How important is interior height to you?

[ganchan]

I've determined that the cheapest way for me to enter the world of RV living is by converting a cargo van. Unfortunately, the high-top vans (or an expensive high-top addition) will probably be out of my price range. I'm only 5'11, but still.

Do you find it particularly troublesome to live in a "sit-down home?" Do you use rolling chairs, etc, to help make it a non-issue? Or do you just not notice it much?

I spend most of my free time sitting down anyway....

 

[Iggy]

I'm the same height as you and live in a standard cargo van. You just get used to it after awhile. I had to lower my bed 3 inches so I could sit upright. A big thing for me was to keep my walkway uncluttered, in fact everything in its place.
If the low ceiling starts to feel confining, I go for a walk, hang out in the library or at a park, etc. Think of it as a motivator not to spend 24 hours a day inside. I do mostly laying on the bed in back or sitting upright in a seat up front.
You can always change vehicles later. I spent $4000 buying my van and maybe $500 outfitting it. I'm loving it and like how I can drive and park it anywhere. Definitely put a vent on the roof for both light and ventilation!

 

[GrantRobertson]

Being able to stand upright, and especially have a stand-up shower are big concerns for me as I think about how I will go about doing this. Yes, I am primarily considering cargo vans, due to their stealth, their better gas mileage, and that I could not park anything bigger in front of my son's house for very long because of the Home Owners' Association rules. But my thoughts do wander toward box trucks and the like, even though I know I have no way to gracefully transition to such a large vehicle at this time, or any time in the foreseeable future.

So, I am seriously considering designing my van to have a space that would be a stand-up shower when/if I ever got a high-top for it. I guess I could design it to be a sit-down shower that could later morph into a stand-up shower.

 

[Almost There]

I've done it both ways - lived out of an Astro for almost a year and lived in Ford full size vans with and without high tops over the years.

Today, I wouldn't think of living in a van without the high top but then I'm doing it as a way of being comfortable while I travel economically and easily to see North America.

Maybe it's old age showing up but not being able to stand up to cook and dress just isn't on the agenda.

I got lucky and found a van that already had the high top installed. I had it in the budget to have to install one if I found the van I wanted without the top done already.

If you're young and have no back problems you might get away without it.

It will also depend on whether you want to live IN your van our live OUT of it.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

One idea I had was to install one of those Yakima storage containers on the roof. Cut a hole in the roof (gulp!) And the Yakima and you have stand up height with stealth.

But then again cutting that hole in the roof means the van will be unsellable to anyone else... agree?

 

[66788]

I've determined that the cheapest way for me to enter the world of RV living is by converting a cargo van. Unfortunately, the high-top vans (or an expensive high-top addition) will probably be out of my price range. I'm only 5'11, but still.

Do you find it particularly troublesome to live in a "sit-down home?" Do you use rolling chairs, etc, to help make it a non-issue? Or do you just not notice it much?

I spend most of my free time sitting down anyway....

I have a Dodge high top van that I really like.

There are many high tops available in local wrecking yards for under $200 each and are not that hard to install, Ive done a few. Two people and about 4 hours of work.

I have owned many vans, and the high tops have always been my favorites.

 

[cyndi]

Being able to stand is pretty important to me. I've got a list of 5 or 6 boxes my new vehicle must tick. A hightop or bubbe top is on that list. I've been shopping for a year and a half.

I also have a friend that will install a hightop for me. That will be plan B if I don't find what I am looking for.

 

[GrantRobertson]

One idea I had was to install one of those Yakima storage containers on the roof. Cut a hole in the roof (gulp!) And the Yakima and you have stand up height with stealth.

Seems to me that this would only give you a relatively small hole to pop your head and shoulders up through. I think it would be pretty claustrophobic. For me, the goal is more than to just be able to stand up. I want to be able to stand up so I can move around, get dressed, and take a shower.

It seems like you would be doing 80% of the work for only 10% of the benefit.

I would also be a little concerned about wind catching under the long, projecting front of the Yakima shell and lifting it just enough to crack your seal, causing leaks.

But then again cutting that hole in the roof means the van will be unsellable to anyone else... agree?

I certainly don't think you would be able to easily sell it with this setup. Once you had the hole in there, then to sell it you would likely be forced to enlarge the hole and put a real high-top on it. Therefore, you might as well go all the way in the first place.

Finally, it seems to me that a Yakima storage shell makes a van look less commercial and more personal, compared to a basic high-top with no windows. So if the idea is to blend in with other commercial vehicles, then this would make you stand out like a sore thumb.

 

[karl]

I don't regret trading mpg for standing height. 63 yo knees and back really appreciate it, especially after a couple rainy days cooped up in the van. I can always use the added storage too.

 

[jimindenver]

At 6'4" standing is a must for me. It was a issue when we used the van for camping and the vintage trailer, that's why we used a tent for a while. With its 8 1/2 foot ceiling I could not only stand but stretch too.

 

[ganchan]

Good replies. I have seen a picture of a van that had a truck topper/cap installed on it. Might be a cheap alternative. Plus I'd get windows with it! (Of course it only adds height to about half of the roof space)
I do worry about leakage, etc, with any kind of roof modification. Not being able to re-sell it would be another source of concern.

In my case, however, I'd mostly be in the van from sunset onward. During the day I'd either be in the cabin, driving to the next destination, or out and about seeing the local sights and using public Wi-Fi at libraries, etc. Plenty of standing-up time to be had there.

Stealth probably won't matter to me -- I'll either be boondocking in acceptable places like Wal-Mart, or parked at campsites.

