Pop-tops: are they worth it?

[sixstringsteve]

We just got our 24" bubble top from Fiberine installed last week. My wife LOVES the new look even more than before. Somebody told us "once you get a high top on Fred, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner." They couldn't have been more right. This completely changed the van, in a good way. It doesn't feel topheavy, and so far it hasn't felt sketchy in crosswinds. And it actually tows better with the top on it.

 

[ujoint]

Looks great, I'm a high top fan too!

 

[Scooterdogma]

Well, I have read and reread this thread with great interest. We have a Ford Transit Connect as a 2nd car. We are getting a pop top installed in January. For us, the low driving profile, the head room when we camp and use of the "downstairs" were the kickers. At least that is what we told ourselves :victory:

 

[sixstringsteve]

Cool. Pop tops make a lot of sense for a lot of people. I'm LOVING my high top. I can't imagine a van without it now. Driving is maybe 3% different. I'm really surprised it didn't change driving characteristics more. It has completely transformed the vehicle. And I can't recommend Fiberine enough, they're awesome.

 

[Cole]

I know I'm late to this party and decisions have been made. Just wanted to add a thought.

For vans that can be kept below 7' total height the poptop makes a world of difference. This is the height of the standard home parking garage. Keeping a vehicle below this height means that most of the time the vehicle can be used like any other daily driver car. Park in the garage at home, don't worry about drive thrus, most parking structures, trees, etc.

After you cross over the 7' mark you may as well have a hightop.

 

[Jsweezy]

I know I'm late to this party and decisions have been made. Just wanted to add a thought.

For vans that can be kept below 7' total height the poptop makes a world of difference. This is the height of the standard home parking garage. Keeping a vehicle below this height means that most of the time the vehicle can be used like any other daily driver car. Park in the garage at home, don't worry about drive thrus, most parking structures, trees, etc.

After you cross over the 7' mark you may as well have a hightop.

I totally agree with this. I am currently over the 7' mark and have a heck of a time finding places to park in congested areas, so like Cole has recommended at this point it really doesn't matter if it pops or not.

 

[1der]

Well, I would say 8 ft is another important threshold as there are many commercial garages/parking structures I can get into at 8ft that would be out of the question at 9 ft. Also, part of the reason for lower profiles is off-road clearance on branches and over hangs.

There was no way our stock Econoline was fitting in our garage.

All depends on expected use which is why there are so many configurations! :ylsmoke:

 

[nemoaz]

Late to the game also. My experience is with various VW poptops. I dont believe the poptop adds much in the way of complexity. Its basically a couple of hinges at least in the manual versions. IMO the wedge style like on the VW Westyphalia are probably stronger because of the stronger hinges on the low side.

I think where you will camp is the critical factor. In hot climates, poptops rule. In cooler places and in places with extreme amounts of rain, Id probably choose a hightop. As others have mentioned high wind areas are a problem, but they are for any tent.

One other option that I havent seen mentioned is the especially rare hightop (maybe midtop) that also pops up. Reimo and several other euro brands make these for VW. I know that CCV has done at least a few. I suspect they could do it for any van or SUV.

 

[Drizzt]

Call it whatever you want but the fact is I've been working on a top design and prototyping will begin this month. I posted about it a while back in my build thread. Actually, there are two designs being finalized since I don't believe one option fits everyone's needs. I don't see this as being a "one and done" endeavor either.

Did this die off for the Cummins and Transit projects or did I miss it?

 

[mgmetalworks]

Did this die off for the Cummins and Transit projects or did I miss it?

Not dead, just deprioritized for a bit. I got pretty close to ordering a bunch of parts for prototyping but never pulled the trigger because the design just wasn't what I wanted it to be. Glad I held off... I just got some CAD data last week from Ford to make the roof fit easier to design. I work on this project when I get a little time but lately that's not been much. My interior build has started and the pop top is an integral part of the design so I should probably get going on this again, huh?

 

[RVflyfish]

Yes please. I'm currently leaning high top because I'm afraid of mold and mildew; my last SMB got it in the canvas and it definitely affected me. But I'm more than curious what you're going to come up with...

 

[iaacek]

I've recently started looking into pop-tops. Do you guys think it is possible to get aerodynamic high top from let's say Fiberine and mount it as a pop top? Or are pop-tops somehow different from the get go?

 

[WVI]

two different animals.

 

[Thinman]

i read fast and this came to my brain as Pop-Tarts, so I'm just going to chime in and say hell ya' they are!!

 

[shenrie]

...Do you guys think it is possible to get aerodynamic high top from let's say Fiberine and mount it as a pop top? Or are pop-tops somehow different from the get go?

My pop top setup from ccv uses an aerodynamic style fiberine top. What’s defined as an actual high top I’m not sure, but I think the highest point of mine is 18”. From what I’ve read I think the limiting factor is the flange type of the topper and fiberine offers both styles. Iirc, the reverse flange style is for static mounting, but I don’t recall what the other style is called that ccv used on my style top.

Ccv used to use the fiberine tops for all their conversations. When I asked why he changed the owner told me that his new tops were designed around the lift mechanism instead of the lift mechanism being designed around the top. That’s one of the ways they offer the widest bed available.