With all the talk lately about roof top tents I figured I'd mention something that I always thought would be neat, which would be for the pop up to open along the side of the van perpinduclar to the way they currently open.  The thought is that the roof would be hinged along the passenger side of the van.  The roof could fold all the way over and become the floor for the sleeping quarters.  In this setup, when the roof/floor is opened up, it would also provide a nice awning area  I don't know if I'm clear enough or not, but basically, the upper sleeping area would be off to the side of the van and up in the air.

It would be somewhat similar to the Overland tent in the link below.
http://www.autohomeus.com/products/overland.php

I just think it would be really slick, especially if it was the length of the whole roof, and not just the 3/4 or so that it is now.  Of course, the difficulty would be in making the roof structure strong enough to be a floor and also in how to support it.  The space currently taken up by the existing upper bunk and front cargo area could be left open for plenty of storage.

David Wilhite
84'  Westy