Has anyone on here tried replacing the foam that’s inside the gfc cushions? I was thinking of doing a 1" layer of firm latex and a 1" of either medium-firm or soft.
@Kwood @RileySB after sleeping on it, do you think you would bottom out with just 2" of latex? I have a memory foam topper on top of my mattress now that’s comfortable, but I’m trying to figure out a way to be able to store bedding up there again…
Sorry to hear the Exped didn’t working out for you @Kwood. Good luck with the next iteration.
@mode7, I have thought about replacing all the foam as well. If you look inside the cushion I believe it comes with one inch of firm and one inch of soft. Correct?
I do think you would bottom out with just two inches of latex.
Thanks for the suggestion though. That Exped is one of the most plush camping mattresses there is.
That’s correct. I’m thinking with higher quality foam in there you may not even need a topper.
So I cut up the 1 in latex topper I bought on Amazon to fit on each cushion. These are held on by the GFC custom sheets. I found that the small squares are a tight fit for the sheets with the topper and it squished the corners down too much. So I had the sheets for the small squares redone by putting new elastic bands in them which were much more durable too… I also copied a couple members here like @mode7 and added a hole for the handle to pull through so you could have easier access to it. Personally I think they should come this way as the handle is easier to grab if it has a hole to stick through.
I’ve slept on this new topper five nights now I think it’s a pretty good solution to everything I’m looking for.
This is what I was thinking of doing, I thought the GFC sheets only came in one colorway
Does the top become more difficult to close?
There is a difference but not difficult. I think it is key to cut about an inch off the sides of the topper nearest the tent walls. Also I have a precise ritual of tucking the tent in which helps it close well every time.
To help keep the overall thickness down, it’s worth remembering that additional foam may not be required on all of the cushions. If it doesn’t impact comfort by creating a step in the bed surface, it may be possible to only add foam to the mid section of the mattress, where hip pressure may be highest for side sleepers, or just the mid & upper sections of the mattress.
I keep the two small cushions at the foot of the bed (rear of truck bed), and it wouldn’t bother me a bit to leave those alone. This is the area with the most tent fabric to store, so keeping as much space available for that as possible can make a big difference in the compression required to close up the tent.
it is definitely a bit tighter to close with the latex topper. the key is to cut the topper a little bit smaller than the cushion on the outer edge that meets the tent. And if you have the side door, I flip the cushions upside down next to it and it allows the extra fabric from the door to lay flat and make it easier to closer. otherwise it’s a PITA
the white and black ones were at their Belgrade location. For whatever reason they haven’t put it on the website yet.
You have a link to the one you used?
This is the one I bought. If I was to do it again I’d maybe just go with one inch and spend some more money to get a higher quality one. But even this one made a huge difference in comfort.
I should mention as well that I had an old twin sized topper laying around that I used to supplement the queen. If you want the topper to cover the entire length of the bed you need to buy an extra piece. Also I have an XL camper.
After sleeping 2 different times in my GFC RTT during this Corona madness, I found this thread for others seeking a more comfortable sleeping surface. Thanks to an idea in this thread, I decided to try Exped. In an effort to conserve money and space, I went with the new Exped DeepSleep LW+ mat. Problem 100% solved, I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to get this thing mounted on my rig!!
Are you using the Exped on top of the existing pad? Or replaced the factory pad entirely? If it’s the latter, does the camper close properly?
I agree one of the most comfortable pads out there. If I had an rtt I would do it. Not as ideal for the full camper and moving panels around and whatnot.
I will use the Exped DeepSleep on top of the existing mattress. I tried a couple of times to expel all of the air and close the tent, but could not close it without significant force. I plan on storing it in the vehicle when I’m not using it. It’s a small price to pay for comfort. -------- All that being said, I did think about replacing the GFC mattress with the Exped MegaMat (thicker than DeepSleep) so maybe…just maybe I could be comfortable AND keep the mattress inside the tent when I’m not using it. We will see, maybe I’ll get a wild hair.
@Travesty - you probably saw my earlier post in this thread about the Mega Mat. It is a very comfortable option in the GFC but it runs just a little wide and could easily get pinched when closing the GFC (I should clarify, this is for the Megamat Duo and would not be an issue at all with the single width Megamat.) So I deflate it most of the way before closing the GFC and that leaves space for the mattress and bedding up top.
Now that I have a 3 month old, I think this summer my wife will sleep upstairs on a single MegaMat with him and I’ll move downstairs with the dog and sleep on a sleeping platform with another single MegaMat.
I just did a driveway campout in the GFC last night. I removed the GFC mattresses completely. I was testing a 4" thick setup using 2 - 2" inflatable Thermarests stacked together that are old. Like using a single Exped Megamat. This morning I left the Thermrests stacked upstairs, the king size pillow and sleeping bag all in the tent. I opened the air valves to allow the air to escape from the Thermarest pads as I closed the GFC. I’m happy to report it was the easiest closing of the GFC yet. Testing various bed setups since I ordered the Exped Regular Wide Megamat yesterday.
