T@B 400 cover

HowieDewing

I purchased a cover for my New 2021 NuCamp T@B 400 Boondock from AllPro. Does anyone have any advise for how to put this on?  As I found, it is not easy to get up on the roof because of the shape. There were no instructions that came with the cover.  Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.  A video would be helpful. Thanks. 

johnfconway

It took me a couple hours to figure out how to "one person it". Lay it out on ground with bottom side (that will be touching top of trailer) down. Take one long edge and fold it inward twice until it's at center. Take other long edge and fold it twice to center also. It will now be full length and about 2' wide. Double fold it in from what will be the "front" side. Then double fold on top what will be the "back" side. You now have a 2' x 3.5' lump. Set up an 8' or 10' step ladder at the center side of trailer. Climb and drop the folded lump at center top. Flop the double fold down the back and then down the front. Then flop the long double folds down each side. Back on the ground, square it up and fasten the straps. If you are going to use wheel covers, you may want to put them on before cinching the belly straps. It works... good luck!

Edited the message. The octofolded "lump" is more like 3' x 3.5'. When I took it off, I prepped it for late Fall. It is sitting on top of 3 down sleeping bags that will thankfully get limited use, now that there's an Alde in the house!

HowieDewing

Thank you for this advice.  Please let me know when you post this on YouTube. I will try it. 

bergger

I can get our 400 covered or uncovered in 10 minutes or less with a 6' step ladder.  To get it on the first time open the cover up on the ground with the side that will touch the trailer facing the ground.  Taco roll it.  Roll one side into the center of the cover then roll the other side into the center so you have a long taco roll.  The roll it up from either end.  Just remember if the left over tail is the front or rear of the cover.  Then climb up the ladder with the cover and place it as close to center as possible.   Just remember which way to face it so you don't unroll it backwards.  Then unroll it length wise and it will roll itself out front to back. Then roll the sides down.   Center it and attache the straps and tighten.  To remove just reverse it while on the trailer and you'll have a nice bundle of cover to put back on later.  It's really easy after a time or two. 

HowieDewing

Thank you.  The rolling seems simple.  It is getting the weight of the cover up the ladder is my struggle, and getting it in the center (with short arms). I do have a good ladder.  I fell off the ladder on my first attempt.  Luckily my wife broke my fall.  We both hit the ground (no major injuries). Just a bit frustrating. 

johnfconway

Regardless whether you fold or roll, it's a fair bit of weight in a clumsy package teetering on steps of a ladder. I'm glad I have the 8' ladder... reach height needed on lower wrung. Folding or rolling should take the same amount of time. Bulky wad vs. long ungainly cigar. Thank the stars you incurred no injuries during the mishap!

Blueespy

Here is what my wife and I do.  Now to set the stage, due to our HOA, we cannot keep our t@b 400 bdl in our driveway more than four days.  So, when we take it to storage we def want to put out cover on.  What we bring is a three step ladder.  The first thing I did with our cover is put two grommet holes in the back side of the cover (fits the rear of the camper).  I connect a long piece of 550 cord and a small sand filled sock to this.  I throw this down the center line of the trailer (front to back).  My wife grabs it and slowly pulls the cover up. 

For this to work for us, we have rolled the cover by laying it out flat with the outside facing up.  We roll from each side to the center line and then roll from the end to the front.  This allows the cover to slowly extend while my wife pulls it over the trailer and avoids any snags on the vent covers or tank vent cover.  Once the cover is over the trailer, I can unroll each side while standing on storage tub.  My wife then walks down first the driver's side then the passenger side pulling the sides down.  Why do we do it this way?  On our t@b there are two items on the roof that can cause the cover to snag.  The vent covers and the small round tank vent cover.  The latter is a real pain and on our second install, we actually pulled this vent cover off.  I was able to reattach it but the third time it was destroyed.  Fortunately, replacing it was a breeze.  By getting the cover over the trailer on the center line and then rolling out from there down both sides we can have the cover up and secured in about 10-mins. We make sure not to let the excess strap lengths lay on the ground (ready runway for bugs).

johnfconway

A lot of cover options. In the end we sprang for the All-Pro. It's very well made and fits like a glove. In other posts regarding battery charge via solar panels while under a cover, the differences may be telling. Our panels are not getting any light. Glad I had presence of mind to flip battery cutoff to off position. Batteries are holding steady at 97% state of charge.

The fact that it is a heavier fabric with heavy-duty stitching has a downside. Strategically rolling it so it can be carried up a ladder, set smack in the middle and unfurled without it sliding off is not easy. Couple that with having recently waxed the trailer and you're set up to be a neighborhood spectacle! Glad few neighbors can see what I'm up to...

aphillips

@johnfconway Our 2022 Tab 400 arrives in a couple of weeks and we still need to buy a cover. We ordered the two additional boxes that go to the sides of the factory center one. Do you think the All-Pro cover will fit over those? The person I talked to at PahaQue said their current Tab 400 style will not fit. Thanks for your feedback! 

tinknocker

We have a 2022 Tab 400 with added Sea Biscuit boxes and the All-Pro cover fits great. All-Pro boxes are slightly taller but I think the cover will fit just as well.

Gherzig

We have two tool boxes on the front rack which are possibly smaller than the diamond plate side boxes.  See photos.  The AllPro cover just barely gets over them.  It is quite tight and I place some foam on the box edges to prevent chafing.

rrcbov

I read somewhere that you needed to protect the windows before putting the cover on - because movement of the cover could scratch.   Any experience with this?

[Deleted User]

Covers definitely scratch the windows. Just saw a post that said use saran wrap. I will be doing that today.

bergger

We had some faint scratching on our windows, mostly on the front window after the first year using the cover.  I plan on buffing the windows out in a few weeks to get rid of them.  After discovering this we cut some soft sheets to fit each window and simply cover the windows with those when we cover the trailer at the end of the season.  We do not cover our trailer for the 6 or so months that we use it so do not need to worry about protecting the windows. 

[Deleted User]

I camp every other weekend from April through November but I still cover after every trip but wow is that a pain in the butt! I have a friend who helps me but we end up arguing almost every time! 

bergger

I use a 6' step ladder and what I call the canoe method.  With the help of my wife I roll one side up and get it as close the the center as possible.  Then repeat the other side.  I then go to the front and start to pull it down and roll it up.  Putting it on is easier.  The hardest part is just carrying it up the ladder.  But once up it just rolls down the front and back then gets unrolled down the sides.  Very little arguing now between me and the wife! But we also only cover it a few times a year! 

Ricky

My All Pro cover was on for 7 months with a couple months of high temps. Pulled the cover off left fabric patterns on parts of the top and ends of my Tab 400. Some on the windows and side railing also. I was worried, but after a hard rain the patterns wiped off almost like chalk. Didn’t leave any marks behind after clean up though. I’ve got the cover spread out on the driveway now trying to clean the dang thing.