Hard Top vs Pop Top Caravan — Which Is Right for Australian Touring?

The definitive answer — and how the Periple 16 Solid and Periple 16 Aero sit on opposite sides of that decision.

If you're researching the Periple 16 Solid and wondering whether the Periple 16 Aero — our pop top model — might be the smarter buy for your situation, you're asking exactly the right question. Lower tow profile, fit, potentially lighter on the tow vehicle. These are real advantages and we're not going to dismiss them.

But we're also not going to pretend the two vans are interchangeable. They're built on the same fibreglass composite platform, they share the same build philosophy, and they're both serious products. What they offer is genuinely different — and which one is right for you depends entirely on how and where you tour.

This article gives you the full picture: the history of both designs, an honest comparison of advantages and trade-offs, and a clear explanation of where each Periple model sits in that picture. No spin. Just the information you need to make the right call.

The Hard Top Caravan — 80 Years of Getting It Right

The fixed-roof caravan is as old as recreational touring in Australia. When families first hitched purpose-built vans behind their cars in the 1920s and 30s, those rigs were hard-topped by default — there was no alternative. Timber frames, canvas walls, corrugated iron. Rough as guts, but they got Australians to the coast and back.

From Tin to Composite

The Pop Top Caravan — A History of Clever Compromise

The pop top was born from a specific problem: towing height. Early family cars struggled to pull a full-height van at highway speeds without being pushed around by crosswinds and burning fuel at a frightening clip. Lower the roofline on the road, raise it at camp — clever idea, and it caught on fast.

From Canvas to Composite

Head to Head — The Honest Comparison

Hard Top (Periple 16 Solid)

What You Get:

• Fixed, load-bearing roof — the shell is structurally complete and rigid
• No perimeter seal between you and the rain — dramatically lower leak risk
• Fully foam-cored roof panels throughout — superior insulation in heat and cold
• Maximum solar real estate — large, flat, uninterrupted roof surface
• No lift mechanism to service, fail, or eventually replace
• Roof racks, aerials, and accessories bolt straight on without compromise

The Trade-offs:

• Higher tow profile increases wind drag and crosswind sensitivity
• Slightly heavier on the road than the Aero at the same footprint

Pop Top (Periple 16 Aero)

What You Get:

• Lower tow profile — reduced drag and better highway stability
• Natural ventilation when raised — genuinely valuable in tropical Australia
• Lighter on-road weight than the Solid in equivalent configuration
• Same fibreglass composite walls and floor construction as the Solid

The Trade-offs:

• Perimeter seal is a potential failure point — requires annual inspection
• Lift mechanism requires periodic servicing and has a finite lifespan
• Roof section insulation is reduced compared to the Solid's foam-cored panels
• Slightly reduced structural rigidity in the roof section vs a full monocoque
• Must be lowered before towing — an extra step that genuinely matters

The Myth We Need to Address

That was broadly true in 1985. It is not true in 2026 — and it's not true of the Periple 16 Aero.

Building a properly engineered pop top today is genuinely demanding work. The lift mechanism must operate reliably under Australian conditions: salt air on the coast, corrugated tracks in the NT and WA, tropical humidity in Far North Queensland, and UV radiation that degrades polymers faster than almost anywhere else on earth. The perimeter seal between the raised section and the van body must remain watertight after thousands of open-close cycles across years of touring. The composite panels on the raised section must handle significant wind loading if the van is driven with the roof up — which happens.

A premium pop top like the Periple 16 Aero costs nearly as much to engineer and manufacture as the Solid. The material savings are absorbed by the mechanical complexity required to do it properly.

What this means for buyers: the Aero is not a cheaper version of the Solid. It's a different product built for a different kind of tourer. If you're choosing the Aero because it fits your travel and suits your tow vehicle, that's a well-reasoned decision. If you're choosing it because you assume it's simpler or more affordable, that assumption needs revisiting.

And if you ever come across a cheap pop top from another manufacturer and wonder why it's priced so much lower: the answer is usually that the sealing system, the lift mechanism, or the panel construction has been compromised. An under-engineered pop top 600 kilometres from the nearest town is not a minor inconvenience.

The Periple 16 Solid vs The Periple 16 Aero — Which One Is Yours?

Both models are built on Periple's full fibreglass composite platform. Both share the same walls, the same floor construction, the same chassis engineering, and the same commitment to genuine off-road capability. The difference is the roof — and everything that flows from it.

Choose the Periple 16 Solid if:

• You plan to tour off-road — corrugated tracks, remote outback, Cape York, the Kimberley
• Off-grid solar is central to how you camp — you need maximum roof real estate
• You tour in temperature extremes — the Pilbara in summer, the Highlands in winter
• You want the lowest possible long-term maintenance — no mechanism to worry about
• You want the most structurally rigid 16-foot van Periple builds

Choose the Periple 16 Aero if:

• Your tow vehicle is at or near its rated capacity — the lower profile and lighter weight matter
• You tour primarily in tropical northern Australia where ventilation trumps insulation
• Highway fuel efficiency is a genuine priority for your setup
• You understand the annual seal inspection and mechanism servicing commitment
• You want pop top convenience with fibreglass composite construction underneath

The Honest Verdict

For most Australian tourers — particularly those heading off-road, going off-grid, or tackling remote destinations — the Periple 16 Solid is the stronger all-round choice. The fixed roof, the superior insulation, the maximum solar capacity, and the absence of any mechanical lift system add up to a van that does more with less to go wrong.

The Periple 16 Aero is not a compromise. It's a genuinely engineered pop top built on the same platform as the Solid, designed for buyers who have a real reason to choose a pop top — tow vehicle limits, or a preference for the ventilation of a raised section on tropical nights. If any of those apply to you, the Aero deserves serious consideration.

What both vans share is fibreglass composite construction throughout, serious off-road capability, and Periple's build standards. You're not trading down when you choose either one. You're choosing the configuration that fits your touring life.

Ready to choose your Periple?

The Periple 16 Solid (hard top) and Periple 16 Aero (pop top) — both built on the same fibreglass composite platform, designed for different tourers.