Does everyone have auto roofs with the square access hatch?

[umbongocat]

Just got back from 321 Away. What a great location .. we'd have never found the place without the satnav
The 'Catflap' took a bit longer than planned due to them being very busy, but it went well, and looks good





Hopefully we'll be trying it out at the Bash.

Just one word of warning about going to 321 .... while waiting it means you have a chance to look around at all their conversions, and then you start getting ideas

You'll not regret it, it's the best thing we did with ours and 321 Away are very reliable. If you're at the bash come and find us and you can take a look at the prototype of it. We're the silver AFT with flowers on it and probably a couple of kayaks with us too

Will be interesting to see the prototype version so will come and have a look when we find you

Looks fab! They're a good bunch there and great customer service See you at the bash. Can't miss us, we have the silver bongo with daisys on the bonnet and flowers and bugs down the side

[Dr Fingers]

The cat flap looks like a great idea. I too didn't want to faff about with big boards so I experimented a bit and eventually ended up taking out the AFT ceiling panel and replacing it with fabric-covered timber slats that roll/fold back.

Initially I wanted to keep the original ceiling in place as shown below, but in the end I opted to leave the slats in place and get rid of the original ceiling panel. Here, the slats are shown rolled back a bit to allow access.



To look at you wouldn't know it wasn't a standard fit item as the grey fabric is quite a good match (well, good enough).

The slats completely cover the roof opening and are held in place at the front end (cab) end by velcro. The slats are held together by straps which are screwed in (see below) and allow it to be rolled or folded back, as required to gain access to the roof.



Just found this, what a brilliant idea! Would happily pay a fair price if you fancy making one to order

Derek

I refitted the standard interior light onto the last slat (not shown here). The last slat is a bit wider and lifts up when the roof is raised (via a bit of string - technology!).

I keep a 1" memory foam matress up there so there is nothing else to carry except sleeping bags. Usually, our kids (9 and 5) sleep up there with a few of the slats rolled back so they can nip up and down. If I sleep up there (the 35mm timber is easily strong enough for adults) I roll the whole thing flat so that I have the whole length.

In practice I find it more convenient than sleeping on top of the hatch, or moving big boards about. May not suit everyone, but it's cheap & cheerful and it works for us. Cost me about £15-20 in timber and some grey bed sheets. Also, I still have the original roof panel in the garage whenever I want to re-fit it.

[Bongo Voyage]

Hi, does anyone have some pictures of the cat flap they can post? There maybe some but not all image are showing.