Topper with no windows

[stamello]

I got the truck topper below off of craigslist for free. It's heavy fiberglass with metal swinging doors that can be locked with a padlock. It has two lights inside. I'd like to use it to camp a few times a year. However - a couple of things concern me off the bat:

1. As you can see there are are no windows, and no ventilation. I live in Tennessee, so heat is a major concern. Should I put in vents, or just sleep with the doors open and some mosquito netting draped over the doorway? Or other ideas?

2. The door is solid and locks securely. This is great for security, however there is no handle on the inside and I'm nervous about me (or someone else) getting stuck in there. It's what I think is called a cam action lock, where the outside handle swivels two teeth attached to a vertical pipe. Once the handle is locked into place and the teeth are behind the interior bracket, there's no way to unhook the door from the inside. I suppose I could leave a wrench inside to take the bracket off if this happened, but I'd like to make a more child friendly escape mechanism if possible. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Any other advice is much appreciated (I have only thought about this for 24 hours, so I'm sure that there is a lot that I haven't considered). If possible I'd like to be able to remove the topper often and store in the barn until I camp again, so any improvements made for camping would ideally be attached to the topper, not the truck bed. 

 

[DLTooley]

That's a sweet find. Obviously you will be sleeping with the door open until you find a solution allowing you to access when it is closed. In that case some sort of ventilation will be necessary and you have lots of options for that. For fans make sure to check out the marine offerings as they deal with water issues very effectively. You should also be able to install side windows though this is a project requiring some skill and expense. Measure twice, cut once, applies to both fans and windows. I like the side awning type that allow for access but that would add to cost.

One benefit of leaving as is would be stealth, maybe with just a fan on top.

If you are taking the topper on and off consider the method and the total weight. I have an aluminum topper that I've modified a lot. It once was easy to take off solo, it is not anymore. Adding solar would increase the weight and fragility.

If you are sleeping with the door open make sure to park facing into the prevailing winds....

 

[Txjaybird]

 Hello and Welcome!

U Tuber Slim Potatohead  Has 2 videos I recently watched,  one where he replaced the handle & lock on his Aliner TT with a different style and another where he used/installed  a Gable attic vent in the lower part of his door for passive ventilation.  One came from Home Depot and the other from Lowes.  They both showed details on fitting them exactly on/in the door.  Might work for you?

Jewellann

 

[stamello]

That's a sweet find.  Obviously you will be sleeping with the door open until you find a solution allowing you to access when it is closed.  In that case some sort of ventilation will be necessary and you have lots of options for that.  For fans make sure to check out the marine offerings as they deal with water issues very effectively.  You should also be able to install side windows though this is a project requiring some skill and expense.  Measure twice, cut once, applies to both fans and windows.  I like the side awning type that allow for access but that would add to cost.

One benefit of leaving as is would be stealth, maybe with just a fan on top.

If you are taking the topper on and off consider the method and the total weight.  I have an aluminum topper that I've modified a lot.  It once was easy to take off solo, it is not anymore.  Adding solar would increase the weight and fragility.

If you are sleeping with the door open make sure to park facing into the prevailing winds....

Today I realized that if I simply put the padlock on while the bar is unlocked, then it would be impossible to secure the bar to lock from the outside. So then I just need to figure out how to lock it from the inside (which is easy enough). 

I do like the idea of stealth and security, so I'd rather not cut a lot of holes into the topper. But if I installed vents in the cab side of the topper, there might still be enough room between the topper and the cab to allow airflow, but no-one would be able to get in there (or look in there)...

 

[stamello]

 Hello and Welcome!

U Tuber Slim Potatohead  Has 2 videos I recently watched,  one where he replaced the handle & lock on his Aliner TT with a different style and another where he used/installed  a Gable attic vent in the lower part of his door for passive ventilation.  One came from Home Depot and the other from Lowes.  They both showed details on fitting them exactly on/in the door.  Might work for you?

