Can I build a tent?

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

For the shower hang black pipe off the side of the roof rack, add a schraeder valve on one end so the pipe can be pressurized and have at least a warm shower thanks to solar.

First question: what's wrong with a tent on the ground? Does it have to be six feet in the air? Maybe if you spend the effort making a platform for a tent that can be placed on the ground you'll be better off overall.

Personally, I've found the wedge/pop top idea to work, especially when combined with a sleeping platform that folds. It means you can still put stuff on the roof if you want, and with the top popped and the platform folded you have lots of headroom. You might be able to actually reuse a bunch of hardware from an old Vanagon. Fundamentally, it's a fiberglass shell, a hinge mechanism and some canvas. Sleeping platform is plywood and hinges.

yeah  6'1"  plus changes things ,   

milk crates to store stuff and plywood on top to put the mattress on ?

And I try and be Stealth  when I am out on the road and its never that cold around here :)

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Would a teardrop trailer work?  They don't take up a lot parking real estate. 

clutchsmoke said:

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

Do you really want to climb up to the roof to sleep? What about a hammock inside the van? Or a hanging bed so the floor is open for cargo?

This is my take as well. I lived with bunk beds long enough that I really prefer not to climb a ladder before going to sleep or if I need to pee in the middle of the night.

Nah.  I like it.  I can just pee off the roof of the van, but I rarely have to get up to pee at night.  I'm 51, not 81 

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

A teardrop likely wouldn't like some of the offroading parts.  They're also bloody expensive.

Not sure what your van is like but an ACVW guy I know showed me that a VW Westfalia top will fit on a late 1970s Suburban pretty well.

The van in question.  I have since added 12' deckboards along the frame so I have a full deck up there.

bwca.com: 6'x8'x6' Fold Up Fish House

How about building a 6' wide x 8' long x 7' tall fold up fish house kind of similar to the below photo except with a plywood floor? Without a floor, this one folds up into 2'x6'x10". It's also going to weigh over 120 lbs.

I can legally get seal skin who's hunted for meat. Walrus skin is getting hard to come by. Elephant seal skin is exceptional, but that's one of the rarer skins to be able to get. It'd be the end of February/first week of March for me to be able to get it and bring it south as well. 

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

A teardrop likely wouldn't like some of the offroading parts.  They're also bloody expensive.

You can build one, there used to be bunches of plans off a HF Trailer.

Also for showers the battery powered camp showers are great, I had to use one as a backup recently when my hot water tank failed

Get a Mink-E 

Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) said:

Get a Mink-E 

Pull it with a Saab 9-7x

In reply to Steve_Jones :

It'll be the only thing he'll ever need to pull, ever again. 

In reply to Captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :

You two.... ENABLERS

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

😂🤣😂

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Ian F (Forum Supporter) :

A teardrop likely wouldn't like some of the offroading parts.  They're also bloody expensive.

If you're looking to DIY a folding roof tent, it seems a DIY teardrop is within your wheelhouse?  I've seen a number of teardrop trailers that can handle whatever off-roading you'll attempt in a van.