We sold our ladders and now are wondering how we will clean off/brush off leaves, dirt and debris from the top of the slide after camping. How do y'all do it? Also, is the top of the 5ver ok to walk on? It seems like climbing up there is taking the roofs life in your hands, or feet as the case may be...any help?

The roof of most RV's is designed to be able to walk on and I go up on our occasionally. We generally park in open areas because our satellite dish is up there, but even when we do park under trees I just pull the slides without any problems. In over 3 years I think I have had to remove stuff only 2 or 3 times and one of them was for snow. I must add that I am starting to get more leery about going up there as I'm getting older and am not as well balanced as I used to be.

If we have any surrounding trees and leaves or pine needles are falling, my husband goes up on the roof with the broom and sweeps the tops of the slides. There's no problem walking on the roof unless, like me, you're afraid of heights!

I don't have a fear of heights, it's my balance that I am in fear of.

Falling off the roof is one of the most common ways of getting injured in the RV world. You could also go out and buy another ladder, they make ones that store in a small space like the telescoping one we have (Telesteps, sometimes sold by Camping World but we got ours from costco.com).

I don't have slides on my rig, but I saw the neatest *invention* at a campground a few weeks ago. A guy took a wooden shop broom, detached the handle, then drilled a new hole on the bristle side at an end, and reattached it so it was the shape of a letter L. Now if you held it up in the air, the bristles were facing downwards and he could sweep along the silde covers or slides before pulling them in.

I have a sturdy fiberglass roof that I can walk on but I prefer using my sturdy adjustable "Gorilla" aluminum. ladder. It is good for hand washing and waxing the front and sides of the trailer also. I carry it on the truck behind my aluminum tool box. If you purchase an aluminum ladder make sure it is sturdy.

Every 5th wheel we have owned I have been able to walk on the top. I carry a lightweight electric leaf blower and I just blow off the tops of the slides, takes longer to get on the roof that it takes to blow the slides clean. GBY....

It hasn't been mentioned yet in this thread, and maybe everyone knows this, BUT!

Walking on the main roof is OK, but do not step onto the slide out roof!!

I do not know of any RV slide out that is strong enough to support any weight, yet I have seen folks walking on top of the slide.

Altho I read this site often, I don't post very much but wanted to add to this.  Last Sep, we were cleaning our 5th wheel.  DH climbed on top and was literally on his hands and knees washing the top -- scared me to death.  He made it down okay but later in the day when standing on a ladder washing the front, he reached out a little too far and the ladder began to wobble.  He saw he was going to fall so he jumped, landing on both feet.  However, one foot went in a hole.  To make a longer story short, he broke his heel bone, had surg with metal plate & 9 screws and missed 4 1/2 mos of work.  Eleven months later, he has an appt to discuss having the metal plate & screws removed -- has pain in his foot every day that he believes is the plate & screws.

After all this, we traded the 5th wheel for a MH and he is no longer "allowed" on the roof of anything!!  He has always been very sure-footed and is only 54 yo, but this was a life-changing experience for both of us.

Moral of this story -- you cannot be too careful, so please be safe out there.






2007 Winnebago Voyage
No TOAD yet

I was not aware that you couldn't walk on the slide out roof. In fact, I was told it was O.K. by our manufacturer (DRV). If the slide can support two people on the inside plus furniture, I would think the roof could support one person for a short period of time. Is it that the roof is made different (e.g., lighter material??) on the slides. Just want to know if I should eliminate walking on the slides. Don't do it much at all but if there is a pesky twig or something that I can't blow off I am forced to get onto the slide to remove it.