im in the same boat with the upgrade lol
im also trying to see if they can fit me in at the end of September when I’m on my way home from Banff since I’m coming down via sweetgrass
2 Likes
few interesting things i saw:
- bossman actually said you can prop open the front of the panel and use it to guide cool air into the camper while driving
- video features a couple laying on top of the roof!
both things that were discussed here and were advertised against by forum members.
I wonder if those are new “unlocked” features of the pro
1 Like
During my install last week, the team mentioned the ability to vent the side panels just as Graeme shared in the walk around vid.
What did catch my attention, was the couple laying on the roof! That would be awesome if this was an approved possibility!
There are a few other items that didn’t get covered in the vid. Mid way up the side door, at the rear, is a small section of velcro. This allows the rear of the side door to attach to the fixed tent material in this same location. But honestly, I have no idea what its actual purpose is for - we didn’t discuss this last week.
The other update that wasn’t shown, but I may have missed it, is the change made to the front triangular intake vents / windows. They now are equipped with a flat carbon rod that allows you to zip the window panel completely closed but still allow airflow through the top of the vent/window due the preloaded design of the prop rod. Pretty cool!
1 Like
Yea maybe the latches are strong enough to support doing that?
The latches are definitely strong enough when being used in this way. I would say the same about the current or previous latches. I’m more concerned with panel warp as doing this does flex the panels some.
1 Like
This is in the old user manual under the section about dogs. Cool to see it in the video, too.
3 Likes
Jump around on the roof at your own risk…not an approved activity by GFC, sorry for the confusion with the media!
2 Likes
Even though the product page mentions the 500 lb roof load, I don’t believe they intend it to be placed directly on the roof panel.
Thanks for the clarification Matthias!
I’m not convinced that the v2 pro is really better. Giving the masses what they want is not always improvement from an engineering perspective. Like when Nissan put fake shifting rev fluctuations into their cvt transmission, actually making it slower and less efficient, but they did it because people complained. Will this new zipper style hold up as well as the more heavy duty looking old style? Will the upper vents have other drawbacks like more draft in cold weather, and letting more heat escape? Will the new mesh be more fragile? Will larger doors hold up as well (bigger hole=less support)? Will thicker matress mean tighter sqeeze when closing the top, meaning less ability of moisture to escape? But it says “Pro” now, so it’s better.
ah i bought mine used from here so I never knew there’s a user manual loll
An option of a sliding window to the cab and a pass through for a diesel heater would have been sweet. Feel like that would of been fairly easy to incorporate…
2 Likes
I saw the new camper and tent in person yesterday at the GFC event at DEUS in Venice, CA.
I’m definitely upgrading to the new tent. It’s a big upgrade. And I’m changing my tent color to orange.
I also tried the new latches and they’re seriously beefy. The latch covers looked molded - no more 3D printed stuff (although that stuff did the job well)
The lighting looks good, too, though I’m keeping mine for now.
7 Likes
I noticed you were there and was hoping you’d have comments.
1 Like
headliner thoughts?
I spent most of the day talking to folks about my rig, but of course I checked out the V2 Pro.
I made a real quick video. Nothing special. Used the wrong words in a couple places. Oops.
The headliner wasn’t a big item of interest for me (haven’t had bad condensation issues on my adventures) but it does change the feel of the tent acoustically and optically. Softer and darker. The material was interesting, kind of loosely non-woven/felty and compressible, which makes total sense. I got the impression that if they were soaked/damp, it would be dead easy to pop them off and dry them outside or in the bed, which is a step up from the glued-on DIY approach.
The new tent looks and feels great. It enhances the “tree fort” experience which was/remains the biggest selling point for me. The new loops and pockets will be real problem solvers… but I also know I am gonna crush a pair of glasses in there someday. That’s my problem, not a tent problem.
The soft zipper pulls and other details in the softgoods are also welcome changes. It was a medium loud environment (still air tho) but the tent itself was quiet. New zippers are cool, but for me, zippers are a "test of time " thing.
In short, this feels like the tent meets or exceeds the canopy in terms of refinement.
I’m getting a new tent and changing the color to orange. Headliner and the rest depend on price.
7 Likes
Daniel, do you think the latches are much better than the revised ones currently available? I obviously don’t plan to buy a new camper based on latches.
Also, do the new billet latches, that fasten the camper, feel any different? @Vice_Chief
1 Like
I didn’t get to try a key in them, but I wish I had.
To clarify on latches:
- Original latches on V1/V2 were the single-sided key Southcos
- Recently there appeared an almost unofficial upgrade to bidirectional Southcos that is backwards-compatible (I have these - you have to email Support to get them)
- This camper has totally new latches from a different supplier - not Southco. Let’s call these Pro Latches.
Pro latches definitely feel better built than any Southcos, which I never liked. On the camper on display, the strut mount where they latch was different. Thicker. The rear cabana panel strikes (that you move up and down to lock yourself in) were different as well. I think this is what you mean by the billet latches?
In any case, since they’re not compatible with my V2, and I’m less unhappy with my bidirectional SouthCo latches, I’m going to stick with those for another year or whatever.
3 Likes
Very slick!
1 Like