For some years now, the world of vans and motorhomes has been tending to expand upwards. In addition to the success of the roof tent, there have been vans and motorhomes with pop-up roofs, such as the Lyseo motorhome from Bürstner or the Venture S from Hymer, which we discovered at the 2022 Düsseldorf Motor Show. Not to mention pop-up caravans like the Beachy or the BiVan. In line with this trend, the SpaceCamper brand presented an interesting extra-wide pop-up roof concept at the last Düsseldorf show, the SpaceCamper Roof, mounted on the SpaceCamper Classic + on a Multivan base.

The Multivan is one of VW’s campervans. Unlike the California, however, it does not have a pop-up roof. So German van fitter SpaceCamper decided to give it one. This pop-up roof is surprisingly large. When open, it reaches a height of 2.6 metres and, more importantly, has a span that is almost as wide as the vehicle’s rear-view mirrors. This width allows it to accommodate a 200 cm x 140 cm transverse bed and 700 litres of storage space. Because this pop-up roof doesn’t have to be closed when you’re driving. According to the team behind this new pop-up roof concept (we haven’t had a chance to see it on the road yet), you can drive at speeds of up to 120 km/h with the roof up. However, we won’t have the chance to try it out for a few months yet, as this pop-up roof prototype is due to be distributed from 2026 onwards.

Between the pop-up roof and the roof tent

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At first glance, the design of this pop-up roof is surprisingly similar to that of a roof tent. At 2.6 m high, it’s not far off the height of a van, to which you add the height of the roof bars and a roof tent. Unlike the roof tent, however, the SpaceCamper Roof is accessed from inside the vehicle, via the VW Multivan’s 80 cm x 100 cm sunroof. This eliminates the need to climb up the outside ladder of a roof tent. A plus when it rains. An advantage over a roof tent. The other advantage is that the roof can be folded down. While it’s great to be able to drive around with the roof up, so you don’t have to stow the bed, the SpaceCamper Roof can be folded down. This reduces the height of the vehicle from 2.6 m to 2 m, giving you access to underground car parks or car parks where vehicles taller than 2 metres are not allowed. It’s also great for those who drive long distances and want to reduce fuel consumption. When the camping season is over, the SpaceCamper Roof, like the roof tent, can be dismantled and stored until the warm weather returns. Although we have only seen a prototype for the moment, we are impatient and curious to see this new concept arrive on campsites in France and elsewhere.