Any pop-top truck campers with sitting room inside WHILE the top is down?

[SpaceJamHikes]

Every poptop I can find is barely taller than the cab (usually for a lofted bed with the top up) but then you cannot comfortably sit inside the camper with the top down. I am 6'3" and in a comfortable sitting position I am about 54". So with a truck bed depth of 20-22" I would need a nearly 3ft tall truck cap with the roof down. A.R.E. makes a 36" cap and I'm sketching out designs to cut up one of those to make it a pop top.


I want to build out a camper that is fully functional from a seated position (sleeping, cooking, etc) with the top down. This would be advantageous for stealthy camping as well as super windy or rainy nights. If the weather is terrible, I can pass through from the cab and not have to be outside to fiddle with latches and set up the pop top. Or sometimes I am just plan lazy and won't want to pop it up.

My planned layout is to have the bed along one side and a counter on the other with sink, stove, desk space etc. Ideally I would like a hardshell (like Alaskan campers) but that is a bit taller when the top is down.

 

[Mickey Bitsko]

I have experience with northstar

 

[slowtwitch]

Project m on a Tundra.

 

[joepittsburgh]

The Supertramp Campers have a shaped roof and they seem taller inside with the top down. Not sure if that is true.

 

[Jackem]

Hallmark campers have room to sit at the dinette with the top down. When traveling we regularly stop and make/eat lunch without raising the top.

 

[Fly fisherman]

Every poptop I can find is barely taller than the cab (usually for a lofted bed with the top up) but then you cannot comfortably sit inside the camper with the top down. I am 6'3" and in a comfortable sitting position I am about 54". So with a truck bed depth of 20-22" I would need a nearly 3ft tall truck cap with the roof down. A.R.E. makes a 36" cap and I'm sketching out designs to cut up one of those to make it a pop top.


I want to build out a camper that is fully functional from a seated position (sleeping, cooking, etc) with the top down. This would be advantageous for stealthy camping as well as super windy or rainy nights. If the weather is terrible, I can pass through from the cab and not have to be outside to fiddle with latches and set up the pop top. Or sometimes I am just plan lazy and won't want to pop it up.

My planned layout is to have the bed along one side and a counter on the other with sink, stove, desk space etc. Ideally I would like a hardshell (like Alaskan campers) but that is a bit taller when the top is down.

The camper I built has a roof down height of 54”. I can sit on 3 “ cushions at the dinette. I am only 5’7” tall.
You can make the closed height as much as you need, but there might be a case for a hard sided camper.
Mine is 6’4” when top is up. I can sit up in the bed over the cab.
Build your own. Not really that difficult. Save some money.

 

[MidnightCAmper]

Tacoma with ARE DCU 29" high. It's been a great topper. Very durable and stealthy. Only complaint was the hinge screws on the doors had to be replaced. Putting the cord stoppers on has helped. It also makes it easy to pull the doors closed at night. Topper stays on all year. I'm hooked on barn doors and the little step in the bumper. Here are three different setups. I'm under 6' and can sit comfortably on the deck/mattress to use the laptop. In 2022 I swore the next trip I'd have a pop-up so I could stand up indoors. I'd also like a walk through out of the weather from the front like an old Troopy. I'm considering the Ineos Grenadier if Alu-Cab makes them a pop-up. I have not found a pop-up that can be used while closed. I'd be wary of getting an ARE DCU 36" high. I considered it. Wind resistance, top heavy, forget parking garages.

 

[MidnightCAmper]

PS In 2022 I went with no solid storage boxes. I just used Ziploc collapsible storage totes. The 2013 boxes were a work of art but unwieldy.

 

[SpaceJamHikes]

The camper I built has a roof down height of 54”. I can sit on 3 “ cushions at the dinette. I am only 5’7” tall.
You can make the closed height as much as you need, but there might be a case for a hard sided camper.
Mine is 6’4” when top is up. I can sit up in the bed over the cab.
Build your own. Not really that difficult. Save some money.

Fantastic build! Thanks for sharing, definitely gave me some ideas

 

[SpaceJamHikes]

Tacoma with ARE DCU 29" high. It's been a great topper. Very durable and stealthy. Only complaint was the hinge screws on the doors had to be replaced. Putting the cord stoppers on has helped. It also makes it easy to pull the doors closed at night. Topper stays on all year. I'm hooked on barn doors and the little step in the bumper. Here are three different setups. I'm under 6' and can sit comfortably on the deck/mattress to use the laptop. In 2022 I swore the next trip I'd have a pop-up so I could stand up indoors. I'd also like a walk through out of the weather from the front like an old Troopy. I'm considering the Ineos Grenadier if Alu-Cab makes them a pop-up. I have not found a pop-up that can be used while closed. I'd be wary of getting an ARE DCU 36" high. I considered it. Wind resistance, top heavy, forget parking garages.

Looks nice! I am also sold on the barn doors. How tall is your rig?

 

[SpaceJamHikes]

PS In 2022 I went with no solid storage boxes. I just used Ziploc collapsible storage totes. The 2013 boxes were a work of art but unwieldy.

I've been full timing in my Subaru Outback for just over a year and realized this while designing - built in shelving is nice but every piece of wood, layer, or shelf is 1/2" to 3/4" less space you have. And space is especially at a premium when living in a car!

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

My Outfitter Apex I can sit in the dinette with the top down, as well as use the bathroom. I am 5ft 9in

 

[dstefan]

Ovrlnd on 2nd gen Tundra DC.

I’m 6’3” and my hair brushes the ceiling headliner sitting on the bench, which is at the bed rail height (pretty high at 22”).

 

[mkish]

The top-down floor-to-ceiling height of my Northstar tc800 is 59-61", depending on how much extra crap was left on the bed. Seating is definitely usable, be it dinette or portapotty.

 

[Billincamo]

Check out the Moonlander Camper form Radica, might be what your looking for. Weighs nothing and very we'll built. I visited their factory in Denver, high quality unit.