How to Choose the Right Cover for Your Caravan or Motorhome

Storage & Protection Guide

A practical guide from Bedam Leisure — caravan & motorhome specialists

A good cover is the cheapest insurance your van will ever have. Left uncovered on the drive or in storage, the roof takes a year-round battering from UV, acid rain, tree sap, bird mess and green algae — and it is the roof, the bit you never see, that quietly ages the fastest. But a cover only helps if it is the right one. The wrong cover can do more harm than no cover at all, so it is worth getting this decision right.

We sell a lot of covers, and we get asked the same handful of questions every time. Here is how we'd choose one, in the order that actually matters.

1 The fabric

Breathable is the whole ballgame

If you remember one thing from this guide, make it this: the cover must breathe. A caravan or motorhome is never completely dry — moisture evaporates up from the ground and seeps out of the bodywork all winter. A breathable cover lets that water vapour pass out through the fabric while still keeping rain out. A cheap non-breathable plastic tarpaulin does the opposite: the moisture gets trapped underneath, the van "sweats", and you end up with exactly the damp, mould and streaking you were trying to prevent. Hard plastic covers are the single most common cause of the external damp we see — avoid them completely.

The covers worth buying use a multi-layer non-woven fabric, usually described as three- or four-ply. The outer layers shed rain and carry a UV-resistant treatment (without it, a cover degrades in a season or two of sunlight), while the softer inner layer sits against your paintwork. That soft inner face matters more than people realise — it is what stops the fabric scuffing your gel-coat every time the wind moves it.

Bigger tourer? The same range runs right up to the Caravan Cover Max XXLarge (21–23ft) (£176.99), so there is a size for most twin-axle vans.

2 The size

Measure first — a cover that fits is a cover that works

This is where most people come unstuck. A cover that is too big flaps in the wind, and flapping fabric is what rubs through paint and wears the cover out at the seams. A cover that is too small won't close underneath and leaves the bottom of the van exposed. Neither does its job.

Get a tape measure out before you order. For a caravan, measure the body length — the box itself, not including the A-frame and hitch out front. For a motorhome or campervan, measure the full overall length of the vehicle including any overhang, and match it to the metre band on the cover. Always check the individual cover's own size guide, because ranges vary between models. If you are between sizes, size up slightly and take up the slack with the straps rather than stretching a cover that is too tight.

3 The fit

Fitting it without scratching your van

Two rules save more paintwork than anything else. First, always wash and dry the van before you cover it. A single piece of grit trapped between fabric and gel-coat becomes sandpaper the moment the wind gets up, so a clean surface is the cheapest scratch-prevention there is. Second, tension it properly. Every strap wants to be snug so the cover sits still — a taut cover doesn't flap, and a cover that doesn't flap doesn't wear or rub.

Fitting is usually a two-person job. A small step ladder and a soft broom help you feed the cover over the roof, and it pays to go slowly around anything that sticks up — satellite domes, aerials, roof bars and rooflights all love to snag fabric. Where the cover pulls over a sharp corner or a protruding fitting, a bit of padding underneath stops it wearing through. And if you'll want to get inside during the off-season, choose a cover with a zipped door flap so you are not wrestling the whole thing off just to fetch something.

Leave it to breathe. Don't cinch the cover so tight there is zero gap against the bodywork. A little airflow underneath helps any trapped moisture evaporate rather than sitting on the surface — breathable fabric plus a small air gap is the winning combination.

4 On the road

Don't forget the front while you're towing

Covers aren't only for standing storage. The most vulnerable panel on a caravan is the front, which takes a constant blast of grit, tar and stone chips thrown up off the road every time you tow. A breathable towing cover fits over the front of the van and takes that punishment instead of your paint and windows — and because it breathes, it won't trap road spray against the panel underneath.

5 Lighter options

If a full cover isn't for you

Not everyone wants to wrestle a full cover on and off, and that is fine — there are lighter ways to protect the parts that suffer most. A roof-only top cover shields the flattest, most weather-beaten surface from sap, algae and bird mess while leaving the sides open and easy to access. And on a campervan or motorhome you park up daily, a shaped cover cut for your exact model goes on far more easily than a universal one.