Van with standing room...

[myke]

Vans with high roofs that allow one to stand up seem great as they probably feel a lot bigger than shorter roof vans...

But I am wondering, how much are you really going to be standing up in a van? I am guessing that the majority of time would be spent sitting or lying down. I would think food prep/cooking would be where the standing room would come in most handy. So those with standing room, how often is it actually being utilized?

 

[Almost There]

I wouldn't be without it!

It's not just the amount of time one spends standing upright, it's the amount of time one doesn't have to spend bent over.

I stand up to get things out of the overhead cabinets, out of the pantry, to cook. Heck I even stand up straight when I get off the pottie and when I'm getting dressed.

Yes, we all spend a certain amount of time sitting and laying down but when moving about the van the ability to stand up straight as opposed to hunched over is wonderful!

Try spending a weekend in your home without ever standing up straight. Walk around, sit down, move from one position to another but never standing more than about 4 1/2 feet tall.

 

[SoulRaven]

I really don't find my low top to be limiting in any way. When I get in, I sit down in my chair, just as if I was getting into the drivers seat, no big deal.

I cook while seated. I can stretch out flat either in my bed, or in my recliner, and if I have a desire to stand up, the door is right there.

I think it is all in your layout. Mine is set up to remain seated, and have everything within handy reach of my chair.

 

[eDJ_]

I had conventional Van's with typical low tops when I was younger.   If I wasn't laying down I would try to be seated in a folding chair.   Otherwise I was bent over and moving about the short wheel base Van.

In my case I had an awning made from a ladder rack over the back of the roof and one attached toward
the front. (this is shown in my website....signature below)   10 ft along the side of the Van and 8 ft outward.
By being outside the Van I could stand and  move around under the awning in sun or rain.  When camping at a State Park where there was a  picnic table I could position the van where the awning covered most of the table with room to open and  close the side doors.  If not around a picnic table at a park camp site I could carry a folding card table to more rustic locations.

With my present High Top I can do about everything inside the Van in a standing position.  I haven't
installed an awning on the side with the side doors and am not sure I even need one.  I may instead
find a "dining fly" tent or "screen house" in a  yard sale  to use,   when set up beside the Van. 

But this has served my needs well.  Now days in the high top, I have an easier time cooking inside the Van.  Before in the low top I sit on an  adjustable height stool to cook and kept the cooking to simple fare.
(often preparing foods at home to stow in the ice chest to warm up as I would only be out a day or two)
I had a 36qt ice chest and a larger 68 qt if needed. 

When I was younger the low top was fun and made it feel like camping.  Today being able to stand up
and have the illusion of room is just as appealing.  I'm in my later 40's now.

 

[Canine]

My G20 "mid height" conversion cannot be stood up in completely and I'm only 5'6. Some of the vans have this center ridge bump that sticks up even higher and allows people about 5'9 or shorter to walk down the middle without bending, but then you have to duck when you go to the left or right.

I'd like a 2 foot roof extension but they look ungainly and stick out pretty noticeably. Wouldn't turn one down if I found the keys but it's not quite as stealthy as I'd like. I mean, I know what to look for and the standard mid top conversion van doesn't garner much of a second glance from me but without fail I notice the commercial all white colored high tops.

It's more comfortable not having to hunch over, I think most low tops have around 54 inches of clearance unless your floor is built up. There are about 6-8 to 1 low tops vs mid tops in my last unscientific craigslist poll. That makes their availability really superb. I've been looking for a replacement mid top for months and really don't have a lot of choices, usually.

All I can say is try both and see what you think. Also, what is your overhead parking height need and do you want solar on the roof? Many mid tops are up and down on the fiberglass roof which makes solar panels not the easiest to mount, as well as fiberglass tops and ladder racks don't often mix. Low tops are much more common, have nice flat steel roofs to work with, and are almost the only way a cargo van comes (except for Sprinters).

 

[LeeRevell]

Or if a van dweller has deeper pockets, he/she can have installed a pop-top.  Seems more expensive usually than a fiberglass hardtop, but can give the best of both worlds - low top for 'stealthing' and driving, raise the top while in the boonies or at a CG for more comfortable height.  BUT....  might be difficult raising it with a couple solar panels on it?
Everything is a compromise.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

higher roofs provide a lot of benefits other then standing, you can pace, hang a hammock, easier for cooking, more storage possibilities, feels a lot roomier even a partially raised roof, the down side is not as stealth, lower gas mileage, some handling issues in high winds or at high speeds, I have a small camperized toyota van, a poptop on a Dodge Caravan and a Kurbmaster 10ft Stepvan, The toyota is the best for mpg, the poptop by far the best for extended road trips but the Step beats them all for livability.

