Just wanted to share my initial impressions of GFC and the Camper here! This forum has been really useful, and it’s been great finding all sorts of helpful info on here, from install prep to build out ideas.
I’ve only spent one night in it so far – which was windy, near the ocean and on the cooler side. There was lots of condensation in the tent (which I’ve read isn’t unusual), so I’ll probably look to get a fan installed in the future. The wind also knocked the camper out of alignment, but it seemed the struts settled back into place after a few days.
There was some small damage to the roof of the camper (small nicks, some discoloration which I haven’t tried cleaning off yet), but GFC refunded my install fee (and also offered to send me a new roof.) Might be good for folks to do a quick inspection of the camper if you have it installed in Belgrade before driving away.
I’m glad there’s an introductory video about the camper on YouTube, but it’s a little outdated. An instruction handout about basic functionality would have been helpful – and I also didn’t know that the tail light wouldn’t be installed (though this forum helped with that!) The locks are a bit kludgy, but I finally figured out the best way to open them (although I wish they were smoother and that there was a way to lock the rear panel from the inside.)
My camper also came without zipper pulls, but I just emailed GFC about that.
But I’m happy with how comfortable it is – even in the wind, we were warm and it was surprisingly not noisy – and the Mantis Claw mount is easy to use.
Also stoked on the customer service and how responsive they are. Looking forward to more adventures with it!
Welcome to the community! The wind is a real battle unless you get lucky and have a wind that stays coming from the same direction. Look forward to seeing your build and hearing about your adventures
@spamisevill the Duluth Backseat Bunker looks like a great addition. It will be fun to see what else you come up with. I have seen a lot of great ideas on the forum.
We just launched a site that specializes in products for the GFC. If you have a minute please check it out at: overlandsoftgoods.com.
Re: Zipper pulls, in case anyone’s interested – heard back from GFC:
“We stopped adding the zipper ties because they get caught in the extrusion when closing the tent. If that is something you still want, then that is something you can add yourself fairly easily.”
Hi, guess your install was right after mine (the 3rd). BTW, you can lock the back door from the inside. The aluminum door catch slides up and down, you can see this in the videos. Slide them down, close the back door and then latch and lock the latches. The back window will still open, open it then climb inside and slide the latches up to engage the locks.
Enjoy,
Sam
Also: “Your bed stiffeners help prevent the bed sides from separating near the tailgate. But since your bumper attaches to the frame horns of your frame, the bed stiffeners do not prevent your frame from twisting. As a result, when your frame twists, your bed will also twist since it is attached to the frame. We have a couple employees with tire carriers on their 2nd and 3rd Gen Tacomas and have seen this happen.”
