I am considering buying a sprinter van to do my travels in - possibly to live in as well, until I recover from the cost of buying the van :Wow1: I would like to convert it into a poptop camper that has a roof that is only 3" thick - to minimize drag. The sides will be the standard tent material, but double sided. I want most of that 3" of the pop top to be insulation, to help keep my van warm and cozy in the winter, without spending a fortune on propane, and to help it stay cool in the summer. I am pretty handy with tools and wood but have never done anything like this. It would basically be a solid slab of insulation, with a couple of provisions for vents, and for the hardware to lift it up...as well as space to store the tent siding. Does anyone have any suggestions?
DIY pop top
- Thread starter Pengyou
- Start date
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
My suggestion: Not worth it.
Several points:
1) My GTRV (Garageable-Top RV) based pop-top is about 3" tall, a "hollow" fiberglass shell. I wish it were taller. I have trouble getting enough room to tuck in all the tent material, and there's absolutely ZERO way I could leave bedding or extra mattress foam up there, which is a hassle. I have an ExPed 3" mat that I have to inflate/deflate every time I raise/lower the top. Adds 10+ minutes to what should be a fast activity. If your top was 3" of solid insulation, you'll have no place for ANY tent material, except hanging down into the van.
2) Sprinters already come with high-roof available - in fact, I'm willing to bet you'll find more choices with a high-roof than a low-roof (which means you'll have better price choices versus trying to find a rarer van). How many people are you sleeping? If its 1 or 2, don't even THINK of a pop-top, there's plenty of room for either permanent or temporary bed in a sprinter. If it's 3-4, even THEN I'd probably look at bunking or multi-layer bedding before I thought about pop-tops. Plus with a high-roof van you have room to move around without stooping over in the times when you aren't actually camping.
3) If you're thinking about insulation, you're really better off with a hard-roof and just lining everything with rigid foam. Take a look at the (many) excellent Sprinter conversions that have been done. No matter what tent material you use, and how many layers, a pop-top is still basically a tent. The R-value of the roof (and van walls) is totally blown away by the amount of heat you'll lose through the soft walls.
Several points:
1) My GTRV (Garageable-Top RV) based pop-top is about 3" tall, a "hollow" fiberglass shell. I wish it were taller. I have trouble getting enough room to tuck in all the tent material, and there's absolutely ZERO way I could leave bedding or extra mattress foam up there, which is a hassle. I have an ExPed 3" mat that I have to inflate/deflate every time I raise/lower the top. Adds 10+ minutes to what should be a fast activity. If your top was 3" of solid insulation, you'll have no place for ANY tent material, except hanging down into the van.
2) Sprinters already come with high-roof available - in fact, I'm willing to bet you'll find more choices with a high-roof than a low-roof (which means you'll have better price choices versus trying to find a rarer van). How many people are you sleeping? If its 1 or 2, don't even THINK of a pop-top, there's plenty of room for either permanent or temporary bed in a sprinter. If it's 3-4, even THEN I'd probably look at bunking or multi-layer bedding before I thought about pop-tops. Plus with a high-roof van you have room to move around without stooping over in the times when you aren't actually camping.
3) If you're thinking about insulation, you're really better off with a hard-roof and just lining everything with rigid foam. Take a look at the (many) excellent Sprinter conversions that have been done. No matter what tent material you use, and how many layers, a pop-top is still basically a tent. The R-value of the roof (and van walls) is totally blown away by the amount of heat you'll lose through the soft walls.
Thanks for your input.Abe Froman
Adventurer
We have a sprinter with a sportsmobile pop-top and would be super happy to trade it for the factory high roof.
Pop top is tons of work to set up, and ours isn't made very well, so I just don't see the point with the sprinter.
Get a high roof and be done.
If you are gonna live in it, and want to be stealth: get a high roof, as no plumber buys the low roof.
The beauty of the sprinter is the ability to stand up without having to open anything.
Pop top is tons of work to set up, and ours isn't made very well, so I just don't see the point with the sprinter.
Get a high roof and be done.
If you are gonna live in it, and want to be stealth: get a high roof, as no plumber buys the low roof.
The beauty of the sprinter is the ability to stand up without having to open anything.
danfromsyr
Adventurer
I've always admired this conversion
from this site
http://www.camperize.com/build-your-own-poptop.html
from this site
http://www.camperize.com/build-your-own-poptop.html
LandCruiserPhil
Expedition Leader
Some excellent points made both ways but to say poptops are a ton of work to set says to me it was not done correctly.
▲100% ready to sleep with all bedding in place▲
▲100% ready to sleep with all bedding in place▲
Herbie
Rendezvous Conspirator
I agree, a pop-top is a worthwhile mod on MANY vehicles. I was commenting specifically on the idea of adding a popper to a SPRINTER, and only making it 3" higher than the normal roofline, per the OP.
I just think that if your budget is such that you're thinking DIY and you've already settled on a Sprinter which is readily available as a high-roof, it's probably simpler/cheaper all the way around to skip the pop...
I just think that if your budget is such that you're thinking DIY and you've already settled on a Sprinter which is readily available as a high-roof, it's probably simpler/cheaper all the way around to skip the pop...