What does everyone use to protect their ARs for long storage. ie maybe over the winter. So far I have just used CLP and keep the humidity in the safe as low has possible.
put a thin film of CLP on all bare metal surfaces, keep it dry and that should do it.
I went through a phase where I did very little with my firearms (bad marriage, lots of moving, job changes, divorce, etc.). Anyways, I had two ARs that spent several years in a case, and I am not even sure if they had cleaned after they had been to the range last. :o I dusted em off, shot the heck out of them, cleaned em, and they are still like new. 
*** Don’t worry, I’m back to being a gun nut, and all my weaponse get the love they deserve. 
I don’t understand why people think the AR needs special storage techniques. 
I have an AR that just sits in the back of my safe for years at a time. And I do nothing different for it.
Perhaps it’s the OP’s environment that he lives in, that gives him concern.
Arizona, much like Colorado, is a very arid climate. Guys like us have little to worry about when it comes to humidity and moisture creating problems with stored weapons. 
I have the air tight bags that are sold on CTD and brigade quartermaster. One of my old .22’s has been de-rusted cleaned up and put back in for 6-7 years now and it it fine.
i just store them in a simple case with foam around it. no need a special treatment because it is not going to hurt your gun.
You might want to do a little research regarding the storage of weapons in foam lined gun cases.
There are quite a few examples over the years from gun owners who have opened their case at a later date only to find rust on their weapon.
The foam acts as a sponge, not only absorbing and wicking away any lubrication from the weapon surfaces it contacts, but it also absorbs and holds moisture against those same surfaces.
Depends where you live. If you’re in Florida or the south or some humid climate there’s more to be concerned about than if you’re in Arizona or the western states in general where single digit humidity isn’t unusual. Just give it a good cleaning as usual, wipe it with an oily rag and put it in the back of the safe. No gun case can sometimes be preferable to keeping it in a gun case cuz as mentioned above some of those cases don’t breath and can hold moisture.
I have one of those dehumidifier rods in my safe.
I have several guns in the safe that haven’t been used in a while, to include two AR’s that I bought for my kids and set aside. These two AR’s have been sitting there since 2006. About once a year, I wipe them down with a CLP coated rag, pull out the bolt carrier group and wipe them down also.
I question if I even need to do this…
If one is planning on “planting a garden of AR’s in the back yard” then you might have to do something special. If just storying over the winter, ect. just wipe all metal parts with a thin coat of oil, and keep in a dry place. You should be good to go.
The Army’s general rule-of-thumb is to pull weapons every 90 days for PMCS.
Colorado winters can be harsh, and my shooting is limited during the colder months. During that down time, I like to continue that 90 day inspection cycle. It takes literally minutes to perform, is a nice way to relax in a warm shop on a blustery winter day, and it certainly doesn’t hurt.
I don’t consider it a waste of time at all.
Not sure about the Army, but the weapons we were issued in the Corps were a complete mess. The had been beat to hell and back, bare metal showing in all places, barrels with deep scratches, ect ect. If you have a weapon like this, then regular preventive maintenance is a must! But if we are tallking about a farelly new AR that still has all of its protective coatings in place, then as long as you got oil on the moving parts yuo are set. some people like to have their guns dripping wet with lube, and thats fine. I found out that having a gun dripping wet with lube actually atracts more dirt and grime than one were only the crucial parts had lube.