Storing the camper trailer outside

[jamesy]

Unfortunately I have to move my c/t from the garage to down the side of the house. So it will be out in the weather and I am a bit concerned about the canvas getting damp and going mouldy.  I am thinking of covering it with a silver tarp. Has anyone experienced problems doing this, and should I try and have a set up that lets air get between the tarp and the camper cover.

[Vince]

We use a silver tarp to cover ours (when not in use) and have done so for the last 3 years, everything is fine.

Longest stretch between use it was covered for was near four months (still crying  :'( at that) so you should have no issues 

[baldheadedgit]

Yep, silver tarp works a treat, mine also lives in the second driveway behind  the gates and i have two garages one single and a double and there both full of crap..
i keep mine on a tilt so water runs of, no probs with mould..

BHG

[areyonga]

A couple of pool noodles to give some water run off work great

[ap]

I just use the 20L water container (one or two) under a silver tarp.  This works really well in ensuring that you don't get water pooling.

[Barrabart]

I'd be buying a tarp long enough to cover the entire Trailer...... from tow hitch to tail gate........ something like a couple of upturned laundry baskets on top of your CT's vinyl cover should give the tarp enough pitch for water run off, and plenty of ventilation between tarp and vinyl cover...... laying something solid on top of the vinyl CT cover might allow for mould to grow underneath....... would in bloody Nth Qld anyway.
Those bloody Silver Tarps are great i reckon, i've had one covering my tinny outside for a couple of years.... still good as new.

[Matto]

I just use the 20L water container (one or two) under a silver tarp.  This works really well in ensuring that you don't get water pooling.

This. Ours lives outside through NQLD summers, and we've never had an issue with mould or anything. How we park ours:

* The 2 x 20L jerries (empty, and dried out) go on top of the canvas, underneath the PVC cover. They lie down on-side, to give a good gap - depending on how tight your travel cover is, you may need to experiment. We leave the bungie-cords off to get the height we need. This lets the canvas breathe.

* PVC travel cover goes over, and forms a peak down the centre-line of the camper from the jerries. This is all we used to do, but the PCV cover was getting marked from bird poo, native bees, geckos, etc. So I've gone all up-market, and have bought a :

* $4 half a coppers log from Bunnings. Flat side goes down (on top of the jerries, on top of the PCV cover). Round side goes up to protect the:

* Silver tarp from BCF. Bought last time they had a "50% off Tarps" sale. Tarp gets pulled down taught with occy straps to the bottom edge of the trailer. The air-gap between the PVC cover and the tarp let's the PVC breathe and makes sure we don't get mould between the two. Generous overhangs at each end, but open to the air so breeze can blow through.

* Jockey wheel wound all the way up. Otherwise water gets inside the drawbar and just sits. This way it runs straight out. Looks a bit funny, but works beautifully.

And that's it. Make sure the canvas is dry before you pack it away, make sure the insides of the trailer tub and toolbox are dry, and then just leave it as-is. I try and open it all up on fine days, to get a bit of fresh air into the trailer tub and the toolbox. I don't ever open up the tent or unzip the PVC though.



Good luck!
Matto

[jamesy]

Thanks for all the advice.  That's put my mind at ease.

[Barrabart]

This. Ours lives outside through NQLD summers, and we've never had an issue with mould or anything. How we park ours:

Good luck!
Matto

Thanks for posting this Matto......... one of the reasons i still don't have a bloody CT is having limited areas to store it under cover........ have seriously been worried about leaving a CT under a tarp up here in Cairns........ Thanks for proving me wrong!!! I've got a under cover area behind the house where i used to park my Box Trailer....... but it was a struggle to get an empty box trailer around the house and into the storage area..... would be near impossible to push a loaded CT around there.

Thanks again.

[Matto]

No worries jamesy.

Likewise Barrabart - if you ever want to come over for a squiz at ours, I'll make sure there's plenty of rum to hand (hint - there's ALWAYS plenty of rum on hand). I think a lot of it comes down to how well the camper tub seals - ours seals very well, and consequently we don't get any moisture or mould inside the camper itself. As for the canvas, so long as you can get a bit of air circulation and stop the water pooling on top, you'll be fine.

