Made up minds are not likely to be changed and we ALL agree our primary mission is to fly yet I'd be willing to bet every RV ever built spends a LOT MORE time sitting on the ground than aloft.
Once our minds are made up it is only natural to resist the alternatives, myself included.
Van's says the slider
"provides better ventilation on the ground, and allows the pilot to taxi in with an arm over the rail, thereby making him (or her) "cooler" in two ways." Men tend to be visual creatures and it was this long time photo on Van's website that finally convinced me to build an RV back in 2000. It was the slider that did it:
I'm all for the coolness factor and in keeping with that sentiment, lets be honest about something else here Louise. There is something dorky about taxiing about while one hand is clutching the tip-up. Heck, my avatar would not even be possible sitting in a tip-up.
But the slider also sports other more utilitarian advantages seldom mentioned. Unlike the tip-up, there are no struts and some designs have been reported to need periodic maintenance or even replacement. When you open the slider, there is zero potential for any water to find its way behind the instrument panel. Those points have been talked to death. What is not talked about very often (if ever) is this. What the slider does have is a non-magnetic brace and that brace happens to be an ideal place to hang the wet compass. Now consider that sturdy steel rollbar. Those who are inclined to favor the tip-up see a visual obstruction. Many slider types see something else entirely. Grab handles mounted to it greatly add to balance and stability while a pilot or passenger is engaged in ingress and egress. Then there is the unsung utility of the overhead canopy latch. In flight, it is a perfectly positioned, ever ready handhold much like clutching an overhead strap on a moving bus and that latch is instantly available as something to grab onto such as when shifting around in your seat or wanting to sit more upright. Can't do all that with a tip-up. Add it up. The slider option offers the pilot a non-magnetic brace to attach the compass, an option to install pair of grab handles for enhanced stability, and a convenient canopy latch to grab onto as the in-flight need arises.