[triplehorn]

I can attest to several points made earlier in this thread. I agree covered storage IS the way to go but it is many times more costly. Several thousand dollars may not be easy to come by for many and is the best way to beat the sun and wind damage. I myself am on my second year with a Calmark cover. I have had a few instances where sharps on the rig wore "just right" on the strap or rubbed somewhere else. I am curious HOW did you get the noodle to stay on the rain gutters? They are perhaps my biggest potential problem. Despite having to fight wind and cold I still recommend a cover of some kind. This is our third rig and both of the previous two suffered greatly from UV radiation. We all see the decals fade and shrivel up but much more happens. Every object made of plastic will turn brittle that when touched will snap off. Some of the trim will dry and shrink. The list goes on, point is that much more suffers from UV radiation than the decals. I have one corner on the back that is the downwind side. The approximately 1 foot length of fabric has migrated to this corner. It flaps from the wind and did notice this summer there is a slight blackening along the edge of the endcap. It didn't rub off with soap and water. I do hope there is some product to restore this finish but if this is all that decays over the next few years I'll consider the cover a success. I also recommend sheltering from the weather.