In reply to Billhook:
We had a pop top VW for 7 years. Used the van in all weathers all year. Now have a full height Sprinter camper van.
With the VW, if it was very windy the roof stayed down for fear of damage to the structure, if it was very cold the roof stayed down to keep warm, if it was wet the roof stayed down because it was a pain sorting out drying it.
Don’t get me wrong we loved that van, trouble was we were so conscious about looking after the roof we put ourselves through discomfort to protect it. I lost count of how many times I banged my head and cooking was a pain as we tended to have to sit down to do it.
Having a full height vehicle is far simpler for living in, but, you can’t park in height restricted spaces and fuel consumption is reduced. It’s a compromise.