You can see from the photo above that ours is tucked in under the eaves of our house. If you've got a keen eye, you'll be able to tell that the tarp is slightly more on the outside of the camper than the house-side, just to give a bit more protection and run off.

You're right about the maneuverability of them - we back ours all the way into it's final position. We can spin it around and move it a bit, but our yard is on a bit of a slope, so if it goes too far there's no way I can manhandle a ton of trailer very far. Two blokes can shove it - once you get it moving, but you don't want to have to do it often.

Go on - you know you want to buy one!

Cheers!
Matto

[Fun Police]

That's how I'll do mine when we get it too.

Probably also throw a packet of silica gel (industrial grade) up under the cover and also a big tub of it in the trailer itself......belts and braces!

[Matto]

Fun Police,

You've reminded me that Teabag uses some type of silica crystal that they use in their electronics enclosures. When it gets soaked up, you can just put it in the oven, dry it back out and use it again. I remember him talking about it and I thought "that's a good idea", but I never found out what it was. Even if it was expensive to buy, you'd save heaps of money in the long run.

We've used the stuff in the tubs that you get in the supermarkets around the house, but the humidity here turns it to slush within a couple of days - and that's even with the AC units pulling most of the water out of the air.

Good luck!
Matto

[Fun Police]

We use the damp rid at home too.  Turns to slush.  That'd be no good, ey!

The stuff we use on site is the silica gel that Teabag uses.

Let it absorb the moisture then heat it up again to renew.  We actually just throw out the "used" ones, so there's a chance to recycle them now.

[jeeps]

I have kept mine under cover and it still gets mould on the pvc cover so i have to cover it with a silver tarp anyway to keep the mould spores from settling on the pvc. I would imagine that keeping it out in the sun is a good thing as mould doesn't like full sun.

The next question is, what do you to keep it harder for thieves to steal if it's just sitting in your yard?

cheers

[Matto]

The next question is, what do you to keep it harder for thieves to steal if it's just sitting in your yard?

Large dogs.

Thanks!
Matto

[Fun Police]

Klampit always worked for our boat. I'm thinking a hidden GPS tracker (around $500) would be a good idea too

[Matto]

Sablesoft has a couple of lengths of very-heavy-duty chain and padlocks. I've often thought that it's a good idea.

Sablesoft's thread : http://myswag.org/forum/index.php?topic=5195.0





Good luck!
Matto

[gronk]

Been storing my KK,s  (I've had 2 ) outside under silver tarps for 7 yrs and never had a problem...but I've set them up so no pooling of water and enough overhang on the sides that stops rainwater from wetting any part of the camper..

Get approx 2 1/2 years out of the tarps, but at approx $60 each, pretty good value..

[Barrabart]

Likewise Barrabart - if you ever want to come over for a squiz at ours, I'll make sure there's plenty of rum to hand
Go on - you know you want to buy one!

Cheers!
Matto

I know i bloody want one, no worries about that. Just other things keep maing the CT a second priority.......... but i'm a patient man...... and the Rum helps, hehe.......... Yeah wouldn't mind coming round for a yarn..... I'll PM you.

[adrianjt]

I have stored a 14ft timber boat outside (of my parents house, lucky them!) for 15 years. I found average tarps only last a couple of years. About 5 years back I got a piece of vinyl floor for $20, its thick (wont pool), punched a few holes for occys. Its been rock solid altho I havent checked it 6months... I am sure sooner or later it too will perish

cheers
adrianjt

[Dion]

I have kept mine under cover and it still gets mould on the pvc cover so i have to cover it with a silver tarp anyway to keep the mould spores from settling on the pvc. I would imagine that keeping it out in the sun is a good thing as mould doesn't like full sun.

The next question is, what do you to keep it harder for thieves to steal if it's just sitting in your yard?

cheers

How do you get mould on it if its stored under cover?  Mine lives in an enclosed garage and no issues ...