By Chuck Woodbury
EDITOR
I was talking to my neighbor in the RV park. He’s a traveling nurse on his way from his last assignment in Cooperstown, New York, to his next one near Atlanta. After talking about what it’s like to be a traveling nurse (good, with lots of job opportunities), the discussion turned to RVs.
The subject of slideout toppers came up. Slideout toppers, if you do not know, are like awnings that cover your RV’s slideouts to keep out water and debris. His Montana Fifth Wheel does not have toppers. My motorhome does. So this is not a topic I have thought about much.
He said that when it’s raining or has been raining, he needs to get up on his roof to clean the top of his slides. He uses a towel to remove as much water as he can. “If I don’t, water drips into the RV,” he said.
That sounds like a bad thing to me. The last thing I want in my RV is water, except in the sinks and shower. I’m pretty sure you feel the same.
But now I’m curious: If your RV DOES NOT HAVE slideout toppers does rain water seep in when you pull in the slides? Please feel free to leave a comment.
##RVT815 ##RVDT1373
The problem was not when retracting slides, however. The water somehow seeped in, invisibly, and rotted out the floors in the three slides.
I have a topper on my bedroom slide because it goes straight in without tilting, but I don’t have toppers on my other 2 slides because they tilt slightly as they come in & water drains off.
Our 2016 Silverback does not have slide toppers on two of its slides due to the cathedral ceilings. We need to remove debris and water from the tops before retracting or we will get a dribble of water wetting the carpet.
George..I have brand new keystone..it does a great job of keeping the water out..almost..there is a little left on the top surface when the slide is brought in..either wipe up with towel or let air dry..moisture is inside ..even if its just a little..will start things to mold then rot..the rubber seal is good but I will be putting a topper over my slide..have also found pine needles inside from the slide top..thin items will go under..
Water is not the only issue, leaves, pine needles, acorns, sticks/branches, etc. can get to the seals and will damage them. Manufacturers who do not install slide toppers are doing buyers a disservice in the long run, it reduces the initial cost but increases the lifetime expense.
A slide awning will not keep the top of your slide dry. Any angle to the rain falling will get onto the top of your slide. Slide awnings are great at keeping debris off the slide. With or without slide awnings, when it’s time to hook up, raise or lower the front end of your trailer and almost all the water will run off the slide before it comes in. I have slide awnings on all four of my slides and would recommend them to everyone.
The manufacturer of my 5th wheel did not recommend slide out awnings, NUWA, Hitchhiker. My trailer is 11 years old and never had water leak inside when bringing the slides in. The slides tilt up when you start to bring them in, any standing water runs off then. The 5th wheel we had before this had the slide topper awnings and they were a pain, noisy in the wind, rain would puddle on them, even had ice form on them once when camping in the spring. We are thinking about replacing our current trailer and I was wondering if the new one would need or have to have the awnings, I hope not.
Our MH has slide toppers but none of our trailers (TT and 5th) ever did. We never got water in when they were out but there was some on top that didn’t drain when it was tilted. Our MH is the same – even with toppers there can be water on it due to rain blowing in and/or due to the low spot on the top of the slide. I usually will put a couple towels up there but I have forgotten which results in the driver have a ‘shower’!
I always clean off the top of my slide before retracting it, my best friend does not so far neither one of us had an issue!
My slides’ ceilings all angle outward when deployed and even steeper while rolling in. Although it raises humidity to bring in wet slides, even water brought “inside” continues to run outward and (as far as i can tell) down drain channels to pavement.
We have never had an issue with water on our slides. I do sweep off the slides before retracting just to remove debris that could harm the seals.
Awnings over slides also offer some “quieter times” when it’s raining. The rain hits the awning and not the top of the slide which, to me, is like being in a drum when it’s right above my pillow.
