Member Article

Kiravans reaching high with VW T5 sleeper roofs

Online retailer Kiravans has been awarded a licence to supply the very latest models of elevating sleeper roofs from German company SCA for the Volkswagen T5 camper van.

Sleeper roofs are flat roofs which can be raised up at an angle at the front or rear to provide additional headroom in the van, and a double bed in the roof is included in the package.

West Yorkshire-based Kiravans is one of the largest importers of the roof system which offers three different designs, all of which come with safety approval certificates from Germany’s Technical Inspection Association (TÜV).

As well as the established SCAstart and SCAcomfort roofs for short and long wheelbase vans, the range has now been extended to include the SCAhigh for short wheelbase vehicles.

Kiravans is able to supply directly to the trade and the public and has a next day delivery service, although customers can collect from its warehouse facility in Keighley, West Yorkshire.

SCA is regarded as one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality sleeper roofs, pop-up roofs and high roofs which are used by many renowned European leisure vehicle converters.

Rob McCandless, Kiravans director, said: “When the sleeper roof is closed it only adds a few centimetres to the height of the vehicle, which means the overall height usually stays below two metres and this is really important when using multi-storey car parks and garages.

“When the roof bed isn’t being used it can be folded up very easily, including the mattress, making it possible to stand upright in the van; and all sleeper roofs are supplied with an integral glass reinforced (GRP) spoiler for optimum aerodynamics.

“The top-quality tent fabric is made from fire-resistant canvas and comes in a standard candy white colour.”

The three semi-circular tent windows at the front or rear and sides are fitted with dual zippers and fly screens, and the right-hand window is made of glass-clear plastic.

With the large window, the fly screen can also be opened by means of a zipper, and an all-round edge strip makes for a quick and easy replacement.

Uniquely, the SCAhigh sleeper roof shell is manufactured using a sophisticated vacuum expansion process to guarantee accurate and consistent wall thicknesses.

This also enables the external surface of the shell to be smooth and non-profiled which is needed for the direct attachment of a thin solar film just a few millimetres thick without significantly increasing the overall height of the vehicle.

Rob added: “There are so many improvements with the new roofs such as the scissor lift being increased by 25cm to give significantly more legroom.

“The high-quality slats and the aluminium frame give even more comfort when reclining and sleeping, and the curvature of the slats allows more headroom for rear-seat passengers when the bed is folded down and the roof closed.

“There’s also new Southco locks with integral safety bolts which lets the roof be locked easily and securely; but, perhaps, most importantly the roofs are supplied as fully pre-assembled components, and not as a set of parts.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Hamer .