DISASTER - Nightmare Trip Report
Ohhhhhhh man So, my wife & I have been planning this trip for months. 12 days, Massachusetts to Amish Country, then Virginia, then North Carolina, then the beaches of SC. We were able to score rese...
Forum Discussion
silversand wrote:
...the last time we saw a pop-up driving down an Interstate with the roof up, it was I25 north of Denver. Incredibly, an Outfitter camper, blasting along the interstate WITH ROOF FULLY DEPLOYED traveling in the opposite direction. We can only assume that the rig was traveling at 65 to 75 MPH. Everything looked none the worse for wear (ie. perfectly stable).
Glad no one was hurt. Thinking about the myriad possible disastrous outcomes makes me think twice to ever want to venture out onto the Intertate highways following cargo-laden vehicles.
It also makes you wonder and consider how secure the roof clamp-downs are. I check ours before every outing, and replace the stainless screws into the camper sidewall aluminum framing with marine adhesive at ~4 year intervals. And check the roof-fascia integrity constantly.
On one of my first outings, I forgot to latch the roof. I was driving normally but could not get over 45 mph. Pulled over and, sure enough, the roof raised itself (Bernoulli effect). Nothing broke. I put red reflective tape on the inside of the latches and always use the checklist before putting the truck in drive.
