Last Updated on March 7, 2024
Anyone who owns an RV should understand the importance of toppers. They are the best way to protect your coach especially as your rig starts to age. With age, the seals around your slider start to break down, and once damaged you run the risk of water leakage. Slide toppers help to protect the slider and the seals so that it last longer and protect you for more camping trips. The best toppers will prevent mildew buildup and will protect your RV slider from harsh weather as well as any debris.
Having a topper for your slider has more advantages than disadvantages:
• It protects your slider from sun damage as UV rays are known to weaken materials.
• It protects your slider from falling debris or materials that get thrown around during harsh weather.
• Easy to clean. As you close the slider, the topper allows anything on top to just roll-off, so you don’t have to climb up to clean odd the debris.
• Keeps moisture of snow or rain away from the slider seals, thus protecting the inside of your RV from water.
With all these benefits, there seems to be every reason to get a slider topper for your RV. The biggest complaint you may hear about topper is that they tend to flap around in the wind. Depending on the angle and strength of the wind this can be a nuisance, but it doesn’t really outweigh the overall benefits you get from having one.
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Slider covers or toppers are easy to install and come in a variety of colors so you can get something to match your RV. It is best to meet with an RV specialist so they can help design the right configuration for the topper that you will need. It is important to have the right fit in order to get maximum protection. As with anything, time and aging will wear a product down, and eventually, your topper will need to be replaced or repaired. Parts and materials are readily available at RV dealers and supply shops.
So long as you properly care for the slider topper, it should give you many years of coverage. Regular cleaning in between trips is the best way to ensure debris does not build up and weaken the materials. While most debris will fall away as you roll the slider in, some may get left behind and this will need to be cleaned. This is easy to do using a ladder and a long handle broom or windshield wiper brush with some soap and water. Leaf blowers are also a great tool for quickly cleaning off a topper.
The Lippert slide topper was just installed a couple of days ago and I haven’t had a long experience with it in different weather, but it went on easier than I expected and it looks and works great. It works as anticipated and all the parts for a new install are present. The product is well made of quality components and appears to be of durable construction and we are well pleased with it.
Installing the Slide Top took a pair of hours and was pretty easy. you wish a second pair of hands to guide the awning on the track, otherwise, it is a one-person operation. All the brackets, screws, and straps connecting the material to the camper were included. All you would like to feature may be a sealant where the mounts meet the slider and RV.