We will be travelling to Australia soon to do a caravaning trip around the coastal areas.
We have been watching Ebay and Trading Post for caravans and notice the majority are of the poptop type.
can anyone help answer a few questions.

Is there a good reason for this.

Do they have problems with water leakage around the joins

Are they a problem for taller people (I here it is easy to bang your head getting in and out)

Are there any laws that make this sort of van an advantage.

Are there any other advantages or disadvantages to these poptops

Thanks Mike and Cushla

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.

im a pop top owner and find there are no problems at all  one thing i do do is i use 2 props between top of main van body and the pop top its self used mainly when i have awnning out. takes the pressure off the lift  hinges i believe and a lot better in the wind.   only fault we have found and this was or fault  was not get a van with an island bed  misses dosent like the thought of me going over the top wink wink


 happy days

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

We have had 2 poptops and am in the process of buying a new one.there has been minor leaking in both but a tube of sealant fixed both in seconds.mainly only end joins and depending on age of van.
I am 6ft 2 in(don't know in metric) and have never had any height issues even in doorway.
air cond not as efficient as in solid van but if extremely hot some people put the top down of a nite.we never have.
still down to personal preference no matter what anyone says.
hope this helps
rocan

-- Edited by rocan at 11:03, 2009-02-22

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

first up I agree with Roy 100%, leakage is only a matter of maintenance I dont understand the issue of air conditioning, to me common sense, physics as well as thermal dynamics dictate that cold air must fall and warm air must rise thereby giving credence to the "theory" that a pop top should actually be more efficient in cooling than a solid van would be if a vent was to be left open in the top then the hot air must evacuate and be replaced by cool air, warming an area does not present anywhere near the same problems as cooling unless in near freezing temperatures, and we have been there but a good quality doona is essential and is all that is required I have a pop top camper and never come across a problem with it cooling or heating, and oh boy we have been in the extremes of the continent with her, we do however close the top in extreme weather conditions, when we must "hunker down", put the nose to the gail and just weather it out, been there a few times as well

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....

first poptop in the late 70s, since then had 5 and one fullsize, its all been said what problems there is or aint , in real bad or cold weather I have but the bed end of the roof down and the lounges area up, with the canvas vents open just once ince and a dick smith furnace going had no problems with condensation hat or cold

Thanks everyone for all the help full info gives us a bit to think on