When you’re not using your tourer, it makes perfect sense to put a caravan cover on it to protect it from the typically miserable weather we see during the winter. To do this effectively, you’ll want to ensure you’ve chosen the best caravan cover for the job.
As well as protecting your tourer from the elements, a good cover helps to prevent damage from UV rays, bird droppings and tree sap. After buying one of the best caravans, you’re going to want to do whatever you can to prolong not only its life but also its looks, so you’ll want to make sure you pick one of these caravan essentials with care. This will help it keep its value too, should you decide you want to sell it on at a later point.
When you’re choosing the right cover for a caravan, factors to think about include the hydrostatic head – this will determine just how waterproof it is. Choose the material with care too – it not only needs to be breathable but should also have a soft inner material to prevent abrasion, which could damage your tourer’s paintwork. Do you have a solar panel on the exterior of your van? If so you’ll need a custom cover that takes this into account. We’d also advise looking for one with an easy-to-use door flap if you want the flexibility of being able to enter your tourer during the off-season.
Lastly, consider the type of cover you want too – while a full-sized cover offers the best protection, it’s better suited to use during the offseason or when you’ve put your tourer in storage. In contrast, a towing cover will protect your caravan from road debris that can be thrown up by your towing vehicle when you’re on the way to your destination.
In this guide, we’re sharing our favourite covers for caravans on the market, featuring options from Specialised Covers, Maypole, Protec, and more.
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The best caravan covers in the UK:
Specialised Covers Caravan Cover
Maypole 9536 Caravan Cover
Protec Tailored Caravan Covers
Leisurewize WR Breathable Caravan Cover
Caravan Defender Universal
Maypole MP9265 Caravan Cover
OLPRO Breathable Waterproof Cover
Kampa Prestige Breathable 4ply Cover
The best caravan cover:
Specialised Covers Caravan Cover
Reasons to buy:
- Great quality materials and construction, something for every tourer
Reason to avoid:
- The most expensive option in our guide
Features we always look for in the best caravan cover are a good hydrostatic head to ensure it is waterproof, breathability, and a non-abrasive material, to prevent damage to your tourer’s paintwork. These are just a few of the useful traits that can be found in the Specialised Covers Caravan Cover, which offers a hydrostatic head of over 2500mm and is tailor-made to fit the model and year of your tourer.
It helpfully comes with a door access point too, allowing you to get in and out of the tourer with ease while you’re storing the caravan. Other features include a supplied storage bag, allowing you to neatly store it during the touring season, as well as fitting poles and an A-frame cover.
Those who have solar panels have the option of getting a window added for an extra £75, while can also have an aerial and flue allowance fitted to your cover if your caravan has one.
Price: From £449 at Specialised Covers
Maypole 9536 Caravan Cover
Reasons to buy
- Reasonable price, versions for various lengths of tourer
Reason to avoid:
- Doesn’t offer a specialised fit
Accessory guru Maypole offers this universal-fit caravan cover in sizes to fit tourers from 14 feet to 25 feet in length.
We think the green, heavy-duty, four-ply material looks both hardwearing and breathable, so your beloved caravan won’t be stored for months with moisture sitting on its surfaces. This means it will look better for longer, with no mould or algae growth, and it will last longer too, especially as dastardly water ingress will be kept at bay!
We’re fans of the roll-up section the cover comes with too, as it will make accessing your caravan a doddle, and they all feature tie-down straps to prevent damaging billowing of the material in high winds. The hems are double-stitched for durability and resistance to stresses and tears, while a soft, non-abrasive inner material will help to keep your caravan panels in tip-top condition.
This easy-to-fit cover has 1000mm-hydrostatic-pressure waterproofing, offers excellent UV protection and comes with a separate hitch cover and handy storage bag.
