How important will it be to me to stand up?

[metaxzen]

Greetings friends, 

I'm new here. I did a 3 month cross country trip last year in a prius where I built a bed into the passenger side of the car. It was tight but the bed was super comfy and I slept beautifully for the whole trip. 

I'm looking to upgrade to a van. Specifically I'm looking at a used Ford Transit 350 medium roof. 

The price is right and I want to snag it but there is one thing that's bothering me. The clearance is just to the height of my head. I wanted a high roof model but couldn't find one in my price range.

Am I going to hate not being able to fully stand up? 

I survived crawling in and out of my prius which was a bit awkward. Has anyone regretted getting something that they have to squat to move around in? 

Thanks!

 

[lenny flank]

It depends.

I have no high-top. But (1) I am a pretty short guy to begin with, (2) I am mostly only in the van to sleep at night, and (3) I sit on the bed or the floor to do all the things I need to do in the van (shaving, laundry, and washing up). So it doesn't bother me at all.

YMMV.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums metaxzen!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[tx2sturgis]

A lot of the answer depends on your age, agility, any physical impairments, and tolerance for cooking, dressing, etc while bending over or kneeling...

And it also depends on your plans for the build:

Sleeping only?

Or entire days spent inside the van when its raining or snowing...that sort of thing.

Also, will it be your 'last' van, or a temporary vehicle for a season or two?

BTW, what is the inside height on the mid-roof?...I haven't looked at them.

 

[BigT]

Depends.  How's your back?  

I'm 6'4" and I used to think I could easily get by without having to stand up, and I can if I'm only camping a few days.  
Then, after not having any flareups for years, my back went out and I found it was agony trying to kneel in the van, or sit on the bed, or get on and off the bed.  

Now I know that if/when I'm doing it full-time, I have to be able to stand up straight.  

You're going to get all kinds of answers to your question and will simply have to decide for yourself which is the right fit (pun intended) for you.

 

[mayble]

I have the medium roof and I'm 5'9".   Currently with a bare floor and ceiling, I have plenty of room to walk under the ribs without worrying about bumping my head, but I'll lose an inch or two before I'm done.  I expect I may be just short of standing room when it's finished but I don't plan to dance or do calisthenics in the van anyway.   As long as it's tall enough for me to pull my pants up, I'm good.

I briefly had an old conversion van with a "TV top" and it didn't bother me at all to stand with my neck bent for the short periods I spent standing.  Other than getting dressed or moving from one seat to another, there wasn't much reason to stand in the van.

 

[hepcat]

Depends.  How's your back?  

You're going to get all kinds of answers to your question and will simply have to decide for yourself which is the right fit (pun intended) for you.

What BigT says! ^^^^  

I couldn't have said that better myself.  After years of having trailers and mohos that weren't tall enough for me to stand upright in the shower, having one that IS tall enough is heaven.   I don't have a shower in my B-van, but I wouldn't have anything but a high-top van.  YMMV.

 

[Almost There]

It all depends!

For me, living full time on the road, it was an absolute necessity.

I've lived out of vans without the standing height and I do mean, lived out of...you do NOT live IN a van full time if you don't have standing height. You're always making decisions based on the low roof...what do I cook for dinner (how long it's going to take), how do I get dressed, etc.

With the high top it's all a matter of arranging your space to accommodate what you want to live your life like.

I've been camped in a park for the last 4 days over the long weekend because if there's one thing I'm petrified of, it's long weekend holiday traffic idiots who can't wait to get where there going. I'm sitting at a rest area but when I go to go back to the campground it will take me probably the better part of a half hour to go 2 miles because the traffic is bumper to bumper and I'm 75 miles from the closest large city (Winnipeg). It's been raining for 3 days and all I can do is offer pity for those stuck in regular vans and in tents.

