Cover for Tear

[BillZ]

Bill what size is your trailer?

5x8 Benroy

[DragonFire]

Guys..I LOVE my trailer..I love the shape of the Grasshopper...and it has a great interior. But it isn't 'really' a teardrop, in that it has a small canned ham shape..not the 'cute' teardrop shape. It's a baby canned ham, thus "Canned Spam" (BTW...I like Spam)....

But because it's a bit of an odd shape, I'm not sure what to do about a cover...unless I have one custom made. I will be visiting my trailer tomorrow and will measure a lot of things....windows for new curtains, size of the trailer for a cover. Hopefully I can do a minivan cover or something...I saw a nice 3 layer breathable one that sounded good..but not sure if it will fit well.

We have hot summers and some strong sun rays here in Sacramento. I've thought of putting up a fence on the west side of the driveway in the raised bed to shield the trailer from the sun. I would also cover it, of course. The goal is to get it in the garage, but I'm not sure I'll be allowed to do that...

Can't wait to camp. Just can't wait to try out my camper. I'm going to the Dam gathering for sure!

[glenpinpat]

we use a minivan covering and then tarps over that. It has faired well over 2 Ontario winters.

[iSpy]

Hi,

In the UK we have a company called ProTec who make breathable covers.

http://www.pro-teccovers.co.uk/index.ph ... avan-cover

Here is my CT in its winter 'suit'



and this is what it looks like without....



I have used this cover for 3 winters now .... without any problems.

[DragonFire]

I like your tire chocks!!!

I measured my trailer and will try for van covers first...but I will check into your company too!

My problem is summer. Winters are not bad here...worse that San Francisco, but not bad. Lowest temp: 28 degrees f. And only for one or two nights. Snow every 25 or more years...and it snowed here two years ago, so I think we are good for awhile. Usual winter temp: 32-36 degrees f. most nights..occasionally colder, more occasionally warmer.

Summer? 113 degrees. Sometimes 110-113 for 4 days, then still triple digits for awhile. Always high 90's. This year was odd, but I'm not complaining! It was cooler!

So I think sun is my biggest enemy here. Gotta figure out some kind of fence that I can put along the west side of the driveway to help protect, then a good cover. If the driveway wasn't sloped I could try a 10x10 and figure out a way to anchor it "temporarily" so I don't have to get some crazy permit for it.

[Ron Dickey]

I went to Costco and got a extra large car cover. after 3 years it is starting to rip. sits out side all year.
I went to Ace where they sell bundgee cords by the foot. Once goes around it and those goes over the top and attached to the axel area.

[BillZ]

Well, the cover I ordered arrived today and am happy to report that it will work just fine!
It was too dark by the time I got it on to take pics so I will try to give a full report with pics tomorrow.

[Reddiver]

Bill how did it fit is it long enough on the sides?

[BillZ]

Finally got some pics today.
The cover is a Pop-up camper cover. Made for 8'-10' popup trailers.
It is wider than the average tear so that made up for the difference in height and I bet that it would also fit tears that are 9' or 10' long. I paid about $60 for it on etrailer.com.

http://www.etrailer.com/p-052963742039.html

This is what it looks like right out of the carrying bag:



The cover material seems to be exactly like a custom cover I had for a BMW convertible some time ago. Breathable, yet water resistant. My BMW cover easily lasted 2 or 3 years if I remember correctly and you could buy several of these covers before you would spend what it costs to buy a custom one. The bottom has elastic that hugs underneath and there are loops to tie 3 cords across the bottom to secure for high winds. Cords are included with the cover.

I parked our tear (5x8 Benroy) outside and tried it on. It bulges a bit where the popup corners would be but otherwise it fits perfectly good enough to protect the tear. As you can see, I used the bag to cover the tongue so the whole trailer is protected.

The tarp you can see attached to the wall behind the tear will be used as a canopy to keep heavy rain from soaking the cover enough to allow penetration. while the cover is water resistant, it is not water proof. Otherwise it would not be breathable.

[DragonFire]

Looks a bit like the scooter cover I use. I have had it 4 years and it's in the Sacramento sun every day all spring, summer and fall. It's still holding up. Of course I only use it during the day when I'm at work or don't have the scooter in the garage. But that still is a long time for a fairly cheap cover to hold up.

[DragonFire]

Still looking for a good cover...looks like I'll need it soon, as my big trailer will be selling in the next week or so.

I saw these:http://www.basspro.com/Classic-Accessories-PolyPro-III-Teardrop-Trailer-Cover/product/10225727/75417#description

Sorry the link is so long. Here is one with dimensions on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Accessories-80-115-151001-00-Overdrive-Teardrop/dp/B004LF15MM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1

Some day I'll figure out how to shorten the link. Right now I'm waiting for some people to view my big trailer and don't have the time.

My Grasshopper is 109" long, 81" wide with fenders, and 71" high. just don't know if this one on Amazon will fit ok on the shape of mine, since it was made for a tear. I like the idea of the access door..but it might not line up with mine..

Let's hear everyone's thoughts...I've looked at minivan covers and they won't fit. I'm still looking..

[Maureenm]

The gal I bought my tear from had purchased a cover for it from Lil Guy. The teardrop is home built and only 4'wide, while the cover is for a 5' wide. It's pretty baggy and lumpy and the door doesn't even come close to lining up, but at least it's on the correct side, so I can access if needed. I think the extra roominess is working out nicely because I've noticed that the extra airspace let's it dry out a little quicker between the bouts of sometime incessant rain. It looks like your grasshopper is a lot more squared off, and bigger than a tear, so you might want to go the pop-up trailer cover or van cover route. BillZs set up looks like it might work for you, too! Too big will work waaaaay better than too small.Good luck, and I'm looking forward to meeting you at the Dam.

[DragonFire]

that's the whole problem..it's square. The pop-up trailers are as wide as my trailer. So the sides would not get covered all the way.

I couldn't find any full sized van covers..at least not yet. The larger of the 2 teardrop covers is bigger than my Grasshopper..I just don't know if it's baggy enough so it will still fit over the boxiness.

[Maureenm]

Did you try carcovers.com? They seem to have every thing. Maybe something like one made for a Honda Element or some other boxy vehicle... Just trying to think "inside the box" on this one.

[DragonFire]

I sent carcovers.com an email with the dimensions of my trailer and asked them if they had anything that would fit. Hopefully they do. I gave them our weather conditions too.

The van covers were twice as long as they needed to be. Otherwise they were good.