 

[Canine]

Yep, step vans, while probably not great for driving long distances, allow great living space.  I was at an old car show yesterday, 197 vintage vehicles and hot rods, and saw one restored 36' @Willis delivery van.  Much smaller than the bread trucks, not 6' height but cute nonetheless.  And Ford thinks they did something new with the transit connect!

An owner commented that he had been trying to buy an ex UPS aluminum bodied parcel van but they cut them up, for liability reasons.  That's a shame, they'd be great!

 

[Patrick46]

UPS has their own specific vans built specifically just for them.

Once they're used up, they get recycled.

If someone claims to have a 'used' UPS stepvan...chances are that they're either lying, or were simply misinformed. (and it's been this way for a LONGGGGG tyme.)


As far at the hightop vs a lowtop van...

I'm on the tall side. I've had a whole bunch of different vans throughout the years, and a hightop is the only way to go for me.
(but that's just me.)

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

UPS has their own specific vans built specifically just for them.

Once they're used up, they get recycled.

If someone claims to have a 'used' UPS stepvan...chances are that they're either lying, or were simply misinformed. (and it's been this way for a LONGGGGG tyme.)

In New York, no one would rule out the possibility that it had been stolen and repainted . . .

"Check it out, man, my cousin said he got it from a friend of a friend who had connections to the mob!"

Regards
John

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, being able to stand up with my hat on is awesome.  I have NEVER bumped my head on my ceiling.  I lived in a low top van for a few months, and I really hated the low top.

 

[Canine]

I see some of the mobility vans with 6 inch lowered floors, that and a mid top would allow the average 6 footer to clear the top. Many of the mobility conversions have a taller top than the standard conversion van, and some have the oversized doors too. Most any high top half ton suffers from sway when left with P rated tires and no suspension upgrades. So wish the conversion companies hadn't all cheaper out and bought e150's. I've only seen maybe 2 E250's in my life that were converted. They would be a far superior platform... Brakes, suspension, axle capacities, etc...

 

[SoulRaven]

I see some of the mobility vans with 6 inch lowered floors, that and a mid top would allow the average 6 footer to clear the top.  Many of the mobility conversions have a taller top than the standard conversion van, and some have the oversized doors too.  Most any high top half ton suffers from sway when left with P rated tires and no suspension upgrades.   So wish the conversion companies hadn't all cheaper out and bought e150's.  I've only seen maybe 2 E250's in my life that were converted.  They would be a far superior platform...  Brakes, suspension, axle capacities, etc...

Most of the shuttle vans and church vans are 1 tons...

 

[Oberneldon]

Here is a picture of a mobility lowered floor dodge van that would give greater headroom. I wonder how hard it is to do the modification of the floor that the front and back deep wells already exist.

Brent

 

[SoulRaven]

Some of the older Dodge Xplorer camper vans were low top with a lowered floor.

 

[LeeRevell]

The lowered floor can work with the current minivans and the Dodge vans with unibody construction.  The Dodges often have a lowered narrow well along the right side.
But this also reduces ground clearance if one wants to go off the beaten path.  Just another option to consider.
My retired team leader has the same year Grand Caravan I have, but hers is modified as a handicap vehicle.  The floor in the midsection is lowered some 10 inches!  Looking at mine I simply cannot imagine getting it that much lower.
But, there are trade-offs.  For some reason, they raised the front passenger seat floor a couple inches, making it uncomfortable for us tall guys to sit there.  In mine it is quite comfy, plenty of head room.
Her right sliding door has a built-in electric ramp that extends and retracts under the already lowered floor (how DO they do that!?), and is really neat when you first see it work.  Her handicapped Momma wanted to be able to sit in the mid position instead of in back as in her previous Handicapped Van (Toyota minivan).
Both our minivans have the standard low top, but that extra 10" of vertical space is nice in hers.  Removing the handicapped ramp and wheelchair clamps (they rotate for easy loading and unloading!) would make it a pretty nifty camper van.  Having no drive shaft in these FWD vans is a boon here, as it would block some of the floor in a full size older van.
Handicapped minivans with this feature are scarce and expensive though.  It took Laverne many months and a pretty stiff pricetag to get hers.  But that lowered floor would give a real increase in headroom without a raised roof, making stealth better.

