Rooftop Deck

I havnt found much discussion around roof top decks - and well call me crazy, but I'd love to have a place to sit on top of my van and take in a different perspective than what I get on the ground.

I'm looking for options that are easily mountable and lightweight. Here are two options I've found so far outside the normal wood and plastic wood.

Chicken coup flooring:
https://www.farmtek.com/farm/suppli...ent-ft_poultry_fencing_flooring;pgha2215.html

Example of this: https://farmtek.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/roofrackfloor019.jpg

Kennel decking:
http://www.gopetusa.com/shopgopet/product/e-fsp24-kennel-deck

Any thoughts or other ideas of odd materials to use that might fit the bill?

Cheer!

rafikiwilliams said:

I havnt found much discussion around roof top decks - and well call me crazy, but I'd love to have a place to sit on top of my van and take in a different perspective than what I get on the ground.

Click to expand...

Not crazy (or, I'm crazy too). I had a 4x8 sheet of pressure treated plywood bolted to five crossbeams of Vantech roof rack on my T1N for a few years.

Not sure what kind of van you have. The T1N has a rain gutter where something like five pieces of sheet metal come together. I figure it's a great point to apply a load, so while the racks aren't the most sightly or aerodynamic, they seem more secure.

I'm also looking for a lightweight replacement for my plywood slab, which I removed since it was aging and I didn't want to wait for it to depart on the freeway. I've been considering replacing it with redwood deck boards on my next trip to California. (Can't find those at Home Depot in Virginia.) I considered plastic deck boards like those you've pointed out that the dog flooring is made from, but they seemed way too dense and heavy. I don't want the van to be too top-heavy (want to minimize swaying from wind and roadbed changes.) However, it looks like you could carry the dog flooring below and put it up there when you need it. That would not be a bad idea (as long as you remember to take it down!)

In retrospect, I have not used the deck that much. But it was really cool to watch the Space Shuttle being flown in to Dulles from atop the van, and sending the kids up there to watch fireworks shows.

One of my concerns is falling off the van. Some kind of fold-down handrail???

I see you're in Frederick. I'm south of the border from you. It's about time us NoVA/MD/WV folks start a local Sprinter Meetup group.

I'm pretty happy with the Werner scaffold planks. Found at Home Depot. I can resize the deck as needed, or use them for home scaffold projects. I used 80/20 cross-members and attached into stock roof tracking. I mounted three of them.

http://www.wernerco.com/us/en/view/Products/Climbing-Equipment/Planks/PA200/PA210

I have a big expansive roof rack of welded metal with expanded steel grating. The 6" high side rails are reassuring way beyond their height. It is totally bombproof including the removable ladder.

Been up there many, many times loading one of more whitewater craft when boating. (So easy to secure a canoe while kneeling alongside of it.) Also use it to for our extensive van shower and tent extensions when drycamping.

I got pretty excited to sit up there in a folding chair when I first got the van. And I always stop and look around at the river or the campground. Fine views.

But really could not think of many events or places where I could not get a better view away from the parking space. I can deal with lack of kitchen but I'd miss bathroom facilities and socializing with all my buds down there. Safe to say only kiddie beverages when topside.

Let me know if you have some interesting viewing applications.

I got excited when I saw an Italian safari firm that put a clamshell up there that had a screened queen bed inside when cranked open. Around $8000 IIRC. But no lions in my neck of the woods.

Dan

i have a frontrunner slimline II rack adapted to sprinter gutter rail width & am using (2) 16"x60" billet4x4 sand ladders to make a continuous platform. the sand ladders are fastened to the rack via t-slot fasteners--figured the sand ladders will come in handy eventually.

http://www.billet4x4.com/pro-sandladders-aluminum.htm

http://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/roof-racks/slimline-ii-roof-rack-kits.html

1475x2772 is the largest rack frontrunner makes, supported by 5 gutter feet per side.
pic of adapter shown, PM me for pdf drawing.
(note the rack is technically installed upside-down so the top of the perimeter rail is flush to the crossmembers, which allows the thule box to cantilever over the side a bit so the opposite side clears my roof vent lid)

Sacha

glad im not the only crazy one out there. Sand ladders and scaffolding are a bit out of my price range for this, but like the idea of a multi function decking option... gonna keep my eye out on craigslist...

steel grating is also an option i considered. i imagine when I'm on the roof ill be bare foot (yes, dirty hippie style :P haha) and can't imagine grating would feel the best.

At the moment I've gotta focus on my interior build, and some mechanical issues, but after that i'll get back to the deck!

@seans - a DC area meet-up would be great. are you down in the NOVA area? I work around dulles airport... Where do you get your T1N serviced?

rafikiwilliams said:

...

steel grating is also an option i considered. i imagine when I'm on the roof ill be bare foot (yes, dirty hippie style :P haha) and can't imagine grating would feel the best.

...

Click to expand...

I should think that pressure treated deck boards would provide plenty of strength with relatively little added weight. Cost and fabrication complexity is less than with metal. Spaced a bit for drainage they should be kind to your tootsies too.

A few gutter mount cross racks could provide support. A railing system would likely be easier to include with a full blown metal structure. Using deck boards doesn't preclude a railing system though.

vic

Aluminess makes lighter weight equivalents of the steel roof deck that come on my 02.

A poor man's substitute might be to buy a set of folding ramps from Harbor Freight or elsewhere. Plenty of variations to choose from many suppliers. Could be used crosswise or lengthwise depending on how you choose to place the underside supports.

Nothing beats factory welded laddered aluminum for reliable strength at light weight.

If the deck was only used seasonally you could attach permanently only the support bars. That would save weight and be pretty aero but still let a deck easily attach.

FWIW, highway wind resistance is almost entirely a function of frontal area. Many cars with factory racks have lengthwise supports to take advantage of that.

If you glued some lengthwise I-beam extrusions to the Sprinter roof that could be your barebones supports. Then bolt a ramp section to them crosswise at the rear. Voila! You now have a reasonable place to kneel on while you install each subsequent section until you add enough deck to suit your needs.

I used Reese atv ramps inside my van. Quarter-inch ply sections fit between the raised edges and are strong enough for light decking if you want a temporary floor over the rungs.

Dan

Hey Rafiki,

I had good luck creating a rooftop patio/deck, with additional storage in a roofbox, using aluminum Unistrut as crossbars and then cedar planks as the deck material.

All in, it cost less than $200 CDN. The nature of unistrut/spring nuts makes it very modular, meaning you can customize it to whatever your needs are as things change (as they tend to).

I've attached a few photographs, but here is the link to the writeup that is on my personal website: http://ithinkicanavan.com/index.php/portfolio-item/roof-rack-and-patio/

Cheers and good luck