I have been reading and taking copious notes from the various build threads in this forum for the past couple of months. I am not building a 'sportsmobile' per se, but am building a vehicle made for sports - a UZJ100 Land Cruiser pop-top camper. One of my major inspirations is this beast:
http://www.ronaldbrunner.ch/projekte/hdj100.htm
So while the platform is very different, my philosophy and construction techniques are very similar to what is described in this forum. At this point I have the pop-top complete (made out of aluminium), with the exception of the bed and the pop-top fabric - which brings me to my questions:
1. What material do other home builders use for their pop-top fabric? I am trying to decide between a sunbrella type fabric (as is often used in Westies) and using Gore-Tex or similar Waterproof breathable fabric. The first big trip for this vehicle is going to be the Canadian Arctic, so long periods of rain is a concern. In this regard, I a leaning towards the heaviest 3-layer Gore-Tex I can find (unfortunately only 6 oz / sq yrd). However I am concerned about durability, which leads me towards sunbrella or similar. Anyone have any thoughts on using either of these fabrics for a hinged pop top or other suggestions?
2. What to make the upstairs bed platform out of? The bed is 48" wide, will be consist of 3 28" segments to allow the bed to be slid forward above the front seats when not in use. The platform will only be supported by rails on the sides. I was thinking of 1/2" ply, but suspect that it will not be stiff enough. I could use thicker ply (3/4" would probably be sufficient), but I would like to minimize weight up top. Anyone used composite panels for a bed base? How about plywood with Al or steel stiffeners?
Thanks in advance!
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