Is that with or without the original foam pad? Also, it looks like you’re rocking a V1, so if you still have the original foam, is that 2" or 3" thick?
Gotcha, how much bowing were you getting? I just checked mine out because that wasn’t really a thought I had. Seeing maybe an 1/8” or less. My gap is maybe 1/16” of of an inch or less, more than it was. I can just barely see material through the crack.
I removed all the original foam
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It was a while ago but that sounds right. Maybe a little more than that. Enough that I thought rain would get in so I took it out. As for compression of the mattress up there, maybe reach out to Hest and ask what they think.
I should mention I took out all of the original foam, and I have a V2 normal, not the XL
I finally found a mattress that works for my GFC. I bought two HEST foamy pads and they worked perfect. https://hest.com/. My wife and I slept great. We both have had to usa a backpacking pad air mattress on top of the gfc mattress. Two foamy 25x78 fits perfect. Leaving room for shoes etc in front or back of the pad. If we need the head room you can roll them up and get them out of the way. Closing the GFC was easy. You do need to remove the GFC pads. The R value is great. We camped this past weekend and it got down to 23degrees and we were both fine. Great thing about the pad, it didnt get hard with the cold temps. Lot of memory foam pads stiffens when it gets cold. Not the HEST pad. They are expensive but totally worth the price. Plus you can take them out and use them in other situations. Pillows were amazing as well!
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Hey @2tacomamatt you mentioned that you can leave the Hest double foamy up there and close the tent with the GFC mattress removed, is this correct? I’ve been searching for a system that balances comfort with ease of use and the ability to store my backpacking 0degree bags up there. If this is true then the Hest looks easier in terms of setup.
Currently I use the exped megamat duo but inflating and deflating is a pain. However, I can put all my bedding up there and leave it there no problem. I saw a few other guys say that the tent won’t close with the Hest pads but I wanted to see if you had that same experience. Have you had any bowing of the tent too when closed? I’m concerned that it is a 4” pad thickness which is double the height of the GFC pad I believe.
Anyway thanks for the info and feedback.
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Wow very interested in this, wonder if they ever do sales.
Did you go with 2x foamys or 1x foamy dual?
I have been in search of the perfect solution for my GFC too. Wife and I camp about 80 plus days a year. So comfort is a must. The tent closes just fine. You do have to make sure to tuck the walls up on top of the pads. Quick walk around to check its up there. No bowing on top of the gfc either. You have to remove the gfc pads to make it work. I havent tried it yet but i am sure your sleeping bag could fit in front of the pads. The pads are 25x78, gfc is 50 x90 leaves you 12 inches to store stuff. This summer I will probably leave a blanket and my HEST pillow up there. The pads are incredibly comfortable. I actually have two gfc on my trucks. Work truck and play truck. I bought the HEST Dually long for the work truck and that fits perfect too. Let me know if you have any other questions. Happy to do a video or walk around photos.
I have both pads styles foamys and dually long. The 2x foamys 25x78 in my play truck with V2. I put the foamys in there so I can use the pads for other things. Plus if I want to remove the floor of the gfc I can roll them up and out of the way. We only remove the floor if it is raining or super cold to hang out in the back. In my work tacoma with a V1 I put the Dually long in it. Fits great and there is no bowing on the roof. You do have to make sure to tuck the walls in when closing. Takes an extra minute. But way better than having to blow pads up like I was doing. Let me know if you have any other questions.
I’m a bit confused by this. A MegaMat and a Hest Foamy/Dually are the same thickness (3.9") and some of the thickest mattresses you can get, so why would you need to deflate the air mattress but not the Hest? Not complaining, just confused.
The HEST pads are two layers of memory foam. Its not an Air mattress. The air mattress I used, I put on top of the GFC mattress.
Gotcha, that makes sense. Thanks!
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This is rad, appreciate the insight, going to give the 2x foamys a shot in our setup.
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Just a quick update: the Foamys fit and close fine in the tent with the GFC mattress pads removed, just takes a bit more care ensuring the fabric is folded in when closing. We found the easiest method was to push the mattresses into the nose which allows the negative space (12" or so) created in the rear of the tent floor to store the bulkier amount of the tent fabric.
We did lose the ability to store our bedding (20degree down quilt and compressible pillows) up top, but it’s a small price to pay for the extreme improvement in comfort. Slept like a baby on the first night out.
The factory mattress wasn’t really a major issue for us, especially after a few nights of our bodies adjusting to the firmer pad, but this is definitely a significant upgrade.
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I finally gave up waiting for a Hest sale…but REI’s annual sale runs May 19th - 29th and you can get one full price item for 20% off. That is what I did last year.
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Thanks for bringing that up!! Went and got x2 foamys today at a much more reasonable price 
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I tried the Amazon Cut up option. Slept on it the last two nights. And it sucked for me. My wife thought it was great. (If anyone in the San Diego area wants the Amazon option hit me up before I make dog beds, haha)
Hest was doing 20% off at Overland Expo West so we bought a Dually Long.
Anyone that has done this. Did you do anything to make the edges of the panel system not as sharp?
Has anyone actually tried to cut up the hest and make it fit into the GFC panels?
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Have you ever thought about cutting the heat to size of the panels? Obviously would have some space left open but could easily be near the feet area.