Is a high top REALLY that much better?

[One Awesome Inch]

A low top is cheaper to heat and cheaper to drive (less mpg).

Once I am in my van I just sit in an office chair and easily enough reach everything.

So in your opinion is a high top really that much more comfortable and is it worth it considering the increased costs?

 

[TMG51]

The answer will depend on each person and their needs, but for me and mine I'll vote yes.

I work in my van. If I'm bound to spending at least 8 hours a day inside I want to be able to stand up straight and walk around without feeling like a hermit. I travel, and I want to be able to stand upright and take a shower also without relying on $7 truck stops.

When I lived out of a hatchback working construction, I was outside of the vehicle all day. I lived in one area so I could shower with a $10/mo gym membership. In that scenario I didn't need anything bigger.

 

[Patrick46]

this is why I like stepvans.

I like to be able to walk around inside, and not have to stoop over...just to put my pants on.


but much like TMG said, it's all personal choice. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

 

[sephiro499]

My problem with a high top van are the complications with installing solar panels on it.

 

[LeeRevell]

My midtop allows more headroom than a standard roof, but I still have to stoop.  I use a stool to sit on while cooking and such.  A high top would be nice, but like you say, there are trade-offs.

 

[Willy]

For me a hightop is well worth it. I'm no longer a spring chicken and have nothing to prove by toughing it out; all about comfort for me. Also, a hightop often adds a significant amount of easily accessible interior storage space. Sure, stuff can be stored on the roof of a lo-top, but that doesn't work well with solar. ..Willy.

 

[Gideon33w]

My concern for our upcoming larger build is also solar. 

Because we will be producing documentaries from the vehicle we need the ability to charge our cameras, gear, and power our editing laptops. Combine that with our regular power demands and we need more solar than I'd risk mounting to a fiberglass top (450watts minimum).

On the flip side of that coin ... As two people living out of such a small space the added storage and comfort of a high top is a big deal. 

The killer is that even if we only trade off a single mpg with the hightop we would end up towing a small trailer to mount the Solar to. That would be a substantial reduction in mpgs. If we went with a rack that fit over the high top the aero drag would be massive at speed.

So, it boils down to what works for you. If our travelling budget was huge the low mpgs wouldn't matter. If you didn't need to travel much or far it would be the same. 

Of course, this is purely a financials based assessment. I've slept under a poncho in a desert sandstorm so comfort isn't top priority for me. For others it obviously can be.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

My concern for our upcoming larger build is also solar. 

Because we will be producing documentaries from the vehicle we need the ability to charge our cameras, gear, and power our editing laptops. Combine that with our regular power demands and we need more solar than I'd risk mounting to a fiberglass top (450watts minimum).

On the flip side of that coin ... As two people living out of such a small space the added storage and comfort of a high top is a big deal. 

The killer is that even if we only trade off a single mpg with the hightop we would end up towing a small trailer to mount the Solar to. That would be a substantial reduction in mpgs. If we went with a rack that fit over the high top the aero drag would be massive at speed.

So, it boils down to what works for you. If our travelling budget was huge the low mpgs wouldn't matter. If you didn't need to travel much or far it would be the same. 

Of course, this is purely a financials based assessment. I've slept under a poncho in a desert sandstorm so comfort isn't top priority for me. For others it obviously can be.

Flexible  solar panels should work on fiberglass. Much lighter.

 

[TMG51]

My problem with a high top van are the complications with installing solar panels on it.

That was never a concern for me. I put down cleats made of PVC board and screwed my panel brackets to those.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

I lived in a 1989 dodge van for a few months in 2001, and I swore to myself that next time I'd get a high top.  Not being able to stand up got to me after awhile

 

[Almost There]

It was an absolute necessity for me as far as I was concerned.

Had the van I found not come with a hightop (24") I had the money in the budget to put one on. I lucked out and the van came with it already.

The additional storage space is absolutely wonderful but I was totally insistent on being able to stand up and walk around. Ducking to get in the door is one thing, not being able to stand to cook, pull up my pants, etc, is not part of the agenda for me for full time living.

I've lived in cargo/passenger vans without the high top and will not do so.

 

[debit.servus]

Since I don't obsess over van weight and MPG like some people do, and decided on a micro apartment long before I got the van; high-top all the way.

The only real advantage of low-top vans is fitting into nearly all parking garages and drive-thrus. Since I plan to travel full-time and LIVE, do not plan on being garaged.

Not obsessing over every penny, every pound of moving weight and every ounce of fuel allows one to LIVE.

 

[SternWake]

My conversion van high top does not allow for me to stand straight up, but I can store 3 surfboards up there( 2 of them 9'3" or larger), and all my clothes.

I can stand up straight enough to put on my jeans bending at the upper back/neck. Moving around inside requires stooping. i have a freely rotating 3rd seat in front of my side doors from where I can do all interior tasks, so i do not really need stand up, walk around room.

A high top was not on my must have list when I was searching, but I alway think how glad I am that there were no low tops listed when I was indeed looking as the high top is very key to my comfort and lifestyle.

I've got 198 watts of solar on mine, and I might be adding another 50watts at some point.