Despite our best laid plans, mother nature often plays her hand better and I'd rather be prepared for what she's dishing out...that means being able to live comfortably in the van for up to 4 or 5 days straight.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

For my husband and me, the deciding factor was age and arthritis. Everything else is gravy. We never had a problem with our low roof vans or the low tents. But three years ago, while literally crawling out of a tent, I declared "No more of it taking minutes to unfold in pain!" We have been using a high walled 10'x10' tent since then. When we decided to do a van conversion last summer, there was not even a debate of high vs low roof. We have a Nissan NV hightop. The standing room was 6'3" before we put the insulation /ceiling/ floor in. Hubby/son are 6' and their heads just brush the ceiling while standing up now.
Ted

 

[user 37446]

Every single reply seems to support, or at least make you desire a higher top. Yet, being a Prius owner, I cannot imagine that you'd feel very "cramped" going from a Prius to a [font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Ford Transit 350 medium roof. That's the equivalent of going from an efficiency/studio apartment to a 1500 sf house![/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]How old are you, what's your physical condition etc...  I'm 61 and have back pain daily so no, I won't want to go to a low roof van unless there's no other choice. When I watch YouTube I see all these limber 20 somethings happily crawling around... well, not me, not now![/font]

 

[gcal]

How old are you? What joint or back problems do you have? Twenty five or thirty years ago, I would not have minded stooping as the price of an adventure. Now, that same stooping would be a deal breaker.

 

[ColdBrook]

I just spent my first weekend in my first van.  I knew I needed to be able to stand up in it due to my spine and other medical conditions.  However it was very hard to find one.  Now I am so very happy I bought one I can stand up straight in.  It was wonderful for me to be moving around inside it and not having to duck or bend all the time.  If you are young, have no back issues (or other joint problems) you might be fine in a low top vehicle.  For me it would have been nothing but problems.  You need to decide for yourself.  Good luck.

 

[RetiredNomad]

... I lived in a Kia Soul for three years - I'm 6'1" 180 & in my 60s 
   .. it was do-able, however I'm now in a Nissan 2500 high roof,
   and after building the inside [floor/ceiling etc] being able to stand
   with plenty of headroom is invaluable on a long rainy day ... lol , or
   any other time ...

 

[introverting]

Again, as others have stated, it depends on your desired comfort and/or physical limitations.  However, I recently discovered Robert Witham's YouTube channel and site.  I believe on his site, Robert talks about battling the pain and disability of arthritis of the spine, but now he's happily living in a Dodge/Chrysler minivan.

Some of the comments here have given me cause to pause about my current thinking of getting a minivan.  I've had recent back issues and don't wish to re-aggravate my back.  On the other hand, high top vans are hard to come by and I can't afford a newer Ford Transit or Nissan NV, nor do I think I would want those makes for possible reliability reasons.

 

[reflex439]

It's not a 'one size fits all' question. Some don't need to stand, others do. I could get away with not standing, I just don't want to. It's nice to stand up and stretch when I feel like, as well as not having to sit when doing all tasks in the van. Living in a small space, its important to prioritize comfort in order to deal with all the disadvantages. When you are completely comfortable, you can dismiss a lot of issues. If you are uncomfortable all the time, everything starts to be an issue. Prioritize comfort, keep everything organized and well maintained, have a doable budget, and allow yourself a few high priority luxuries will go a long way.

If one can't afford to try a low van and sell/upgrade if it doesn't work, then create a mock up space and try it for a day, couple days, or a week. It will answer the question accurately for the individual doing this. It will reveal the issues and concerns that are important to that individual, and then they can make up their mind how important they are. Better than finding out after buying a standard height van only to find there are major concerns.

Good luck either way, and enjoy the open road!

 

[steamjam1]

I love being able to stand up in my Ford hightop RV/van.

 

[user 37446]

You'll get as many opinions as responders... it boils down to (what's been stated already), cost, availability, location the vehicle is at, previous usage (many were commercial shuttles), wind on the highway, stealth or lack of, your desired comfort inside, do you live in or out mostly, the mpg suffers with higher tops somewhat, accessibility to the roof for anything up there (both a plus and a minus)...

It's very personal.  Your height makes a big difference, if you are taller than 6' (well, Lee R says he is and he goes with a minivan) you likely want the headroom...

If you have more money to spend you can buy the newer eurovans.  If you are on a low budget you are likely to get a low top.  If you have a year to look, you could find a mid or high top, but you have to act fast when you see them.

I've been searching CL on and off for a year and have found 2 or 3 possibles, compared to 20-30 midtops and 2-300 low tops...