I have slide toppers on my current motorhome (2005 Dutch Star) but did not have them on the last one (2000 Dutch Star) and have not had much problem with either. I did occasionally have water and leaves on the slide when bringing it in with the 2000 and had to climb up on the roof to sweep snow off the slide to get it in on one occasion. Never really wanted toppers, but they were already on this one and seem to work well reducing water and debris but will need to be replaced soon as they are always exposed to sun and wind when out.. I still consider them a cure worse than the disease.
Our 2001 CrossRoads All American came with a slideout topper. It needed replacing when we bought the trailer last year so I went online to get instructions. Fairly simple and straightforward. Saved a lot of money doing it myself. Same with the 19′ main awning.
We chose not to have slide toppers on our 2017 DRV Mobile Suites 44 Memphis fifth wheel and are very happy with our decision. Our 2 super slides are 18′ and 20′ long. It depends on where we park (if there are trees or it is an open area). Sometimes we tilt the front up so water runs off the slides and roof right before retracting the slides, and other times we squeegee/sweep the slides before sliding them in. We have not had water issues when sliding the slides in. The pro of not having toppers is that we can walk on our slide-outs (some brands you cannot walk on the slide-outs). We have a lot of solar on our roof and being able to walk on the slide-outs makes setting up/tilting the panels easier. We’ve seen/heard cons about toppers: 1) critters like to make their nests or store food under them if the RV is stationary for any amount of time, 2) water/leaves/debris creates sags in the toppers and then they need replacement more often (no toppers = no replacement cost). It comes down to personal preference, not a disservice from a dealer one way or the other. We don’t mind climbing on top of the rig to keep up with the maintenance, others don’t want to go up on the roof.
We have a 2007 Fleetwood Expedition and on our recent trip the topper over our full side slide broke. So we had it removed and finished the trip with out the topper. But we did experience water leaking into the back corner and we got a lot more dirt inside the RV.
I have two RVs a 30 TT with 18ft slide no topper and a 41ft 5er with. three slides w/toppers. I will be removing the toppers, especially the 20ft one over the living room slide. The tube is so warped it will hardly roll up any more, just too long. I have never had water come in on my TT slide with no topper. In fact I sometimes take a hose to it to spray it off just before retracting, never had water come in. Never had water come in with my toppers either but way more of a pain to get the two long ones to roll up and they flap in the wind, just more of a pain than without. Like I said – they will be removed in the near future.
I went from a Holiday Rambler Presidential with slide toppers to a Crossroads Rushmore without slide toppers. I can honestly say that I am much happier without the slide toppers. I have had no problems with any leaks with the Rushmore when the slides are out or when I retract them back in. The amount of dust entering the 5th wheel is more on retracting the slide in; however, that is an easy fix with my swifter. With the Presidential, the slide toppers became a major pain in the neck. If it rained to much, they would sag and I would have to slide them in to remove the excess water. Any high winds I would have to pull the slides so the toppers did not get ripped or torn off the rig. Lastly, there is the expense of replacing the toppers. After 7 years of use, I had to replace the toppers on the Presidential; it cost over $3000!!!! I have had the Rushmore for a little over a year and so far life is GREAT with no toppers.
Like some others here, most (but not all) of the water drains off when I pull my slides in. But there is always some remaining and we have to put towels up there or it will fly everywhere when we start driving. Snow, however, is a whole other problem. My slides bring snow in, and a lot of it. Three times this spring we got overnight snow on travel days and I had to go up on the roof and shovel the slides off – that’s really not fun when the roof is covered with snow! Raising the front of the RV doesn’t help. I guess I could wait until the snow melted but was trying to get on the road before noon (and a couple of the days it just wasn’t that warm). My next RV will have slide toppers.
We bought a 2013 Cougar new without slide covers. After having to wipe it down or get up and remove debris several times we had a slide topper installed and it completely solved the problem. It also protects the seals around the slide from damage should something be up there and missed. It is a cheap solution and highly recommended.