I don't have a terrific back, but as long as I can lie down to work the kinks out I'm good. So maybe a standard van wouldn't be a terrible choice. If it turned out to be a pain, I could then consider a roof mod or trade it in toward a high-top.

I was going to get a cargo trailer to do away with the height issue, but it's one more thing to cope with and an MPH vampire as well.

 

[Almost There]

A properly installed fiberglass high top doesn't usually have problems with leakage...I'd be more worried about using something that wasn't purpose built like a pickup truck topper added on to a van body. The contours are different so mating them might be more of a problem than what it solves in costs.

My hightop leaks right now because the ##$%^ previous owner drilled holes in it for bolts and wires but didn't install any method of sealing the hole. They're being fiberglassed this spring when the bodywork is done and there WILL be NO holes drilled from this day forward.

My parents had a hightop shell moved from one Ford to another without a problem, although it did take 6 guys to do it - it was a double shell with insulation in it, heavier than hell!! They lined the two vans up side by side, undid the shell from the donor vehicle, placed it on 2x4's in 3 places and slid it across to the new vehicle that had been prepped. So count of 4 young guys or 6 old men...

As to windows, my hightop has side slider windows on each side which, while I liked the idea in the beginning, I'm not overly fond of now. They prevent me from putting overhead cabinets along each side and since they can't be sheltered from incoming rain, won't be of any use for ventilation in rain. OTOH, they will be great for letting a breeze through and for venting hot air during warmer weather. We'll see!

If you aren't able to find a van with the hightop already installed, get a regular van and try it out. It can be added later one way or another.

One thing that I love about the way they put the hightop on mine is that they left the original roof over the cab (standard procedure) AND they left 3 feet of rear original roof in place. I have this huge storage area between the two roofs that will store a whole lot of my stuff like winter clothing you won't get rid of but don't need often.

 

[minimotos95]

At 5'11"-6'2"(depends on how bad my back is that day) my vans ~47" height bugs me when I change clothes, and that I can't sit on top of a 5 gallon bucket without bending over. When you are only in the van at night it's much easier to make due with less space, the longest I've spent in the van straight was about 50 hours with 4, 15 minute breaks to stretch, walk, etc and it wasn't bad at all.
My back doesn't like bending or twisting so the low roof is nice in that I can reach everything floor to ceiling without bending over or stretching.
I think I would be happiest with an extra 6-7" of headroom, which is all the factory high roof version of my van has extra but those were not sold in North America.

 

[accrete]

My wife and I had a fiberine 24" bubble top installed on our van. Finished head room with nice headliner is right at six feet so it would be close (I'm 5'8"). Any van2 will be a one piece high top like a Sprinter or similar style. We really enjoy being able to walk around upright.

 

[66788]

My hightop leaks right now because the ##$%^ previous owner drilled holes in it for bolts and wires but didn't install any method of sealing the hole. They're being fiberglassed this spring when the bodywork is done and there WILL be NO holes drilled from this day forward.

I just drilled 22 holes into my virgin high top mounting the solar and other accessories. No regrets. If properly sealed there will be no leaks. Dicor is amazing because it never fully hardens and by staying flexible, it seals better than anything else I have used.

 

[Almost There]

I just drilled 22 holes into my virgin high top mounting the solar and other accessories. No regrets. If properly sealed there will be no leaks. Dicor is amazing because it never fully hardens and by staying flexible, it seals better than anything else I have used.

That would be great if he used Dicor, BUT, amongst his other failings which I won't detail here..., he used NO sealant of any kind!

The only place there is Dicor is where the high top was put in place by professionals.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

I lived in a 89 dodge van for a few months. I swore my next van would have a high roof. I really got tired of never being able to stand up. My last 2 vans have been sprinters with high roof, and it's great. I have about 6'2" of head room.

 

[grummy]

Dont forget, you can gain some extra height pretty easy for a shower by lowering the floor behind the drivers seat on most vans. By wacking in an adequately sized hole, then dropping in a flanged pan from the top, you could probably pick up 8" without it being overwhelmingly obvious from the outside.

Regards cutting a hole in the roof of a van and it dropping the value..... Well, who cares if it does what you want for a few years ! Its YOUR vehicle. I'd do it.

I bought a van once that had a camper pop-up type top. The fiberglass was shot, the canvas rotten....

All I did was go to a boneyard, paid to have a roof panel from the same brand large enough to cover the hole cut out of another van, and also grabbed a few OE beams to put back in. The "new roof panel" was trimmed to overlap the old by 3/4" all the way around, dropped onto a bead of sealant, then screwed down. New beams were trimmed to fit over the old cut off ends and riveted in place.

98% of anyone looking never noticed because it was up too high to see. 100% of the people who did know really didnt care one way or the other.

 

[66788]

I lived in a 89 dodge van for a few months. I swore my next van would have a high roof. I really got tired of never being able to stand up. My last 2 vans have been sprinters with high roof, and it's great. I have about 6'2" of head room.

I hear you! My Grumman Olson step van has a 7 foot ceiling, I can jump up and down inside and not hit my head! A must for long term living (at least for me).

 

[LeeRevell]

I am 6' 4" tall. Factoring in ceiling and floor insulation, I'd need a minimum 6' 6" inside height to truly have a stand-up situation.
My E150 conversion van has the "lowtop" raised roof, giving me about 5' of height at present. In time I will cut out most of the fiberglass topper and graft on a self-build hightop. Thin plywood over 2"X2" frame, bonded to the lowest part of the remaining topper structure. I helped Dad build his mullet boats, so do have some experience in this type of construction.
I did see once a guy made a 'hightop' for his van from an upside-down aluminum johnboat. Seemed to work pretty fair.