I've completed the framework of the camper body and, remarkably, it looks just like the original drawing. That's a surprise and a relief!
So yesterday I started on the elevating roof - these gently curved ribs of ply are for the roof's shell. It's the part of the design that I'm least sure about, both aesthetically and technically.
Aesthetically my misgivings are that it adds another 120mm or so to the camper's height (and to its wind resistance, although it will have a spoiler fitted in front of it) and that looks like quite a slab on top of what is already a pretty boxy design. I'd kind of anticipated it - this early SketchUp drawing showed it in about the right proportions ...
![Image](https://s15.postimg.cc/smprtxlaz/early_drawing.png)
... but, when it's actually a chunk of wood standing up there on the roof, it looks much bigger than I would like. I'm still trying different ideas but, so far, I can't get the roof any lower without sacrificing the thickness of its insulation and I'm not prepared to do that.
The principle of the design is based on an idea for a pop-top on
Andrew Gibbens' website but in its detail and execution it's a long way removed from that. The most notable difference is in the direction of elevation. In Andrew's design the roof elevates front to back which, being the direction of travel, makes it simpler to seal against the weather. In my design though, in order to maximise the usable space in the camper, I need the roof to elevate sideways. In itself that's nothing new of course, it's been an option on VW campers for years, but those are all soft sided roofs with a continuous wall of waterproof fabric or plastic but comparatively little insulation. What I'm trying to build is a well insulated, hard sided roof consisting of a hinged shell which opens sideways to reveal three 'wall' panels, also hinged, which fold up to create the roof space. It sounds straighforward enough but working out how to create weatherproof seals between all those panels, when they're elevated and when they're folded, is turning out to be quite a challenge.
As has been the case throughout this project so far, SketchUp is helping me visualise the problems. Sadly, it's not so good at providing me with the solutions!
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)