TheSamba.com :: View topic - Can someone tell me about high top/ high roof campers?

Wed Oct 01, 2003 6:03 pm

I see a bunch of them up for sale in the classifieds here on theSamba. They look pretty cool. I like some of the additions they have- furnace, hot water tank, showers... Do the have beds up top?
I'd like to know a little background on them- what all did they have inside, what were optional features, and I'd really like to see some pics of interiors if you got 'em.

I wish I could buy one, but my wife would kill me.

Wed Oct 01, 2003 6:56 pm

I have had two high tops and drive an Adventurewagen now. They are great for head space as you can always standup in them and never have to hunch over. My first hightop I am not sure who did the conversion but it was a 75hightop with the sink and furnace behind the drivers seat and the reefer behind the passenger seat. Also had the table that comes out. It also had the bed up top, how it worked was there was about 3 planks of wood that slid out on top of the groove and they laid flush together to make a bed and then the cushions went on top of them and you climbed up in there it slept great, just no room for any action. Then it had the foldout bed below as well, I mounted a vanagon water tank above the drivers seat and plumbed it for an outdoor shower and had the pipefitting with a showerhead come out in the back and used a pole that would mount in the rain gutter with a hulahoop attached to it and put a showercurtain on the hulahoop, worked great. My Adventurewagen that I have now is a totally different setup it had grill with an icebox behind the passenger seat in it and it used to have a sink with a tall cabinet that went higher than the seat and had a spun aluminum tank for the water and had a air attachment that compressed the tank, for pressure. The bed was a little different it had these attachments on either side of the bus next to the windows and when the bed folded out it had these cords with a hook that would hook into those attachments and the bed kind of hung there and the rest laid flat like a normal z-bed. It has storage cabinets above the rear set for clothes and a lot of storage above the cab of the bus and a cutout in the rear of the top for a luggage type rack. Everyone that I have seen has been different, I really like them but they really suck in a crosswind. I'll try and send a pic of both of them. Later anthony

Wed Oct 01, 2003 8:13 pm

I too have an adventurewagen, a 1971. Its a great bus and has lots of really cool add ons. Adventurwagens were made in Fort Bragg California starting at the time of the bay window I believe. Mine has a Norcold fridge, Magic Chef gas stove, and a sink in it with a 10 gallon tank. I added two 6v batteries and stuck them in the closet to power the interior lights and fridge, then put an 80Watt solar panel on the roof to charge the batteries. The bed folds out of the back seat and is a double futon. There is no sleeping in the top, my hard top has an outdoor storage bin in the back and a large interior storage area in the front. For my girlfriend and I there is just enough space for the two of us. We have gone on trips with four people, but for the most part I don't think we would use an upper bed anyway if there is one. I do love being able to stand up and cook in the bus. It makes it really nice on those days when the weather is crummy and you don't feel like getting out of the bus. Its like having a little house everywhere you go, we never feel cramped because we can always stand up and stretch out.

Thu Oct 02, 2003 9:07 am

Rivieras also made Highroof conversions, although they are few and far between :(
http://members.tripod.com/~wetwesties/riviera/index1.html