We are really happy with our slide topper. We live in the PNW, our first trip out to the ocean we had a very heavy rain and we were under trees... the noise on the slide was horrible. We ordered and installed a topper and the next time we went to the ocean we had another heavy rain storm, again under the trees... the difference was incredible. We've had some heavy winds but really haven't noticed much noise. We've also not had a problem with water pooling on it either, our slide is on the smaller side, just a dinette so that may make a difference.
we are full time now for 7 years and have had an RV with no slide covers and a class A with slide covers and now a 5th wheel with slide covers when we did not have slide covers I needed to go up on the roof and check for debris and clean off if necessary which was most of the time, with slide covers I only go up on a ladder to lubricate seals and wash the top of the slide occasionally so I'm saying YEA at 79 it is rough on me going up and down ladders.
I learned from a newbie, put a rope totally around the slide and topper when be winds are coming. Checking weather daily is good. The light rope is a cheep fix. After years, I found works well. Those new slide toppers are into the thousands! Look twice. Thanks
Love toppers. They work for leaves, snow, rain, when the slide is coming in the debri falls off outside, not clogging seals. Even with snow loads if the roller has been tensioned right - no problem up to about 2 inches of snow. We owned a fifth wheel without topper, plenty of cleaning from leaves prior to sliding in! I’ll take the topper any day. Have not felt need to support a sagging topper, just keep eye on while retracting.
Hi from Maine. I do not have a. slide topper. I understood your description of the slide with the wall that extends above the top of your slide...which is the type of slide my camper has. I primarily camp here in Maine/New Hampshire with lots of trees at most state parks and at my home. My wish list for the next camper will definitely include a slide topper! I am a woman that usually uses my camper when I am on call for work, i.e . camping by myself. I do not carry a ladder. My camper doesn't have a ladder. This means I typically back my truck up to the side of my camper, climb into the bed of my truck, hang onto the side of camper, climb onto the top of the side of by truck bed to then use my broom to clean off the top of my slide. This is a bit of a pain. I also get a few looks when taking care of the top of my slide. So, my vote is a Yay for slide toppers. All the best to you. Happy travels.
We tried the beachball method - not satisfying. We use a tire inner tube that tethered to a strap for easy emergency removal. It is low profile - no stretching and wide enough to actually block the wind. Works fantastic.
Another nay would be seal maintenance under the toppers. I solved that issue by using a small paint roller on a broomstick, soaked in slide sealer lube. Works great. You definitely want toppers over a bed slide during a rain storm. If it's too windy I'm pulling the slide in.
We really like slide toppers, and I plan to add them to our new 2024 295RL. I had one ripped off in a crazy high wind, but it was an easy repair thankfully. If we run into high winds again I've seen where people will use a rope with a pool noodle and use the rope to hold it down by throwing the rope around the top and tying the rope around the bottom of the slide to stop it from lifting. I think that is better than jamming something between the topper and the slide roof.
Our current TT has a slide topper, while our previous did not. Definitely help keep water out when bringing slide in, as our previous TT would often bring water and make a mess. It also helps with temperature in summer. The only negatives are flapping in high winds and collecting snow and ice.
I initially considered adding a dealer-installed slide topper to our 26KVS Mountain Series. But since we'll be spending most of our time in the western U.S. I decided I was more concerned about wind than debris on the top of the slide. Climbing up to clear debris from the slide gives me another opportunity to perform a visual inspection up there. So, you can put a check in the 'Nay' column for me. Really enjoying this series so far. Thank you!
Ah yes, makes a lot of sense for your neck of the woods. We’ve probably seen our worst winds around there. Good point on doing a visual on the roof more often, that’s not a bad thing! 👍
Yes, I agree. We actually camp under trees a lot but we just make sweeping off the slide part of our take down and it gives us a chance to take a look at the roof. We've never had water come in from our slide. I don't think a slide topper is a good solution to a leaky slide.
Our small Grand Design trailer doesn’t have a topper. We carry a step stool and small battery powered leaf blower which clears off the slide in 10 seconds. No issues with leaks when it rains so we are good with a No on toppers. Thanks for the video!
