Roof bars

My Trident has these roof bars and ladder:




People keep asking me what they are for and I never have a good answer. What do you use yours for?

I think they're for those that like to cultivate the image that they go trekking in the Sahara or the Steppes. 

The ladder can be useful if you want to clean the roof, but step ladders can do that. 

You can fit storage boxes on the roof but they must be a pain to get at and make an 8ft plus van more than 10ft tall which makes diversions for height issues more likely. Of course you could go the full Long Range Desert Group and pile a couple of spare wheels and jerrycans of water up there but there's probably a weight limit, often quite low 

Funnily enough the top of the range Adria Compact used to boast roof rails, but no ladder and I always thought that somehow it made the van look much better. For the life of me I couldn't work out why, but visually it was more appealing.

You do occasionally see people with packed down awnings and tents strapped on top, and in some ways that does make sense, because if you have to pack up during/after rain then you don't have it dripping wet inside the van - but packing it up securely so it won't flap about or blow away in transit must be a bit of a pain...

Back in 2002, I had a Toyota Hiace camper, imported from Japan, which had a roof bar set up, and ladder.......I used a large, zipped bag, secured up there with bunjee cords. Inside, we had a couple of aluminium chairs, plus a collapsible BBQ, with charcoal bag. Nothing too heavy, but the hightop roof did drop down at the back end, so the full force of wind didn't come into play, and thereby didn't affect stability, or aerodynamics, to any great extent.      I was younger then, I don't think I could keep getting up there now.  

The only uses I've ever found for the ladder and bars:
1. A climbing frame/viewing platform for my kids
2. Cleaning the roof when at the petrol station jetwash

The only uses I've ever found for the ladder and bars:
1. A climbing frame/viewing platform for my kids

This happens all the time :)