I decided to build my own Pop Top camper

[97heavyweight]

Finally after a week of being out of the garage it finally rained. I am happy to report that none of the 37 holes I made in my roof are leaking. I didn’t think they would, but I always plan for the worst. Also I am happy to say the solar works great and I may be able to put off getting a new battery until next winter.

 

[97heavyweight]

I'll be taking a few weeks off from the build to move, but before I go here are some obligatory photos from this past weekend camping trip.

 

[battersp]

did you find a good source for the 1" 80/20?

I have made a similar camper and used TNUTZ.com they seem to be the most cost-effective 80/20 manufacturer.

 

[Mules]

Thanks for sharing such a great build! I'm working on my own lifting mechanism now and am going to build a conduit stabilizer similar to yours. Do you have any advice or recommendations? What size conduit did you use?

 

[97heavyweight]

Thanks for sharing such a great build! I'm working on my own lifting mechanism now and am going to build a conduit stabilizer similar to yours. Do you have any advice or recommendations? What size conduit did you use?

Hey, I've been following yours with bated breath! It truly is amazing!! I used 3/4" The pivot needs to be centered with the top and bottom mounts. At least that is what I did.

 

[Mules]

Thanks for the help. I hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew with my build. Every time I think I'm getting closer, there's another puzzle to solve. I'll use the 3/4" conduit and center the pivot! Again, you've got an incredible looking build.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

100% on the size and the pivot detail. I used 3/4" as well and it worked out great... nice and strong, easy to bend (took a few attempts with a friends bender).

 

[97heavyweight]

Back to the regularly programmed build. Finally got out of an apartment and into a house and now have my own driveway.

This weekend I started the process to insulate the roof. I am using 3M insulation and at a 1" compression I think the R rating will be around 7 or 8. I ran out of glue yesterday with 6 pieces left to glue in. Once those are in I will let the glue off-gas for a few days and then install the wood pieces and wire in some lights.

I am also increasing the weight on my struts from 80 to 130 lbs and finally getting around to installing the struts in the rear. The roof is definitely heavier than she used to be.

 

[97heavyweight]

Insulation is all done. I even had time to swap out my old winch cable for a new synthetic line.

 

[ITTOG]

Back to the regularly programmed build. Finally got out of an apartment and into a house and now have my own driveway.

This weekend I started the process to insulate the roof. I am using 3M insulation and at a 1" compression I think the R rating will be around 7 or 8. I ran out of glue yesterday with 6 pieces left to glue in. Once those are in I will let the glue off-gas for a few days and then install the wood pieces and wire in some lights.

I am also increasing the weight on my struts from 80 to 130 lbs and finally getting around to installing the struts in the rear. The roof is definitely heavier than she used to be.

What is the name of the insulation? Or do you have a link to it?

 

[97heavyweight]

What is the name of the insulation? Or do you have a link to it?

For some reason it is letting me throw in the link. I got it on Amazon. It's called 3M Thinsulate SM600L.

 

[ITTOG]

For some reason it is letting me throw in the link. I got it on Amazon. It's called 3M Thinsulate SM600L.

I found it, thanks for the info.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[97heavyweight]

I've had a decently productive evening. I had already roughed out the ceiling panels so it wasn't much to finish them to get them installed. I will admit it isn't the prettiest work, but finish work has never been my forte. I just don't have the patience for it. I am more of a function over form person. I have two of the three panels installed and four of the six lights installed and it is awesome!!

 

[97heavyweight]

This weekend I was able to finish the interior ceiling. I also got the new struts installed, but alas they are way to strong. I had 80# struts in the front and they did not seem strong enough so I went big and got 130# struts. It was too big. I'll go down to 100# struts and if that doesn't work i'll go back to 80#. I also changed up where they are located from the front and rear to the sides so that I could eliminate the sting I had that kept the roof aligned with the body.

 

[CoyoteThistle]

Excellent work! looking super clean. I think unless you have a couple engineering degrees, the gas strut stuff has to be trial and error.