Best Non-Custom Storage Cover for Bigfoot 17

[feralwilliams]

Title pretty much says it all. Looking for an economical winter cover for my 94 Bigfoot 17. Scoured the forums and turned up some old threads, but nothing that led me to any solid conclusions about whats out there. Anybody have any insights or hacks? Thanks!

[alan H]

Originally Posted by feralwilliams

Title pretty much says it all. Looking for an economical winter cover for my 94 Bigfoot 17. Scoured the forums and turned up some old threads, but nothing that led me to any solid conclusions about whats out there. Anybody have any insights or hacks? Thanks!

I’m sure you’ve looked at calmark
Expensive ... but the best

[Derswede]

My lovely wife bought a “Classic Accessories” cover for my 16’ Scamp for anniversary. (July this year). Piece of junk!! Already rotting on the front, blown seams, and general failure. Very poor quality. Not even 6 mo old! A Harbour Freight silver tarp is better, and much cheaper.

Derswede

[gordon2]

What do you want the cover to do? Usually, the primary benefit to a fabric cover on a an RV s to protect from sunlight (UV) damage,. But in winter there is minimal UV - the cover is more helpful in summer. If you are forced to store it where tree sap or the like is a problem, then a cover makes good sense at any time of year. But it might also make sense to find a spot not under the trees. Otherwise, regular washing and waxing might be plenty. With a fabric (aka economical) cover, you still need to pay attention to the snow and ice loading on the roof. So of course a car port or barn shelter is ideal, but not inexpensive.

[feralwilliams]

Originally Posted by Derswede

My lovely wife bought a “Classic Accessories” cover for my 16’ Scamp for anniversary. (July this year). Piece of junk!! Already rotting on the front, blown seams, and general failure. Very poor quality. Not even 6 mo old! A Harbour Freight silver tarp is better, and much cheaper.

Derswede

good to know! Been considering classic as an option but not so much now...thanks!

[feralwilliams]

Originally Posted by gordon2

What do you want the cover to do? Usually, the primary benefit to a fabric cover on a an RV s to protect from sunlight (UV) damage,. But in winter there is minimal UV - the cover is more helpful in summer. If you are forced to store it where tree sap or the like is a problem, then a cover makes good sense at any time of year. But it might also make sense to find a spot not under the trees. Otherwise, regular washing and waxing might be plenty. With a fabric (aka economical) cover, you still need to pay attention to the snow and ice loading on the roof. So of course a car port or barn shelter is ideal, but not inexpensive.

Thanks for the reply, Mainly wanting to just add a layer of overall protection from the elements. the trailer is currently parked in a shaded side lot under some trees so falling leaves and pollen are an added concern for sure, but the uv not so much. Living in Utah the winter weather is also quite harsh at times so definitely considering a 10X20 carport as well, mainly just trying to explore options that are more portable and affordable first.

[feralwilliams]

Originally Posted by alan H

I’m sure you’ve looked at calmark
Expensive ... but the best

considering this option currently but still fishing for options that wont break the bank as I'm currently saving for a straight axle conversion. Hard when the trailer is such a rare model and also odd size and shape...

[Derswede]

Here are a couple of photos. Remember, this cover is only 5 months old. No strong winds, just rain. The front faces East, and it is rotted out. I am going back to a $30 HF tarp and bungees.



Derswede

[Kardon]

Originally Posted by Derswede

My lovely wife bought a “Classic Accessories” cover for my 16’ Scamp for anniversary. (July this year). Piece of junk!! Already rotting on the front, blown seams, and general failure. Very poor quality. Not even 6 mo old! A Harbour Freight silver tarp is better, and much cheaper.

