Wing covers, worth the trouble?

[rwabdu]

Anyone using wing covers in the winter? I am wondering if it's worth the trouble buying and using them. Had to cancel a few flights due to frozen snow and ice on my wings recently. Not sure if it's worth the time to put them on and take them off every flight.

[Utah20Gflyer]

I use them 99 percent of the time.  I primarily bought them to avoid having to remove snow, ice and frost from my wings.  A secondary purpose was to protect the paint from sun damage which is why I almost always use them.   They have been very effective but do add probably 15 minutes to each flight for taking them off and putting them both on.   Sometimes I wonder if all that time is worth it but now that I have them I feel uncomfortable not putting them on.  I think they will also provide some marginal hail protection.  I didn’t get the hail version but if I had it to do it over again I would. 
 

In addition to the wing covers I have a cabin cover, tail covers and an anti bird spiky thing I put on top of the vertical stabilizer.  I do find all of these things disincentivize short flights.  I don’t do many one hour flights around the pattern anymore but doesn’t seem like a big deal for 4 hour cross country flights.   Not sure what else to do though,  I can’t stomach the thought of my plane rotting away outside without any protection.  

[ArtVandelay]

I assume they will protect against a hailstorm too?

[Pinecone]

2 hours ago, ArtVandelay said:

I assume they will protect against a hailstorm too?

Some are padded to help.

Bruce's Covers sells both Winter and All Year wing covers, with or without Hail Protection.  For J and K, Winter, No Hail Protection are $520, with Hail Protection $1005.  For All Year, prices are $760 and $1125

Difference between Winter and All Year:

"ALL-YEAR USE MATERIAL - Made with Silver Acrylic Sunbrella canvas, the all-year use material is the best option for sun protection and cover longevity. This heavier more durable material is intended for all weather conditions, such as rain and snow or lots of sun.

WINTER USE MATERIAL - Made with Solution-Dyed Polyester fabric, this option is intended for seasonal use to aid in deicing, rain mitigation, or for occasional travel. The material is lighter and more compact, but more susceptible to UV damage and may have a shorter useful life if used continuously outside than the all-year use material."

[PeterRus]

Another (minor) advantage of the wing covers is protection of the fuel caps/tanks from rain water.