[attachment id="1712" thumbnail="1"]First, this has worked for two winters now, and it is a pain. My design was intended to be cheap, and removable. For now we do not want a permanent roof, as we may move in a year or two, and I did not want to build a $2000+ shed and leave it, nor did I want to look at one, for now. I may be changing my mind.
I put this on the top of the 14DBS, spacing it off the roof with pool noodles, and milk crates, and engineered it to go around all the roof vents, A/C unit and everything else up there. The frame goes on the roof, covered by the camper cloth cover [or not], then it all get covered with a big waterproof tarp that goes about 1' down each side and back and 3' down the front. The tarp is held in place with a ton of adjustable ropes [paracord] to blocks of wood under the leveling jacks. It is a real pain, but like camper setup, with practice, it gets easier.
I have therefore created a big umbrella to sit on top of my camper, and as it is 6" or more, wider than the camper, it allows for ample airflow and nothing touches the camper except for a few pool noodles around the PVC. The PVC created the ribs/frame of the "umbrella", and the tarp created the waterproof barrier. I can open the middle vent in my camper at least 6", to allow for more airflow, before the vent cap touched my PVC frame. I generally do this unless it is ripping cold and I have a heater going inside the camper.
I have had up to 8" of snow with no problem, dry snow slides off, and the unit, when fully assembled, seems pretty strong.
The main long rib is not glued into place, just flexed after everything else has been assembled. The front and back halves at the * on the drawing are not glued, to allow for disassembly into two parts, otherwise it is too long and heavy to move, and would probably break.
Make no mistake it is a pain to build and use, but I am retired, and cheap, and for other reasons did not want a permanent roof at this time, but I did want to keep the rain, snow and UV rays off this during our winter. I do use a cloth breathable cover at all other times, using only milk crates to give it some adding breathing and drying room.
As it is right beside my garage, I often put an industrial fan on it, blowing all around to keep it dry and as cool in the summer as possible, or if we get a particulary wet spell, I will put a fan on it during the winter to be sure it is completely dry. I will be seeking counseling soon.
I read your post aloud to my husband. We laughed at the last line, and marveled at the lengths you go to, to protect your camper.
Question: If we do not protect our camper, and just let it sit out in all kinds of weather, will we shorten its useable life?
We will be wintering in the south, and summering in the north. We will be almost full-time RVers come the first of the year.