Should I get a slide topper awning?
Is a slide topper awning a good or bad idea? While the theory is that slide topper awnings can protect the top of the slide room when it’s extended the reality is the answer is not so simple. Using our experience handing RV warranty claims, here’s what we know.
What is a slide topper awning
Slide topper awnings are awnings that open with your slide room to protect the top of the slide. The thought is that the awning keeps debris and water from collecting on the roof of your slide.
That slide room is outside when the room is extended but is inside when it’s not. Therefor keeping the roof of the slide clean is an important factor. That’s the thought behind slide topper awnings - they protect the top of the slide room.
A damaged slide topper awning that the owner had to mitigate before leaving the campground.
But they’re also an awning so, like the main awning, they need to be kept clean and maintained. Furthermore they can blow in the wind and can blow so fiercely that they get ripped off the side of the coach or cause damage to the roof of the slide. Remember any awning is essentially a giant sail and, like the one on a boat, can catch enough wind to really make things move.
The mechanism for these is intended to keep the awning taught but if the wind blows strongly enough, it can pull out more fabric. Under the right circumstances it can then flap in a strong wind and literally slap the top of your slide room.
Remember that the roof of your slide room is likely made of the same material as the roof of your RV. In most cases this is typically a rubber or flexible membrane such as TPO or PVC. Having a slide topper slap the roof of the slide room is not ideal.
I want to protect my slide roof
Tying down a slide topper awning to keep it from flapping in the breeze.
Naturally you want to do everything you can to protect the roof of your slide rooms.
While the roof itself is one area to keep clear of debris, you’ll also want to make sure that debris doesn’t damage the seals of the slide room. Even small items like pine needles can gang up on you and cause damage to the slide seals or slide roof if they get caught in the seal. Furthermore wet leaves or other damp debris can stick to the roof of the slide and then get brought in when you bring in the slide room.
A slide topper awning can protect the roof of the slide room from this kind of gunk and, since it rolls in when you bring the slide room in, you assume these sticky, damp things roll right off the front of the slide topper.
But that’s not always the case. Sometimes leaves and other damp debris can stick to the slide topper awning as well. As the slide comes in the awning rolls up and leaves and such can stay there.
While they’re trapped in the slide topper awning they can rot and mildew and actually damage the slide topper awning as well. I think many of us have seen the patio awning on an RV where the underside looks terribly dirty - the same can happen to a slide topper awning and you don’t often actually inspect the underside.
What’s the solution?
The easiest solution is to not get slide topper awnings at all. Instead, a broom and an RV slide sweep might be the easiest way to do things. Of course our friend Joe C gets on the roof of his RV and blows off the top of the slide room before he brings it in, and that’s not a bad idea either.
Obviously you’ll want to be careful that you don’t fall off the roof when climbing onto it and, not all RV roofs are walkable.
This is why I like the RV Slideout Sweep. It’s a simple, inexpensive tool to keep the tops of your slide rooms clean. There are essentially no down sides to this gadget.
Your bonus tip
If you’re like me and dislike heights one of the ways I inspect the top of a slide room before bringing it in is with my GoPro camera on a long selfie stick. I kid you not. My GoPro allows me to get a preview of what’s on the camera through my phone so I can watch what my GoPro sees without ever getting up there.
Happy Camping!
