The lower limit of 40 ish is what seems to be the minimum to have decent airflow. I’ve cruised at 90 and had no problems.
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Portland is weird. It also the lollipop on the stick they call the Heroin Highway (Interstate 5)
I am looking at putting a vinyl wrap on my V2 at some point.
Thanks for the tip - I just ordered a pair so can confidently use Buddy Heater inside the camper. You guys rock!
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Great discussion here. I have a reservation for an SP - but am rethinking it. I like the idea of less weight for when my electric F150 Lightning eventually gets built. And figure I can find a way to mount my Buddy Heater and water heater to the frame one way or another. Don’t need too much more than that. A forum like this really helps make an informed decision - so appreciate all the pluses and minuses. I think overall, it will sell more, not less GFC’s. And I already ordered the dog vents mentioned above to give ventilation for the Buddy and Joolco.
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Replying to myself… ln reading this thread and others here, and seeing people winter camping in their GFC’s, made the decision for me. I am getting GFC build #3345 installed on April 29th, and couldn’t be happier. SP does have some nice features, but I just couldn’t justify $3k more, for something that the rest of my family won’t use. The GFC won’t be quite as easy to mount stuff or run wires. But a little bit of ingenuity should suffice. And once I have it wired and stuff hung, it probably won’t change much anyway. And the money I save can be spent on camping equipment that I and the family can use.
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Your on the right track ,I looked at both as well for some time before I pulled the trigger.Picked up my Camper top Xl in early December V2 already had a few new upgrades as GFC is very responsive to its customers concerns and suggestions.The SP’s extra 4k and the lead time of a year with no word of improving SP’s manufacturing made it was an easy decision.SP’s weight was another reason, once you pick up your camper its inevitable that you start your build and attention to weight and distribution over the vehicles capacities and capabilities is crucial.
This form has help me a great deal the community here is full of good ideas and support.
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I think SP did their homework and invented a slightly better mousetrap. Is it worth $5K more than a GFC? That depends on your budget. Personally I would get the GFC and put that $5K into making the truck bed into a true overlanding setup with fridge, storage, house power, and outdoor kitchen. Any money leftover goes to a nice 270 awning.
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Please don’t make me drive down i5 again…thankfully we have the Yakivegas option for getting to Bend.
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I could not agree more… My buildout budget is over what I had anticipated, so saving the money going with GFC is a good move.
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At first I wondered if I would miss the extra features of the SP. But once I had the GFC set up, I really don’t even think about it. It just works for me. My wife isn’t interested in camping in it with me, so I just leave 1 square out, when the tent is up, and don’t miss the extra length the SP has. But if you are going to regularly sleep 2 people up top, and one of you regularly goes to bed at a different time or gets up in the night, then the SP might be a better option.
Also, I keep the doors open an add-on kit, so the door vents aren’t an issue for me. Maybe when I camp for a month in October I will miss them though. But I am already thinking of a little velcro bracket down at the bottom of the tent doors to just hole them out about an inch, for a little venting.
Do you mean you can’t get GFC to custom paint the V2 side panels or you literally and physically can’t paint them? They are just powder coated aluminum right? Want a different color…just take them to your local powder coat shop. You might even be able to get a gloss that matches the vehicle paint gloss.
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On the V1 you could pay extra for custom paint on the side panels and/or space frame. That customization was removed on the V2 (but helps GFC make more campers faster).
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It is so easy to install rv windows, that’s my plan
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What about long term durability? Is SP better than a V2?
I might be rethinking this statement.
Hard to say. I do know one thing, SP does not approve of the Alu-Cab Shadow 270 awning being mounted to their RTT extrusions. Says their construction is not strong enough to support the weight. Hmmmm. My first question is why is GFC’s construction strong enough but SP’s isn’t?
For me it really comes down to three factors: 1) tent ventilation (both to the outside and to the camper below), 2) bed comfort, and 3) camper interior space/headroom with the tent popped. I think SP wins on all three but is that worth an extra $5K?
I’m still trying to weigh up the options between the two. For me the price difference is 3.5k if I factor in the window options and installation trip. The super pacific appears to have a better designed tent for wet weather. Not sure if the fabric is the same.
Other things I like are the aerospace construction method; feels like that could be more durable long term. The single latches for the doors are nice and the extra 20” in the bed platform is probably super useful if two people are using the bed and/or you need to keep an eye on things/people/dogs below.
I’ve seen a lot of gfc’s where I live and a few super pacific campers they both look nice and are geared to the same people, at least where I live.
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GFC All the Way !!
At the Time I ordered my GFC the Weight , Price, Customer Suppport and lead time knocked Super Pacific out of the running.
One thing I noticed many people have a tendency to overlook when they’re building their rigs center of gravity how much weight they’re caring how high they’re carrying it etc. etc.
Longevity and toughness I’ve already been proven out as far as I’m concerned I pound the hell out of my truck and never had an issue I also happen to be I guess one of those lucky people that has had zero issues with water intrusion however if you read some of my postings you’ll know why.
Also in some of my postings and I’m reflecting it here again is the response time the intensity of the customer care that exists in the culture GFC in any indusrty lots of folks jump in the game and build something but support customer service and all the rest of it seems less important when you first buy it down the road it’s everything GFC & this community make it even more worth it I have no regrets.
As advertised GFC is the latest toughest consumer friendly product by far never mind the fact that you stated it’s almost 4K less.
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