Head Space Campers Roof Conversion
- Thread starter Lo2aY
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- campers conversion head roof
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- #22
Makes a big difference in a troopy. when the roof is open, you have more room in the middle and closer to the front of the car than you would with other options.
inside the tent itself, you have more vertical room making the place bigger and having more headspace. the roof is designed to handle additional weight so wind shouldnt be an issue
gilmorneau
SILVER Star
Kind of a hybrid works well. Westfalia got it right on their later VW pop-tops:
Very well developed design/engineering. Sleek and low profile when down. It pops up in the front and the back, but in sort of a wedge shape (i.e. it's not just a "hinge"). In the case of the VW van, you'd generally enter from the side door, which is presumably why they made it taller at the front. For a Troopy, it would make more sense to have it taller in the back, since entry would usually be through the back doors. (Photo stolen from the interwebs)
We took an older (Vanagon era) Syncro pop-top Westfalia to Alaska and back in the 1990's and it was nearly the perfect platform for that kind of trip. There's things to learn from those old VW's.
Super cap
That is fantastic!!
Sorry for the delayed reply to this... it has been a busy week.
Yes, I was the first Headspace installation in North America, I believe there are a couple more now and LRA is their dealer/installer Stateside.
As ASPW put it in his latest rant, they are all good products (speaking here of Headspace, AluCab, and Alu-Innovations). Since there is no geographical advantage to South Africa vs Australia for a US install (other than perhaps tariffs as of this year), the starting point is neutral.
Here's my original post outlining my thinking: Builds - Ozzi, 2000 HZJ78 in Canada - travel/maintenance/build - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ozzi-2000-hzj78-in-canada-travel-maintenance-build.1217903/post-15583455
In short, my reasoning:
- slimline install (need to clear garage door)
- maintains original roofline
- very nicely manufactured/engineered product
If you're seriously interested, you should get in touch with Headspace. They seem to now be making their own entire roof, all from aluminum (including the roof sheet).
As to the steep angle, it is intended to let you sleep "head-in", i.e. with your feet facing the hatch. That seems to be the way most people sleep in their AluCabs anyways, but Headspace makes it more comfortable. As to wind - any serious wind and you're not going to be happy "upstairs".
Any other questions, ask away.
Yes, I was the first Headspace installation in North America, I believe there are a couple more now and LRA is their dealer/installer Stateside.
As ASPW put it in his latest rant, they are all good products (speaking here of Headspace, AluCab, and Alu-Innovations). Since there is no geographical advantage to South Africa vs Australia for a US install (other than perhaps tariffs as of this year), the starting point is neutral.
Here's my original post outlining my thinking: Builds - Ozzi, 2000 HZJ78 in Canada - travel/maintenance/build - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ozzi-2000-hzj78-in-canada-travel-maintenance-build.1217903/post-15583455
In short, my reasoning:
- slimline install (need to clear garage door)
- maintains original roofline
- very nicely manufactured/engineered product
If you're seriously interested, you should get in touch with Headspace. They seem to now be making their own entire roof, all from aluminum (including the roof sheet).
As to the steep angle, it is intended to let you sleep "head-in", i.e. with your feet facing the hatch. That seems to be the way most people sleep in their AluCabs anyways, but Headspace makes it more comfortable. As to wind - any serious wind and you're not going to be happy "upstairs".
Any other questions, ask away.
Thanks for chiming in. So you had fit garage installed the headspace? Any idea of the cost?Sorry for the delayed reply to this... it has been a busy week.
Yes, I was the first Headspace installation in North America, I believe there are a couple more now and LRA is their dealer/installer Stateside.
As ASPW put it in his latest rant, they are all good products (speaking here of Headspace, AluCab, and Alu-Innovations). Since there is no geographical advantage to South Africa vs Australia for a US install (other than perhaps tariffs as of this year), the starting point is neutral.
