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The Dutchvanparts Roof Rack System

The basics of the roof rack system

A roof rack is a great addition to your van, it adds function and makes your van look epic. Functionality meets design in the Dutchvanparts roof rack system. Everyone has a different roof layout, where some people place a roof vent, and others place solar panels. And where some people want three solar panels, others are content with just one. The Dutchvanparts roof rack is a modular system that has a solution for everyone.

All components of the roof rack are separately added: roof rails, roof rack loop, floor decking, and solar panels. This allows you to compose the roof rack to your needs. You can even compose your roof rack in batches and add more accessories later in your build. Check out our video to find out how the modularity of the system works!

Roof Rack Functionalities: What’s In It For You?

LIGHTWEIGHT

The maximum load capacity of the Mercedes Sprinter H2 (high roof) for a L2(144”) or L3(170”) is 150kg given by Mercedes manufacturer. The lightweight aluminium tubular roof rack loop (L2) weights only about 12kg. When you add a bunch of floor beams the weight adds up to approximately 35kg. Leaving 115kg for your solar panels, lights, and equipment.

DURABLE

Besides being lightweight, aluminium serves the purpose of being durable. Aluminium doesn’t rot and doesn’t rust. And it also gets the aesthetics and protection of a double-treated, two-layer powder coat.

STORAGE

Getting on the road, seeking for adventure you might need to take your bulky adventure gear. A roof rack will come in handy to load your bulky equipment. The sleds in the roof rack floor decking allow attaching and strapping gear to your roof rack with the attachment eye sets. Whether this is your canoe, SUP, surfboard, or storage box with any gear you can think of. The roof rack creates so many storage opportunities.

HEAT PROTECTION

When you have travelled with a campervan in summer before, chances are you know how hot it can get inside the van. It is a compromise when you decide to park the van in the sun to charge the solar panels while it is 40 degrees outside. You will soon have 40 degrees inside the van. We might not be able to get the temperature down to 20 degrees without an AC. But at least the roof rack creates a shadow over the roof helping the temperature inside the van to stay a little lower. This only works with enough floor decking and/or solar panels.

LIGHTS

Another great function of a roof rack is the possibility to add lights all over the outside of your van. On the Dutchvanparts ‘Basecamp’ roof rack, you can attach a 50” led bar or separate lamps. The ‘Camp 2’ roof rack has space to integrate a double-row 50” curved led bar. The loop clamps make the installation of lights much easier. With the loop clamps, you could for example add some lights above your rear doors or sliding door on the tubular loop. You can lead the cables through the side of the Dutchvanparts roof rails to the cable glands for a neat finish.

SOLAR PANELS

Solar panels are an important part of your campervan build. You don’t need to drill extra holes in any sheet metal to install any solar panels. The Solar Profile Set are two L-shaped bars to mount on the roof rails. Position the two L-shaped bars across from each other and place the Solar Panel in between. If you ever want to switch solar panels or add or remove any, you can easily do so. The solar panels will be on the same level as the Dutchvanparts floor decking when using the Solar Profile Set. In combination with the floor decking, it will be easy to clean the solar panels when they get covered in dust, dirt, or snow during your adventures.

Flooring components

The Dutchvanparts roof rack system is based on five standard floor deck plates. The floor decks are in different sizes to fill up your roof rack flooring neatly around your roof layout.

There are two types of ‘regular’ floor decks which cross the van horizontally from left to ride, from rail to rail. These are the 240mm and 120mm floor decks. The 240mm floor deck is the most standard and commonly used. The 120mm floor deck is usually used as a filling component in case you have some space left for another flooring board but not enough space for the 240mm. These two floor components bolt on the roof rails.

Furthermore, there are two types of roof vent floor decks. One is called the floor decking Maxxfan because it is based to fit neatly around the size of the Maxxfan roof vent. Secondly, there is a floor decking regular vent which is slightly smaller than the Maxxfan floor decking because it is based on a 40×40 roof vent. These floor components are mounted onto the 120mm and/or 240mm floor decks and not on the roof rails.

Lastly, there is a floor decking component to give a finishing touch to your roof rack. This is the floor decking end part. The component has two round corners and attaches to the rearmost 240mm or 1200m floor decking at the back of your van.

Ready for your next adventure?