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Jedi
Samba Member
Joined: October 23, 2007
Posts: 734
Location: Cool California
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 Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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Great Pic mikey9! Happy family happy camper.  
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1961 Westfalia SO23 Mango Green/Seagull grey
1961 Westfalia SO34 T/BW
1961 Westfalia SO34 SWR
1964 Westfalia SO33 pearl white
1965 Westfalia SO42 Velvet green
1986 Syncro Wolfram grey with black int GL
1986 Syncro Doka
1987 Syncro Sevana beige Adventurewagen
1987 syncro Sevana beige GL
1973 Pumpkin orange Thing
2 1963 Rag top bug's
1965 Manx
1970 Single cab
1971 combi
1990 Vanagon GL
2007 Audi A4 3.2L quattro |
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taigagreen
Samba Member
Joined: October 29, 2005
Posts: 417
Location: Norway
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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Me and my two brothers in law all have hightops 
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88 Westfalia Club Joker syncro AAZ i/c
99 Transporter syncro 2.5 TDi |
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jrasite
Samba Member
Joined: June 26, 2008
Posts: 8
Location: BFE, Orygun
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 5:43 pm Post subject: Jim's Folly |
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Leavenworth, WA 2008
North of Brookings, OR 2009 |
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Escorial Syncro
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2004
Posts: 437
Location: Manitou Springs, CO
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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Great thread! So great, I'm considering a hightop on my syncro.
Couple questions for you AdventureWagen guys:
How heavy is the AW top? It would be great to know how heavy just the top shell is, and then with all the wood stuff too.
Is the top dual-layer construction with insulation?
Do any of you sleep up there? In the one AW I've been inside, the upstairs looks almost too tight up there for an adult to sleep comfortably.
Since I'm able to modify my hard top syncro, would taking the crown out of the roof and making it flat like a Westy help make the AW top more sleep-able?
Thanks!. Sorry I don't have sweet photos to add, but maybe this thread can feature some resource information too. Cheers, Joel
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Joel Lane
1985 Vanagon converted to syncro, ALH TDI, Reimo Primus top with Westy interior
2002 Toyota Tundra 4x4
1974 Honda CL360 Scrambler (for sale!) |
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levi
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2005
Posts: 5522
Location: Las Vegas
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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The AW top is actually 2 shells, I'm guessing around 150# or more.
Seems to me the westy bed is higher up than the bed in an AW, and if you put the top onto a westy the folding part of the upper bed doesn't have enough room to clearance.
by the way, karl mullendore has a ton of pics of high-tops, if he posts them here it might take up 3 pages!
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One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way
https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40 |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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Here's mine.
It's a top from northamericanhightops. I love it. |
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Jedi
Samba Member
Joined: October 23, 2007
Posts: 734
Location: Cool California
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| Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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The Adventurewagen top is 2 layers and so is most quality tops like Westfalia,Dehler,Reimo. This is great for keeping out summer heat as well as winter cold making it so year round camping is an option. This is why they are popular with skiers around the world. The bed up top on the Adventurewagen is plenty of space. At first you think it looks tight but there is enough room to lay on your side and roll over to the other side. There is enough room to snuggle with your kid up to about age 4. The hardest thing to get used to when sleeping up there is remembering to not sit up in the night when you wake up!!  I did that twice  I have napped up there 4 times when my little girl was a baby and mom and child would stay downstairs. As far as weight I don't know the exact numbers but you sometimes forget it is there its so light. There are many more plus's to having a high roof like stealth camping anyplace and still being able to stand up, No tent flapping in the wind and is super quiet in the rain. No need to wrap up your camper outside with some stupid looking tarps to deal with rain on the family vacation  Front storage on Adventurewagen is huge. I hope this helps. Here is a pic of the wife and daughter waking up. She looks comfy.
_________________
1961 Westfalia SO23 Mango Green/Seagull grey
1961 Westfalia SO34 T/BW
1961 Westfalia SO34 SWR
1964 Westfalia SO33 pearl white
1965 Westfalia SO42 Velvet green
1986 Syncro Wolfram grey with black int GL
1986 Syncro Doka
1987 Syncro Sevana beige Adventurewagen
1987 syncro Sevana beige GL
1973 Pumpkin orange Thing
2 1963 Rag top bug's
1965 Manx
1970 Single cab
1971 combi
1990 Vanagon GL
2007 Audi A4 3.2L quattro |
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Sam Bateman
Samba Member
Joined: August 07, 2010
Posts: 101
Location: Arvonia,VA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 7:31 am Post subject: |
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OK, I got to ask - how do you folks with AdvWagons get upstairs?
Do the cabinets form a sort of built-in set of stairs?
I got to tell you, gettin upstairs in my Westy is quite an exercise. Especially in the middle of the night.
I'm thinkin that I haven't discovered the right combination yet...
Sam Bateman |
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psych-illogical
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2004
Posts: 1181
Location: AZ
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 7:45 am Post subject: |
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Great idea for a thread. I don't have a hightop but I've always liked 'em. Keep the photos coming.
