With a RTT + topper or rack you don’t get the modular pass-through floor.
No standing room, no place to hang out in bad weather. Less secure storage if it’s a rack, not so much with the topper.
I went from RTT + rack to the GFC platform camper specifically because it’s a huge upgrade in usability and “livability”.
you don’t know how much it means to have something where you can remove the floor and have a place to stand out of the weather until you have it. It’s great to change out of wet hiking gear, hunting gear or Ice fish gear. I don’t think I could ever switch over to RTT even if it means I could fit in the garage. It is plain and simple that useful, to me at least.
Yea personally speaking the RTT seems like a bad idea when they offer a full truck bed cover and for your reasons listed above @blackhearse
However, I completely understand that not everyone has a truck or wants a truck, so I do love that GFC makes the RTT. It seems like a step for most folks (especially with pricing). I have a buddy here in Va that bought a RTT and put it on a rack on his pick up. He likes it, seems silly to me, but to each their own. What the hell do i know… lol
Whatever it takes to get you outside, is a good choice.
Thanks for all the input everyone, super helpful.
Honestly, my biggest concern/ rationale for going the RTT route is that I could easily remove it and store it inside when not in use. I don’t have a garage (that I can park in) so I am a bit concerned with the whole water intrusion issue and having to deal with that on a regular basis when at home using the truck for daily use.
When camping honestly the water intrusion stuff isn’t a big deal to me, but if it adds one more thing I have to stress about when it rains on a regular basis, that is a headache.
Its crazy to hear about all these water intrusion problems. Mine is dry as a bone even with all the rain we had. It seems to be hit or miss I guess.
not all tents leak. at least mine doesn’t and it rains at least twice week here. hell it’s raining right now. am I worried? no. it’s basically a crap shoot if you get a gudun or a TuRD(see what I did there?). the frustrated vocal members of this forum have been dealing with it for a while and are very very VERY frustrated and they have a right to be
I totally get that and I wonder what the true percentage is that leak. Obviously you are going to hear from a significantly greater number that do. Those with perfectly functional campers have no reason to come post.
I like the idea of the poll that just went up, but even that seems like the percentage may be a bit high given you are probably more likely to even join the forum if you have an issue.
So for me it is basically do I trade the headache of taking the tent on and off regularly for the potential headache of a tent that leaks? I guess I am leaning towards the potential rather than a guarantee
I installed the camper on my 94 toyota pickup with a 6 foot bed. Now that I have it, I would never be without the passthrough again. It’s key to the whole thing.
So true - even in the morning and having a spot to change/have shelter from the elements is huge!
Totally agree with you @GainzGFC . Also not having to carry a ladder, being able to use it as a desk (which is my plan), the list goes on.
I opted for the RTT (SuperLite) and a canopy. I still need to use my truck as a truck for everyday purposes and liked the idea of being able to remove the RTT. If I was dedicating my truck as a “camper”, I would go with the Platform camper. As stated, there are pros and cons to each. The more you specialize a vehicle the harder it gets to be used for other things.
2016 Chevrolet Colorado Z71, RLD Designs Canopy, GFC Superlite
looks like a third so far:
You think so?
I would guess that those with a leaking tent are much more likely to click that thread and vote or even to be a member of the forum in general.
I am certainly not a master of statistics or polling in general but would guess that of those with leaky vs functional tents a much higher percentage of the leaky tent crowd would join the forum and thus be the audience for the vote.
I don’t have a dog in the fight, but it does logically seem like the numbers will have a significant margin or error
so what you mean is only people with a problem are members of this forum? I was a member long before I had a problem. that’s only because 427 days after initial deposit and a crap ton of BS I finally got my camper. V2 was supposed to shorten lead times when it added 6 months to mine
Order placed Oct 16th - received on Feb 1st on the White Glove Trailer. Just saying…
I joined this forum before i even had a GFC. I wanted to see what folks where saying.
No, not at all what I am saying.
What I am saying is that those who own campers with issues are more likely to either be members of the forum because they are coming here in hopes of finding a solution or they are more likely to be vocal about their issues when compared to a population with a camper with no issues.
It’s not that only people with problems join the forum it is that it is a higher likelihood that one would join (or vote) if they do have a problem vs. someone without a problem. Therefor any poll is going to have a natural slant to it to the negative.
Again, I don’t have a dog in the fight since I don’t even own a camper yet, but it is a pretty simple concept of sociology and I would imagine someone with a high proficiency in stats or polling could give us accurate error rates with things like this (I know I can’t)
Edit: Sampling error! That is the concept I was thinking of, couldn’t think of the term before, my bad.
Same as my previous response, talking in generalities about sociological norms and statistics, I am not saying that everyone only joins cause they have a problem.
Just that someone with a problem is more likely to join.
Agreed. I wouldn’t be on this forum if I weren’t at the end of my rope with this camper. I’ve had all latches replaced, seals replaced with the correct seals after the wrong ones were used in installation in Montana, gas struts replaced after both blew up and spit a little oil on my tent sides, had to drill out the locks after getting stuck out of my tent in the winter. The tent is super loose and flappy; it’s no longer an option to put an expander on the gas struct to push the tent open a little more. If the wind blows more than 15 mph, it slams the tent closed if I am facing the wind.
My tent leaks so severely that I rarely have the panels in the camper when I travel. I have to put them in my truck’s cab as my truck’s bed is either a dirt pile or a swimming pool. I have had significant mildew issues as well.
GFC is good with listening to me when I am so pissed that I must go again and get a hotel in the winter or rain. I bought a blue tarp that I will be bungee cording for my camper at my house. Super disappointed.
I have the Topper and Superlite combo. I love this setup so far. I went this route for versatility. We have used the Superlite on both my boyfriends Jeep and my Tacoma. And we store it when not in use. I like to have the option of swapping it on our vehicles depending on our needs. And the slim design of the Superlite and low weight make it easy to store. I didn’t like the thought of having a tent on my truck full time and for me, this is the perfect setup. It may not look as cool as the platform camper though. I also didn’t notice much of a mpg loss with this either, maybe .5-1mpg.
Contact GFC, let them know your concerns with water and that you are hesitant to make an order.
Getting information straight from the source about their current implementation status and number of service tickets for water intrusion is going to be your best way to make an informed decision that you feel comfortable with. I am getting my GFC installed in March and have had a great experience so far with customer service and have found that the best most accurate information is going to come from contacting them directly.
