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This is really a personal preference item. We had them installed on our 2001 Montana and ordered them on our 2003 and 2007 models. We would not be without them. If you weekend/vacation then maybe the value is less.
The primary value to me is I don't have to climb up on the roof and sweep debris off the slides. When the roof is wet it is treacherous up there. And if we have ice and/or snow on the toppers, it just rolls right off when we retract the slides.
The downside is they do deteriorate in the weather, probably UV rays. Ours are 4 1/2 years old now and they're showing wear. We were getting a few cracks, particularly along the edges near the attachment point to the rig. I reinforced those areas with eternabond tape and they're holding well, so far. I suppose in another year or two we'll have to replace them but I will do so gladly.
Strong winds can create some noise but if it is excessive I'd look at tension adjustment. When at Jamaica Beach (Galveston Island) for two months this past winter it was so windy I ended up looping ropes over them and down around the slides, not so much for noise abatement as for protecting my investment. I was concerned about damage from two-months of near-constant winds. That's the only time I've ever tied them down, though.
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