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83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold 
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS |
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westyventures
Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2004
Posts: 2306
Location: Oregon Outback
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:07 am Post subject: |
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I'm thinking a cool combo would be a factory sunroof with an AW top. You could close off the top area when not in use, so that you don't need to heat/cool that space. Hmmm...
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Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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westyventures
Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2004
Posts: 2306
Location: Oregon Outback
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:19 am Post subject: |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| I'm thinking a cool combo would be a factory sunroof with an AW top. You could close off the top area when not in use, so that you don't need to heat/cool that space. Hmmm... |
My Syncro 16" has the original manual sunroof - the previous owners used it as a security method when leaving the van for long periods - they stashed the valuable items in the highroof, closed the sunroof, and removed the crank handle. |
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Themasterof42
Samba Member
Joined: April 23, 2009
Posts: 327
Location: goleta
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 9:45 am Post subject: |
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My 81 Adventurewagen on a trip to Oregon a few years ago. I love the thing! You can't beat the amount of interior space up in the top. The entire trip we had all of our gear loaded up there. Definitely my favorite camper setup! |
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Tracey
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2008
Posts: 161
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:08 am Post subject: |
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[/quote]
This has got to be my favorite set up of all high tops. I wish we had more of these in the states.
_________________
1986 Westy Subaru 2.5 Syncro **SOLD**
1970 Westy camper
1965 split project
I love the Vans! |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 9752
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 11:11 am Post subject: |
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| Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
| I'm thinking a cool combo would be a factory sunroof with an AW top. You could close off the top area when not in use, so that you don't need to heat/cool that space. Hmmm... |
In mine, after the bed extension fits into place, I have a second insert piece that sets in to completely block the opening to the high roof. Much easier to find than a sunroof van and as effective regarding heating/cooling. I also will put the bed extension and insert in place when traveling with a lot of stuff in the high roof area in order to keep stuff from falling out in hard stopping. |
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Zentaka
Samba Member
Joined: August 22, 2010
Posts: 264
Location: Hawaii Island, Hawaii
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Woah that sounds like a neat deal! Got any pictures?
My top doesn't "seal" as far as I know. It's got this angled wood at the front that seems like it would make it difficult.
Does anyone know where I can get those little square things that go on the end of the arm that holds the sunroof up in the AWagen? Mine somehow both got lost. Also a screw to mount the arm to the van and I think I need to replace my upper windows too. Ideas? |
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J Charlton 
Samba Member
Joined: August 24, 2007
Posts: 1546
Location: The True North Strong and Free
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 3:01 pm Post subject: hinged bed extension |
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Ideas bouncing back and forth evolved into this. Nice solution to keep everything in place.
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NAHT hightop availability May 18 2023 -
Bend Oregon - for Oregon, California- (7 tot , 3 available), Kennewick Wa (6 tot, 1 available), Small Car Performance Fife Wa. (7 tot 4 avail ), Fairbanks Alaska (1 tot 0 avail)
Future availability TBD : Springfield Mass. Staunton Va, Florida, Colorado, Grand Junction Co., SLC probably late 2024 |
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dipple
Samba Member
Joined: April 09, 2005
Posts: 135
Location: Whistler BC
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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Here are some more pics of Getaway tops on syncros. The bottom two are of my van. The Getaway is by far the most functional van I have owned. I have never seen one like the van in the earlier post. Mine is a 91 while the other look to be a mid 80's.
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1987 Syncro
1998 Syncro TDI Passat |
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shepherdsond
Samba Member
Joined: April 25, 2005
Posts: 439
Location: Bellingham, WA
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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Northamerican hightop on my Subaru 2.2 syncro. Taking boats out at Troy on the Grand Ronde River last month. Still have to install windows, skylight and insulation |
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Jedi
Samba Member
Joined: October 23, 2007
Posts: 734
Location: Cool California
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| Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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This is turning out to be a good thread. really stoked to see all the different types here.
Dipple ... Buy far yours is the nicest Get away van I have seen. Like that style better than early ones.
taigagreen.... I love the family of jokers. You lucked out for in laws!!
jrasite... Nice Adventurewagen pics. I live on the north coast and know the feeling.
Andrew A. Libby.. The northamerican is looking great!!
Shepherdsond... Nice northamerican hightop too. Great pic with the river and boat.
Themasterof42... Great OR trip pics...
_________________
1961 Westfalia SO23 Mango Green/Seagull grey
1961 Westfalia SO34 T/BW
1961 Westfalia SO34 SWR
1964 Westfalia SO33 pearl white
1965 Westfalia SO42 Velvet green
1986 Syncro Wolfram grey with black int GL
1986 Syncro Doka
1987 Syncro Sevana beige Adventurewagen
1987 syncro Sevana beige GL
1973 Pumpkin orange Thing
2 1963 Rag top bug's
1965 Manx
1970 Single cab
1971 combi
1990 Vanagon GL
2007 Audi A4 3.2L quattro |
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| Back to top |
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