Caravan Cover Buying Guide: How to Choose a Caravan Cover

Knowing why you need a caravan cover is one thing; knowing which type of cover is right for you is the next logical step. To understand that, you need to know what types of covers are available and what each one offers relative to your needs. So here’s the Coverworld guide to making the right purchase.

Three main factors come into this decision. The first is whether you need hail protection or sun protection for when the caravan is stored at its usual location. Budget is the second consideration, and that ties in with the third major factor: whether you require a custom-fitted cover or not.

What are the three types of caravan covers available?

Coverworld’s caravan cover range includes distinct models starting with a ready-made one-piece cover for general protection, a custom-made Stormcover for hail and impact protection, and a custom-made Suncover for UV protection. Each model is designed to work in a specific storage scenario and suit a range of budgets.

Feature	Ready-made Caravan Cover	Caravan Stormcover	Caravan Suncover
Best Suited For	Affordable, general outdoor caravan protection	Hail-prone areas and harsh weather conditions	Long-term outdoor storage and sun protection
Cover Type	Ready made	Custom made to order	Custom made to order
Material	DuPont™ Tyvek® roof with non-woven polypropylene sides	Triple-layer construction with waterproof polyfabric outer, foam padding and Tyvek® inner	Premium 290gsm solution-dyed woven acrylic
UV Protection	Designed for full sun exposure	Superior UV resistance	Superior UV resistance
Rain Protection	Water-shedding Tyvek® roof; not fully waterproof	Waterproof outer layer	Highly water-repellent marine-quality fabric
Hail Protection	No specialised hail protection	Foam-padded construction designed for added hail protection	No specialised hail protection
Breathability	Breathable fabric	Not breathable	Fully breathable woven fabric

The ready-made cover range is available in size increments of 60cm and is designed for full sun exposure, high-moisture environments and long-term fitment.

The custom-made Stormcover line features a waterproof outer with a 4mm foam padding for impact protection.

Also custom-made, the Suncover range is specifically designed to protect against UV radiation and other environmental factors in areas where hail attack is not a concern.

Should I choose a ready-made or custom-made caravan cover?

A ready-made caravan cover is the solution if your caravan is of standard dimensions and you require general environmental protection at a more budget-friendly price point. A custom-made cover is a better option if you want an exact fit to your caravan’s shape and dimensions or you need specific protection from, say, hail or other extremes.

Coverworld’s ready-made covers are available in 60cm size increments, so they can suit different sized caravans but they don’t necessarily conform to the precise shape. Made from DuPont Tyvek material, they provide protection against weathering and UV radiation, but don’t offer a barrier against hailstone attack. They are available in both pop-top and full-height variants, with price tags to reflect this.

Move up to a custom-made Coverworld cover, and your choices start with the Suncover which is made-to-order to exactly fit caravans of any length from 365cm to 850cm with a maximum width of 250cm. They can be made to fit pop-up, side-height and full-height layouts and, as a custom-fit caravan cover, they are tailored to fit precisely the shape of the caravan. The Suncover features water-repellent, breathable marine-grade fabric with anti-mildew and anti-fungicide properties built in. Particularly effective against UV radiation attack, the Suncover does not incorporate hail protection padding.

Coverworld’s Stormcover range is available in the same dimensions as the Suncover and is also made-to-measure, the major difference being that the Stormcover is the best caravan cover for hail protection. It does that by using a waterproof polyfabric outer layer with a 4mm foam-padding layer to fend off impacts. The Stormcover is also resistant to high-pressure water. The Tyvek inner layer reduces friction on all surfaces, including windows and perspex.

Like the Suncover, the Stormcover is made in Australia and is offered in a three-piece zip-on design. Also, like the Suncover, the Stormcover they both can be ordered in the less expensive one-piece form as a SunHat or StormHat, which offers protection for the roof of the caravan and up to a 100cm drop on each side.

What’s the difference between a full cover and a roof-only hat?

A full cover will protect the entire caravan from roof to wheels and everything in between. A roof-only cover protects the roofline and part of each side. Coverworld’s full-cover Suncovers and Stormcovers can be ordered as roof-only covers, but still provide the full range of benefits including hail protection in the case of the latter.

By wrapping the body in a three-piece, zip-on design, a Coverworld full-cover provides full protection, regardless of any other structures nearby. For caravans parked in a relatively open space, this is the better solution.

A roof-only cover, meantime, protects the roofline and the upper section of each side (up to a 100cm drop). A StormHat or SunHat is often the choice for owners who require a more cost-effective solution or where the caravan is partly protected on each side by either a fence or structure or by an adjacent caravan in the case of a commercial storage facility.

The Coverworld roof-only cover options are more affordable than the full-cover options, but still carry all the benefits, including Australian-made quality, full warranty, and custom fabrication to ensure a precise fit.

How do I measure my caravan for the right cover size? 

There’s no real trick to this process. Two people and a tape measure are all that’s needed to accurately measure a caravan’s external dimensions.

Using a combination of measurements and photographs, Coverworld can tailor-make a cover that suits your caravan precisely and makes for the absolute best in protection. The owner is required to take accurate measurements of the caravan’s exterior and provide a photo of the caravan from the front, rear, and in side profile. Once Coverworld has these dimensions, fabrication can begin.

It’s important that you provide the caravan’s external dimensions, not the interior ones as listed on the caravan’s specification sheet supplied by many caravan manufacturers. That’s because a caravan advertised as, say 18-foot long, might actually be as much as 50cm longer externally.

When Coverworld receives these measurements and photographs, the pattern will be cut, and the three-piece design will be manufactured in the manufacturer’s Australian factory to quality standards that allow the product to cope with local conditions.

Sidenote: All the custom-made RV covers are manufactured at CustomCovers, which is our sister company located in the same building.

How much does a caravan cover cost? 

Coverworld’s ready-made covers start at $375 for something like a pop-top caravan. A larger caravan cover from the ready-made range is still an affordable option at $440 for a full-height model.

The Australian-made, custom-tailored, full-cover range starts at $2000 for the Stormcover for compact caravans, and extends to $6000 for large caravans and motorhomes. A StormHat roof-only cover begins at $1100.

The Suncover range starts at $2500 and extends to $6000+, while the roof-only Hat version of the Suncover (SunHat) costs $1400.

What warranty comes with each caravan cover type?

Coverworld’s ready-made caravan cover warranty is three years across the entire ready-made range. The custom-made models, thanks to their Australian-made quality, have longer warranties.

The Suncover carries a 10-year warranty against UV degradation, backing up its UV-beating credentials. The Stormcover, meanwhile, with its emphasis on hail protection, is sold with a five-year warranty against UV attack.

To find out all the details on the Coverworld range of caravan covers, you can check out the website.