Penthouse top or fixed top??

[Lilnuts2]

I would love to hear what everyone has to say about which top they have and the pros and cons. I have listed a few but I'm sure there are more.

Penthouse
Pros:
* Sleeping area that does not take away from the floorplan.
* Looks really cool when up
* Great ventilation and natural light.


Penthouse
Cons:
* 10k cost
* More intense install & wiring
* Higher maintenance and damage potential.
* Noisier when both up and down.
* With top down still can't stand up right. (even with a mid top)
* Limit on roof top storage & weight.
* Not stealth when up.
* Harder to heat & cool.
* Bedding size & quality.
* Sleeping when windy?


30" fixed top
Pros:
* Price 5 to 6K
* Can stand up right, all the time
* Can be insulated heavily to off set the increased area.
* Full roof area and weight load ability.
* Glass windows can be installed.
* Ease of maintenance and install.
* Can build taller cabinets or have "uppers"
* Stealth when overnighting at a Walmart>

30" fixed top
Cons:
* Increased wind load = decrease in mileage.
* Reduced handling in strong winds.
* Height limit issues (even more)
* Doesn't look near as cool.
* A bed has to to be included in the main floorplan.


These are just a few, please share your thoughts.

[neatvan]

Originally Posted by Lilnuts2

30" fixed top
Cons:
* A bed has to to be included in the main floorplan.

I actually loved my 30" Fiberine Super Camper top due to the fact that I DIDN'T need to include a bed on the main floorplan. We had a walk through design with a small 5' gaucho behind the driver seat. We had a bed up top, in front. 3 platforms that extended into a 6.5'x5' bed. With the bed platform and bed cushions, we still had over 24" of headroom in the bed.


Down below, you could sit on the gaucho with the bed deployed if you wanted and stare out the side barn doors and front window. You could even sleep up top in full stealth, as the main cabin was wide open. Sometimes I left the curtains open in main cabin just to make it look less like people were up in the bunk sleeping.

[Lilnuts2]

Neatvan, that is exactly the design concept we are looking at. Any down sides?
Also where did you find a 5' gaucho?

[neatvan]

Originally Posted by Lilnuts2

Neatvan, that is exactly the design concept we are looking at. Any down sides?

Downsides:
1. Although we had 24" of headroom, my girlfriend still wished she could sit up in bed.
2. Since the bed is over the side doors you must bend over to get in and out while deployed. Due to this, we usually stacked up the bed while not sleeping. The two movable platforms and bedding stacked neatly in the extended nose of the top, over the front seats. The downside is setting up and taking down the bed every day.

Originally Posted by Lilnuts2

Also where did you find a 5' gaucho?

1. I used a rear seat from an older van conversion. Found in a junkyard. One of the kind that simply folds in the middle to lay flat. I turned it sideways and mounted it behind the drivers seat. We did deploy this into a roughly 5'x4' lounge platform for extended naps! Also, with a swivel driver seat, the bed "area" could extend into the front seats for a full length bed. Multiple friends slept down there on ski trips and such. Could also make a great kids bed.