Derswede

We've been using a Classic cover for 3 years on our 13 Scamp. Works perfectly, not a tear or worn spot on it. Fits well, we can access the trailer all winter. We put it on before the first snow and leave it on until Spring. It's a lot easier to shake the snow off of the cover than to keep the top of the trailer cleared. Karin

[Jennifer Minogue]

We made a cover for our casita out of sheets from a thrift store, 50 cents each. Then sewed them together so it is one giant piece of fabric. We clamp it on with clamps from the dollar store . We have a large storage building so it is inside. The sheets keep dust off.

Now, you could upgrade this with a tarp over it. Or go to a fabric store and find some plastic-backed woven polyester canvas, like what they make backpacks out of. We have a mill store where we can get ends-of-rolls very cheaply.

These options may not be pretty, but they are functional and inexpensive. I think our sheet cover cost $2 plus another couple dollars for the clamps. Hmm, Canadian dollars so I guess that means about $3 US including the clamps. Lol.

[Flydog]

I got a new ShieldAll cover through EBay a year ago for my Casita and so far its holding up very well. The trick is putting a rope around the camper just below the belly band which keeps the wind from tearing it up. I keep the rope taught using a bungee cord.

[Glass House]

We have a 21’ clothe cover on our 17’ 1988 Bigfoot. . That’s what our mechanic said was available. It was $300 but has openings for the door and windows on the door side. After four years it has a small tear in it. Sometimes I roll and clamp it up all the way around so it is just a cover for the roof so I can see out better. I do use the trailer as a man cave😎. The roof has proven sturdy enough to walk on except at the peak which runs side to side.

[Tug Hercules]

I have a 2008 25B175CB.

I have also an excellent (expensive) quality Custom Cover for it.

Used it once.

Have not used in many years; have not seen a need.

I live in the frozen North.

Like an earlier Poster mentioned, wax well; wash in Spring; all that is necessary.

[Moots]

I had a Bigfoot dealer tell me that if we have to store our trailer outside, that no cover is best; just wax it twice a year. There will likely be a lot of disagreement on this, but that's what we do.

[Tug Hercules]

A Cover can cause sweat to build up under cover, this then freezes, with potential to do more damage.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Tug Hercules

...
Like an earlier Poster mentioned, wax well; wash in Spring; all that is necessary.

I might also suggest some protection for the rubber and plastic items on the camper. The fiberglass will hold up quite well in the elements with little care - as you said, regular cleaning and waxing. But the rubber hoses, window seals, etc. will suffer from UV damage. A little TLC in the form of some cover and some silicone treatment once in a while will help a lot. Still... plan on replacing these things sooner for a camper not stored under cover compared to one that has a shelter when not being used.

[Geronimo John]

You may want to look at Adco Covers. I use a 34841 on my Oliver Elite II.

Be sure to carefully measure your trailer box, and then have a discussion with their customer service team before ordering.

[richardabush]

Hi. I first got a cheap RV cover that didn’t last three years.
Now I have an rvcovers.com Sunbrella custom cover that fits well and I’m sure will last.

[DarrylScamp78]

Hi Shayne
I’ve used the Classic polyester fabric cover (not the Tyvek type material) for seven years on Bigfoot 25B21, but always with an extra heavy duty poly tarp over the roof to protect from tree leaves and debris. The Classic cover is in near perfect condition after seven years of Wisconsin winter season storage. I only expected three or four years of “good condition.”
My son used the cheaper Classic Tyvek cover on his Scamp for seven years and it’s just beginning to weaken and shred.

[Steve Carlson]

Originally Posted by feralwilliams

good to know! Been considering classic as an option but not so much now...thanks!

There are three or four different grades of Classic Accessories covers. I had the cheapest one, the PolyPro, on my previous camper. It was just okay, and I had it 2 years so cannot comment on it's long term durability. For my current camper I got the more expensive (but not outrageously so) PermaPro, and I can say I like it much better than the PolyPro. I think the material is much more durable than the glorified Tyvek of the PolyPro. I haven't had it more than a couple of months so again cannot comment on long term, but based on what I know I would buy the PermaPro again.