We FT in a motorhome that came with a slide topper. One thing I noticed is that they make a lot of noise, and can be damaged by high winds, so much so that many people retract their slides when there's bad weather out. But sometimes windstorms can whip up quickly. It happened to us while camping at Lake Mead a couple years ago when a 70+ mph wind came out of nowhere. It completely destroyed both our awning and slide topper - not just the fabric, but the bars and rollers too. The kicker was that our awning was not out but rolled up against our MH at the time. Yet somehow it got under it and billowed it out and the rest is history. We replaced our awning but chose not to replace our slide topper. So from living FT with it both ways I can say they have their pros and cons like you mentioned. If we camp for a while under trees without a slide topper, when we move, we use a soft bristled wash brush on a telescoping handle to brush off any limbs, leaves, pine straw, pinecones, burrs, etc. We don't crawl up on the roof but carry an expanding ladder that we place near our slide and climb up about halfway to clean it. If we fail to do so, small debris can get under the slide seal and remain on the top of the slide when it is retracted. If it's a living room slide in a MH behind the driver, the debris can slide into the driver's lap when the brakes are strongly applied. Any pooled water on the slide can do the same with chilling results. Don't ask me how I know. It's a good way to learn how good your slide seals are. Of course, puddled water drains off easily if you lower one end before the other - you just need to remember to do so. It's a good idea to do this even if you have a slide topper, because rain can still blow under the topper and puddle on top the slide. However, if we are camping out west where trees (and rain) are a rarity, we never encounter this issue. So in conclusion, if you camp mostly on the rainy, heavily forested East Coast it might behoove you to get a slide topper. Whereas if you primarily camp on the West Coast it's usually unnecessary, adding weight, complexity and a buffeting noise that may keep you awake at night in the strong winds you are more likely to encounter there. IMHO.
My brother just replaced our slide topper. It was a bit of work but we are so pleased he replaced it. We did get a lot of wind last year when we were at the beach in Corpus Christi and our topper (20yrs old) did start to tear. We had to bring in the slide not only for the topper but the slide was shaking too. I prefer to have it.
Well good video. I’m glad you showed the TrueTopper! We purchase a 40’ Motorhome just over a year ago. It has three slides two on the passenger aside an one nearly 30’ slide on the drivers side. On our way home to Washington from California we had issue with the big slide topper….a gust of wind and boom topper springs destroyed. So we had fabric hanging down from southern Oregon to north Seattle. Long story short we had to cut the fabric off. Didn’t have a slide topper for a year or so till I saw AZ expert go over the Truetopper. The cost to replace the topper with the same standard topper and springs/parts for a 29’ topper was a lot. The TrueTopper was a cheaper option and guaranteed for life, Unlike a traditional topper. So our choice was easy. So far it’s only been a month a no issues we love it. It looks great on our RV. The people at TrueTopper are fantastic to deal with. This is a better topper hands down. I think different areas of the country dictate what’s best options is for others.
Thanks for sharing this Brad! 29 foot slider topper is massive and I can see why the wind was problematic for it! I would love to see pictures of your truetopper on your motorhome if you wouldn't mind sharing. IreneIronFitness@gmail.com Thanks for watching Brad! 😊
Let's not forget, for those of us who don't have a ladder to the rooftop, do you haul a ladder everywhere as well? Me personally, I don't have room to haul a ladder too. One more thing to have to haul and like you said, another thing to have to do before breaking camp. I set up and break down by myself. While I see more pros, my camper is a 2014 and I've never had one. I've never had any problems to this point but with age, the sun and weather on the seals, I do worry now. My plan for the 2024 camping season is to install one.
I live in Maine and slide toppers in my opinion are necessary. Most campgrounds are tree covered and you need to keep the slide clean. I have to get up on my camper and clean the slide off every time I put it in. Especially pine needles those things get everywhere and that scraper style won’t get the needles off. As soon as the snow is gone we are putting a topper on our slide.
We had a class A motorhome for 14 years and had slide toppers on both slides. We never had any problems with them. We camped all over the west coast and southwestern US. When we sold the rv it still had the original fabric in good shape. Biggest part was I never had to get up on the roof and clean off the slides when it was snowing or icy. I am a definite yea.
