I bought a brand name (LaBra) car cover off eBay. It was the right size and tightness to fit well over my vert, and seemed to me to keep the body dry. My prior cover was a parantel gift and more minivan to large truck size....blew off far too frequently. Even a canvas tarp I had to revert to this past weekend blew off in high winds!

The main reason I think this topic is worthy (I don't recall one recently here) is I was contemplating a half cover as employed for only the opened section, but think that must be a watertight unit, correct?
I actually lean towards a full cover to cut down on washing occurances. The fact is, My LeBra cover failed to keep water out of my cabin and it didn't blow off (a plus). I got a fair deal at about $25 bucks or so total on it. Am I only saving money because there is a more expensive water tight one?

My large cover is 'Budge' labelled and seems pretty reliable for water protection. At present thinking of using both together to afford the needed protection. The rain culprit was not heavy but a half day of persistant drizzle. Long drizzle bouts seem as affective as several hours of hard downpour but both leave me sweating and cursing! hehe
Bill

 

I'm very interested in a good brand as well. I just got the car and I don't want it to see ANY water. There is no way it's gonna fit in the garage yet, so I need something watertight for a while.

 

"Armed with the proper information, you may make an informed choice as to the advisability of using a car cover and the best type for your needs. There are three basic types; water proof, water resistant or "breathable" and non-water resistant. Each has it's own advantages and problems. (And you thought only kids came with built-in problems.)

The waterproof car covers are usually plastic film or a plastic coated fabric and will keep the rain off your car, but will also trap condensation between the cover and your car. This trapped moisture may attack your paint with results that are worse than if you just left the car uncovered. The plastic type of car cover is useful if you store your car over the winter in a garage and use a flannel cloth cover against the surface and the plastic one as an outer protective shield. The flannel will wick off any moisture and the plastic adds a tough outer protective layer to help keep the varmints from nesting in the soft cloth. One manufacturer makes a giant "baggie" for your car called the Omni Bag. These are very useful if you store the car over the winter and wish to provide the extra level of protection gained from "sealing" the car. Place some desiccants in the bag to absorb excess moisture and seal your pride and joy for its winter hibernation. Another trick to protect any winter-stored car is to place mothballs around the exterior to discourage the rodents from moving in for the winter and dining on your insulation and wiring. Their gourmet appetites make for some interesting problems. One person had mice stuff the exhaust pipe with acorns. When he started the car in the spring, the resulting acorn shotgun blast dented his metal garage door. If you wish to rid yourself of the rodents, lay dishes of Instant Potato Buds and dishes of water around the outside of your car. They eat the Buds and drink the water and go KA-BOOM.

The second type of cover material, the water resistant or "breathable" type, is available in an almost bewildering array of fabrics, weights and types. These types of covers will repel most of the water yet allow air to circulate, preventing condensation. Most have ultraviolet screens woven into the mesh to help them withstand sunlight degradation and are usually mildew resistant. The lightest weight car cover currently available is made from Tyvek. This cover weighs about 3 pounds and is very easy to put on and take off. Tyvek is very water resistant and sheds most of the water, yet is so light that the wind will tend to beat the cover against the finish. Unless care is taken to insure that this type of cover is fitted very tightly, it may beat your paint into submission. Tyvek covers lend themselves for very short-term use, such as daily use in the office parking lot. Evolution by Kimberly Clark is a multi-layer "waffle pattern" cover that offers great protection from the elements, available in numerous colors, and is thick enough to help soften the blow of door dings. For outside use, custom fitted Evolution covers offer the best protection. The downside is they are heavy, difficult to put on and take off and if the paint surface is not clean, they may tend to scratch the surface. If you are storing a car outside for long periods of time, this may be the best choice. Another type of composite cover uses a clothing style breathable nylon or polyester outer layer with a foamed acrylic inner lining. This combination is not that water resistant, it instead "filters" the water, allowing only "clean water" to reach the surface. This filtering process, in my humble opinion, only removes the gross dirt. It does not remove the acid from acid rain (unless there is a tiny chemical factory inside the cover that no one has told me about). These types of covers are usually lighter, thus easier to install/remove, than the Evolution type and may be more suited for short-term use. There are a multitude of other "filtering" materials available, such as rip-stop nylon, synthetic sail cloth and boat canvas. Most of these are found on the relatively inexpensive one-size fits all type of mass-market covers and may not be that suitable.

