The original mattress of the GFC for the first 250 or so units was 3 in. I never slept on that mattress but I have seen someone else’s. I didn’t notice a big difference. From all the different things I’ve tried out I feel as though a mattress that has some foam and air it is the most comfortable.
1 Like
Definitely, I think the magic would be keeping these replacements as inflatables to keep the adjustment level and stoke high 
3 Likes
OOOO and thinking about it, if you deflate these things all the way to just about 0.5" thick when flat (estimate), then how much more goodness could you store up in your GFC upstairs when closed
3 Likes
My three season option is an inflatable Klymit insulated duo mattress for the underside and I have a North Face double sleeping bag rated to 20 degrees (Yeah right).
In winter I’ll add my Down Works (located in Santa Cruz) 650 fill blanket into the synthetic sleeping bag add that to cudding with the lady and I stay warm.
I also use the Klymit pillows year round.
Nice thing is the Klymit gear is that when deflated I can leave it up in my camper all the time.
Why Klymit?..got it at Costco and cost.
I have had around 100+ nights in my GFC I never have had an issue.
Should note that I utilize a ladder almost all the time.
2 Likes
yes but maybe 4". I currently have foam topper inside the fitted sheets. ability to deflate for some more storage would be great. i usually remove the rectangle foam and lock my rifles up there. It’s perfect
1 Like
Nice - we’ll have to proto the 3" and 4" and test it out! Sleeping on the job 
1 Like
What about making soft sheets the ones they use to make beds more comfortable. I feel having to blow up four separate pieces and deflate them every day would be a pain… depending on how you use your camper.
2 Likes
Absolutely agree, that would be no bueno. It’s key that these inflatables could be stored closed without needing to deflate at all. If we go that route we’ll find the magic number for height.
I dig the idea of those “soft sheets” or insulated pillow top with down/down alternative (synthetic), we could make that super lux. And nice for colder weather too. Definitely something to think about!
yes it would. I would probably leave them all deflated all the time until day before/ morning of leaving for a trip. Most likely I would just deflate the rectangle to make room for storing bedding and or a rifle(depending on plans)
@AERONAUT do you have the equipment to make these mattresses in house?
1 Like
You also have to keep in mind when you take the original mattress out and put an inflatable one in there, with the extra room will most likely cause the camper to move up and down at the rear locking points, making a nice knocking sound constantly with every bump in the road.
I took the mattress out and left some small stuff up there and it didn’t sound good driving around.
4 Likes
Not yet on the equipment to make it in house, these would be imported for the time being. Fortunately I’ve got great working relationships with the best sleeping pad factories (NEMO, exped, sea to summit, superlite mattress). And we would dial in the best materials and constructions to make sure these are super durable and comfortable.
Great point and this is why I love these forums! That would be a major bummer to have things knocking around up there.
The cool thing with these inflatables would be that you never really have to deflate them. It’s more of a versatile option, so you can :
1 — micro adjust it and keep it at your preferred level of firm/softness, at all times, … or
2 — deflate one or all if you need to for space for other things (preferably lighter things)
2 Likes
Im using a double wide Big Agnes Hinman (4” inflated, can be stored in the tent but it flexes/makes it hard to
close even if it’s deflated with closed valves) on top of the regular mattress and either an REI Magma 15 (I’m roasting. My only other bag is a 45 I need to close that gap) and a macropuff blanket when I’m alone or an regular down comforter and the macro puff + a rumple when I’m with my wife. The macropuff is Pertex Quantum and so far that’s been more than enough to keep the condensation we’ve experienced off the comforter/bags.
I’d go pretty hard for stuff I could just leave up there. I’m waiting on a VRNCLR bedding catch so I can store more in the bed all the time and worry about it less while it’s there.
3 Likes
I’m not sure if the V2 has the same knocking issues as the V1. Seems like the latch is better at preventing this, but not sure.
3 Likes
Schmatty are you done with the Hest? I am loving it but I see the bowing too but I was just going to live with it. Where else did you see wear?
1 Like
Definitely not done with it. It’s the best sleep we’ve gotten camping. I throw it in the bed when we go camping and then just throw it on top of that bedding up top lol. Not practical but we need good sleep with 18mo twins with us. I like the new Hest Single mattresses they came out with that you can roll up but they are $$ if you get two.
I saw wear on the sides further towards the cab near the side windows. I guess where I couldn’t push the tent in enough it got clipped.
Here’s another vote for C1. I like the idea of having a more comfortable mattress without any additional pieces to shuffle around.
3 Likes
If you make a bed with sheets & covers, you really need to have the fully modular option (option C).
2 Likes
Awesome, thanks for all these votes! Making a case for me to proto those modular mattresses …
Alright now to some nitty gritty. Before prototyping, I ran a quick costing exercise with my friends at the factory - I’d love to make sure this would actually be viable and enough people would be willing to upgrade their foam to modular inflatable mattresses … this involves mold costs, development, materials, labor, shipping
Q - Would you spend around $300 - 350 shipped to upgrade to a set of 4 inflatable mattresses, 3-4" memory foam, adjustable firmness (air pressure), soft stretchy fabric that’s super durable. I can try to work with GFC for a foam delete option from their campers when ordering, but no guarantees …
Super stoked on this project but as I’ve got my head in the clouds I want to make sure feet are still grounded at least a little bit!
9 Likes