Our first attempt to put the cover on for winter was interrupted for roof maintenance. (See Check Lists Save Time) The winter storm has passed and another sunny, dry weekend is available for putting the cover on the trailer. Inspection of the roof shows that all repairs are good and no other repairs are needed. The trailer is good for putting the cover on for winter.
During the first attempt we installed the tire covers to protect them from the Colorado UV light. We use double-axle tire covers that cover both tires one each side of the trailer. (See SWW Stuff: Tire Covers for more details on tire covers.) Installing the tire covers is a great job for the kids. While the installation of the cover can be done by yourself, there is an elastic strap that goes behind the tires that can be difficult to pass around. Having two people, especially two that think crawling under the trailer is really fun, makes this job much easier.
With the trailer tire covers on, we moved on to the travel trailer cover. (See Winterizing: Installing Covers for details). We put on the protective covers for the protruding parts, added padding to the ladder edges, and unrolled the cover on the roof.
With the cover draped over the trailer the last part is to secure the straps of the trailer. The cover came with weights to connect to the straps and throw under the trailer so you do not have to crawl under the trailer. This works OK, but having a spare kid or two hanging around works even better. the kids are usually really bored at this point, and they think crawling under the trailer with the straps is super fun, so it’s a win for everyone.
With the straps pulled tight to protect against the wind and tied up to keep dry the trailer is ready for the winter.
This will be our fourth winter for the Elements trailer cover we purchased for our first winter. The cover has weathered well over the last three winters, but each year it gets random small holes in it despite trying to cover the protruding parts of the trailer to protect the cover. The cover came with patch material which we have used sparingly for several years.
The fading of the trailer cover shows that it is protecting the trailer from UV light for those months that the trailer is not being used. However, it is getting more brittle and a larger tear occurred during installation this year. I am hoping my Gorilla Tape repair will hold through this winter.
As we were cleaning up, I noticed my lens cap was missing. Normally this is stored in my shirt pocket while using the camera, but it wasn’t there. I suspect it fell out while working on the cover at the front of the trailer. Unfortunately a walk around the trailer didn’t turn the cover up. Since I started by taking pictures inside the trailer, I needed to look in the trailer too.
Luckily, the Elements cover has a nice feature. There are zippered panels on the starboard side to allow access into the trailer when the cover is installed. SoWeWentMom used them last winter to move linens into the trailer. This year I was able to use them to look for my lost lens cap. So I was able to use the zipper access to get inside and look. Sadly, the cover was nowhere to be seen.
With no luck on finding the lens cap, we decided to call it a day. The trailer is now ready for the winter until a dry day in March or April when we get ready to remove the cover for the 2020 camping season.
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