Here's my original post outlining my thinking: Builds - Ozzi, 2000 HZJ78 in Canada - travel/maintenance/build - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ozzi-2000-hzj78-in-canada-travel-maintenance-build.1217903/post-15583455
In short, my reasoning:
- slimline install (need to clear garage door)
- maintains original roofline
- very nicely manufactured/engineered product
If you're seriously interested, you should get in touch with Headspace. They seem to now be making their own entire roof, all from aluminum (including the roof sheet).
As to the steep angle, it is intended to let you sleep "head-in", i.e. with your feet facing the hatch. That seems to be the way most people sleep in their AluCabs anyways, but Headspace makes it more comfortable. As to wind - any serious wind and you're not going to be happy "upstairs".
Any other questions, ask away.
Last edited:
TreadingLight
"Overlanding is Sh*t"
This is one area where the mulgo shines. I've slept in some very windy desert conditions with no issue.
Once in the Alabama Hills the wind was blowing so hard we retreated early to our vehicles for the night. I woke up in the morning and my companions had vanished. Turns out they couldn't handle the flapping in their rooftop tent and started driving home in the middle of the night.
I fell asleep thinking how impressed that the mulgo top wasn't having any issues in the wind.
I do sleep feet in though. Fine when alone but a little awkward when my partner is already in bed.
All costs below as of April-July 2024. I’m not going to give @Willis costs as this was his first install. He’ll be able to better quote you based on real-world experience.
Conversion:
14,489.10 AUD ~= 9,750 USD
Shipping from AUS:
1,850 AUD ~= 1,250 USD
Base cost:
11,000 USD
ECU arrival fees:
353.85 USD
ECU invoice for crate:
249.24 USD
STG arrival fees:
263.30 USD
STG delivery cost:
266.79 USD
ISF fee:
73.08 USD
Customs brokerage cost:
319.13 USD
Additional costs:
1529.35 USD
Total base cost:
12529.35 USD
I’m glad you’ve had a good experience, but that’s not so much because of the Mulgo itself as other factors… a sail is a sail. Key is removing flapping parts (awnings, zipper pulls) and parking into the wind… it’s never been the noise that has bothered me but a concern of damaging the car/roof/adhesion/canvas since this is a long-term vehicle (5 years and counting). Mulgo is no different in this regard to the alternatives and in fact I’d argue its construction is a little “gentler” than the rest of the pack.
TreadingLight
"Overlanding is Sh*t"
The mulgo doesn't have any awnings or exterior zipper pulls or anything else to flap.
There is no way the body adhesive is going to fail. The fabric itself is secured with Velcro and I imagine the Velcro would give before the fabric were damaged.
I park it in all sorts of conditions and I do a lot of camping in the open desert. I have never reparked it due to wind.
This isn't a criticism of any other conversion.
All I can say is I consider wind to be a non-issue in the mulgo, based on my many nights with it so far.
There is no way the body adhesive is going to fail. The fabric itself is secured with Velcro and I imagine the Velcro would give before the fabric were damaged.
I park it in all sorts of conditions and I do a lot of camping in the open desert. I have never reparked it due to wind.
This isn't a criticism of any other conversion.
All I can say is I consider wind to be a non-issue in the mulgo, based on my many nights with it so far.
Hi all, we had one on our recent troopy. Health issues plus a newborn baby forced us to sell it sadly.
We loved it overall - Ollie who owns Headspace was a great guy to deal with; clearly passionate about them. It held up to some decent weather thrown at it. My only concern was one snowstorm I was in one night, the next morning I had what appeared to be a few minor leaks. Ollie was brilliant - he offered to send a whole new canvas out just in case it was faulty from factory. I decided to say no and never had any issues after that. Perhaps it was just needing seasoning
We loved it overall - Ollie who owns Headspace was a great guy to deal with; clearly passionate about them. It held up to some decent weather thrown at it. My only concern was one snowstorm I was in one night, the next morning I had what appeared to be a few minor leaks. Ollie was brilliant - he offered to send a whole new canvas out just in case it was faulty from factory. I decided to say no and never had any issues after that. Perhaps it was just needing seasoning