PhoTow: A Transformer PhotoRig

[Scalf77]

Very nice job, it is looking good.

-greg

[Otter]

Thanks, Greg!

[nyyankees588]

Gotcha - that does all make sense. Have you found any good sources for accessories for attaching things to the round bars? That has been part of my struggle - I've either gone with what I feel are sub-par conduit attachments/u-bolts or seemingly overpriced yakima/thule/attachment accessories. That was part of my reason to switching to unistrut. Seemed like a lot more options for stout attachment components.

[Otter]

NY, what do you want to attach? I mostly carry kayaks, skis, lumber, etc.

[Otter]

I got a good deal on a Yakima Off Grid roof rack with a 22” extension. It fits nicely on the van with space behind it for a couple of solar panels. I could add another single rack and mount the panels on it, covering the entire roof with rack. Installation was a breeze on the round bars with the integral lockable straps underneath. The nicest part is that, once installed, you can easily slide the rack forwards and backwards by temporarily releasing the four straps.

I chose this rack because I wanted the high sides and the open front/rear, for sliding boats, lumber, and other stuff right over the top. It’s also pretty beefy and will accommodate my various Yak attachments. So far, pretty happy. But you do have to like being 9 feet tall.










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[nyyankees588]

Originally Posted by Otter

NY, what do you want to attach? I mostly carry kayaks, skis, lumber, etc.

Right now it's just a large (residential, 270 watt) solar panel and roof box... but I'm working on consolidating the two (new (to me) roof box that solar panel can be mounted on top of) to open up half of the roof to be able to carry paddleboards/surfboards/whatever else I need to. I picked up 3, 10' lengths of unistrut for dirt cheap from somebody a couple weeks ago and I've been messing around with it - so many different ways to use it haha.

Redoing the entire roof rack w/ unistrut isn't worth it at this point for me, but it's interesting to see what options it could open up. Good lookin on the new roof basket, that's a solid one.

[Otter]

NY, thanks, I read your post about your roof box/solar panel combo. Looks interesting. Be sure to let us know how it works out. And, yeah, I’m loving that Unistrut.

[CGgonzo12]

Hey man, awesome build thread, I was wondering if you had any shots of the interior with the PopTop down, and what kind of space is available on the inside? Feel free to PM it to me if that is easier for you, keep up the great work!

[Otter]

Originally Posted by CGgonzo12

Hey man, awesome build thread, I was wondering if you had any shots of the interior with the PopTop down, and what kind of space is available on the inside? Feel free to PM it to me if that is easier for you, keep up the great work!

CG, I only took this one photo while the top was down. Doesn’t show you much and is visually deceiving but here’s some perspective on it: The cushions are 4” thick and I just put in an Exped Megamat on top of that (not in this pic). The Exped is 4” thick when fully inflated. I popped the deflate valve open just before lowering the top onto it. Fits great but no real room to spare. You could fit bedding, like sleeping bags. The front storage area has more room for stuffing things in there because there’s no cushions. If you’re looking for major storage room with the top down, you’ll want to consider the hightop. It’s huge. I didn’t want the outside height of that.

I’ll see if I can get a couple of better shots with the top down sometime this week. In the meantime, I made a couple of videos right after I got home from Colorado:

https://youtu.be/zdTRPrrlcwA CCV Interior Tour


https://youtu.be/UGXpiakKJbM CCV Exterior quick tour




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[CGgonzo12]

Sweet! Thanks man appreciate you taking the time