Club 80-90 Forums

Hi,

I'm just about to change my van (currently a tin top 2 wd which I love) for a high top syncro. I want to have the extra storage, and have the option of sleeping upstairs if I don't want to make up the bed below, or put surf boards and kit up top and sleep downstairs.

My question ( as I've never set foot in a high top) is what depth / models are the minimum for sleeping in? Personally I find the Wesfalia roofs visually too big so want the lowest practical height. I just missed a german ambulance, but the roof looks as though it might have been too low for use in a bed conversion. I think the Delher roofs look good, but are head room storage only? To my eyes the Auto sleeper looks the smallest practical space with the most complimentary design. Has anybody got some pics of the interior of one of these?

I'm also contemplating buying a tin top if I see the right van, and adding a roof. Has anybody sourced a used roof? ( I know there is one design of high top available from a German company.

Could anybody give me an idea of the internal height of the sleeping areas of different models? I guess that most have a square hole over the forward section of the van, with a sliding mechanism to make the full length bed?

I know this is a continuing debate, but any thoughts greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I have the Autohomes Komet which is about the same size as the Autosleeper Trident. The height of the Komet is 2591mm at the highest point and the height of a tin top is 1965mm so the high top itself is 626mm high or just over two feet in old money. You'd struggle to manoeuvre yourself about up there with much less unless you're particularly young, small and very bendy.

Click on the 'Garage' icon under my username on the left for how it looks from the outside and details of the actual bed layout are in this previous thread:

https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=98013" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When i was considering a uber high top I looked at loads of different high tops before i settled on an autosleeper trident and now i love it, i looked at Westie's which although aesthetically big can look quite cool and having had an atlantic pop top, I think that they have a really good arrangement inside.

The autosleeper aesthetically fits well on the vehicle though (as well as can be expected) and in terms of sleeping i am 6' 2" and have slept up top if i have had occasion to do a bit of secret car park camping after a late night in town!

I went camping last weekend in the cold and wind on the clifftops and the van was toastie warm inside with no pop top flapping in the wind and thats when you think its great. When you cant get into the f**king carpark because of the height barrier thats when i think "stupid bloody boat"!

Tou can get autosleeper high tops quite regularly on the bay and there normally only a couple of hundred.

Thanks very much for the info, much appreciated. I just bought a syncro but with a tin top after all that! But I think I may look for a high roof to add to it when I do the respray, so the info is very useful. I do like the shape of the autosleeper ones, and although I know it limits access to some car parks, if a pop top won't go under, I think you might as well have the dry quiet useable space!

I'll let you know what I fit in the end.

Thanks again

Here is an outfit that put on new tops, Timber Technicians http://www.timbertechnicians.co.uk/13301.html

I got a tin top syncro also and I plan on putting one of these on in the future. High-tops are really rare over here (Canada) and trying to find a syncro which is rare to start with, and to find one with a high-roof, would be really hard. Luckily high-tops are getting more popular over here and are being imported into Canada.

Cheers!

Thanks Yukon Syncro, ironic you should point me to a high top installer that I'd never heard of 100 miles up the road when you live on the other side of the world!!!

I think I'm about 6 months off fitting it in reality as I want to sort rest of van first. I'll let you know how i get on.
Thanks for the info!

Cheers for now

Your welcome superbus Funny how that happens!

Would love to hear how yours goes, mine will probably be at least a year or so off. First thing is to get it camperized inside so I can get the family out and then when they complain about the low the roof is I can go well... I got the thing to fix that!