G'day again ..

IMO

1. Conventional wisdom has it that pop tops gained early popularity due to the ability to store them under normal height home garages.

2. There are generally no water leak issues with well maintained pop tops.  My neighbour who has one, says that some people find the dripping of water from the pop top onto the roof after/during light rain is annoying .. a very minor &  issue, as is the dripping from the roof mounted air con on my full van.

3. Ceiling height is usually not an issue .. except maybe during short lunch stopovers where you choose not to lift the top.  Again a very minor consideration.

4. There are no relevant laws that I know of.

5. Many say that the reduced wind resistance improves fuel economy.  Others claim that this is offset by the heavier weight of the self supporting top.

IMO fuel economy is mostly impacted by driver technique & the correct matching & set up of the van and the tow vehicle.

Pop tops are generally restricted to around 18'  to 18'6" or there abouts.  If you are after a large van with ensuite etc then you'll have to go tpo a full van.

Some say that full vans are cooler but pop top advocates claim that cooling breezes across the underside of their roof from the zip up vents counters that.


In the final analysis, except maybe for the storage factor, like many things it comes down to personal preference.

hey Mike and cushla, it's all personal preference, graham has pretty much hit the nail on the head with his answers,

the height issue, as I understand the question, is in the door height, well in better quality poptops the door is the standard height only in the smaller campertrailer like ones is the door made smaller and can be a problem

some of the older ones do leak around the poptop through poor maintenence programs as well as general wear and tear and this will show by a dark staining down the wall or around the joints

there is no law pertaining to a poptop that I am aware of

there are advantages as well as disadvantages with any van poptop or non poptop, I'm not about to set out on a quest to find the perfect van because it doesnt exist, each is different good and bad

if you find one that is within your budget, suits your needs and is comfortable, easy to tow and that you like, then you have found "YOUR" perfect van and that is all there is to it

you may see better ones and you will scoff at others but in the end it is your choice

Hi,

I have had three pop tops and have not had a complaint re leaking. I could be wrong here, however I do believe that the pop tops from floor to ceiling are slightly hugher than the full size vans.

The one and only problem I found with the 3 pop tops I had, was the condensation build up during the winter months when camping. I was concerned with the condensation so asked others with pop tops, where I was camped, if they had the same problem. All of those that I asked stated that during the winter months they had condensation problems. It is not a huge issue as it was only around around the bottom part of the ceiling where the canvas meets the top of the van and not the roof. Being rather fastideous it annoyed the crap out of me but not to others.

Then again others who own pop tops stated they have never had a condensation problem. Go figure.

Great to tow. Do not even know they are behind the veh. As stated you are restricted to lenghth. That was a 17.55 Jayco Sterling Pop Top


The last two pop tops I owned had an onsuite, however it was the toilet and shower combined. Bit of a pain, but still adequate. Also, still like being in a tent to a degree as they are not as quiet inside as the full size van.

Some will also say, less wind resistance when towing. Easy storage also.

I guess I am going over what has already been stated. Its personal choice. You have to way up all the factors and decide for yourself. After owning three pop tops and enjoying them all, I have just last week picked up my new full size van.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Peter

I have had pop tops before, I went off them but our current gin palace is a Coromal E615S ( see layout) it's 20' tandem pop top. low profile and little wind resitance but the issue of ingress and egress thru the lower door hieght is overcome by simply comeing out backwards seems to work for me....
No A/C as we found that the large vents in the vynl give fantasic ventilation. I've had no leak problems some condensation in the ensuite but that was because the person having a shower did not open the roof vent and turn on the extractor fan. I fitted a solar vent also pictured and that keeps circulating air through the door vents and out of it when ever the sun is shining....It cost $60....