Protec Tailored Caravan Covers
Reasons to buy:
- Great quality products, bespoke designs that will fit your tourer like a glove
Reason to avoid:
- Relatively premium price
Premium caravan cover manufacturer, Protec, offers a wide range of top-quality covers which cost more than the other candidates in this category. Protec will say you get what you pay for, and it backs that up with the promise to create bespoke caravan covers, designed precisely for your tourer’s size, and profile, and with any extras like solar panels or roof-mounted satellite dishes taken into account.
What we like about made-to-measure caravan covers is that there’s no excess material to flap around in the wind, which could potentially damage your tourer’s paint finish. Each Protec cover is tailor-made, and super-durable, made from premium materials which are waterproof, breathable and non-scratch.
The company’s Easy-Fit System takes the elbow grease out of fitting its covers, and we like how each one offers easy door access, a breathable storage bag and two telescopic fitting poles to lift the material up and over the roof.
From: £449 at Protec
Leisurewize WR Breathable Caravan Cover
Reasons to buy
- Ideal for smaller caravans, cheap price tag
Reason to avoid:
- Not suited to larger tourers
We reckon owners of small caravans, measuring from 12 to 14 feet in length, will appreciate the combination of build quality and value for money that this stylish cover offers.
The universal-fit cover is made in a water-resistant, three-ply, nylon fabric that is both tough and lightweight, which makes fitting it much easier. This cover is held in place with strong, nylon securing straps and buckles, and it features an elasticated hem with double-stitching to ensure a good, tight fit. This also minimises any loose flapping which can damage glossy panel surfaces.
We’re fans of the decision to include zips on both sides for easy access, and like how the robust cover will protect your caravan from damaging UV rays, bird lime, sap and dust, eliminating those stubborn black streaks that require so much elbow grease to remove!
This cover weighs just 7.24kg, so is portable and easy to store. Plus, with a price point close to £100, it offers some of the most cost-effective caravan protection on the market.
Caravan Defender Universal
Reasons to buy:
- Protects your caravan’s front wall on the road, light in weight
Reason to avoid:
- Doesn’t offer the complete protection a full cover offers
This excellent caravan towing cover protector in dark grey covers just the front panel of any tourer and is designed for use when you’re out on the road. It helps to protect your caravan in many ways; from impact damage when road debris is thrown up by the tow car’s wheels, and from mud and road grime from towing in wet weather.
The front panel and window of your tourer bear the brunt of the elements and road conditions when towing, so this quick-fit cover will help to prevent any scratching and dings.
The robust four-layer material has soft, white backing, so no abrasion or staining will occur, whatever the conditions you tow in. It is easy to fit and we like how its 14 straps and buckles should help it secure in places. While it is extremely durable, it is also light weight, so storage and transportation are simple, always a plus in our books.
Incorporated in the slick design are two battery-operated LED road lights, plus two high-visibility reflective strips. These ensure that other road users will know you are towing a caravan, even in poor driving conditions.
Kampa Prestige Breathable 4ply Cover
Reason to buy:
- Caters to a wide range of van sizes
Reason to avoid:
- Doesn’t provide the specialised fit seen in more premium covers
Made by Kampa, another recognisable name in the touring sphere, we reckon the Prestige should offer your tourer some excellent protection from external factors, including rain, tree sap and sun, thanks to its strong 4-ply fabric.
It comes in four sizes, catering to tourers which are as small as 4.27m and as large as 7.60m long, and, thanks to its four zips and quick-release buckles, should prove relatively straightforward to fit.
The cover, which has an elasticated hem, also features interlocking 4-ply seams with rot-proof thread. Helpfully, it comes with a carry bag to make storing it straightforward when you’re using your caravan.
Maypole MP9265 Caravan Cover
Reasons to buy:
- Light in weight, still allows full access to your caravan
Reason to avoid:
- Will only protect the top of your tourer
This handy cover is ideal for caravanners who park under trees, as the smart design will protect the tourer’s roof, skylights and other roof furniture, like AC units, from corrosive tree sap, bird lime, black staining and general grime, all of which can be very difficult to remove.
