After a long wait, my dream rig finally arrived.
It started as a super low mileage (new to me), 2021 JT Rubicon Diesel that I had shipped to AEV for some goodies.
While the vehicle was being built, I started looking for a GFC unit. I did not mind a clean, slightly used within a reasonable diving distance.
I was lucky enough to find Build #3318 up for sale within a two hour drive. I made arrangements with the original owner and drove there today after work.
I have some plans in mind and coming from previous overloaded vehicles, this time around light weight gear will be a priority.
I’ll have some questions as this is my first time with a GFC camper and I’ll tell the build quality is impressive but I do have some concerns with how the tailgate to rear door hatch closes. I can see light from the inside which leads me to believe there will be a lot of dust intrusion. I could be wrong.
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Nice rig! WRT to the rear hatch to tailgate - pretty common for folks to need to improvise their own solutions in the corner areas. I drive a Tacoma and had to do same. Enjoy the new machine!
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Welcome to the AEV family! I’ve got a Prospector XL built on a '22 RAM 3500 Longhorn. Did you opt for the high-capacity springs on your build? Worth considering, depending on what else your build-out will include, since you’ve got the camper on there. They are recommended for people who consistently carry a load of 400-700lbs.
PS - The rig looks sweet!
Thank you.
I sure did order the high capacity springs. I really took my time and researched for a few months. I just had to find the right vehicle and price and here we are now.
I’ve been guilty of doing “too much” on previous builds but this time around staying at or below load capacity is the goal. I want modularity and the ability to easily take off the gear that will not be used unless I’m hitting the trails.
The full size rigs are nice but a bit large for the type of trails I enjoy doing. Maybe in the future I’ll be able to get one and use it to tow the gladiator.
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Thank you! ThT Tacoma reminds me of one of my previous rigs. Never had a GFC on it but I do like the extended cab, long bed trucks.
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What a beauty! That’s a dream setup right there. We’ve been loving our Gladiator, almost went with white like yours. And as tempted as we’ve been for full buildouts of the bed, we’ve opted to keep it as simple and light as possible (to your point, lighter is better!) which makes it nice and modular too.
Stoked to follow your adventures!
Here’s a shot of ours from a couple weeks ago in moab.
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Brother from another mother… nice setup!!
How do you manage camping in the colder fall/winter?? the tent material is much lighter than my previous setup (alucab RTT).
I knew that coming into the GFC family but just trying to get an idea since I do enjoy 4 seasons camping. One thing I’ll have to figure out is how to keep the side door lower area from allowing air when windy or water when raining. That is the biggest let down of the GFC in my eyes.
I was thinking about sowing some velcro or maybe even some light magnetic strip so it will stay closed.
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Great question about 4 season camping! I know a few folks who have been playing around with a removable insulation kit, but it’s a tricky one to market and sell since it’s so bulky and would be way pricey.
For us to beat the cold, we’ve ran our down blanket for most seasons, but when it dips below freezing (or goes wayyyy below freezing) we have extra blankets or add it to our sleeping bags. I’ve got a few since I used to engineer for Marmot and have the range of -40 to 0 to 20F 
and we’re still used to tent camping and no insulation on the tent side of things.
Some folks run electric blankets and/or propane / diesel heaters to help.
And about the lower door area that’s not sealed off - I haven’t been in sideways driving rain so can’t speak to water intrusion, but any storms I’ve encountered I’ve stayed dry 
. Wind is another story, sometimes good to offset condensation (also good to have an upper and lower window cracked a bit for the cross ventilation) but in a nasty wind it’d be nice to batten down the hatches. Velcro could be cool but the hook part can damage other fabric getting in and out, clothes or blankets etc. Magnets could be interesting! Fidlock snaps like this are rad but way pricey, a couple on each edge would help a lot and easy to install.
