Toppers

[mucksmuff]

Cheers, I'm going on a €€ spending spree now

Hi i must of got it on offer not sure difference between isotop 2 and 3 apart from a colour change. You need a isotop 2 onwards if you have a 2013 onwards cali.

 

[motacyclist]

Hi i must of got it on offer not sure difference between isotop 2 and 3 apart from a colour change. You need a isotop 2 onwards if you have a 2013 onwards cali.

Have you tried it out yet? Given the high price of the Branderup I would have thought there was a gap in the market for someone to produce a lower cost internal liner. Couldn't this be of the sort of material inner tents are made, rather than the expensive (Goretex?) fabric of the German product?

 

[calikev]

Comfortz will be launching one soon thumb

 

[motacyclist]

Comfortz will be launching one soon thumb

Soon enough to get some winter use?

 

[calikev]

Not sure as his factory had to close due to the bad weather today

 

[mucksmuff]

Have you tried it out yet? Given the high price of the Branderup I would have thought there was a gap in the market for someone to produce a lower cost internal liner. Couldn't this be of the sort of material inner tents are made, rather than the expensive (Goretex?) fabric of the German product?

Yes used it last week up in Glenmore in the Caingorms. I do use a Cali topper from Comfortz Leisure also was snug as a bug, just had heater(furnace) on setting 1 and had to turn it off half way through the night. They are expensive full price but if you shop around deals are to be had Maybe Comfortz might make something like it in the future..

 

[samp]

We have a pucer cover for the roof and a silver screen by paragon, with the parking heater we're super snug and little condensation. The pucer also protects the canvas from the elements. Id say its worth spending out and getting the right things from the beginning. You can quickly spend lots on materials to make it at home and it won't be as well engineered (probably ;-)).

 

[Zebopp]

Just bought one of the silver bubble wrap covers - took advice from here that the DIY option might not be worth it in the long run. It fits well and seems very secure. Easy to put on 2 min job ....but wasn't windy. Haven't tried it in the snow yet but looks like it will work well. Comes with a ice bag too!

 

[Zebopp]

Ok ....nice bag ......

 

[comfortz]

Hi Folks,

We're working hard on an internal liner at the moment, hopefully we'll have something for you in the next two weeks!

Cheers,
Nick

 

[briwy]

Comfortz topper and screen cover in action at Glenshee last year.
Might be up there soon if the snows as good as it looks in the previous picture.
How many hook ups are there now at Glenshee, only six last year when we went.

 

[estresao]

How is Comfortz topper when raining and windy? Do it keep the roof canvas dry?

 

[calikev]

Its fully waterproof and once removed one shake and its dry

 

[BHTR]

Hi there, just wondered if anyone has experience of the comfortz roofless Cali topper -the one you can use with roof bars - I can't quite get my head round why water wouldn't get under the edges on the roof and whether that matters anyway? Like most people, I just don't want to make an expensive mistake. Also, how long do they take to put on once you have sorted it out at the beginning...and can you put it on with a roof box on
Thanks!

 

[Martin]

I have the roofless one and there is a flap at the back to channel the water away from the canvas, it is hard to explain without you seeing one, but I can 100% say it works.

 

[sbmcd]

Hi there, just wondered if anyone has experience of the comfortz roofless Cali topper -the one you can use with roof bars - I can't quite get my head round why water wouldn't get under the edges on the roof and whether that matters anyway? Like most people, I just don't want to make an expensive mistake. Also, how long do they take to put on once you have sorted it out at the beginning...and can you put it on with a roof box on
Thanks!

We also have a rootless topper it works well, keeps the top bed space quite a bit warmer, it was snowing on ours last night we were dry and toastie.

It will fit with roof bars / box that is the main reason to go for the rootless version.

Fitting is no problem.

 

[zeratul]

Thinking of traveling to the north of Lapland (Abisko region) in winter. I've been there a few times, by plane, once by car (in summer) and yes, I know it's a long 2-3-day drive. But I love the mountains, the northern lights, the silence.
Temperatures can reach -30 easily.

I see no one tried that yet with a Cali. Still I'm looking for advice?
I think of combining the best of everything in this topic:
Internal topper Isotop 3 + 6mm thermal foil all around + external topper + heater on all night?
Of course, all windows should also get the thermal foil.

But you need some kind of ventilation when sleeping. I saw there are air vents at the top of the upper bed, are these to be kept open at all times?

 

[andyinluton]

I've been to Levi in northern Lapland a couple of times, we did a week in January once, the warmest day was a balmy -29 degrees, -80 with windchill on the fells.

I would have a couple of concerns with the vw : mechanically would the engine freeze? all the vehicles I've seen there were either left with the engine running all the time or were plugged into power points for electric engine heaters.

I believe studded tyres are mandatory.

Would the hydraulics of the roof work in those temperatures? What about the roof canvas? especially if you got condensation on it I would worry that it could actually become brittle & snap.

At those temperatures we had trouble with things like LCD displays not displaying, batteries lasting seconds instead of hours, eyelids freezing shut, frostbite, skin sticking to anything that you touched with bare hands......the usual minor problems!

 

[marshian70]

I'd have thought there is a big risk of diesel freezing at these temperatures? Additives can be used but diesel is much more prone to freezing than petrol. Probably explains why engines are kept running/heated

 

[Skylark2.0]

I used to live in the USA for a while. When it got to -18 deg c miraculously my car started, unfortunately the transmission fluid for the gear box got so viscose I couldn't move the gear stick! It's the little things that catch you out...

 

[campandfly]

Is the solution to keep the aux heater on low in those conditions?

 

[andyinluton]

The aux heater won't keep the engine warm, mechanically its the engine oil thickening when it cools that stops it restarting.

Without doing some heatloss calculations I don't know if the heater could cope with the roof up, mind you just opening the fridge would warm things up a bit.

Its quite an experience just to feel quite how cold -30 is - breath through your nose & you can feel the moisture in the air freezing any moisture in your nasal passages. Exposed flesh can freeze in under a minute.

I wouldn't fancy wild camping alone in those sorts of conditions & from what I've seen once you've driven your first couple of miles looking at nice clean snow & fir trees it all looks the same, but I do appreciate the clear sky & northern lights bit.

 

[zeratul]

Well I've camped in those conditions, in a tent, without a California. It's an experience I also saw a lot of vans (VW, Ford, Renault) that started just fine in -30. Perhaps they get some special preparation and additives, and extra insulation around the car battery can also help.
I believe that having the petrol heater on will make a difference. Heat will leak towards the engine and battery compartment, and it will make a slight difference.

I haven't been to Levi (finnish lapland), only to the norwegian/swedish border. It 's not snow and fir trees all the same. There's great mountains, snowy landscapes with lakes, beautiful views and some of the most stunning desolate roads. The road from Kiruna to Narvik is just wonderful. A must see IMO.
You can make multiple day tours (on foot with snow rackets or skis) and sleep in swedish cabbins.
I was just wondering if the engine would still start after a couple of days in the cold.

How much diesel does the heater consume anyway? I guess the answer is "it depends on the conditions", but I have no idea now..

 

[Andy]

At those temp the engine coolant heater would be constantly on. As it runs off engine battery you could end up with a flat battery. Leaving engine on tick over all the time may not do it any good, possibly glazing cylinder bores ?? Then burning oil ??

Sent from my SM-G900F

 

[Gavinskii]

How much diesel does the heater consume anyway? I guess the answer is "it depends on the conditions", but I have no idea now..

A 1/3rd of a litre an hour I read in the handbook (but there was probably a caveat about + n degrees C! )