Jewellann

Thanks! I like the idea of passive ventilation, but then having the option of securing my own 12v fans to those holes when the need to move more air arises. That way if the fan burns out I don't need to replace the whole vent.

 

[stamello]

Today I realized that if I simply put the padlock on while the bar is unlocked, then it would be impossible to secure the bar to lock from the outside. So then I just need to figure out how to lock it from the inside (which is easy enough). 

I do like the idea of stealth and security, so I'd rather not cut a lot of holes into the topper. But if I installed vents in the cab side of the topper, there might still be enough room between the topper and the cab to allow airflow, but no-one would be able to get in there (or look in there)...

What if I installed two vents similar to https://www.amazon.com/White-Plastic-Louvre-Grille-Flyscreem/dp/B00GOU9QQY ? I could install one in the back where the red light is right now (this one would be up high to let the heat out. The other I could install in the cab side of the topper, a little lower behind the cab rear window. Then I could install two 12v pc fans behind each of the vents - the two on the rear/high vent would blow air out, and the two on the cab/low vent would bring air in. 

This would seem to maintain the stealth and security factor of the top while still being able to move over 100 cfm input and output with very little power. It also seems like a cheap solution (which is more important to me than a good looking solution). 

What do you think?

 

[GotSmart]

The problem with putting a vent on the back is the possibility of sucking in exhaust fumes as you drive.  A fan on the roof would be the best of all worlds.

 

[stamello]

The problem with putting a vent on the back is the possibility of sucking in exhaust fumes as you drive.  A fan on the roof would be the best of all worlds.

Thanks GotSmart. Since this is a truck topper with no connection to the cab, would it be OK if some exhaust got in there? 

I'm not opposed to a roof vent, but it seems like 1) it would cause some wind resistance (right now the topper is tapered pretty nicely), 2) it is only one hole (I don't have any windows, so wouldn't I need two holes for input and output?), 3) I don't want a roof vent to be a giveaway that I'm sleeping in there, and 4) if I ever put roof racks on the topper I don't want a vent to be in the way.

 

[Almost There]

Thanks GotSmart. Since this is a truck topper with no connection to the cab, would it be OK if some exhaust got in there? 

I'm not opposed to a roof vent, but it seems like 1) it would cause some wind resistance (right now the topper is tapered pretty nicely), 2) it is only one hole (I don't have any windows, so wouldn't I need two holes for input and output?), 3) I don't want a roof vent to be a giveaway that I'm sleeping in there, and 4) if I ever put roof racks on the topper I don't want a vent to be in the way.

If the exhaust gets in there and then you go in there to go to bed, you'll be breathing the exhaust fumes unless you have a way to blow them out and replace them with fresh air.

The roof vents really don't cause appreciable wind resistance, particularly if you put a vent cover over them.

A truck topper is not going to be hermetically sealed anyways, I wouldn't worry about input and output. Get a fan unit that has directional capabilities so you can choose direction of air flow.

All kinds of vehicles have roof vents put in them for a large variety of reasons. Heck I saw one on a police van!

If you end up putting roof racks on, you can either remove the vent cover and put plywood over the vent area or whatever else (solar panels) or you just work around the need to have the opening. Roof racks in and of themselves won't interfere with a vent.

 

[DLTooley]

Locking from the inside should be easy enough. A stick and a hasp would do it. Do make sure it is not possible to get locked inside, having the wrench available or disabling the exterior system.

 

[wasanah2]

You need windows in there or it'll feel claustrophobic.  How about mounting some RV windows on the side?  It'll make it feel roomier in there, I bet.  Makes me wonder what it was used for since it's designed that way.   I suppose it was for cargo, not people.  LOL  Great score on the FREE camper!

 

[bullfrog]

You need to be able to close off the vent in the rear or else never go down a dusty dirt road!

 

[BC Guy]

Telcobilly did this. Read his thread. https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-T...-shell-for-a-stealth-adventure-vehicle-camper It is a long one.