 

[sephiro499]

My conversion van high top does not allow for me to stand straight up, but I can store 3 surfboards up there( 2 of them 9'3" or larger), and all my clothes.

I can stand up straight  enough to put on my jeans bending at the upper back/neck.  Moving around inside requires stooping.  i have a freely rotating 3rd seat in front of my side doors from where I can do all interior tasks, so i do not really need stand up, walk around room.

A high top was not on my must have list when I was searching, but I alway think how glad I am that there were no low tops listed when I was indeed  looking as the high top is very key to my comfort and lifestyle.

I've got 198 watts of solar on mine, and I might be adding another 50watts at some point.

How?  If the high top is convoluted how do you fit solar panels on top of it?  Even if you go with flexible panels, how do you fit the panels plus a fantastic fan (which I would consider mandatory.

 

[Canine]

I'm not in a van, but am building my slide in camper tall enough to stand in. I don't want to look like the skinny brother of the Hunchback of Notre Dame when I get old. Chicks don't care for the buffalo hump on a dude's back.

On my flatbed, 4X4 truck with solar on the top, it will be a bit over 10 feet tall. I really wanted to stay under 10 feet because the majority of underpasses are at least 10 feet. Driving through alleys and such gets much harder when you start going past 10 feet high.

Shorter is important for those of use that don't think 3 dimensionally. If you find yourself in a tall rig, develop an awareness of how tall it is. You Tube has some great videos of RVers that rip off their AC because they forgot how tall they had become in their unfamiliar rigs.

 

[ZoNiE]

I parked next to a van the other day by the hardware store... Very clean. Hi top, but something got my attention, and it wasn't the top.

- Outdoor shower hatch (like on an rv). Hard to miss, right next to my door when I got out.
- OK, look some more. Louver panels on the back of the topper arranged to presumably allow air in on the side vents and out the middle vents for a window unit hidden inside.
- Roof Vent

I didn't get a full look or photos because I was heading into the store in a hurry. Was hoping to see it again when I left, but it was gone.

Very nicely done Stealth camper that looked like a very clean work van. All white. Didn't look creepy. That is the point of my post. The hi top makes it look I don't know, cleaner, or like a family van conversion. So if you want to reduce the creep factor, hi top, clean, no stripes.

I think a Hi top would make the most sense.As for loss of MPG, they are so sloped usually in the front that I don't think it matters much.

 

[ascii_man]

Shorter is important for those of use that don't think 3 dimensionally. If you find yourself in a tall rig, develop an awareness of how tall it is. You Tube has some great videos of RVers that rip off their AC because they forgot how tall they had become in their unfamiliar rigs.

http://11foot8.com/

 

[Gideon33w]

I'm not anti-high top but would like to address a few things brought up.

Mounting thin and/or flexible solar directly to a surface is much less than optimal. The cooler the panels stay the greater the output. In other words, hot panels increase internal resistance and lower the net output. Furthermore, a contoured top will still be hard to cover efficiently with anything over 150 watts.

The slop at the front of a high top is the least of the aero penalty generated. Frontal area is increased and so is your low pressure wake. The low pressure area behind your van is trying to pull the van backwards the faster you go forwards. Also, aero drag increases exponentially with speed. If you are doing lots of highway travel the penalty will be large.

As far as concerns over efficiency (cost) ... Well, that simply depends on the needs of the user. For instance, we will be travelling an average of 600 miles between locations and hitting about 30 locations annually. This doesn't include all the misc driving. At 20k+ miles per year the difference between 12mpg and 15mpg adds up. 

However ... ... ... I wouldn't suggest someone move right into a standard top unless they have tried it for a week first. Call it an acquired taste, ha-ha.

 

[sephiro499]

I'm not anti-high top but would like to address a few things brought up.

Mounting thin and/or flexible solar directly to a surface is much less than optimal. The cooler the panels stay the greater the output. In other words, hot panels increase internal resistance and lower the net output. Furthermore, a contoured top will still be hard to cover efficiently with anything over 150 watts.

I read in an Amazon post that is why Renogy sold their flexible technology.  The heat buildup causes them to fail prematurely and something about the plastic yellowing and allowing less light in.  Anyway I find it troubling that the brand most recommended on this forum has discontinued a product.  That is why I'm thinking a van rack with plywood then bolt the panels to that.  So it's removable if you switch vehicles, also keeps the van cooler since it acts as a second roof.

 

[Gideon33w]

The second roof solar setup is best. Panels have free air exchange on both sides and should have minimal contact with other materials. It also shades the van.

All solar cells degrade with time. The US standard is 80% rated output after 10 years if I'm remembering correctly. Heat will accelerate this aging.

Im wary of any solar that comes with plastic. Even UV stabilized plastics still degrade with sun exposure. I'd rather a glass top and in an aluminum frame. My very old industrial panels may have lost a bit of output but the frames are so solid you can just bolt the edges to a factory roof rack and never worry.

At the end of the day this all means that your solar setup on a hightop requires a tall rack, substantially increases drag, and places a lot of weight very high over the vehicles roll center.