surfboard solution until something better
Things I wish I knew before I bought it
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If you have a 2019 Subaru Forester, the side rails are about the exact width of the mounting extrusions on the tent. You will need aftermarket cross bars that allow you to off-set the tent (or maybe the offset mounting brackets shown in the GFC video) I’m sure this is the case in many other vehicles but I did realize it until I had already purchased the wrong cross bars and tried to mount the tent.
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I am 5’8" and I sleep on my back. My feet definitely touch the back of the tent when using a regular sized pillow. The FAQ video seems to imply that 6’2" is about the upper limit for height before running out of room. I think that is very misleading when you consider practical usage with someone’s head not pressed against the back and using a pillow. Honestly, this was really disappointing, it’s a bummer to be annoyed when trying to sleep. However, I understand it’s wedge and this is the nature of the shape.
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The fabric on the roof is pretty loose and hangs lower than I would like considering its a small space, especially with anything in it.
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When taking the tent off of the car, if you used loctite as advised, the t-nuts will spin out of place first before the bolt starts to loosen. This causes the t-nut to pop out of the extrusions under load and damage the edge of the nut and likely the extrusion over time.
Otherwise, after the first use at least my wife and I like tent, we are excited to use it more and thought it was pretty easy to mount, I am really looking forward to whatever the quick release system is though. We will have to use it some more to dial in our system, ladder placement, where to leave the zippers open for easy access, etc
I did get an extra bag of bolts with no explanation though, anyone know what these are for?
And I am also curious if there is an intended purpose for this external pocket? Other than an extra spot to keep stuff. It seems odd to me to have it outside the tent exposed to the elements etc.
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I think it’s a shoe holder? Idk
I have been wondering the exact same thing. Doesn’t seem big enough for adult shoes and even if so, why mesh?
Hello,
When the tent door is fully unzipped, the pocket in your picture was designed to store the excess fabric. There is a pocket on the inside of the tent to store the mesh material as well.
Let us know if you have any other questions.
Team GFC
3 Likes
Got it, thanks for clarifying!
better!!! the first time I asked GFC said just to hold stuff so somebody there made a better idea. I like!
Hi there!
I did not see a picture in your last post, so I assume you are talking about this:
The above hardware is a spacer kit that we include for customers that have aftermarket racks (Prinsu, Frontrunner, and so on). In short, the kit enables one to attach a mounting point to the exterior side of the rack to mount a ladder. Certain mounting situations may not give the clearance needed to attach a ladder to the bottom of the tent extrusion as seen in the following video: How to Mount a Ladder to your GFC Superlite - YouTube
After shipping out SuperLites, we found customers never utilized the spacer kit. So we no longer include the kit with the SuperLite. With that said, the kit is still available upon request. Just send us an email at support@gfcengineering.com and we will get you taken care of.
Team GFC
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Did this kit only come with those that ordered ladders from GFC?
Hello,
The spacer kit was included with all SuperLite tents. So to answer your question, it did not matter whether you ordered a ladder.
If you need one, feel free to send us an email.
Team GFC
Hello. Off topic a bit, but since taylor isnt there any more imma hit you up. I received an email about off set brackets…and how current owners are being given priority. So I tried to order them on the site. The shopping program says it wont ship to Hawaii. I am in Hawaii. You shipped my Superlite here, so i know this is a glich in the matrix.
I wrote to support@gfcengineering , they sent me a “complete your purchase “ link, which i followed and it still will not ship to hawaii. I wrote back about that, but have not heard anything…its been some time.
Is there a way to get this done please?
Hi, could anyone on the east coast (NC or around there specifically) let me know how long it took to get your superlite once it shipped? My order is in the ‘awaiting shipment’ status on the leaderboard. I think I read somewhere that GFC only ships out on Fridays. I have a trip planned for next week so I’d like to know if the superlite will arrive before I go out of town next Wednesday. Thanks.
Last week, our SuperLite was finally ready! My wife and I road-tripped from Denver to pick it up, then spent the next week camping near Glacier NP. Shout out to the super cool guys at the GFC Customer Center.
