Right up in the “neatest thing since sliced bread” category, for our family at least, are big assist handles that you can mount on the side of your RV. At the end of a long day on the road or on a trail, being able to grab that handle and stabilize yourself heading up the steps into the rig has been a lifesaver.

Before: This RV handrail needed grips for safety.
Photo Credit: Russ and Tiña De Maris
We’ve looked into the standard answer that one assist handle manufacturer offers: A piece of “replacement” rubber wrap that you wind around the bar. That’s great, until you consider the price of the wrap—enough to cover 12 inches of the bar carries a list price of close to $17, and you add shipping on top. If you want to cover the entire bar, you’ll need at least two packages—pretty close to the price of a whole new bar. It’s a bit of a head scratcher.
A couple of years ago when our original wrap ratted out, we tried an alternative. We removed the old, worn-out wrap, and in its place, glued on a chunk of foam rubber pipe insulation. It was inexpensive, gave a good grip, and promptly deteriorated in the weather within a few months. Next we tried using a small foam rubber swim noodle pool toy, which we slit lengthwise and glued onto the rail. Aside from the fact that it looked pretty strange—brilliant neon blue against our white rig—it had a lifespan similar to the pipe insulation.

Bicycle handlebar wrap does the job.
Photo Credit: Russ and Tiña De Maris
Here’s how we put ours on. Since we’d previously used glue to hold on the “alternative treatments,” we had a bit of a mess to clean up. The glue didn’t respond well to mineral spirits, so what was left on the assist handle we carefully sanded off, working hard not to chew up the paint. With the old glue knocked off, we were ready for the install.
The handlebar tape we bought came in two rolls—one for each side of your bicycle handlebars. Since we were heading for a single installation, we started the wrapping at the middle of the handrail and worked down. Carefully peeling the adhesive backing paper off the strip on the back of the handlebar tape, we laid down and smoothed out the bar tape, slowly unraveling the new tape from the roll. We stretched the bar tape as we went, overwrapping the tape already on the handrail so that about two-thirds of the tape was exposed, and the last third was covered with new tape. By stretching and holding the roll firmly as we “placed” the new tape in place, we reached the bottom of the bar easily.

A few turns of electrical tape completes the wrap.
Photo Credit: Russ and Tiña De Maris

Start the wrap in the middle and work up or down.
Photo Credit: Russ and Tiña De Maris

Completely wrapped, the assist handle is safer.
Photo Credit: Russ and Tiña De Maris
Check out Russ and Tiña’s Internet blog on a variety of RV topics at ICanRV.com.
I simply use a piece of black foam (similar to a pool noodle) that has been sliced on one side and just place one piece at the top of the handle and one on the bottom. When we are packing up I simple remove them both and put in their respective hanging basket just inside the door for the next trip. They slide a little bit but I have no problem with adhesive/gluing them on.