Great video… we love our slide topper. We are fortunate as in the case of higher winds, we can close our slide and still have access to all the areas of our travel trailer.
We have an Outdoors RV 21rbs which has exactly same slide as yours. We opted to add a slide topper being we are in the NW around lots of trees. About a month ago we were in a big wind storm with gusts to 60 plus. Well guess what, our topper tore in a huge gust. I started looking for a replacement and found a company in Vancouver Washington called Tough Top Awning. Wow alot heavier and stronger fabric than original. In fact, with the exception of installation, five year unconditional warranty. Just installed it yesterday and beautiful, quality product. So considering where I live and mostly camp, a big YES for slide toppers. Great subject guys!
We have just traded our "no" slide camper for one that has one, installed a topper the second weekend. The first weekend "labor day" with no topper, it rained 3 of 4 days, I was scared of water penetration. We do camp when cold, snow, and ice and have had ALL 3 sence labor day 2022. It has kept stuff off the slide and I'm gald because I don't like ladders.
Thank you for this review. At the moment we do not have a slide topper, but I have been seriously considering getting one. Your comments and Pros and Cons here will certainly help with my decision. Almost slipped off my roof last fall. We were leaving a site and I went up to sweep off the slide and had not noticed a fine bit of ice on the roof. Quite scary actually. Great information, and as always safe travels.....
Ok, we have one, I replaced it 2 years ago, also I have a Extension Pole, with a paint roller brush, I use this to Empty the pool, also I put a Sponge on it to clean and lube the top seal. But as you know, the wind is not nice to a slide topper and I've had to pull my slide in once or twice. I look forward to what others do, thanks for the videos.
YES ON Toppers, keeps the sun off the slide out and if wider the rain out lol living in Arizona definitely keeps the slide out cooler, we also use sun shade 😎 pice of pvc pipe and rope to secure the flap when it goes bad just buy Anouther one do what you need to do
Had one on my 35ft motorhome. Installed my 12ft slide cover just yesterday on our 35 ft travel trailer. We see the advantage. A bit of a beast to install but everything I do I see a better way to install.
We had a trailer without a slide topper. We definitely had to get up there and clean it off every time we moved. It wasn't something we wanted to continue doing. We also brought water in the trailer after a heavy rain, so that could be a problem if you didn't catch it. The two trailers we had since that one did not have slides. So, I would have to say Yay if you have a slide or buy trailers without slides. We don't miss the slide with our Airstream.
You nailed it. The pros are great and the cons are crazy. Our worst wind event was Ft Stockton, TX. I was sure we were going to flip over it was so loud popping from the wind. Great review.
We had 60+ MPH winds come up out of no where, while in Oklahoma, at 3:30 AM. It tore the topper mounts out of the 25' long slide out of our motorhome and slammed the tube of the topper on the roof so hard it knocked 10 of the LED glass light covers out, shattering 6 of them on the tile floor. I had to climb up on the roof in sleeting cold wind to cut the topper free so it would stop banging on the roof. Now, when we go traveling, we put the slide out in when there is even a hint of bad weather.
Love my slide topper. Only twice have I have issues from wind so now I use a long ratchet strap over the topper around the slide box to hold it down only when its windy. It does not take much tension to keep it from flapping around or like mine did at the badlands where it totally unspooled in the wind
I have been dealing with slide toppers on my coach for 14 years and have managed to replace all of them so I agree that they’re a pain in the butt but they serve their purpose regarding shedding of water and debris. I think that their benefits far outweigh their inconveniences. But I do agree with those desert wins at a cross angle torturing your slide toppers! It was nice to see you guys at the escapees. Thomyt
Our 15 year old travel trailer doesn’t have slide toppers. We don’t feel heat in the slide from the sun the top of our slide is white which reflects heat. The sun hasn’t degraded to slide and we’ve never had water come in the slide. Our friends have toppers the flapping in the wind is why they are removing them.
We have slide toppers on all 3 slides on our 5er. One thing you didn't mention is a bed slide. I love our topper over our bed! When it rains quite often I don't even hear it! We have only brought in the slides once because of wind.
