We put a caravan cover on our new caravan. This turned out to be a lesson in patience and preparation. If you have been following our touring blogs, you would of seen we have purchased a new second hand caravan. Our old and happy caravan stood for years out in all weathers, alongside a railway line in a storage unit. Sadly the weather aged the outer front and back sections which turned very yellow and brittle. The caravan itself is still fine just looking very tired. Our daughter and son in law bought us a new cover for the caravan. If you are interested in how we didn’t but then did manage to put it on the caravan, please read on. If you just want to see how we did it, then please just watch the video.

Does a caravan cover keep your van clean?

As a new caravan cover owner, I can’t answer that question definitively yet. I am not expecting my cover to keep the caravan mold free or even green free. I just want it to protect against the main harsh weather. Our cover is breathable, which means if it can breathe it can let water in. I will update this section when I have a good and proper answer.

Why we liked the “Kampa” caravan cover.

Our daughter and son in-law had one for their van, and they were very impressed with it. They actually bought one for us. The Kampa caravan cover has many good features. The cover is 4 ply soft green fabric that is strong. It looks like it is full of tiny holes but you can’t see through them. The label says is is polyester type fabric. The label on the box tells us it is …

• Non-abrasive
• Breathable
• UV stabilised
• Soft and lightweight – will not scratch
• For standard width caravans
• 4-Zips for easy access to your caravan, whilst in storage

   

How easy was it to put the “Kampa” caravan cover on?

Negative first try

Well, the cover did not come with any instructions.  They clearly thought it was self explanatory to get it on. We gave it a go thinking we would pull the cover over by the tapes. This was easier said than done. We got it half on but it was not easy and it got stuck on the aerial and solar panel. We did not have ladders with us, and it is steep on one side of our van.  Sadly we also neglected to un do the zips, this meant we stood no chance as it was so elasticated we never would of got it to the corners.

After failing it was a shock to try roll the cover up again so it fit into it’s bag. We ended up putting straps around it to keep it rolled up, and we stored it in the car boot, ready for another try. We went home and searched the Internet for any information on how best to put the Kampa caravan cover onto the caravan. We found lots of video’s of men using 2 long ladders, one on either side, with 2 people to pull the covers across the roof. But we only found 1 video with the Kampa cover. Sadly it was not our model type cover and theirs had no elastic or zippers and it covered the towing end as well.

Two days later, I was walking around the garden and tripped over a washing line pole which was lying on the ground. That was the beginning of a plan to try the cover again…

Positive second try

Armed with two extendable washing line poles we tried again. This time we unzipped all 4 zippers and laid it out on the ground. we found it had a definite front and back. Putting the cover down as it was going to go on enabled us to push the fully extended washing line poles under the back seams and lift it while we walked down the sides. It did snag on the aerial a couple of times but that was because we had more cover on one side than the other and it was pulling against the aerial. Once we realised what the problem was we managed to get it on, straightened out and strapped down very easily.

TOP TIP: Use extendable washing line poles to lift your covers on and off.

  

 

  

How is the caravan cover secured?

This cover has:

• Elastic all the way around the under opening.
• There are 4 zippers on each corner. they have tabs to keep the zippers from loosening.
• Large long straps go from midway up on one side of the van, down and under the chassis, up to the midway secure points on the other side.

Kampa Caravan Cover sizing.

When you buy a cover they give you guide lines to what side you need. The covers kind of go over 3 sizes in one cover. Our caravan is 19ft long, however as it has an aerial on top you should add a bit more “space” on as it needs to go over it. The cover size is measure for flat roofed vans not those with bits on the top. The cover size was 19ft to 21ft. This means we have a bit of extra flappy space but it is not bad and we will just live with it not being exact.

Comes in the following sizes:-

12 – 14ft / 365 – 425cm.

14 – 17 ft / 425 – 520cm

17 – 19ft / 520 – 580cm

19 – 21ft / 580 – 640cm

21 – 23ft / 640 – 700cm

23 – 25ft / 700 – 760cm

      

 

 

Watch the “Kampa” caravan cover go on the caravan… this was the second attempt.

 

 

Happy caravaning, I will up date how the cover preforms.

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