By Chris Dougherty, F263059
July/August 2025
True Topper revolutionizes technology with a new way to manage slide-room rooftops that eliminates traditional awning-style products.
After Mahlon Miller’s Newmar Corporation introduced the first modern, powered RV slideout, people soon realized that the added space did not come without some concerns. Debris or snow that falls onto the roof could become trapped behind the flange (or “lip”) around the perimeter of the slide room, which could prevent the slideout from closing properly and also damage seals. In addition, the roof of the slideout box was thinner than that of the rest of the RV, which reduced the insulation properties.
Slide toppers — automatic spring-actuated awnings for slideouts — were introduced as a solution. In contrast to the slideout itself, the history books are vague about who made the first slideout awning. Regardless, it became apparent that the rooms and the topper awnings were here to stay.
Slide toppers do a great job of shading the box, keeping debris off of it, and preventing water from collecting on top, but they do have issues. Like patio awnings, slide toppers are susceptible to damage. High winds, such as during a thunderstorm, can cause the toppers to billow and flap excessively, potentially breaking the seal on the room and pulling the top of the box in. Snow is also something awning-style slide toppers don’t handle well; even light snow may prevent the awning material from rolling up. This, along with common rust corrosion, can cause the springs to break, resulting in major inconvenience. Further, when subjected to enough stress, the fabric (vinyl or acrylic) can tear at the seams, delaminate, or suffer other damage.
As they say, this is the cost of doing business — or, in this case, the cost of having fun.
But Oregon-based Composite Solutions has designed a product that may well add the fabric topper to the list of extinct species. Called the True Topper — a reimagining of the slideout roof and topper using a modern seal design — it eliminates the entire fabric awning and mechanism.
WHAT IS IT?
The True Topper is a sweep and cover system — it sweeps debris from the roof as the slide room is being retracted, and it covers when the slide room is fully closed, keeping the elements out while the RV is in storage. One key factor that makes the True Topper system so effective is that it allows a slide room to be reconfigured to eliminate the flange I mentioned earlier.
As Dennis Dame from True Topper explains, “Most all slide rooms today are built with a flange (lip) that goes around the outside perimeter. The portion of the flange that runs along the roof of the slide room is problematic in that anything — snow, water, debris — that finds its way onto the slide room roof could become trapped due to that flange being in the way. With the flange eliminated, the True Topper can sweep the roof when the slide room travels inward and then cover when the slide room is in the closed position.”
When the slideout is closed, the True Topper unit sits tightly above the room, effectively sealing it. As the slideout is extended, the unit automatically opens with a wiper atop the box. It covers the top box seam from the elements. When the room is closed, the wiper acts like a squeegee, removing water or debris from the slideout roof. It does this all automatically.
INSTALLING THE TRUE TOPPER
When the True Topper is installed by the RV manufacturer at the factory, the slide rooms are designed without that upper flange. When True Toppers are added to an RV that already has slide rooms with the upper flange in place, the installer does what is called a “retrofit.” During this process, the upper flange is trimmed flush to the slide roof, followed by a protocol of cleaning; screw replacement (if needed); resealing; and, finally, affixing a cover ramp over the entire reworked area.
The True Topper is custom-made for each application and can be painted to match the RV or left black. The installation process is exact and, therefore, is not a do-it-yourself project. Custom installers are available across the United States and at the company’s plant in Oregon.
Once the rooms are measured, the toppers are precisely crafted. Each room is extended, and the top of the slideout room flange is cut off. A new slide and ramp system is placed on the outside edge of the room and carefully sealed.
Removing the flange “lip” is a necessary evil and does nothing to harm the roof seal itself. The flange lip only holds one bulb seal, the benefit of which is replaced by the True Topper unit. That flange is also the reason the slideout can hold water and debris on the roof, pushing them into the coach seals and damaging them.
The True Topper unit is installed below the slide-topper fabric channel, which is often left in place, depending on the unit. The bracket is affixed to the sidewall and sealed. According to company representatives, retrofitting one slideout takes about four hours.
1) A series of still shots from a video depict the True Topper in action.
HOW THE TRUE TOPPER WORKS
The True Topper’s design, manufacture, and implementation are relatively precise, but the concept is really quite simple: It consists of an aluminum extrusion for pushing larger debris and snow off the roof, plus an additional rubber squeegee to work in tandem with the two factory squeegees that are typically already in place. The design is so effective that some Tiffin models are equipped from the factory with True Toppers on Composite Solutions’ Seamless Slides one-piece slideout boxes.
Composite Solutions has documented the installation and use of True Toppers on several types of RVs, including motorhomes and fifth wheels. In actual use, the product is functioning as expected. Tests have been done with water, ice, snow, tree branches, leaves, and so on, and the True Toppers have removed them all to the point of allowing the slide to retract and seal without a problem.
2) The True topper removes snow from the top of a slideout room on a Brinkley fifth wheel.
Tests were also conducted on these installations to compare factors such as the effect of temperature and hot sun on the slide roofs before and after the addition of the True Topper. A concern existed that removing the slide topper might result in the room being hotter. Infrared temperature readings found it to be cooler. However, the original fabric toppers tested were black, which may have increased the temperature beneath them. The customer who conducted the test also tried reflective paint on the roof of one slideout and compared it to a plain roof. The plain roof was cooler than the one with the reflective paint. A temperature chart and test details appear on the FAQ page on the company’s website.
To be clear, the True Topper is not designed to remove all debris, water, snow, and ice from the roof. Small particulates may still get through it to the main wiper seal. Snow and ice that accumulate on the slideout roof in a heated RV shouldn’t be a problem, but if the heat is off (such as in storage with the slideouts left out) and the snow and ice freeze solid, the ice must be removed and the True Topper must be freed from the ice before moving the slide. A fabric slide topper would require this every time and still might not function, because of ice inside the roller and spring assembly.
3) Once the snow is off, the slideout can retract without any issues.
In another example, a Brinkley fifth wheel was equipped with True Toppers and subjected to a snowstorm, as shown in the photos in this article. The video of the snow and ice being cleanly removed from the slideout by the True Topper can be viewed on the company’s website.
One significant benefit of the True Topper is wind resistance. Dame said customers regularly comment on this. “People really like it once they discover how nice it is not to have to deal with the wind anymore, either with the noise keeping them awake at night, or just having to move your slide room in before you leave camp. If you’re going to go exploring, you don’t want to have the wind kick up and tear your toppers off or something like that.” He said one customer clocked winds at 65 mph with the slides left out and no effect on the True Topper or the slide room.
CONCLUSION
The True Topper holds promise as a solution for the problems fabric slideout awnings can cause RV owners. The product’s ability to seal and clean the RV slideout room roof without being affected by wind, rain, snow, ice, or tree debris is a game changer.
True Toppers are available for just about any length slideout room. According to Dame, the company has made toppers from 40 inches to slightly over 32 feet so far. “The extrusions come in 24-foot lengths, so over that requires a seam,” he noted.
Pricing is done by the installer, as many factors can change the cost. Some RVs require more significant modifications, which adds to the expense, according to Heidi Chase from True Topper. “A 143-inch slide room that requires no extra labor except the removal of existing slide toppers is estimated at $1,500. That is fully installed,” she said.
So, if you’re tired of replacing slideout fabrics, listening to flapping in the wind, or having the fabric fly off on the road, then the True Topper is worth serious consideration.
True Topper
truetopperusa.com
(541) 203-0313