Overall a yay for me. Over the last 3 years of full timing the slide topper has been beneficial anywhere I’ve been where there are taller trees, especially in the fall and early winter. However, fine dust and pollen can drift in under the topper and coat the slide roof. I had a thick accumulation of pine pollen in Michigan last summer after several weeks staying in the same spot. Most of it washed off with a garden hose sprayer. I used an extendable car washing brush and soap to clean the rest of it off. I have an ORV 24RKS with the same dinette slide as yours. Sure wouldn’t want the pollen or dust coming inside when the slide is pulled in. Or having it maybe gumming up the seal if not cleaned off. I climb part way up the rear ladder and lean around the corner to check that nothing is under the slide cover before I pull in the slide room. So far, other than the pollen coating, there has never been anything under it. Also, thumbs up for more yay or nay videos.
Yea. I bought an older motorhome with 3 slides and two are 15 and 17 feet long. The long rollers sagged in the middle which caused puddling and water dripped through to the roof. To water proof the fabric I use Woods silicon canvass sealer. To deal with the sag in the rollers I simply shove a rubber door stop in between the wall and roller at centre to lift it up and tight. I get zero water on my roofs in even the hardest rain. I did a bunch of other little things too but that’s part of owning older rvs.
At first, when we ordered our Outdoors RV MTN TRX 24 KRS we ordered with a topper and 2 solar panels. We decided before pickup to cancel the topper and add a third solar panel. When breaking down to move, I go on top to sweep the slide, visually inspect the roof, and clean the panels. So far, we have not had issues. Nay
We have slide toppers on our class C. We like them for keeping water, dirt, branches, leaves, and snow off the top of the slides. If we have rain overnight and need to depart before things have a chance to dry, we end up with water on the floor. Not sure yet if it comes from the top of the slide or not. Our rains are usually combined with wind. Next time we’re in a lot of rain we may use the levelers to tip the rig a bit for drainage. We have a rear bed slide and a driver’s side slide so we could tip a bit to the driver’s side, probably. We bring the front slide in if it’s going to be super windy but can’t sleep without deploying the rear slide so… For us, we’re tired of having slides for a few reasons and next class C or B will not have them. Toppers are noisy when windy like you said and we want a tighter insulated vehicle overall.
Great video! Super helpful. Was planning to add a slide topper to our Ibex 19MSB. You guys made me pause and consider. I think we are in wait and see, currently a nay. Getting on the roof to clear debris will help develop some good habits around inspecting our rig. Thanks! Safe travels! #muchlove
Yea on slide toppers. You should watch the video for True Toppers all the way through, they trim your slides raised section so that their unit fits on top. It's very interesing and about the price of replacement toppers. When we need new toppers, we will investigate this furher as it seem the best solution. I have to get up on the roof when we park under trees as we have one topper that is incased in a fiberglass cover and we must clean off debris before bringing in that slide. A real pain.
Try using the tru topper on a cold trip,wake up to half ice half snow, bring in the slide and wait for the frosty ice to melt that the scraper left behind. Been there done that how ever if you never see cold then all is good. Ps: when it melts it is on the inside🥴
I had them installed on our 5th wheel and wish I didn’t. Noise from flapping in the wind outweighs the benefits. I have had to throw a rope over the top of the topper and tie it off to stop the flapping. I like that you brought the subject up because either way it is enlightening to a lot of people.
We had a class C that came with a slide topper. It was fine until we camped on Presque Isle in Erie PA. The wind one night was fierce, somewhere north of 40 mph. Our slide topper caused our camper to rock all night. We couldn't bring in our slide because our bed was in the slide. Our neighbors had the same violent shaking of their camper too. They closed their slide because of the shaking. I had the camper for three years traveling all over the country including all the way to Seattle from PA. I never had a problem. Our current Cougar 26' does not have a topper but it is parked at a campground. We use a blower to remove the leaves and twigs before we close the slide.
My TT slide does not have a topper so I do climb onto the roof to blow/sweep/dry it off (it seems to rain on us alot when traveling!) every time before I bring it in for travel. And at 64 years of age I would like to stop climbing up there every time!
