Kids getting bigger - change hi top for pop top

[specialshoe]

hi all

I have a very nice Autosleeper Trident hi top - but the upstairs bed is getting tight for two kids as they are growing.

Which of the van conversions has the really massive full roof pop top giving loads of space up there - I am goiong to have a look to see if there are any for sale and maybe sell my Trident - for more space.

The hi top is great - warm, good storage, instant headroom for teamaking for pit stops, quiet, secure etc etc, but if the kiddos dont fit they dont fit.

Am I right in thinking that one of the pop top versions has more than two beds up there? We have 3 kiddies and one has a bunk in the cab, but as he is growing this cab bunk wont last forever.

I suppose the other option is to take th hi top off my own van and put on a pop top - sounds like a lot of work though and a shame to alter a factory original low mileage good condition Autosleeper.

Anybody give me any pointers or thoughts on this?

[clareb123]

There's one called a Viking Spacemaker, there's a picture here:

http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=521491" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure how easy they would be to get though!

Clare

[Steve P]

Ours is a viking, have a look at our pics on the garage.

Steve

[shanco73]

I love the viking roof, its my fave bay window bus.. Not thast im a bay fan im a type 25 man thru and thru, erm i digress, yeah Viking roof great they are.....

[specialshoe]

So the Viking roof looks just what I need

having considered removing the high top and putting a viking roof on - the problems are too many (find viking roof, spoil good hi-top van etc)

So I guess I need to find a good condition 1.9dg viking roof T25.

Either that or buy a tent and force the kids to sleep in that.

Thanks for the info.

[Doctor Foster]

We have an autosleeper hightop and have a drive away awning attached. We kip in the awning and the kids top and tail on the R&R bed!

[Dubbadave]

Drive away awning works brilliantly for us 2 plus 2 grommets. They're only at junior school but its a real squeeze getting all of us comfortably in the hightop 'double bed' (LOL!) plus 3/4 R&R bed.

We have a Khyam Motordome Sleeper awning which we bought because we were campers first before we became besotted with a tall 27-year old German bird (Dolly the Autohomes 4-berth hightop) and they make great tents. Its called an awning but it really is a full-size, very useable tent which is light and packs down small. Erection (ooh err missus) is unbelievably quick and easy.

We take turns with two in the van, two in the bedroom of the tent, attach the 'umbilical' tunnel which is part of the tent around the open sliding door and sleep, in effect, in one big space - good for security and it means I don't have to open the noisy big door when I need a 2am wee! Mrs Dubbadave has made a large curtain to fit across the door to reduce drafts. Which was nice. A driveaway awning also means you don't need to keep packing your gear away when you go off site for the day and it means no muppet has nicked your pitch when you get back. Also hitop equals loads of luggage space when travelling which you'd lose with a pop top.

Oh and another thing, I was chatting to some very trendy surfer dudes in N Cornwall last month who had an ace red US Safare hitop bay and I am reliably informed that hitops are the way to go in the cool stakes, so actually, we rock!

Hope this helps!

[Blue Moonraker]

Hi, Weve got a Devon Moonraker that has the Aerospace pop top and it's a massive space with a look out window at one end.

[rainman]

Never mind all that, this is what you need...

[specialshoe]

If I see a nice LT for sale I will definately have a look - I have casually looked at one - but not nice.

[billy739]

i had the same problem , so i built this for the 2 teenagers to sleep in!



so far so good, been to italy , france and spain , and most vw shows in it, works a treat!

[silverbullet]

I have the same dialemma - perfect roof but we did buy it to camp in and 3 offspring are growing apace, taking after me at 6'3" (slowly shrinking)
Bought a Viking top on a rolling shell recently but might just copy the mechanism and sell it on if anyone's interested and patient? I plan to combine it with a Devon or Leisurdrive or Danbury roof.
The canopy does need replacing but the fibreglass is solid and it has two roofbars fitted at the rear.
PM to talk about it.