High winds eBay cover...can I wrap with clothesline?

[CampyTime]

Hi All,
With my pop up camper I used to wrap around the cover with clothesline to keep it more firmly in place during high winds. I have the eBay cover with the straps below but it still whips against the trailer with these winds we are having. Is it ok to tie clothesline around body if trailer to keep cover more secure? Wasn't sure if this would be an issue for fiberglass and or gel coat. Was all set to do it and a friend suggested I check into it first do here I am! I would appreciate your thoughts.

Sincerely,
Wendy

[Carol H]

Wendy the one thing you need to be concerned about with the gelcoat is the rubbing of the cover on it. So anything you can do to keep the tarp snug the better! I am not sure I would use a thin round close line to snug it up though - might be more inclined to use a something a little wider and flat - such as a long web strap.

Hopefully someone who has to get creative in snugging up their covers will respond. Otherwise do a google search on this site and you might find a few photos of what others have done.

[mary and bob]

I don't cover our Uhaul, but use a blue tarp on our daughters pop-up. I use bungees to hold the tarp tight. Hook them in the eyelets on the tarp and under the trailer to the frame. I've read horror stories about car covers wearing off paint by flapping while transporting a vintage car on a trailer, same with towing a boat with a cover on it.

[CampyTime]

But what about my cover Bob? It's the breathable type and all is perfect on the inside as I was just in there today. Now I've opened up a can of worms. A friend said he had a boat that he did a cover with strapping. Also Carol what do you think of his thoughts? He says leave it alone as the cover will billow over and below the strap, possibly pulling up and down (north and south) rubbing on the gel coat worse than if no strap at all. All I had time to out on this fall was gel gloss which has carnauba wax, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to wax the roof without leaning on the roof and I thought that was a no no. Now that's another thread question...no idea how others do that either. Perplexed and curious as usual!

Wendy

[Carol H]

Wendy I don't think I can add much more than what I indicated - the less the cover moves the better.

Re the wax - I would think that by standing up through the escape hatch you could reach a good part of the roof. I put my table down and then a small step ladder on top of that to get me up a bit higher & reach further. I don't think leaning over the roof is bad unless you are putting your whole weight on it while doing it. On my 16' there is a section I use a sponge mop to put the wax on with and then wrap a cloth around it to get it off.

[CampyTime]

Hi Carol,
Thank you for writing back. I hope I don't need to preface this, but I will anyway because aside from this forum, you don't know me from Adam. There are people on this forum that I love to listen to and respect. You are one of them... My questions are just that, questions. As is obvious and I don't try to hide...I don't know anything yet, other than what you all teach me.
I do not have an escape hatch as my trailer (13) was prepped for roof air at the factory. I will definitely try to sponge mop thing this spring though. Also thought if I got a camping bed roll, I could lean my wooden step ladder up against the trailer and put the bed roll inbetween the wood rails of the ladder and the fiberglass for some protection? Just a thought.
I bought clothesline this afternoon, before I talked with my local friend, and before speaking with you. Flat webbing straps, I imagine these are like those used on ratcheting tie downs, right? I'll have to look through the web to see where you might buy them without the metal S hooks on the end. Should I just try and wrap all the way around, maybe putting it on the belly band? Then what, maybe zip tie the ends together?

Wends

[Dave Fish]

Wendy, I agree with the others in stopping the movement. One thought would be to get several clip on tarp tie downs then use bunny chords or straps underneath to secure them. I have some that I think I got from Harbor Freight.

2009 Casita FD - Sold

[mary and bob]

I did roof work on our camper using a step ladder sideways to the trailer, but be careful it doesn't tip over. I also have a couple sets of those rolling stairs like you see them using at Lowes or Home Depot, one short set, one tall set. They work the best. Pool noodles or that foam pipe insulation could be used to cushion a ladder. You can get flat straps that don't have the ratchet, just pull them tight and they lock. Walmart and Tractor Supply should have them. The only reason I cover the pop-up is the barn roof leaks. If our Uhaul was not being used for snow birding, and sat outside in the winter I would not cover it. Just my personal preference.

[Carol H]

Wendy, as I said I really am not the one to ask the best way to tarp it as I don't use tarps on mine. I just know that the less movement the better having seen some of the damage done on boats and a few fiberglass trailers gelcoat due to tarps having rubbed on them.

Looks like Dave and Bob have put forward a couple of good suggestions.

[D Davis]

Wendy Lee, I would suggest if you are covering the scamp to draw the cover tight by the bottom with strapes that go all the way under from one side to the other. This is what I had to do to my cover to keep it from flapping. Got my cover off of Ebay. They said it would fit but it's a little too large. It has held up in 2 feet of snow and 50 mile an hour winds so far. I did get the snow off the roof.

[CampyTime]

Thank you for writing D Davis. I do have the straps pretty snug under my eBay cover too. However today's high winds made me notice quite a bit of wind billowing on trailer sides today so I thought about this question and posted. Everything is all very new to me but I'm learning a lot from people here. I guess it gives me anxiety cuz I don't know slot and I'm afraid to screw it all up!

Which brings me to a short story. When I owned my pop up I was such a proud mommy. Wanted to keep the snow load off of her in the winter and so I did so...with a shovel...

Yup as caring and well intended as I was I put terrible little slices on the top of the aluminum skin. Used jb weld and lots of sanding and paint then rubberized roof coating after lots if tears. Made me doubt myself but I learned and fixed her up pretty. This investment in the scamp has cost more Money and means more. A reflection if family love and independence if you will. I don't want to make as many well intended mishaps if I can avoid them. I don't have the experience of many of these people here and as I've said before provably ask too many questions. To this end, I am sorry if I've annoyed anyone cuz I don't mean or want to!

Wendy

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

I don't have the experience of many of these people here and as I've said before provably ask too many questions. To this end, I am sorry if I've annoyed anyone cuz I don't mean or want to!

Wendy

Wendy if we don't ask we don't learn! I sure hope no one gets annoyed with people asking questions. The nice thing about this type of forum is it gives us all a chance to share things we have learned the hard way or observed over time. None of us are born knowing how to do everything the right way, or even know the right way even though we may have been doing something for years.

[D Davis]

Wendy Lee, I agree with Carol, so nicely put.
You could get those clamping groments from wal mart, they are plastic. Then attach them wherever, Suggest (bottom, front bottom, back bottom, then string your line through that. This will keep the cover taught.
By the way, I did the same thing while scraping snow off my car one year. Have lived with those scratches ever since.

[CampyTime]

Hi D. Davis,
It hurts, doesn't it? Especially when you thought you were doing something "good." I get mad with myself when I do dumb stuff! So here's the update...I went out to Homey D today and bought 3 cheapo $3.67 ratchet packs that each included 15 feet of nylon strap (like a doggie leash). I cut off the "S" hooks and my friend made square knots to tie 3 of them together. We ended up putting the flat strap all the way around, just below the belly band, and tying it off on the front of the trailer. Because it was somewhat windy when we put it on, I definitely noticed that it was billowing much less after putting on the flat strapping.

Thank you to all for your friendly advice! BTW...we also cinched up the straps underneath the trailer (cover comes with a plastic/buckle assembly to tighten under the trailer) and that helped as well.

With gratitude,
Wendy