Calmark Cover, Part 1

Our Escape 19 now has a custom cover made by Calmark Cover Company in California. We measured the trailer for the dimensions requested by Calmark and also sent them photos. Service was quick and we had the cover within two weeks of placing the order. The cover is made of Sunbrella fabric and has a handy zippered access panel at the door. Calmark Covers also have "FSR construction and friction reducer tie straps" and a 6-year warranty. FSR stands for Fabric Stress Reducer, which is a system of non-abrasive webbing straps at 4-foot intervals across the roof, and connected to the side panels. This seems to be a feature unique to Calmark-made covers. 

The cover came with grommets in the hem, meant for holding the cover down with bungee cords under the camper belly. As the cover first came from the factory, these grommets were not conveniently located for the Escape 19. Some were blocked by the tires, and others were not positioned directly opposite each other from side to side. When I called Calmark with this complaint, they quickly sent us a grommet kit, including installation tools, so we could install additional grommets where necessary. 

Calmark Cover on the Escape 19, with zippered panel at the door

The black straps which come on the cover are made overly long with the expectation that the customer will cut them off at whatever length is desired. We were initially dismayed that one of these black straps goes right across the zippered door panel, but Calmark explained to us that sometimes this is unavoidable because the black straps must align with one of the FSR straps in the roof. We have found it is not at all hard to release the buckle of the black strap when we need to use the door.

Fortunately the front of the cover is well-marked.

In the hem of the cover, there is a white cord to draw up and pull the cover fabric under the camper belly. In these photos, we don't have the cord cinched and tied as neatly as might be possible.




The first installation of the cover onto our 19 was a humorous effort involving Three Stooges and a ladder, but we withhold judgement on the difficulty of the task until we have more experience.

The cover weighs about 32 pounds.

It's very important to protect the cover fabric from any sharp edges. For now, our padding efforts include two swimming pool noodles running lengthwise over the air conditioner, old socks stuffed with rags and stretched onto the ends of the bumper, foam rubber squares on top of the two circular roof vents, and some pieces of foam pipe insulation at the ends of the awning. We have this last form of padding under further review for something better. And it looks like we should also add some padding for the awning arms.

Calmark adds extra size for protrusions such as bumper,
spare tire, air conditioner, and Maxx fan.