 

[2TheStreet]

It's not like you are going to walking around that small space anyways so why pay extra for something that's more of a nuisance that beneficial? Get a BedRug, like I have for my chevy express van, which will allows you to comfortably move around the cabin on your knees just fine, no need to crawl. They make the bedrug for all different trucks and vans, easy install. I did a video on it. It's not really carpet but rather the same material as speaker carpet which is dam near indestructible, bleach-proof, gasoline-prood, stay resistant, etc. Also, has a nice rubber backing that is molded to fit into the ribs of the floor to make a level comfortable surface. I love my bedbug and I feel it's worth every cent. You can even flush it out with a hose if you want. I had the same dilemma as you and realized that it would be a waste of money to spend extra money for a taller van to stand up when you will be sitting or laying in the van most of the time anyways, I mean who paces back and forth in that small space anyways? lol Here is the video I did on the bedbug:

 

[Almost There]

It's not like you are going to walking around that small space anyways so why pay extra for something that's more of a nuisance that beneficial? Get a BedRug, http://amzn.to/1dEtGNU, like I have for my chevy express van, which will allows you to comfortably move around the cabin on your knees just fine, no need to crawl. They make the bedrug for all different trucks and vans, easy install. I did a video on it. It's not really carpet but rather the same material as speaker carpet which is dam near indestructible, bleach-proof, gasoline-prood, stay resistant, etc. Also, has a nice rubber backing that is molded to fit into the ribs of the floor to make a level comfortable surface. I love my bedbug and I feel it's worth every cent. You can even flush it out with a hose if you want. I had the same dilemma as you and realized that it would be a waste of money to spend extra money for a taller van to stand up when you will be sitting or laying in the van most of the time anyways, I mean who paces back and forth in that small space anyways? lol Here is the video I did on the bedbug:

 
I would ever so much love to be young, agile and/or without bad knees (I'd take any one of the three... ).

Without knee pads I simply can not kneel at all, let along move around on my knees - a shattered knee cap will kind of do that to you.

I also find it difficult to get up and down off the floor.

Each of us has there own different lifestyle, uses of their van and reasons for needing different variations. Some are full time living IN their van, some part-time living out of their van. There is no on solution fits all here.

Since I'm conscious of the improbability of getting down on my knees to root things out of lower storage compartments, I've designed everything including pull out drawers so that being on my knees searching for something in a storage bin will never need to happen and that includes finding a childrens' broom for sweeping the floor. The only floor level storage will be accessible from the rear open doors while I'm standing on the ground.

And if you could see the footprints on my unfinished wood floor right now, you'd know that given standing height there is an extensive amount of walking around being done - I've been out camping for the last 2 days. I'm only sitting when I'm in the passenger seat which swivels and laying down when I'm in bed.

 

[2TheStreet]

 
I would ever so much love to be young, agile and/or without bad knees (I'd take any one of the three... ).

Without knee pads I simply can not kneel at all, let along move around on my knees - a shattered knee cap will kind of do that to you.

I also find it difficult to get up and down off the floor.

Each of us has there own different lifestyle, uses of their van and reasons for needing different variations. Some are full time living IN their van, some part-time living out of their van. There is no on solution fits all here.

Since I'm conscious of the improbability of getting down on my knees to root things out of lower storage compartments, I've designed everything including pull out drawers so that being on my knees searching for something in a storage bin will never need to happen and that includes finding a childrens' broom for sweeping the floor. The only floor level storage will be accessible from the rear open doors while I'm standing on the ground.

And if you could see the footprints on my unfinished wood floor right now, you'd know that given standing height there is an extensive amount of walking around being done - I've been out camping for the last 2 days. I'm only sitting when I'm in the passenger seat which swivels and laying down when I'm in bed.

The bedrug has thick cushion underneath where the floor that will feel as though you have on knee pads. Also, it's not like you will be pacing back and forth on your knees just like you will not be pacing back and forth on your feet in a tall van. Most of the time you will be sitting or laying down in your van. For some people who have really bad knees where they cannot even get on their knees then I can understand the need for a van to stand in. However, "To each his/her own." We all have our preferences.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

 it's not like you will be pacing back and forth on your knees just like you will not be pacing back and forth on your feet in a tall van.

I pace back and forth all the time, cook standing up, wash dishes, wash my body, pee in a bottle standing up, look out windows standing up, do a Yoga sun salutations on a rainy day with elbows in on high stretch, hang a hamock, hell I can even make love standing up, or on the kitchen counter, if I get tired of the missionary. You can do most things on your knees but you can double your options and pleasures when you can stand,