A caravan cover is more than just a caravan accessory. It falls squarely within the category of caravan essentials. Your home-on-wheels is an asset and a cover goes a long way in keeping it protected from the elements over extended periods of disuse. New caravan owners are often at a loss when it comes to buying the right caravan cover and a very common source of their dilemma is the size of the cover. With so many brands of caravans and covers out there things can get a little confusing, very fast.
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So here’s what you should know about measuring your caravan for its new cover. It’s actually pretty simple!
After you have identified whether you need a Camper Trailer, Pop Top, Motorhome or Full Height Caravan Cover, you just need one measurement - the external length of your caravan at its longest points. Tip: your internal floorplan length as quoted by the manufacturer can be different to the exterior length due to the wall thickness and added compartments like storage boots. So be sure to measure the exterior length of your caravan body only yourself. Height and widths are standardised for most commercially available camper trailer, pop top and full height caravan covers. The caravan and pop top covers have a generic back sloping front for a better fit to suit the shape of your caravan. Approximately 300mm of room is allocated for roof top accessories like air conditioners, antennas and solar panels. So just measure the external length of the caravan and you’re good to go.
Measuring the length of your caravan
Caravan cover sizes are based on the external length of your caravan body only and are available in a range of sizes up to 26 foot or nearly 8m in total length. The adjustable straps can shorten the cover by up to 600mm or 2 foot for a tighter fit if needed. The range of length the cover will fit is specified on the box by the manufacturer. You can cover things like gas bottles, spare tyres or tool boxes as well, but just remember if you include these items in your external length measurement, the space above these items will not be filled out which can cause some excess bagginess. Sometimes you can get away with stretching the cover over smaller accessories like gas bottles or spare tyres, especially if your exterior length is on the shorter limit of the caravan cover length range. Most caravan covers will mention their sizes in feet and inches, but even if you measure in metres and centimetres, you can always use an online converter to get your reading in the right units.
Remember, physically measuring your caravan is essential before you pick a cover for it. Don’t rely on the caravan size mentioned in its accompanying manual. Chances are that this refers to the internal length of your caravan and trust us – there’s a difference.
Less is more
Before you finalise your choice of caravan cover, take a moment to understand how it works. After draping the cover over the body of your caravan, straps and buckles attached to the hems are clipped into place under the chassis. After this, any excess fabric is gathered up and secured by means of cinching systems in the back and/or front of the cover. This is an important step that secures a tighter fit around your caravan and also prevents the fabric from billowing too much.
Get some help
If you’re looking at buying your new caravan cover with Caravan RV Camping, ask for our help with the measurements. We can guide you over the phone or over our online chat on our website to the correct caravan cover for you. Plus, this will help you get a second opinion on whether you’ve arrived at the right size after measuring your caravan.
Measuring your caravan for the correct cover is not that difficult, although you’d do well to keep the above precautions in mind when you go about it. Good luck with your cover shopping!
DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.
Comments (1)
Caravan Cover correct size
We have measured the length of our caravan for a cover as you have shown. It measures 19.6ft can you recommend the correct size for us to purchase.By: Joanne Wilson on
www.caravanrvcamping.com.au Response
Hi Joanne, we would recommend a 20-22 foot for this one. You can go the 18-20 foot, yet it might be a bit tight in case the measurements are a little off or there is something else unaccounted for
