If you’re new to owning a caravan or a trailer then there are a lot of new accessories for you to look at and consider purchasing. Some of these accessories have form benefits and are designed to your caravan look more appealing and stylish. Meanwhile, others have function benefits and are able to improve the quality of life you’ll have when on a trip or minimise the maintenance required of your caravan/trailer. One of those accessories that certainly has a function benefit is a hitch cover.
You should look to use a caravan hitch cover to prevent any water, dirt or grime getting into the hitch area as this is where the power source for the caravan is located. We’ve found it’s much easier to clean the caravan hitch cover than it is the hitch area itself without causing damage.
Better still, hitch covers aren’t expensive. In fact, they are one of the cheapest caravan accessories you can buy generally retailing for around £20 / $20 online or from the majority of camping retailers.
What Is A Caravan Hitch Cover?
A caravan hitch cover is an often used and less-often understood piece of caravanning equipment. Essentially, it boils down to a small flap of material that is used to cover up the hitch of a caravan.
Caravan hitch covers come in a huge number of shapes and sizes, from thick rubber to thin tarpaulin-like sheeting. Typically, caravan hitch covers come with the caravan when you buy it. Typically, they’ll have the same and logo of the dealership on them that you bought the caravan from. Of course, you can buy plain or customized ones instead.
There are many other points of variation in caravan hitch covers, from the relative strength of the material to how securely it mounts and attaches to the hitch. Some covers use clips, while others use a rope which threads through eyelets, or nothing at all!
Benefits Of A Caravan Hitch Cover?
There are a number of anecdotal reasons why people may choose to use a caravan hitch cover. Realistically, there are two main reasons: cleanliness and safety.
The cleanliness aspect of the caravan hitch cover boils down to keeping off any grime or dirt that can accumulate on that part of the caravan. The rest of the caravan is relatively wipe-clean and watertight, so can stand a thorough hosing down after a particularly messy camping trip. However, the hitch needs slightly closer attention, and proper drying out. In order to avoid that extra effort, a number of caravanners simply use a caravan hitch cover. Once the hitch cover gets messy, it’s typically just a case of removing it from the hitch and wiping it clean. In extreme cases, most covers can probably be thrown in the washing machine, though check the manufacturer’s instructions before trying that.
The safety aspect of using a hitch cover is much more worthwhile. Hitches are often the point at which the electricity points connect to the mains. Of course, keeping water and electricity separate is always a good idea. Whether you’re protecting from rain or from heavy dew, it’s worthwhile to use a hitch cover for that reason if nothing else. In a best-case scenario, you might have to go outside in the rain and replace the fuse in the hitch. In a worst-case scenario, however, you might start a fire.
Best Caravan Hitch Covers
To know what the best caravan hitch cover for you is, you need to have a good idea of what’s available out there. While caravan hitch covers can seem to be remarkably similar, there are actually a number of differences.
MSA Caravan Hitch Cover
This universal touring caravan and trailer hitch cover is a great choice no matter which caravan you’ve got.
It’s very resistant to wind, rain, and any other adverse weather conditions, and it comes with a set of eyelets. The eyelets are in the corners of the material, and they are used to attach the cover to the hitch.
Kohree Hitch Covers Caravan Hitch Cover
This is another universal caravan hitch cover, though it’s remarkably more premium than some of its competitors.
This cover offers strong protection at night time, as not only is it made from strong 4-layer cloth, it also boasts six phosphorescent strips for night warning.
These high-quality materials are also light and easy to fold for storage. The strong material that the cover is made from can be particularly seen in the reinforced strips which connect the panels of material together: this cover is particularly hard-wearing and long-lasting.
Ducksback Extra Large Caravan Tow Hitch Cover
This is a particularly large cover from Ducksback, a well-known company in the caravanning world. The material is hardwearing and comes with some webbing straps attached to the base of the cover.
The straps thread underneath the caravan hitch, allowing the cover to be properly secured with little effort. This cover does have a slight drawback, in that the dark blue colour may fade with time as the dye isn’t UV stable.
This won’t affect the usage of the cover, and it’s likely to actually be particularly long-lasting.
Andes Universal Deluxe Waterproof Hitch Cover
This might be a particularly good option if you’re looking to buy a caravan hitch cover on a budget.
Despite it being a low-cost option, it is a high-quality product! Andes products are known to be high-quality and long-lasting, despite their low price tag. This caravan hitch cover is universal in a great way.
It’s slightly oversized, though it does come with eyelets throughout the product and a cord. The cord is used to tighten the cover to the hitch, and because of the oversized shape of the cover, it’s sure to fit well no matter what caravan you’ve got.