We do not have slide-out awnings. I knew about them when we purchased our 2015 model, but just didn’t think about them when we did our PDI. I wish they would have been offered; we definitely would have gotten them. They are on the list. Having said all that, we bought a WORX lightweight cordless blower and always carry an aluminum ladder. Works great for blowing off debris. Have never had an issue with leaking. Never even thought about it til now.
Water leaking inside is a problem of the slide seals, not the toppers. We had a 5th-wheel without toppers and never had any problems that couldn’t be fixed easily with a broom, including snow and leafy debris. We now own a motorhome with topper. After the expense and hassle of broken springs, torn fabrics….
Our vote would be to do without them.
We’ve been fairly lucky so far with all the rigs we’ve owned. The only one that leaked was our 04 motorhome that had toppers. I’m not a fan of having toppers due to the fact that they still get a lot of leaves and whatever under them, also when the winds get really bad they flop all the time , noisy when trying to sleep and very worrisome wondering when they’ll rip and be “GONE WITH THE WIND”
We have had a 30′ TT with slide and now a 5th wheel with 2 slides. No awnings and no water coming in when retracting the slides. I sweep the tops to remove pine needles and leaves before bringing them in, if we have been parked for more than a few days. If its just rain or a bit of snow, we don’t worry about it. Figure a little moisture wouldn’t hurt much of anything and it hasn’t.
I have a 35′ 2014 Fleetwood Bounder 34 M with Stoppers.
I have found that even with the toppers, there is leakage especially from our largest living room slide out.
The issue is not consistent, but has happened twice during our month-long trip
I am being led to believe that the seals were not installed properly. The horizontal top seal should have been installed over the two vertical side seals.
Any suggestions or comments?
I have toppers on two slides and none on the third. For it I slightly extend the awning to cover it which does the trick. When I have forgotten to extend the awning and have an accumulation of rain water, I lower the front jacks enough to get a tilt to run the water off. This technique has been successful with no water coming inside when I then retract the slide.
Two of my three slides tilt slightly when retracting & any accumulated water drains off the slide. The third slide (bedroom) does not tilt, so water came in with the slide when retracting, so I added a topper to that slide. No additional water problems for the last 10 years of fulltiming.
Toppers on 2 slides. Never had water come into the 5th wheel. Kept the top of the slides clean from debris too.
My current RV does have slide awnings. However my previous 5th wheel did not. While the slides should have a “wiper seal” around the sides and top, I found they seldom if ever effectively wiped off the top of my slide. As a result, I always had a puddle of water on the floor after bringing in the slide. Sometimes it wasn’t noticed until I began to move then the water would come rushing off the top and onto the flooring.
2016 Glacier Peak 5th wheel, 2 slides, no toppers, never had water come in no matter what state’s downpour we were in
Our Montana has slide toppers on all the slides. As pointed out by many below there are pros and cons either way. One thing I have not read mentioned as a pro is that slide toppers do help keep the rig a bit cooler when the hot summer sun is beating down on it.
So many great comments. We have a 2016 Holiday Rambler Vacationer with toppers. In May 2020 while driving east on route 80, our main topper literally unraveled and ripped. It all happened so fast. I pulled our rig over, climb on the roof and take a knife to cut it completely off. Now back at home base and wondering if we should have another installed.
I don’t have toppers on either side of my full wall slides. I don’t have any water leak in how ever I do have a corner in my living room that I need adjustments on as it doesn’t extend out all the way so when it rains it will get wet along that that inside wall behind the driver’s seat.
My 2005 Jayco slide does not have a topper on it and has never leaked. I do clean it often but it has never leaked. If your slide is leaking then it is a seal issue. My understanding was that toppers were made to keep leaves, sticks, etc. out so you do not have to climb up to remove such stuff before closing in slides. If you install a topper to fix a leak in your slide then that is just putting a band aid on the problem.
We do not have toppers on our slides of our Heartland, Torque. We have never had them leak.
