compromised syncro

[..lee..]

ok off road guys i`d value your opinions.

1... i`ve bought a westy high top for the 16" westy pop top. i`d like to take mandy and the kids camping in cold winter weather without complaints. we also do a lot of wild camping and putting the pop top up and the thermo wrap is a pain for a quick overnighter especially when its pissing it down. so a high top would solve these problems.
thing is i`d need to lower the suspension back to std to get a high top in the garage at home also i`m wondering whether a high top would be a pain if green laning.

2... the waste water tank and exterior gas tank are off atm and i`m running an internal gas bottle. we need all the space inside we can get so i was planning on fitting both the tanks back under the van but this is going to compramise ground clearance again.

i feel like i have to decide whether i want a 4wd camper or a pucker offroader. obviously wanting to have and eat the cake i`m torn.

where to make the compromises. i cant decide. what ya think.

lee.

[axeman]

roof racks and my vindic back can be a bit tight on the surrey lanes, a high top would make most of the lanes in passable.

like you said cake and eat it,

oh and if your gona eat cake in the van watch the crumbs

neil

[..lee..]

thanks neil, i`ve seen jeds videos and thought the same about the high top. think i`m going to face it that as a full on family camper lanes like that are not going to be viable.

will have to pull my finger out and sort the doka out.

[Wolfsburg Willy]

Lee, get the High Top Buddy, you'll never look back! Underslung tanks that are only as deep as the chassis rails don't compromise ground clearance; but they do help the C of G if full. The storage space in a High Top is second to none and as you say it sure beats monkeying around with a Pop Top if you want a quick overnighter. OK you can't get into some car parks and you have to mind overhanging trees if you're off-road, but IMHO it's a better bet than a PT. Ohh.... and cross winds can be entertaining if they're strong but what the heck!

[..lee..]

my brother has a high top that we`ve used so i know how practical high tops are hence me buying this one. cant get in to car parks with the pop top now anyway as its about as high as a 2wd high top with the roof down due to the roof rack and top box, which of course we need due to the lesser storage space.

lee.

[Mudlark]

When overnighting my westy pop-top with roof rack takes about 15 minutes to be bed-ready. The old Autosleeper high top I had was not that much different to be honest; as lots of kit was stored inside on the upper bed as opposed to on the roof-rack. Still have to empty the back and top whichever version you have.

While you will certainly benefit in colder climates; one of the reasons we changed to the pop top was for the opposite reason; our autosleeper was too hot in warmer climates. Pretty sure the westy high top is bigger and will benefit from that larger window, so that may not be an issue.

I also went pop-top because of the height restrictions; simply too many places we could not consider going.

We have camped in below freezing temperatures on exmoor with the pop top, but with a good fire outside; the eber heater running in the van and good tog sleeping bags cant say we have suffered.

If all I wanted was a warm camper Id go with a non-syncro Westy high top; but i think you will regret it the first time you stare down a leafy lane with overhanging branches and wonder how far you will get before you have to reverse all the way out again.

So as usual, a set of compromises on both sides; I think you know what your up against, probably come down to putting the family first.

[..lee..]

if it was just myself i`d keep it a poptop but as i said in the yard.the 16 with me will always be a rough it go most places camping van so the high top will suit it better for my needs but untill i get my other syncro doka up and usable for a bit of fun off roading i`ll keep it as it is so at least i can use it off road a bit safely. thanks for the input, you know what it like you have all these ideas going around in your head sometimes you just need to share them with people who are thinking the same.

cheers lee.

[syncrosimon]

Very happy with my hightop camper, and has done a fair bit of off roading including one CJ's weekends when I stuffed it down some very fluffy lanes.

The factory hightop is very strong and quite capable of pushing most branches out of the way.

I have found that westies dont have much internal storage, I have made the interior of mine with maximum stoarge in mind, and we dont really have to hold back with what we take. All tanks are on the inside. Most long stay carparks have height for parking, as do town center on road parking, we have never found it a problem.

The junk we store in the hightop is huge, we would need a trailer to take it all.

We have two extractor fans that can run all night if required to keep things cool.

I will go back to a pop top when the kids have gone, for weight saving and handling reasons.

http://www.youtube.com/user/syncrosimon ... Zdhn6lxLO4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.youtube.com/user/syncrosimon ... Wz1U85MldU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa28 ... 030039.flv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sonic23]

i've got a pop - and i like it's flexibility and its toasty with a thermal wrap. I've got 'helper' gas stuts to lift it when i've got a roof rack with roof box and boards on top , but Simon's bus is a true inspiration on high tops. One of the best executed i've seen.
Rich