Calmark Cover, Part 2

We firmly believe in the saying, "Your possessions possess you." Whatever you own, it invariably runs your life. Forevermore you've got to store it, dust it, wash it, fix it, move it, search for it...


...and in the case of the new camper cover, you've got to pad it. This was something we did not anticipate before the purchase. Where was the big warning in red letters, scrolling continuously across the website: "Caution -- Padding sharp edges to protect your camper cover may take over your life!" and just below it, "Once you get the padding and cover onto your camper, you won't dare remove them because you'll just have to put them back on again later. You may never go camping again!"

Oooh, Pollyanna, you sound remarkably negative today. Yes, Pollyanna sometimes loses it when Great Husband gets cranky, and the cover keeps making Great Husband cranky. 

We glued pieces of pool noodle together
 and slid them around vents.

Most of the padding methods we were using in the previous blog entry were disappointing in one way or another. So we came up with new ideas, chiefly using pool noodles. They are light and they don't absorb water. The big goal is simplicity and ease, and we hope we've made progress with respect to the padding. 

Still, it is not at all easy to put the cover on. That part just has to improve or it's a threat to spontaneous camping trips. Plus I'm hearing grumbling about buying a taller ladder. Oh, no! Another possession!

P.S.--don't miss Calmark Cover, Part 3, in which there is a happy ending to all this.

Pool noodles glued together surround the air conditioner.
But when we dragged the cover over these noodles, the glue started popping apart.
Now the noodles are bound with bungees.

Foam pipe insulation pads the awning arm.

Sheets of foam pad the bumper ends.

We no longer cinch up the draw cord in the bottom hem of the cover.
That created pockets at the corners that collected water and had to be drained after every rain.