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Are RV Slide Toppers Worth The Money?

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

RV slide toppers on an RV slide out

Are RV Slide Toppers Worth The Money?

If you’ve been RVing for any amount of time, you have experienced the frustration of clearing dirt, debris, and bird poop off the top of your slides. If you haven’t experienced this – well, you should probably run out and check your slides now!

Is there a better way to keep your RV slide tops clean and protected? There is: RV slide toppers! But are they worth the investment? We dive into it and will tell you if RV slide toppers are worth the money.

What are RV slide toppers?

RV slide toppers are slide-out awning shields on the top of your RV slide-outs. The awning extends and retracts with your slide-out.

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What are the benefits of RV slide toppers?

RV slide toppers are a way to give your RV slide-outs extra protection from debris and water infiltration. They can provide a number of benefits, including:

  • Preventing leaves, branches, and bird droppings from accumulating on your RV slides.
  • Helping to prevent water, snow, and ice build-up from causing water damage. (This is especially important if you are RVing in the winter.)
  • Keeping your RV interior cooler by providing shade. This, in turn, helps keep your RV air conditioner usage down.

What are the downsides of RV slide toppers?

Based on the above list, you might think “obviously RV slide toppers are worth it.” They protect your investment and help prevent water damage (a huge issue for RVs). But there are downsides to these devices:

  • It can be tricky to clean the roof underneath the slide toppers.
  • It can be annoying when they flap in the wind.
  • On longer slides, the toppers can stretch and sag resulting in pooling water on top of the awning.
  • They can be expensive to add, especially if you have a lot of slides or long slides. A 13-foot slide topper can set you back over $600!

So, are RV slide toppers worth it?

For many, the resounding answer is yes. They help protect people’s large investment and mean less maintenance. For those that love their slide toppers, they say the “added work” of having to clean under the topper is worth it – a creative suggestion is a leaf blower to blow out under them.

That being said, there is obviously a financial component – the investment in the slide toppers. For the pro RV slide topper team, they suggest having slide toppers installed by the factory. It’s cheaper to have them be part of the RV sale package from the dealership.

If you camp in areas that are dry, only in the summer months, and don’t park your rig under trees, then you may not see any worth while value in adding RV slide toppers.

Overall, if you can afford to add slide toppers then they are worth it. Having extra protection against the sun, water, and debris is added peace of mind. You can find them on Amazon for about $300.

What do you think? Are RV slide toppers worth it? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.