Should I Leave My RV's Slide Outs Open During Winter Storage?

by Andy
(Cambridge, Ontario, Canada)

I have a 2006 37 foot Hornet with two slides. Currently it is parked in a seasonal campground and will not be moving from there. I need to know if I can leave the slide outs out in the winter, their a pain to slide in especially when I remodeled the RV to suit my needs. Being that I am in Canada I will get snow in the winter. I leave them open all summer and have not had a problem.

ANSWER: Greetings Andy thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

The simple answer is NO, you should not leave the slide-outs on your travel trailer open during winter storage. Here is why:

1. You will not be around in case of a heavy snow fall to clear the snow off of the slides roof. If enough snow accumulates on the slideout roof the excessive weight of the snow could damage the slideout mechanism and you may not be able to bring the slides in.

2. If your slide outs have Slide Topper Awnings on them. The slide topper awnings could get severely damaged.

3. Even though the slideouts have weather seals on them; the weather seals could get damaged and crack due to exposure to freezing temperatures. This could allow moisture to enter into the living quarters of your travel trailer causing damage to its contents. This could be an even bigger problem if the travel trailer is not completely level. Which reminds me if you are not already doing so you need to use some Slide Out Lube & Rubber Seal Conditioner once every two months to treat the slide out seals to prevent them from cracking and degrading prematurely.

I am afraid that you are going to have to move some stuff around in your travel trailer so you can get those slides closed. Even if you were storing your travel trailer in your driveway; I would still not recommend leaving slides open.

Happy RVing

RVing Al