' trailer before I leave and they're wonderful. I bought a case of like 50. They smell a little like popcorn, and they're pretty toxic, so don't hang out in the camper until you take them down and air it out for 15 minutes or so. I leave myself a list of where I put them. I would hate to forget one and think I'm safe only to wake up dead.
Another one I use sometimes is Concrobium. In case you do get a little mildew, this stuff works wonders. It's totally non-toxic and doesn't stain or bleach anything, so you can spray it on upholstery, drapes, mattresses, etc. Its a solution of water and certain salts. The way it works is that the water evaporates, and the way the crystals grow crushes mold spores as it dries.
Here is a link for the Reliable cleaner I spoke of before. You'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
I do suggest getting tire covers. UV will usually destroy the tires before they go bald, depending on how much you use it.
Ok, one more canoe and then I'll shut up. Tire stabilizers. Way better than chocks, and chocks don't really work if you're on leveling boards.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I will +1 on the tire stabilizers, I added that to the arsenal this year and it makes the camper much less wobbly. I have those rocker things that level and act as chocks, those are great but the other side I put chocks and they always suck, I still use them and I added the stabilizers, they are great.
