Closing a Beach roof with an Iso-Top fitted

[Rednalong]

Hi, can anyone with an Iso-top in a Beach tell me how much harder is it to close the roof?
Considering getting an Iso-top but have concerns about securing the roof.
I already find the two toggle catches hard to close against the pressure of the gathered canvas tucked in behind them.

Thanks

Paul

 

[RoB5urf]

I had the same concern, possibly unfounded. I went for an external topper in the end. I was also struggling to justify to cost of the ISO

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

 

[hirsty]

I've camped with mine the last two weekends since fitting. My manual Beach roof is a bit harder to close now & needs more care, but not a show-stopper:

- liner side-window zips need to be down a bit to be able to grab the original VW tent to pull it inward
- more bulk around the fastenings, takes a bit of rearranging but only an extra few seconds each side
- be careful raising & lowering the bed, as hydraulic arms catch the liner if its inner windows are unzipped (going either up or down)

Overall I'm pleased with the purchase, albeit eye-wateringly expensive. Makes the top a lot darker but not completely blacked-out - was initially a tiny bit disappointed it's not darker when waking up in full sun, but then very surprised on unzipping the liner to see just how much of a contrast there is compared with just the flimsy VW fabric!

Obvs expecting a different kind of benefit for colder weather camping too. Makes the whole van much more usable, especially with kids, so I've mentally put it down to being a <1% cost with a >10% benefit ...

 

[kave]

Its slightly harder to close the latches, but is worth all the money. In most climates we have the same temperature up and down now even when using the heater. Before our children who sleeps up there complained about being cold at night but not now. I cant imagine the extra seconds it takes is even closely comparable to put on and remove an external topper.