Hi-top vs PH

[gzzd]

How do roof racks usually attach to the high top? Just drilled to the roof? Does that typically reduce weight carrying capacity?

[haywoodphotomaccom]

I have the high top and use it as a daily driver and work vehicle. Works great for that. If used for mainly off road I would have gone with a pop top. It seems like 50% of the trails we do I am tree trimming where Kelly in his pop top is just cruising right through.

You will most likely have more tire damage like me with the high top off road. You have less options on where you can place your tire if always trying to avoid trees above.....

[mikracer]

Originally Posted by Viva

I just watched a neat YouTube video of a couple-plus-two-young-kids who bought a 1980's VW Westfalia for a summer trip in the W/NW US. It was longish but I found it quite enjoyable. The woman makes videos (mostly tiny house related) and so it was nicely done; the man is from Spain so had some interesting perspectives (partly because he is not from the US, partly just his own personality obviously).

They mostly boondocked but it looked like they really didn't know the ins and outs of how to find good spots, so many times they ended up being rousted by a ranger or other. In a memorable quote they are discussing it and the man says (partly tongue in cheek): "Rangers... the enemy of the pop top." This cracked me up (especially as an SMB pop-top owner).

Thanks for posting that link. I watched it last night and finished it today.

[JohnandMandi]

^^^

We finally watched it, and another of theirs about tiny homes, last night. The Ranger quote was awesome. I think the need to pop the top kind of gave them away. I also agree that keeping the top down usually is acceptable. Where we live, SMBs aren't even known about so we have to tell everyone that asks about the van that it has a pop top. We even explain that it pops straight up, most we have to show, then they reply with "oh, that's cool". When we talk about our trip we get wrinkled faces and comments like "you're brave, crazy and must like each other a lot". Questions like "aren't you worried about being killed, are you gonna bring a gun or what about personal space" soon follow. The local backwoods boys always give a thumbs up to the 4x4 van and don't care if it's a camper or not, right on!

That documentary just made us want to go ahead and leave today. Not having our van and it not being built out yet kind of reeled us back in.

Pop top, high top or OEM roof... get one and get out there.

-John