Heating up the Pop Top

[MissBerylBongoTattoo]

Hi All, does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my Pop Top Cosy for sleeping in?. I've only had my beautiful bongo for a few weeks now and enjoying all my adventures so far I prefer to sleep in the pop top and catch the stars from the skylight but ofcourse with it being fabric the cold air coming through is not at all pleasant. I would like to insulate it somehow but not sure how practical this would be? if at all?. Sleeping bags/duvets are hot enough but the cold drafts on face aren't ideal and would obviously much rather be cosy and draft proof, utilising the Pop Top as intended.
many thanks
Miss Beryl Bongo Tattoo

[Gasy]

Hi
You can buy thermal covers for the pop tops
Think you'd loose the star viewing
But you'd probaly not need it in the summer nights

Some say a can or 2 of baked beans before bed warms it up up there
Think some have fitted a flexi hose to the over head rear heating vents in the back
And put the flexi hose up through the circular hole to the aft
Then use the bongo heating to heat it up there
But no good in middle of night if your on a campsite and the heat loss would be pretty quick without a thermal cover anyway
Balaclava is another option

[MissBerylBongoTattoo]

Thank you Gasy for your practical make do and mend suggestions. Its just a pity I don't do baked beans

Silly question but I need to ask (being an apprentice Bongo ) do the upstairs heating vents work from a leisure battery or hookup only? if the answer is yes to any of these options, where are the controls for the heating?? On the dashboard?? Sorry that was two questions.

[g8dhe]

The heating vents only work from the engine! Its the engine coolant that is used to generate the heat.
With the genuine AFT there are both outer covers that go over the entire roof, before raising it or inner tents that hang off the internal rail that runs around holding the tent fabric in place (the genuine fabric has a plastic outer coating so no draughts as such).
I suspect something could be create for one of the after market roofs but it would need to be designed for that style of roof.

[MissBerylBongoTattoo]

Perfect to all, thank you fellow bongonaughts I will investigate the thermal cover options and opt for that to keep the cold and drafts out

[haydn callow]

I used to get her indoors and a couple of 'local ladies' up with me .... never once got cold.

[Merlot man]

Hello
Asked Ian ,the bongo master , about these covers only last weekend,if yours is a facelift model the bongo shop here sells a cover but if like mine it's an earlier "classic " one then this is what you're after
http://www.comfortzleisure.co.uk/bongo- ... 4578121777
They do then with and without Windows so you can still see the stars
They also seem to do a very good front window external cover .
I'm considering these myself at some stage so if you decide on them please give us some feed back
Hope this helps
Brian

[BongoBongo123]

Very good sleeping bags work, or multiples of so so ones, sensible bed clothing etc. 2-3 household pillows 1-2 under your head and 1-2 behind to stop it slipping away. I have a thin fleece over my head/face and that works remarkably well to stop the frozen nose in the morning. I was thinking about making a cardboard box thing for over my head to kind of trap a bit of warm air round my head to breathe....so my air intake is a few degrees warmer. However in practice it is not really necesssary. A couple of thin foil backed camping mats up there also helps... I have one under my Vango camping mat (those foam filled partially self inflating ones, pretty standard camping mats, loads of brands make them, have them in Go Outdoors etc.) and 1 either side just to add a little more protection/insulation, they trap in fine.. just push them against the side walls of the AFT tent/shape them round your head and behind your pillows. I find I am comfortble down to 7C up there with this approach. I adjust the fleece as I need to through the morning. You tend to find temperatures vary significantly with cloud cover. 3-4C shift up and down through a night is common.

Come late spring/summer time you wil be overheating up there in the mornings unless you rise very early.. that morning sun will heat you up fast and the foil backed mats then help reflect that heat off for another hour. Experiment a bit but make sure you have a load of bedding up there and you will be snug as a bug in a rug.

As there is rarely a hookup where we venture I have to make sure bedding, clothes, pillows and a fleece are sorted. Insulating in, rather than heating up so to speak.

The only thing is it can get a bit claustrophobic with increased bedding and a little hard to move around. I have my err..."bottle" etc up there (don't get it mixed up with the cider !) which is easier for a bloke I suppose. Although female specific versions do exist, saves hassles coming down for the call of nature.