Just added toppers to our new Grand Design. Would not be without them after having them on our old Montana. They really do a great job keeping leaves, etc. off the slide tops. The only issue is wind flapping once they break-in, stretch with time. But, a rope or electric cord thrown over the topper alleviates the flapping for the few times it may be necessary.
Our current Country Coach has toppers, which recently became a major repair expense when they finally got too worn to use after 12 years. Our 5th wheel, which preceded the Class A, had none. It never leaked in a storm, but I did have to be careful to remove leaves, branches, or even snow that would accumulate up there before pulling them in. I’d prefer having toppers to not…
I do not have a slide out topper and yes I get a bit of water inside, if it has rained, recently, before retracting the slide. The amount is negligable and all shows up on the vinyl floor. A quick wipe with a towel is all that is necessary. Unless I should experience worse, I’m not inclined to add a topper. Lance 1995 TT
No toppers on 09 Jayco… …no leaks on several slides. I do sweep if there’s heavy leaves or snow before retracting slides. If yours leaks it’s a seal issue that should be fixed.
I have never had water leak in when slides are out and when ready to retract slides I make sure water and other are swept off or you can raise the front of the trailer or 5er and the slides will drain. I also have lubed the slide seals which keeps them pliable and keep water out.
Ken Serr
We didn’t have toppers on our trailer but I got tired of getting on top to sweep off leaves and pine straw. Water was not a problem. I measured, ordered and installed toppers and now I go on top to clean and inspect the roof 2 or 3 times a year.
I had slide toppers added at the factory when my 2016 Wildcat 295rsx was built. I’ve never had a leak problem but I’ve been in contact with others with this same model and both of them had slide leak problems on their bedroom slide. In both cases the dealer or factory installed slide toppers and in both cases their leak problems stopped. It’s now been about 5 years and none of us with that model have had any water penetration at all since.
We have a Newmar with 4 slides. There are toppers on three slides and the fourth slide without a topper is slanted so water runs off, not in.
If you have a topper how do you treat the top seal with a lubricant?
You can get a spray lubricant that will reach your seals.
Our motorhome had slide toppers that I happily removed and discarded. They were noisy in high winds. Worse, was when parked for a long time I found paper wasps adhering nests beneath the topper. My wife is deathly allergic to stings and I could not chance having all or parts of nests remaining stuck and finding wasps INSIDE of the house while driving down the road. As far as water from melting frost on the roof, I simply laid towels in the floor at each end of the retracted slides which quickly and completely absorbed melted frost – same for any temporarily trapped rainwater, i spoke with.an RV technician who said slide toppers can be huge problems and you are better off without them.
On all my trailers travel and 5th wheels none had slide toppers, I always raised the front up a few inches before I went up on the roof to blow trash off the slides with a leaf blower, now that I’m 77 I don’t go on the roof unless I have to and slide toppers are on my slides and will be there always.
We have an Aspen Trail 2340BHS with one slide, no topper. Have been in heavy rains, but no leaks when out or while bringing in.
We don’t have slide toppers, and have never had water drip inside the 5th wheel when retracting the slides, even after a heavy rain.
If the sides of your slides are wet, be sure you will bring water. Slide topper or not, I’d never bring in my slides without inspecting tops and sides. Plus, you could have ants under your topper and bring them inside. Right now, I’m still not sure what’s best.
I now have a topper after pulling in the topper several times and watching water drip down the sides. The first time I thought it was a puppy accident. The second time I actually watched it run down the side of the slide.
MY 2011 K-Z Spree has no toppers and I have never had a leak as far as I know. I would like a topper to prevent leaves and sticks from landing on the slide in the fall.
You should not have any problems at all when it comes to protecting your already hefty investment, and the part that needs the most attention is the slide-out room.
The seals around the slide-out room will be the one that gets hit the hardest as it has to deal with wear and tear due to the moving parts. It will also need to deal with the effects of the weather. When the damage to the seals get too much, it will cause serious issues, such as leaking and mold and mildew growth. I think so