The third major type of cover material is 100% cotton or cotton/polyester blends available in a flannel style or regular cloth style. I prefer the 100% cotton, as the polyester fibers may scratch the paint. These are not water resistant and should not be used outside for long periods of time. For indoor use, the 100% cotton flannel cover is the most gentle on the paint and probably the best choice. The flannel lining may cause lint ***** on your canvas convertible top (automotive fur *****?), so you may consider a plain cotton cover for your Camaro. If you store your car over the winter, or drive your pride and joy infrequently, a 100% cotton cover may be a wise investment."

 

Name brands and model listing would be helpful, I had mine off eBay and was happy, but it appears it gives up watertightness for breathability and a soft contact. My use would be something that dries quickly lets water fall off, is easily stowable on the go (no long time storage intent), Stands up to snow as well as water though.
I keep mine on during parked periods where the weather is questionable but often like things to dry out w/o the cover, which is advisable I think. The last problem mentioned was with car cover employed, top down and side windows up for support.
I suspected the lightness was likely to contribute to it not standing up to water/moisture leaking thru. Will have to look up info on mine in particular. Box WAS sitting here.
Bill

 

Bought one at Target. Don;' recall the name, but it is a non-cloth type fibre that "breathes". It also has an air vent at the front and the rear of the top and at the nose of the hood. Perfect fit for the F body (Camaro at least). In fact the silhouette on the box IS a third gen Camaro.

Came with a storage bag (Good luck getting it BACK in the bag)
AND a locking cable that runs under the car with a neat little padlock for it

 

I just got hit with a Virus, so I may be down or switched to my backup PC, I'm really glad I got that puppy now! However I have many files on this one, my eMachine I bought new at Circuit City
Anyway, I did find my bag's box in the closet. It's LeBra's Dura-Lite
Considering the Lite versions of Budge brands at the store are the cheapie covers, I can see it as being water repellent at best. My other cover is Mack truck size Budge that is light but white, vs the LeBra's gray material. It seems much more water tight, but my last attempt failed.

That was to cover the large one with the smaller LeBra, It blew off the back and pass side onto the wet ground!! I was flabbergasted! I really need shock cords or something better then rocks (positioned in front and back of 'cockpit')to keep it tied on.

Typically I pull it under four corners and it works fine. Somehow the rain brings some unfriendly winds along...EVERY freakin time
UGHHH!

 

I just got my Wolf "Noah" car cover and so far it's worked out great. I ordered the custom fit one to our 3rd gen's and it fits like a glove. Any good cover won't be completely water tight because they need to breathe, but I have no complaints on its water repellant ability. After 3 thunderstorms there is no trace of moisture inside the car. If your interested here is a link - Car Cover .

 

I saw Walmart has Bulge covers in the large sizes, but not 2, the one for Firebird/Camaros and two doors. There is one specifically for water tight repellancy. I used mine over the past 24 hours, again the tight LeBra over the larger Bulge cover, worked pretty good, if it doesn't blow off, and it sure tried!!

Bill

 

Go to California Car Cover Co.. They will have a selection of custom-fit and universal-fit covers in a mind-numbing selection of materials. I bought their interior-cover and use it on a regular basis. You'll save a LOT of wear and tear on your top if you get one (maybe that is one reason why I've still not had to replace my top yet, 15+ years and counting). It's not intended for long-term storage, but it a great product for those quick stops when shopping and you're tempted to put the top up. It takes a lot less time to install than a full cover and takes the UV off of the interior.

Lon

 

Sounds like the one I was thinking of normally marketted towards the Corvettes that are plainly abundant. Speed is one reason I'm not keen on a tie down that runs the length of the cover, but am going to look at shock cords for both ends to hasten a tie down against blowing wind.
Only time wind is an asset is in shaking the dust and dirt, leaves, etc off the covers. I'm trying to fold these things up one person as well!
Bill

 

You need to buy the accessory called a garage. I should talk, I haven't been able to put mine in a garage in a bit over a year now. A wrecked Volvo needs to be parted out before I can put it under cover again.

Lon

 

I saw a product called The HotRod Garage but it looks like a tool bin more then anything related to a garage.

I'm about the only tenant using a car cover(s)! One other guy covered his motorcycle, on occasion. Most times recently, it (mine) blew off onto a neighboring spot

Bill