For several years now, the world of vans and motorhomes has been trending upwards. In addition to the success of roof tents, we have seen the arrival on the market of vans and motorhomes with pop-up roofs, such as the Bürstner Lyseo and Hymer Venture S motorhomes that we discovered at the 2022 Düsseldorf Motorhome Show. Not to mention pop-up roof caravans such as the Beachy and the BiVan. Continuing this trend, the SpaceCamper brand presented an interesting extra-large pop-up roof concept at the last Düsseldorf show, the SpaceCamper Roof, mounted on the SpaceCamper Classic + based on the Multivan.
The Multivan is one of VW’s camping-oriented vehicles. Unlike the California, however, it does not have a pop-up roof. German van conversion company SpaceCamper decided to give it one. The pop-up roof is surprisingly large. When open, it reaches a height of 2.6 metres and, more importantly, extends almost to the width of the vehicle’s wing mirrors. This width allows it to accommodate a 200 cm x 140 cm transverse bed and 700 litres of storage space. The pop-up roof does not need to be closed when driving. According to the team behind this new pop-up roof concept (we haven’t had the opportunity to see it on the road yet), it is possible to drive at speeds of up to 120 km/h with the roof raised. However, we won’t be able to try it out for a few months, as this pop-up roof prototype is not expected to be available until 2026.
Between the pop-up roof and the roof tent
At first glance, you might be surprised by the design of this pop-up roof, which is very similar to a roof tent. With a height of 2.6 metres when driving, it is not far off the height of a van with roof bars and a roof tent added. Unlike a roof tent, however, the SpaceCamper Roof is accessed from inside the vehicle via the VW Multivan’s 80 cm x 100 cm sunroof. This avoids having to use the external ladder on roof tents. A plus when it rains. An advantage over roof tents. The other advantage is the ability to fold the roof down. While it is useful to be able to drive with the roof up, which avoids having to stow the bed, the SpaceCamper Roof can be folded down, reducing the height of the vehicle from 2.6 m to 2 m, which allows access to underground car parks or car parks where vehicles over 2 metres high are not permitted. This is also useful when travelling long distances and wanting to reduce fuel consumption. When the camping season is over, the SpaceCamper Roof, like a roof tent, can be dismantled and stored until the warm weather returns. Although we have only seen a prototype so far, we are eager and curious to see this new concept arrive on campsites in France and elsewhere.
Author: We Love Camping
C'est parce que nous aimons le camping traditionnel que nous avons pensé à ce site. Parce que nous regrettons parfois que le mobile-home occupe désormais tant de place sur les campings, nous avons voulu mettre en avant les terrains où les tentes, les caravanes et les camping-cars restent majoritaire. Et offrir à tout ceux qui partagent notre amour de la vie en plein air, un site avec des idées de voyages, des conseils techniques et surtout un choix de campings où il fait bon venir poser sa caravane ou planter sa tente.
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