Tall Newbie Hello

[pkazmercyk]

Hi. This is my first post. We are looking to purchase a camper van in the near future and I've just started researching various vehicles and features. Before I get too far I need to figure out how much of an issue my height will be. I am 6' 6" tall and need to find a vehicle that I can drive comfortably and move around and sleep in comfortably. I'm not too worried about driving as I currently have a Toyota Highlander SUV in which I'm very comfortable.

In terms of actually living in the van, I know that a pop-top is a common option. However, I don't know what happens in weather where the pop-top is closed. I can get a little claustrophobic so if I have to duck to navigate within and sleep in the van, that could well be a problem.

We are certainly open to a conversion. Could that help with the interior height?

Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Paul

[mkguitar]

Welcome to the forums


right off, no sideways sleepers.
you'll need a van which sleeps fore/aft for a longer bed.
solo? in which case you could get away with a shorter bed and sleep on the diagonal.


with older vans the roadtrek models built on a chev usually have a drop floor mid section to increase headroom.
I have a pleasure way on a chev and at 6'2" I can't wear thick soled boots or I brush my head...flip flops or sneakers.
I also have to slouch to see overhead traffic lights



cheers, Mike

[rowiebowie]

Welcome!

I've seen reports here that the Ford Transit-based vans are the tallest inside. You'll also want to shop for an 80" rear bed. At 6'2", I can sleep comfortably in my 76" bed, but just barely and since I can no longer sleep on my stomach.

[mtmdatlanta]

Currently, the PleasureWay OnTour 2.2 would best serve your needs for a B van, IMHO. It has 6'6" headroom, and the bed is 79" long, the longest on a Transit van. The driver's seat should also accommodate you. The bath is also relatively spacious. The Sprinter and Promaster based vans tend to have only 6'2" headroom, even if a few of them will occasionally offer a single bed of 80". In order to get more headroom throughout the van, you will need to get a B+/C. The OnTour 2.0 has a bed that is 2 inches shorter at 77", relatively long for a B but still short for you. The bath is much smaller, and lacks a sink, also.

Embassy RV also builds on the Transit, and may be able to provide a custom specced bed for you, so it may be worth a call.

[mtmdatlanta]

Also, Regency RV makes the National Traveler on the Promaster chassis. They get up to 7'4" headroom with a raised roof, but the bed is only 73" by 73", the bath has very restricted headroom, and tall people complain about severely lacking leg room, a problem in all Promasters. So you can stand, but not sleep, shower, or drive!

[pkazmercyk]

Originally Posted by mtmdatlanta

Also, Regency RV makes the National Traveler on the Promaster chassis. They get up to 7'4" headroom with a raised roof, but the bed is only 73" by 73", the bath has very restricted headroom, and tall people complain about severely lacking leg room, a problem in all Promasters. So you can stand, but not sleep, shower, or drive!

Thank you so much!!! This is very helpful!

[billgrates3]

check out the pleasureway XL series, 6'8" headroom, and although queen bed only 74x74

[ks@yvr]

I know your challenges if you are tall. We like the solid roof over a poptop and our previous van a 92 VW Westfailia hightop had 6’ 8” clearance but lacked a bathroom/shower and the counters were low and on the small size at around 16’ long but was easy to drive and park. Our current van a Pleasure Way Sprinter has 6’ 3” headroom and works for me (6’ 4”) but I so miss the Westfailia’s headroom. Both vehicles have N/S beds so length isn’t an issue but the much wider bed in the Pleasureway is nicer. Vans unfortunately are a battle of compromises to get the convenience of a manageable size. I suggest putting together a list of wants then finding a vehicle that can tick off most of, or all those wants. See Fitrv’s latest Youtube video on looking for a new van for ideas.

[wvan]

I know I'm late to this post. I'm a newbie, first day on this site. I am only about 6'4" but have same questions. Particularly I'm interested if the pop up is a good option. I want to be simple as we will mostly be weekenders and will travel in decent weather when we do( except when I'm fly fishing at any time of the year.) So we want it to be simple without a lot of add ons that can break.

Thinking about an AWD Transit 150 low top with a pop up. Would the 150 have enough power for a van conversion?

Thanks

[Bud]

Originally Posted by wvan

I know I'm late to this post. I'm a newbie, first day on this site. I am only about 6'4" but have same questions. Particularly I'm interested if the pop up is a good option. I want to be simple as we will mostly be weekenders and will travel in decent weather when we do( except when I'm fly fishing at any time of the year.) So we want it to be simple without a lot of add ons that can break.

Thinking about an AWD Transit 150 low top with a pop up. Would the 150 have enough power for a van conversion?

Thanks

Easily, but there are a few other questions I would guess.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Bud

Easily, but there are a few other questions I would guess.

Like payload. Conversions can get heavy. If you want to stay with the 150, keep it simple and research ultralight building techniques (like aluminum framed cabinets with composite panels). The pop-top will add weight, so research that before committing to the van.

Your height means you will probably want a space-consuming longways bed.

[ks@yvr]

The Transit 250 AWD hightop has 81.5” of height, so no need to spend the extra money on a pop top. Will keep you standing tall and warm, plus plenty of payload. I am currently building out a custom van using light weight composite panels for interior cabinets saving about 60% over equivalent plywood weight. Only downside is that its about 4-5x plywood cost per sheet but the weight savings are for the life of the van and worthwhile in my opinion.