Slide toppers

[RichnVinny]

Ok we're doing our walk through tomorrow and I asked the sales person at dealership about purchasing slide toppers she said not necessary as the advancement in technology in slide outs have better rubber seals and that slide toppers aren't necessary, true??? She turned down a huge up sell so I'm confused

 

[jnbhobe]

I wouldn't be without them. Last thing I want is to climb a ladder to clean off the roof.

 

[danemayer]

Ok we're doing our walk through tomorrow and I asked the sales person at dealership about purchasing slide toppers she said not necessary as the advancement in technology in slide outs have better rubber seals and that slide toppers aren't necessary, true??? She turned down a huge up sell so I'm confused

Slide toppers are a plus in hot sun, in rain, in snow, and under trees.

The only significant downside is that if you camp in very windy areas, they will flap and can make a racket. And in extreme weather - hurricane force winds for example - they could be damaged.

 

[pegmikef]

I wouldn't be without them. Last thing I want is to climb a ladder to clean off the roof.

X2 and we have been in a lot of strong Texas and Oklahoma winds and have had no problems.

 

[dbbls59]

I've had them on every 5er I have had. I don't like climbing up on the roof to clean it off. If I only camped in an area that was devoid of trees I might not get them.

 

['Lil Guy']

I always thought that they were just something else that could go wrong on our rig. But being new at this and reading this forum a lot, I definitely see their worth. Up until our last 2 outings, I have been crushing limbs and pine cones between the lip on the slides and side of our rig. I now take the tools needed to sweep them off before we depart. At nice RV parks or sites it's easy but at SP's or unlevel ground it's a pain. If you park near or under trees, you can count on limbs and debris landing up there. Not sure if DW is trying to jerk the ladder out from under me or not. Getting up in years, the thought of taking a dive from the ladder could be a bad end for an outing. I won't add them till we get our final rig after retirement in about a year. In the mean time I might do away with our step ladder of maginal height and get a small extension ladder if I can find one small enough to carry. Again, if I was buying a high end 5er, it would have the toppers.

 

[Grampafish]

I agree with the comments above. Our sales person convinced us not to order them because of the potential noise in the wind. After climbing on the roof to sweep off leaves, limbs, pine cones, and pine needles the first several trips, we had them installed. I believe they were a good bit more expensive as after market vs. factory installed. While the slide seals might be better than in the past, you can still damage the rubber roof on the slide when a limb or pine cone is pressed into it. We did have one wind event in Eastern Washington where we were forced to pull in the slides in a wind storm that took down fifty mature trees on the golf course near by. On a couple of occasions we did hear the topper over the bedroom slide but it wasn't bad. I'll take a little noise over climbing on the roof whenever we camp under trees. So, if you are only going to camp in RV parks and can always avoid trees, or if you view climbing on the roof as an enjoyable part of your routine before hitching up, you don't need them.

 

[JohnD]

I will only ever get them (slide toppers) if there was a way to unhook them and only use them when needed . . . kinda like the awnings!

Not sure why there isn't an option to leave them rolled up when you don't want or need them out.

And this is why I am of this opinion (and I was planning on getting one installed soon after this camp out):

Last July 4th. (2014) at St. Vrain State Park near Longmont, Colorado, the park rangers drove around and warned of a high wind warning . . .

We put our awning up where most everyone else left theirs out.

A few hours later (around 10 p.m.), a huge micro burst wind blew through the park (lasted about five seconds) and shook our trailer violently, and I was sitting in our slide out which was facing the wind.

When it was over I went outside and all that happened to us was that our lawn chairs and coolers had been blown out from under the trailer . . . but almost every single trailer and motor home around us lost all of their awnings and slide toppers!

Many of them left the next morning, even though the weekend wasn't over yet, and a couple of them packed up and left right after this happened.

These were all taken at the same park:



Shot of camper was the year before on July 4th weekend (2013), next two shots were taken looking west from our campsite, day shot on 7/3/14 and sunset was 7/5/14.

 

[JohnDar]

We had the dealer install them on our BH before we took possession. Have not had a problem with them making noise (yes, we get wind in northern Michigan). Like others, I made a support for the main slide topper to remove a bit of sag, but the other three all remain tight. They get extended in early May and stay out until late September. I don't pull the slides in when we're not at the rig, only retract the main awning.

If a gust of wind should damage them, that's what I pay insurance premiums for.

 

[mountainlovers76]

I wouldn't be without them. Last thing I want is to climb a ladder to clean off the roof.

Same here.

 

[sjandbj]

I have had them on all the units i have owned. I had the dealer order my unit from the factory with them installed. It was a bit cheaper this way. I have spent many trips in the rain. I was shocked at the amount of water runs off the toppers that would otherwise be on top of the slide and be surprised if I had to close the slides during the rain i am sure there would be water entering the inside of the rig. With the slide toppers I have never had a problem with water or debris. I would not have a unit without them.

Regards,
Steve

 

[jmgratz]

We have had them on every 5er except our current one. After the 2nd use of the current one I ordered the toppers from Heartland Parts and installed them myself. Not a hard job but time consuming. Never will be without them again.

 

[JohnD]

I love the idea of the slide toppers, but from what I've seen from others with them they seem to be more trouble than they are worth!

(see my post above about the wind storm at the state park we experienced last summer)

I keep a step ladder and a push broom with me, so no big deal to run the broom over the slide before putting it back in!

Not to mention that it is a good idea to have a look up there every now and then . . .

By the by . . . I also have two of those ice scraper/snow brushes for trucks with the extendable handle, and they are awesome for sweeping off the top of the slide outs.

 

[Jimnkarens]

Is there a way to "tighten up" the slide topper to prevent the sag and pooling of rain water?

 

[danemayer]

Is there a way to "tighten up" the slide topper to prevent the sag and pooling of rain water?

Yes. You have to remove the topper fabric and wind the spring-loaded shaft an extra turn. Then reinstall the topper fabric. Search Youtube for videos on how to replace the topper fabric.

HOWEVER, it's possible to cause problems with the slideout operation if you put too much tension on the topper.

 

[jmgratz]

Some people put a ball such as a small beach ball or basketball under the topper to keep water from pooling. I have seen some make a PVC device to raise it too. Also some in the Rio Grande Valley put a rop over the topper and tie it down to keep it from flapping. We have the fabric as tight as practical and if water pools on it just run the slide it to drain it off. That way we don't stretch the fabric. We just have found it to be a PITA to have to climb up a ladder on sometime unstable ground or when it is raining or cold to clean the topper off. Also the flopping is something we have learned to get used to.

 

[katkens-DW]

We wouldn't be without them either our trailer is 8 years and sit sets out in the sun all year and no problems .

 

[Crumgater]

Before slide-toppers, we would have wet carpet after sitting out in the rain for a few days (i.e. tailgating in the Fall in Seattle).

After slide-toppers. All is dry.
Sooo happy we have the slide-toppers! We put them on ourselves the 2nd year we had the Elkridge.

We have had to pull slides in to get some peace & quiet while sleeping when it's windy out (beach balls are good in low wind, but they went flying down the roadway a few times on really gusty days), but those times are few and far between - compared to the times it's raining around here, anyway.

 

[TandT]

Another "yes" for toppers. Trace

 

[brianlajoie]

I was up on a ladder pushing my D seal back into place on the top of the slide when I noticed that the top seal was not fully deploying. Seems slightly hung up. I am glad that the slide toppers are there for extra protection against the elements.