Understanding the Risks
When a hurricane is approaching, ensuring your travel trailer is ready to withstand severe weather is crucial. High winds and heavy rain can cause significant damage if you’re not prepared. Understanding the risks that hurricanes pose to your travel trailer is the first step in ensuring its safety.
Securing Your Travel Trailer
One of the most important steps in preparing your travel trailer for a hurricane is to secure it properly. Begin by checking any anchor points. Investing in quality wheel chocks and X-Chocks can provide added stability. Make sure to secure any loose items, both inside and outside the trailer. This helps minimize damage from flying debris.
Personal Experience
Living in Southwest Florida, we see tropical systems a lot. Our current rig has made it through Hurricane Ian, 2 years ago, and Hurricane Helene recently. In both cases, our travel trailer was at our house. I’m going to describe what I did to prepare the camper. This is what worked for me. In no way am I saying this is what is required, only what has worked for me.
For Hurricane Ian, I did not have my 2nd driveway, so I backed the travel trailer into my driveway, getting it as close to the house as I could. I filled my black tank, my two gray tanks, and my fresh tank with water, to add as much weight as possible to the trailer. If you are not staying in the camper (which you absolutely should not!), remove your propane tanks and store them somewhere safe, protected from the storm. I did NOT put my stabilizers down. I reasoned that the varying air pressures during a hurricane might press down on the camper, sending the stabilizers through the floor of the camper. I then connected my camper to my truck. This adds more overall weight and a broader base to hold the camper in place. I also made sure the truck was full of fuel, both for the weight and for the fact I would need a full tank after the storm, as there may not have been any gasoline available for quite some time. I then installed my X-Chocks, and added chocks to all four tires. During the storm (Ian), the northern eye wall passed just about 10 miles south of our house. Because of this, we were subjected to Category 4 sustained winds for a little over 8 hours, with gusts over 150 mph. Although there was some evidence the trailer did in fact move during the storm, it was only a couple of inches. The only damage the trailer received was one of the LED light strips, on the front of the camper, pulled away from the body, but only about an inch of it pulled away, and it was easily re-secured.
For Hurricane Helene, I was not able to back the camper up to my house. However, we were not expecting winds to be anywhere near as high. They weren’t. For this storm, I filled the tanks, as before. I did not put the stabilizers down, nor did I connect the camper to my truck. I did install the X-Chocks and added chocks to all four tires. Again, no damage, and no movement. I believe the strongest wind gusts we received were around 80 mph
In conclusion, preparing your travel trailer for a hurricane involves securing the trailer and adding weight. By taking these steps, you can help protect your investment and ensure your safety during turbulent times. In no instance would I ever consider riding out a hurricane in the camper. Also, remember, I am not a professional, and am in no way telling you how to secure your camper, only letting you know what has worked for me.
Safe travels, have fun, and be safe out there!
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