Ideas how to best protect a caravan/trailer from exposure to rain/snow

(autistic brain, may be spelling and grammar/context errors, please be patient =)

Greetings dear souls.

I'm asking for input and ideas for this new adventure.

Originally, when this 30foot travel trailer came into my life three years ago, i dreamt of building a much larger "hoop greenhouse"
over it, with am inner framework of wood to hold extra insulation around the trailer, and for supporting the hoop structure.
it was going to covered with a four year greenhouse film.

Ir was going to be a prototype of  "emergency housing for homeless folks", as i have been homeless a good part of life.

Being that this is someone else's land, and not wanting to invest thouseands of dollars into electric and water facility for this build site,
the trailer became our storage. I roped tarp over for the past three years and NOW need to do something which will be better than a tarp, to
keep the roof dry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am planning to sell the trailer in teh next two months as a HOMESTEAD HOUSING STARTER KIT!
complete with Jenkins composting toilet and other great supplies which would help someone get their trailer/tiny home set up quickly.

THis new cover will go with the trailer when it goes to new family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My present idea is to create something like a hoop structure, maybe just tiny bigger than the trailer, using what I already have:
I would probably need to cut the film to make an opening where the door is.
and with greenhouse film, would not need to cut any 'windows' as the film would allow sun to shine into the trailer.

Supplies thus far:

*many pieces of 10' Schedule 40 UV resist. PVC pipe for hoop struts.

*manyREBAR pieces 30inches long, which can be driven into the ground to stabilize the PVC at teh ground.

*REBAR  ten-foot long== SEven pieces
and twenty feet long.== three pieces

*30 pieces of 5 foot galvanized steel conduit, for purlins, which can be cable tied to teh struts

*more than enough of 1x6x12foot long rough hemlock, which can be hip boards to stabilize the hoop struts.
and also to help with the ends.

As you can see in the photos below, the billboard tarp is held in place with 1/8 inch wire rope and tiny Ubolts. so they can be used again!

for the first two years, i invested in ropes which just shredded in the sun. wire rope is the way to go for UV protected strapping.
~~~~~~~

THe two MAIN REASONs i would like to go with a hoop over the top of the trailer is because of all the roof vents and sewer vents.

and this would also keep the rain and snow off the top of trailer.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Greenhouse film
remnants for sale at amleonard poly remnants
i think it is important to buy the dripless film for this so that there is not moisture buildup inside top.


I would like to get the greenhouse film so that it is wide enough to go to the ground on each side. Due to how weather blows up under the trailer
as we live on a hill.
and then roll it open somehow to have ventilation under it on sunny days to help dry out under and keep humidity down.

OR maybe it is best to just cover the trailer over the top and partially sides/ends.
and leave the bottom open for now.
~~~~~~~~

also, my brain is looking for help with how to do the ends of the cover/shelter to keep snow.rain off hte roof.

~~~~~~~~~

THANK you in advance for reading this post and hopefully having some brilliant ideas to share!

many blessings

more photos of trailer...

I would create a flyover.
It is a sewn material that is attached to a light metal frame that holds the textile about 18 inches off the top of the caravan roof.
Often they stretch pass he caravans to form dry veranda space.

Also living in an RV, while we build our house. Four years now. The first year I built a wooden frame to go over the RV, but I miscalculated the stresses involved and it was not up to the task. That frame was much sturdier than PVC and was insufficient. We're in SW MI about 15 miles from Lake Michigan. We get winds that come off the lake and are still pretty strong by the time they reach us, despite some significant woodland buffer. We also can get lake effect snow and the snow load standard for construction here is 50 inches. We have not seen that at any one time in our time here, but two feet of snow certainly happens - and that will crush PVC hoops covered with greenhouse plastic.

I have some serious concerns about enclosing an RV too well, because the furnace, water heater and stove all need someplace to vent combustion products. At least in our case, and pretty much all RV's I know of, those systems use propane. The furnace and water heater exhausts need to be far enough away from any plastic to prevent melting the plastic or actually starting a fire.

In terms of best bang for the buck in getting through winter conditions here, a good system of skirting around the bottom, to minimize heat loss through that surface and to help protect your plumbing from freezing is the way to go, imo.

If you need to tarp the roof of your RV because it's leaking, that's a different problem and the real answer there is to fix the roof.
Also, I have experience trying to build low tunnels with PVC hoops. Much smaller systems with much lower stresses than a high tunnel over an RV. Pretty much total failure under New Jersey winter snow loads. After that I was convinced that PVC is for conduit and plumbing, not framing ;)

Weird, I was just thinking of a way to tent vehicles  while you work on them that might be kinda applicable.
My idea was to affix a steel conduit "halo" to the roof and bumpers using "100 pound" magnets and pipe stands, then stretching your tarp over that.

Pipe stands could be screwed to the skin of the vehicle instead, but connection might not be strong enough.

A steep roof would use more and longer  bits of material,  but it wouldn't need to resist snow loads.
A simple gable or A frame roof with a steep pitch might present too much flat surface to the wind.
They could be protected from  by wind breaks , including bermed earth.
A steep conical roof  should deflect most wind.


The A frame could be built with two tall sturdy poles with the rest being ratchet straps, anchors and maybe shadecloth?
A single tall pole could be used for a conical covering.


.

Thank you to each of you for sharing your ideas and experiences. Each of them has outstanding aspects.

These are certainly ways which others can utilize for protecting their caravans or other buildings and shelters.

And i appreciate that you are willing to help out.