Overall, super happy with it. Here’s some notes/observations:
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I have a Yakima Overhaul HD rack on my Gladiator. I did end up having to use the offset brackets to install the tent. I thought it would work without, but after I raised the towers to clear the hard top, the towers were then closer together and wouldn’t allow the clamps to mount well. In hindsight, I could have offset the tent on the rack one way or another and used the standard hardware. Next time I mount it up, maybe I’ll give that a shot. That said, I’m glad I got my hands on the offset brackets (and knew they existed) for when we mount the tent to my wife’s Crosstrek.
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I’m right at 6’ and if I lay on my back, my toes are definitely hard into the upper panel of the tent. I’m mostly a side sleeper which helps. My wife is short so I’m able to be slightly diagonal and fit ok. Certainly not the roomiest of tents length wise, but that’s not what its for. It would be nice if there were some way to prop the hinge end even just 2" or so.
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I wish the big door panel rolled upwards like the side panels do. We slept every night with just the mesh, and rolled up the side doors to their keepers. The side rolls work super well. However, the big door into the stuff sack just feels upside down of how it should be. I’m sure there is intention there (ability to open the door while standing on the tailgate???).
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I was skeptical at the mattress at first. It’s half the thickness of my inflatable backpacking ground pad I usually use. However, once inflated, it was surprisingly comfortable. We slept 7 nights on it with no complaints.
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It took me a minute to figure out how to the guy wires worked. We didn’t use them this trip, but I’ll give them a go (with some tent stakes) next trip. Hopefully they’re long enough to reach from the tent to the ground from all the way up on the rack. I’m also going to look into those aftermarket prop rods that one guy is making. That is a slick accessory.
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Set up is as easy as advertised. Pro tip, leave the back door open when you close it so you’re not fiddling with the zipper and holding the upper panel up at the same time. We could get it fully open, windows rolled, and ladder setup in about 5min. Roughly the same time as my ground tent but with less fiddling. Closing it was super quick, probably 3min breakdown time, then good to hit the road.
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Driving wise, I barely noticed it up there over ~1500mi. There was a bit of wind noise but it was hard to tell what was from the tent vs the bed rack vs just how windy most of Montana tends to be. No complaints.
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Up next, I need to find a way to transport kayaks/SUP board with the tent installed. I’m thinking SUP on the tent, and kayak offset on the crossbar maybe.
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I uninstalled the tent by myself yesterday. It was doable, but definitely recommend 2 people. I ended up using a dolly to help me move it into my garage. It’s not that heavy, but its too big to get an arm around and not drag it across the ground.
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New users can only put in one pic at a time in posts, so here’s some more.
Last thing I’ll add. Over the course of a week we probably had no less than 15 people approach us at gas stations, national parks, etc asking what the SL was and how they could get one. Free advertising on us, GFC 
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Suggestion to GFC for superlite version 2: Was putting the tent up yesterday and just to make it a bit easier, propped the first pole up outside the tent by just hooking it inside the outer black fabric. Realized this would actually be a much better place for the poles to go. Reaching inside the tent and struggling with the tiny Velcro straps is kind of annoying. Could have cups fit the pole ends fitted into the outside corners. Would be so much easier to set up while standing on a tailgate if you didn’t have to reach inside the tent.
There also must be a way to provide more foot room to truly allow six footers to sleep feet up without adding weight or height when closed. The downside of the fabric hinge is that the top just lays flat against the lower corner. Stuffing a pillow into each corner helps, but come on GFC engineers, you can figure out something to increase foot room.
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Looking at options to mount an awning on my RAV4 with my superlite. I previously had an ARB awning and standard Prinsu awning brackets but it would look pretty strange to mount the superlite off to the side to fit my awning. Guessing my best options are lower profile awning brackets and/or buy the superlite quick connect mounting brackets to lift it up a bit?
Anyone try something similar and have pictures?
Anyone used the quick release clamps and have feedback? I’m hesitant to pull the trigger until I see the locking mechanism design/price. I haven’t heard/seen anyone that has tried these out yet…