Just got my first travel trailer. Opted for the slide topper. Wind hasn’t been an issue yet where I’m staying but it rains A Lot here. Noticed the topper sagging quite a bit from the pooling water. Is it better to put something underneath to create a slope to the outside edge for the water to run off?
Yay!!! We have had a lot of water leakage. When it’s raining hard. Sled toppers have taken care of that problem. Love the sound of the new kind of topper. Going to look into that.
I'd like to know how they accommodate the flange across the outer edge. I've wondered why they don't come up with a solid, vinyl covered panel that would slide in the awning rail at the wall and just bind up against the outer flange on the slideout. That way it would be wind proof and you could deploy it only when you need to - like camping under trees.
They trim off the top edge of the flange so your roof is completely flat, then put a low profile trim ramp that the flap rides up and over before folding down over the top.
You basically hit the items I would bring up... I went 7 years w/o slide toppers on our last tt. Our new ORV came with toppers. Its nice to have all the dirt & debris fall off without having to jump up on the roof and sweep off. On the negative side; when the wind is blowing they flap creating some noise. When it rains they gather a a lot of water and dip in the center. The beach ball thing didn't really work that well for me. I'm going to construct a 1"PCV pipe thing to run down the center length soon & try it. Not sure what will happen when it snows. All that being said; doubtful I would replace if they fail.
The slide toppers come on RVs usually Class A's because they're more full-time living.. class B's & Class C's are more part-time.. the same with the travel trailers, 5th wheel & bottle necks
I never knew this was a problem, and I've had motorhomes for 20+yrs. I would never be without a topper on my RV slides. Heavy rain is WAY more threat without a topper, than wind. No slides are sealed adequately without a topper to drain all the rain water away from the slide seals. It will leak at some point, surely with heavy rain. BTW, a ball or inner tube under the center of your topper is appropriate to keep rain from puddling in the center of the topper. I only do that with heavy rain forecasts. But don't forget to remove the ball pulling in the slide. If the wind flaps the topper, creating too much noise, simply pull in the slide, and get some sleep. I would never buy a rig that couldn't work for a few nights with all slides in.
Slide toppers are great, except when you have a squirrel. One started building a nest in the center of our 24' full wall slide. That was a pain! I agree. True Topper looks like the solution.
The topper noise is understandable for you two but if I were you I don't think I would worry about the topper faberic deteriorating or tearing because I don't think you two will ever have an RV long enough for that to happen! And trust me, I write this with a smile on my face...I like you two kids.
I purchased a slide topper recently, haven't installed yet because it's winter here. The main reason why I bought the topper is to protect the slide when camping in the winter. I don't really want to walk on the roof to brush snow and ice off slide.
Yes, that certainly could be true. I'm just not sure how much sun protection slide toppers actually provide. Since the sun is usually at an angle most of the rays will be hitting the side wall and not the top. The slide roofs are white and reflective as well.... But you're right there is probably some loss. The true topper does cover the seals which is noice for UV protection.
This is a topic my wife and I are passionate about, LOL. RV manufacturers really need to come up with a better design. Finding Our Someday has approached Lippert about the issue. Will be interesting to see if they come up with something good. Apart from the noise, toppers sometimes get ripped off by high winds. We tie ours down in preparation for winds. Overall, we're a yay for toppers.
Hi Chris and Aaron! I hope you two are doing well! Thank you for another great video!! My only experience with slides is with travel trailers. I've had a 1967 trailer (no slide), a 2005 trailer (big slide), and a 2021 travel trailer (medium slide). My 2005 trailer did not have a slide topper. We lived on the east coast and our camping was exclusively at campgrounds. Being on the east coast, we were frequently in vicinity of larger trees; both pine trees and leafed trees. And then maybe worth commenting, the east coast typically is not a constant mega wind location. I wish we had a slide topper there. My 2021 trailer does have a slide topper. We are not full timers; only part timers for up to a week per month. We live out west now, and exclusively boondock. Our geography is split between national forest woods and BLM desert. I am not really feeling the mega need for a topper out here. Plus....it is very common to have 15-20 mph winds; which then make the topper a bit of a loud pain. Having said all of that, sadly......I have never been camping in the ORV where we don't need to run the heater. And with that comes the higher probability of snow here. And then with the snow is the snow melt off; which at the end of the day is then ice melt. I feel if I did not have a topper, I'd have to go clean the roof; and with the topper I have to go clean the roof hehehe (specifically, even if I ran my slide in, and then out to clean it off after a snowstorm, the melt off from the roof drips on the slide and ices up if it hasn't melted away completely that first day. So...in summary, out east where the trees are, most definitely a topper is great!! Out west where I don't deal with as many trees, but do get the snow, I'm not really sure. Specifically, does the liability with the wind get outweighed with the benefit of keeping snow and ice off of the slide? Safe travels! PS. yes sir...I am with Chris...I think you had a brief moment of speaking North Cakalaka or something hehehehe. It takes me back to the explanation of the solar power stuff.