This cover is lightweight (3.14kg) and the 150D polyester material, comes with a silvered finish and delivers 1500mm of hydrostatic water resistance and long-term UV protection.
It’s available in six sizes, and offers universal fitment, thanks to its versatile strapping, which attaches to grab handles and around the bottom edge of the caravan. Much thought has gone into the design, which features protective Velcro pads to protect bodywork from flapping plastic buckles.
Access to your tourer is easy with the top cover fitted, and light can still get in through the windows, so you can clean, load or service the van with the cover in place.
OLPRO Breathable Waterproof Cover
Reason to buy:
- Available in a range of sizes, comes with free hitch cover
Reason to avoid:
- Not custom sized
OLPRO is another well-known name in the touring world, and we reckon this breathable cover will offer a good method for protecting your tourer. It has a four Ply 160gsm layered roof material and a 100gsm polypropylene side material, with the end result being a tough and water-resistant cover.
It’s available in six sizes, with a combination of the elasticated hem and underside straps then helping to create a secure fit. We like the inclusion of three zippers and Velcro strapping points too, which will make it easier to enter should you need access during the offseason.
It also comes with four reflective straps, which should help it stand out, two of which are at the front and two at the rear.
We like how it comes with a free hitch cover too, saving you from having to spend extra to protect your caravan’s hitch. Then, when you are on a touring adventure, you can pack the cover away into the supplied storage bag.
View the latest prices at OLPRO now.
How to choose the best caravan cover
Caravan covers are one of those bits of kit that you might not think you need, but once you’ve invested in one you’ll never look back – they’re ideal for keeping your caravan looking as good as new. But it’s crucial to ensure that the one you buy fits well: otherwise, breezy weather could result in the fabric flapping around, damaging the bodywork and windows of your tourer pride and joy.
However, there are a number of options on the market, so you’ll want to make sure you get the one that will be just right for your van and your needs – considering a few points will help you do just that.
Firstly, think about the hydrostatic head – this, essentially, means how waterproof it is. Attaching two panels together instantly raises the chances of a weak spot appearing along the seams. As a result, the standout options on the market will have minimal seaming to limit the prospect of any ripping while simultaneously increasing the overall waterproofing qualities.
The material the cover is made from will be another important consideration. You’ll want to look for a breathable material which will allow any vapours to escape – failure to do so can result in damp and mildew, two words caravanners never want to hear. A soft inner material is just as important as a breathable one – otherwise, a loose-fitting cover could result in your tourer losing its shine due to abrasion when it’s windy.
We’d recommend opting for a better quality cover too – one with tensile strength, that is resistant to tearing and also has elongation. It’s much better to spend a bit more on one which you can rely on lasting for years, rather than a cheaper alternative which needs replacing every other season.
Are you likely to enter your tourer during the off-season? If so, be sure to factor this in so you can make sure there’s a door-flap which can be released quickly for straightforward entry. For caravans with equipment such as solar panels fitted, you’ll be better suited to a more custom cover that can take its dimensions into account too.
Put all of these factors together and you’ll be well on your way to choosing the caravan cover that is best suited to your needs.
Why do I need a caravan cover?
Failing to protect a tourer from UV rays can result in damage to the exterior, with chalking, cracking and flaking all potentially occurring to the glass fibre, paint, plastic and rubber. UV can not only dry out the resin, making it crack, but can also lead to discolouration. Other external factors like bird droppings and tree sap can take their toll on our vans too, as well as being tricky to remove. A good cover for a caravan should protect your tourer from these, helping you maintain a van you can tour in with pride.
Looking after your van has the additional benefit of helping its value stay high, something which can be especially useful if you decide to sell it on.
A cover does more than preserve your tourer’s aesthetics, however – it can also act as an extra deterrent to potential thieves, as they will not be able to see what’s inside the van.
Written with contributions from Peter Byrne.
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