Chevy Suburban Camper Conversion: High Top Roof vs Tent
Suburbans are not considered the go-to type of vehicle to convert. But it can be done. Whether you use a high-top conversion or attach a tent, will depend on your camping preference as well as the size of everyone who is going to sleep in the truck.
A high top will provide more headroom and give you more space to add exhaust fans. However, the tent will provide more living space which most people prefer. If you don't want to be cramped then the tent is the way to go. But if you are tall, the high top may be the better option.
To learn more about this conversion option, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need for you to make the right choice. The trick is finding a high top that is made for the Suburban rooftop.
Chevy Suburban Camper Conversion Options
There was a time that the Suburban made an excellent choice for conversion. The model of vehicle came with a high wheelbase and 4-wheel drive. One option is to go to a company specializing in these conversions.
There is one called suboverland and they do this type of work. However, their earliest completion date is Nov. 2022. Yes, you read that right, the soonest you would get your truck back would be 2022.
The DIY option would probably save you some money and you could pick the materials you want and at a cost you want to pay. However, the work involved in making the transition may not make the savings worth it.
How you design the back of your Suburban would be up to you and there are some really nice ideas including a pull-out drawer that is under your bed. It is possible to place a high top on your suburban vehicle. But those do not seem to be as popular as adding a tent to the back of the truck and using that as your sleeping quarters.
The tent option provides you with more design possibilities and makes your living space a lot larger and easier to move around in.
Suburban High Top Conversion
This is a very good possibility and some Suburban owners have utilized this option to make their vehicles more livable. You do not see many plans on the internet as most of the vehicles converted to a high top are for sale by the owner.
We have linked to one company that still does this type of work but have not found too many more that still do. One conversion option adds about 2 feet of headroom plus goes over the cab of the suburban for added bed or storage space. There are windows in that high-top option, along with an air conditioner and exhaust fans.
Other owners opted for the pop-up version. This option allows you to add a lot more headroom without making the vehicle more wind resistant. You can save on your fuel consumption while still enjoy the feeling of standing up inside the rear of the truck.
The most high-top options found seem to prefer only a 6-inch rise instead of the 24-inch model. A little extra space is better than none at all.
Suburban Tent Conversion
There are different ways to attach a tent to a Suburban vehicle. If you want to utilize the back door then you have many tent options that will attach to the rear of the vehicle and provide you with more space. These are known as universal tents and fit a wide variety of vehicles.
Then, there are those tent options that attach to the roof of your Suburban. To gain access to the sleeping area, you would need to climb up a ladder. There are different types as a platform can extend out width-wise to hold everyone sleeping upstairs.
When you are traveling, these tents simply fold down and store away in their compartment on top of your roof. You do not lose any storage facilities with these options.
Or you can go with a tent that secures to the ground as well as the roof and have a two-floor tent. Access to the second floor seems to be on the inside of the tent. Then there are those exterior awnings that attach to the frame of the truck. You can sleep inside the Suburban and then relax outside under the awning.
There are lots of options available to you and your only hindrance will be how much you want to pay. These tents come in several different price ranges but are cheaper than a high-top conversion.
Suburban Overland Conversion
This option has you adding more exterior accessories than other conversion ideas. Those are essential additions as you need to make sure you are safe as you drive through uncharted territory.
One company that does this kind of work is located on this website. They have a notice that their showroom is open by appointment only. But you can contact them through their contact information and see what this type of conversion will cost you.
It seems that they do more customizing work and do not have set conversion kits to choose between. If you want to do it yourself, this link takes you to a forum where a member posted pictures of the parts he used in his conversion
Then this link takes you to another thread at the same website forum and it too lists a lot of the parts you would need to consider if you want to make this conversion yourself.
The cost of these parts may deter you from making this conversion. You would need heavy-duty parts to handle the terrain and the weight you want inside. Plus, how you want your Suburban to look.
Suburban Top-top Conversion
When you compare all the different options for conversion you have available for the suburban vehicle, this one seems to be the most practical. Not only do you get the headroom you need, but you can also lower the pop-top, cut down your wind resistance, and save on your fuel costs.
High-top conversions will add a fuel consumption worry to your travels. It is hard to avoid that wind resistance when you opt for a high-top version. The pop-top should last you a long time under normal use and you have lots of different height options at your disposal.
Plus, the top of the pop-top should be waterproof. It should keep water out no matter if the top is extended or if it has been retracted. Then if you make the pop-top long enough, you can use the cab roof of your suburban as an extra storage spot.
the look of your vehicle will not be that bad. The cover should fit in with the color and style of your vehicle. No one should be able to tell if the roof pops up or not. Those platforms are sturdy handling wind and other obstacles with ease. Their construction material should have them lasting a long time.
Chevy Suburban Camper Conversion Kit
There are SUV conversion kits you can buy. They may work well for your Suburban. Or you may want to consider a minivan conversion kit. The Suburban is called an ‘in-between vehicle’ as it is not truly a car, SUV, van, or truck. It is a combination of them all.
With the back seat in you could register it as a car, with the back seat out, it had to be registered as a truck or some other vehicle. With that in mind, you should be able to lower the number of conversion kits you can choose from.
The costs of the different kits will vary with one basic option listed at roughly $2700. This is much cheaper than trying to buy a camper van, new or used. There is a company that does SUV conversion kits and they are called QUQUQ.
If you cannot find someone close to your location to do the conversion or selling a kit, you may want to consider DIY and customizing it to your needs. Suburbans are not the popular vehicle it once was for conversion into a small camper. DIY may be the best idea as there are few kits available.
Some Final Words
Converting your Suburban into a camper may seem like a good idea. However, the cost may not be as low as you would like. The tent and pop-up tops seem to be the lower-cost conversion ideas that add a lot of space to your suburban.
Space is something we all need when we go camping. Less is more does not really apply to camping. It is just more cost-efficient and doesn't always provide you with what you need on your camping excursions.