Hey Alan! Yes, we are doing great! Lot's of good point of views, thank you for sharing! We don't do as much snow as you, but we do get that wind! Tough choice!
@@IreneIronTravels Yes...for sure. Maybe my opinion would change a bit once I retire and we start doing 1-2 month trips. But...I'm leaning away from the topper currently. Oh...and another point, when it snows, I kind of have to get up there to clear the snow off the solar panels. So...I'm up there anyways.
My biggest worry owning an RV (We also have a ORV Creekside, rear kitchen) is holes in it. So, I'm a no due to potential leaks from screw holes. Plus we live in the PNW with lots of rain. Most of our camping is boondocking in the National Forests, lots of evergreen needles.
I have a Lipper slide toper on my RV installed by the dealer and after 16 moths it ripped out of the RV when I slide out the unit and it ripped from the wall causing damage. Nothing indicated there was a problem. It seems the roller barrel or whatever it is called would not turn. Only knew it ripped out of the wall when I heard it. I contacted the dealer and Lippert who said that and since it was over 1 year old there was no warranty. I tried Lippert 4 times with no luck. I now have holes and a dent in the side of my unit. I’m not happy with their service nor the product
Being a solo female traveler, I'm in favor of no slides at all, unless I can, by myself, put it in or out manually, as electronics WILL fail. The awnings go in when windy, so the same should apply to slide toppers.
You have to remember that the roof of your slide out comes inside your rig when retracted. I would always have a topper. They are a pain to clean off when you are packing up buy I would rather take the time to clean the topper than to have water and debris inside the rig.
Great topics. Ok I had a kZ travel trailer had 2 slides. One had a topper but this model had a queen sized bed slide that pulled 6 ft out of rear of trailer with no topper. So when it rained really hard and windy without topper the wind would push the water right into the trailer so that is a reason to have a topper We have a BT Cruiser B Plus with a topper over side slide works great but as it gets older like Chris mentioned the topper sags ever so slightly causing water to pool on the topper. Being a clean freak as I am cursed to be. During the summer being at a spot a couple week mold would form In the small puddle then pour down the side of camper when retracting so I am always trying to prevent that situation. That said I would never do without a topper and think I will replace it soon with a new one 😅
Sun definitely heats up slides without toppers (at least on my older model); however, too windy in Midwest for me to consider. I have never experienced any water intrusion and been in some bad Midwest storms and one tornado.
If a camper has slide toppers from the factory, it would be removed from my list of campers to even look at. I have owned a camper with them and my issue was rain building up on the topper and not being able to close the slides. I tell RV salesmen right from the start not to offer slide toppers and never show me a camper with them. I am clearly NAY
I'm not sure. I ordered them for my RV, but I haven't slept in it yet. My first trip is in a couple of weeks and I'm hoping it's a yay! I'm definitely a YAY on the new series! 👍
You'll have to let us know how you like them! Most likely if you don't have wind, you won't even notice them! Thanks for the affirmation on the series Cary!
From the True Topper website FAQs: My RV has a flange across the top of the slideroom, can it still be retrofit with the True Topper™? Yes, we can retrofit most slide rooms to accommodate the True Topper™, even if your slideroom comes from the factory with a flange (lip) across the top of the slideroom.
Slide toppers do not waterproof your slide top. The seals keep it waterproof. Look at any high end rv. No slide toppers. It will keep stuff off though.
