Camper storage - up or down?

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David C 707

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I have a Fleet model on the way, and I'm building a shed roof to store it under when it's off the truck. I imagine it could be there for up to three or four months at a time. The rest of the time it will be on the truck, parked under cover, and down. I live very near the northern California coast, a fairly wet climate.

Do I need to make the storage shed roof high enough to pop up the camper? Is that necessary for some or all of the time in storage?

Thanks again for your help. This is a fine forum.

David C.
 
I have a friend who has a mid-1980's Keystone with original canvas. He stores it inside his shop with the top up. The canvas is still in great shape. I don't know if they use 303 on it or how often if they do but I will try to remember to ask and update this info. They used the camper most recently this past summer for a multi-week trip into Canada and back. No leaks. No problems.

I had a used 1985 Keystone and the top was in fair to poor shape when I sold the camper awhile back. It had been stored outside and closed for most of its life.
 
Following this... Conventional wisdom would tell me (in my situation), that storing outside, under a high carport cover with the top up would expose the tent canvas to UV radiation. Less UV is best on most things stored outside. I am new to RV stuff however...My experience is with sailboats.
 
If I were building custom storage for my pop up, I would definitely build it so that I could pop up while still under the overhang. Not saying that I would leave the roof popped all the time, quite the contrary, but it would be nice to be able to air it out once in a while and also be able to work on the camper, something I tend to do a lot, without having to move it out of some type of custom shelter.
 
Another thought, if you have the jack stands, you will need to allow enough height obviously to allow backing in with your truck, but you could thereafter lower the jacks on the camper as much as possible and then pop up the top, this may help reduce the overall height and cost of the structure.
 
Side walls are not canvas on current FWCs...I believe they are a form of hypalon [synthetic rubber].

I open the buckles on my top and push it up a couple of inches to relieve the folding at the corners....only time will tell if the top should be stored open...our Hawk is stored inside our garage/shop so never stored outside in weather or the high UV out here.

Phil
 
We leave our camper roof up for several days after every trip to dry the space between the fabric and the lift panels. After the final trip we remove everything over-the-cab to dry the that space for several days to a week with the roof up. After that, we store with the roof down and roof latches off.
 
I'm in the Ca foothills and my Hawk is always outside. I leave the latches off and raise the roof from time to time and run a fan inside just to keep it dry. Condensation is my biggest concern here in the winter as it's in the low 30's in the morning and then the sun comes up and hits the side of the camper. When there's heavy rain or wind in the forecast I latch the roof down just in case. Seems like I'm often in the camper monitoring my battery, making mods, or other maintenance so I probably have it popped up half the time. I'd say make your roof at least tall enough to have the top up.
 
I am in Canada. Right now, I know of 2 popup campers and a popup roof van being stored outside with the tops up. I imagine they are pulling the snow load off of them, but dont know their reasoning about leaving them up.......Maybe the just forgot?.....lol
 
Our camper is stored outside, covered with tarps to protect from UV and the weather. I keep a 1 gallon container of Damp-rid inside and check the camper every couple of weeks. When we return from a trip, I try to air things out during the day for a couple of days. In a perfect world, storing in a garage with the top up would be the most ideal solution. jd
 
longhorn1 said:
Our camper is stored outside, covered with tarps to protect from UV and the weather. I keep a 1 gallon container of Damp-rid inside and check the camper every couple of weeks. When we return from a trip, I try to air things out during the day for a couple of days. In a perfect world, storing in a garage with the top up would be the most ideal solution. jd
Click to expand...
In our climate, storage under a tarp leads to lots of mold and moss...Yuck!
 
Although I have a Hallmark I would think the same principal applies. When we went to pick ours up I asked one of the owners, Matt, and he said if we have the room to store it with the top up.
So far, so good!
 
In my earlier post I forgot to add that creases create weak spots in many if not most materials (even materials like Kevlar and Hypalon) Large temperature changes cause the material to shrink and swell as well as stiffen when cold which in turn likely increases the forces on the crease line in a canvas folded up and top latched closed scenario. This can serve as a mechanical aging mechanism.

Crease lines are often where cracks and tears originate. If it is possible it makes sense to minimize creasing by storing open. It also makes sense to store inside if possible to minimize the exposure to large changes in temperature. Of course storing open and inside is likely to be the best solution.

Craig
 
If one can afford the extra height, why not build it?
It sure is nice when it comes time to load the FWC before travel.
 

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My camper has always been on full time and "stored" out doors with the top down unless i'm working on it. Since we relocated to the PNW from SoCal I have not used the camper for the last 4 months. The camper is still on the truck outside in the rain, snow and sun. You could have shot me dead when I opened it up and saw mold from top to bottom, stem to stern and water sitting on the counter tops and floor - devastated to say the least. Now i have to pull the headliner down to find the leak then gut the interior and start all over.
I will be building a storage garage to keep it in when not in use.
 
Captm said:
My camper has always been on full time and "stored" out doors with the top down unless i'm working on it. Since we relocated to the PNW from SoCal I have not used the camper for the last 4 months. The camper is still on the truck outside in the rain, snow and sun. You could have shot me dead when I opened it up and saw mold from top to bottom, stem to stern and water sitting on the counter tops and floor - devastated to say the least. Now i have to pull the headliner down to find the leak then gut the interior and start all over.
I will be building a storage garage to keep it in when not in use.
Click to expand...
What a bummer. Hope it goes well and it is easy to fix.
 
Captm said:
My camper has always been on full time and "stored" out doors with the top down unless i'm working on it. Since we relocated to the PNW from SoCal I have not used the camper for the last 4 months. The camper is still on the truck outside in the rain, snow and sun. You could have shot me dead when I opened it up and saw mold from top to bottom, stem to stern and water sitting on the counter tops and floor - devastated to say the least. Now i have to pull the headliner down to find the leak then gut the interior and start all over.
I will be building a storage garage to keep it in when not in use.
Click to expand...
Obvious question since what you describe is not the norm...how did the water get inside?

Thanks,

Phil
 
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