Undercover vs outside storage

Mine sits alongside the house, no cover. 

New van nearly 3 years ago and it sits in the open on our storage site, no covers just nose high to stop pooling on the roof and the rain self washes debris as it runs off. Obviously after a winter its in need of a good clean up, but comes up as good as new.

We store our caravan in the open with a cover. Have found no condensation problems and find it is ideal to protect our fan.  Suppose if we had the choice, internal storage would be the preferred option. Thus would of course come with the added cost.

Ours is outside in a fairly open ( except for the razor wire) compound. No trees or grass, just gravel and fencing. It's been coated and we find it stays fairly clean. We clean the sides periodically and the roof is cleaned once a year, when it is serviced. I don't have any knowledge of indoor storage. However, I think I would want to be sure it was not inhabited by too many birds, taking shelter. Otherwise the van could end up more messy than if left in the open.

The nearest Cassoa Gold storage for me is just over the border in Devon and current rates are  £540 indoors and £395 outside - probably worth the extra to go indoors. But as three boys and I re- roofed a big shed here at home 35 years ago that has saved me £18,000 so far.

I did investigate the possibility of indoor storage but apart from the additional cost the inconvenience of being required to give two days notice of arrival and departures put me off. This is because the vans are packed rather tightly into sheds. Our van is therefore presently sitting outside on a gold site very much nose down as the water systems open drain valve is at the front. 

Mines is now in back garden, washed polished and waxed with its new cover fitted. De-humidifier running 24/7 to pick up any moisture. Even after a rainy day the underside of the cover is bone dry. Theres plenty ventilation from underside blowing up and around so isnt a issue for retaining moisture.

I have mine indoor at a CaSSOA gold site (and paying less than some of the price mentioned)

I only have to give 24hrs notice, but even 48hrs would not be a problem.

The two problems that I have with the indoor storage are that depending on how far into the shed the van is then the solar panel may or may not be topping up the battery. Also in the summer there can be quite a bit of dust flying round and landing on the van. The storage do wash it off if they think it is bad, but their bad and my bad are not the same!

"the solar panel may or may not be topping up the battery."

Have you had any battery problems with indoor storage?

I have a BMW which is 13 years old. The specialist garage that maintains it say that they have never seen one so good and it's due to the fact that it has been kept in the garage most of the time. So, for me it's a given that for long term preservation indoor is best. But, unless you are going to keep your van for 15 years you won't notice any difference; it's just a drag having to clean off all the moss, green algae, leaves, etc. every Spring.