I have used the ladder off the back and the side. When you have two people up top the back entry allows for equal access. I think it’s a great alternative if you want to not pay for the side door but still want to climb. I think I like the side door for the view more than access.
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I recently upgraded to the v2 side door tent and it was $750. I haven’t installed it yet due to the weather, but yes you do get to keep your original tent.
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Thanks for the post and suggestions. It helps make an educated decide before the build on my own GFC!
Does the ladder have some proprietary mechanism for attachment? Or is it just a plain ole collapsible ladder? I haven’t seen one up close.
Typical collapsible ladder you can find on amazing, but GFC attaches a small bent piece of metal at the top to hook over the lower extrusion.
Can someone post a picture of the ladder as it meets the extrusion?
I will go ahead and voice my displeasure in the ladder. I bought it, and in the end I’d probably buy it again b/c i don’t have a better alternative, but it’s kind of shitty. i’m sure others will disagree, so just take this as one man’s opinion.
- it flexes like crazy when fully extended on a stock F150. when it flexes like that, it actually loses the usefulness of the little metal bent piece (the flex mostly unhooks it from the extrusion). I’m only about 165lb, so I can’t imagine what it would be like if you were 200lb or more.
- it’s actually quite painful without shoes. ok, sure, call me a wimp or whatever, but who wants to have discomfort when you need to get in and out of the tent. and my wife is not stoked at all. yes, the simple solution is just to always have the shoes at the tent, but sometimes that’s a hassle
- it just seems like a lot of money for a damn ladder
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i’ve been running mine as “vertical” as i can, helps make it more comfy and i think helps with the flex, although they kinda all seem to flex, at least all the ones i’ve encountered. i also wear shoes and place them inside the door. need to figure out a better solution for that…
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The trick i saw on here with the shoes is to get a bag to hang on the top of the ladder. Climb to the top, sit in the door opening, take the shoes off, stuff 'em in the bag, then slide into the tent.
I’m going to get a mesh scuba type bag so my stank shoes can air out
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you will most likely want to make the bag weather proof, incase of inclement weather or just dew etc, and spiders, snakes…
I agree that climbing up the ladder bearfoot kinda sucks. Recently I have been climbing through the floor. I also found that when using the ladder it’s good to put some type of bag to store your shoes that way things don’t get so dirty.
I have used the ladder off the rear, but since I have a side door I mostly use that. I also agree that I wish the ladder rungs were slanted to be flat under foot… I’ve actually jumped off the ladder barefoot because it is so u comfortable without shoes. I just make sure to have slippers or flip flops in the tent for late night bathroom visits.
Can someone post a pix of the ‘bent piece’ that hooks over the extrusion? If it’s simple I’ll make my own. I like supporting GFC - but if I can make a $2 piece - no need to spend 2X on a ladder.
Cheers,
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It’s stupid simple, I’d take a picture but it is cold and snowing outside. You can basically make the same thing by taking a piece of 2" or 3" flat stock, cutting it to about 6 inches long, bend it at about 30 degrees, then attach the flat piece to the top of the ladder with metal screws. It is essentially just creating a small lip that grabs the lower extrusion piece (top lip of the lower extrusion, if that makes sense). They coated the piece with bedliner or something similar.
Beat me to it, and with a significantly better photo!
I don’t have the tools/materials to fabricate my own little hook, so it was worth it to pay the mark-up. I think the hook helps. The ladder itself is not something I’d want to paint a house with, but it is functional, lightweight and space-saving, pretty key for the fact that it is used maybe 60 sec out of every 24 hrs.
The iKamper spare ladder has angled steps and is about the same price, I think even a few bucks lower. Jus’ sayin’
I have dual doors and more often than not access via the side door…and I did not order the GFC ladder.
I did find a trick for securing the ladder so when the kids are going up and down several times it doesn’t slide off the side…Works great!
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