I’ve decided to up my game in preparation for a long trip north when I retire this year. Enter, the GFC:
Go Fast Campers is a “collaboration between Hondo Garage and Aerocontinental. We're neighbors in the same Bozeman, Montana industrial complex and once we realized we both wanted a small camper that didn't exist, it was hard to ignore the fact that we were the right folks to build it.”
It’s basically a bed topper with a built in pop up wedge tent. The mattress is configurable to allow the bed to be used as a living area, allowing for multiple configurations to fit your needs. The entire system is built on a steel space frame to provide the support structure but without the extra weight.
Check out the website at
https://www.gofastcampers.com/
So, why am I moving on from my RTT? A few reasons...
1- Living Space. This turns my truck bed into a living area. Inclement weather, cold mornings, and bugs tend to ruin a trip. I’m heading to mosquito country at the end of summer and a sealed area to cook, chill or use the “facilities” is a nice thing. But my ARB and the annex provide that already. So...
2- Ease of setup and take down. Pull the release latch and the tent opens. Pull down and lock in place and it’s closed. The RTT isn’t difficult to put up and down, but the annex adds some steps and time. Also, the annex needs to be bagged and stowed on take down and zipped in and staked down on setup. How much time and effort is this? Not much, but do you need it...
3- I don’t need the space of the RTT and annex. It’s me and Jaxx (if you’ve been to a rendezvous or expo west you’ve met my border collie companion). I bought the annex when I wasn’t single but have no need to sleep 4 now. Setting up and tearing down extra square footage isn’t neccesary and adds complexity for no real benefit. The annex is very useful for an enclosed area to have a warm breakfast, get out of the wind, or do some “reading and thinking” but that is covered by the GFC...
4- Security. On a long trip I’m planning to park the truck for a day or several while exploring or enjoying alternate accommodations. The bed rack and RTT are great but they don’t seal the bed from view or casual theft. A determined thief will force entry and you can’t stop everything, but having a bed topper will keep stuff out of sight and out of reach. The truck is going to be my home for a month so I don’t want to be worried about things walking while I’m in a bar, casino, back country hike or church (most likely those first ones). Speaking of securing things...
5- Mounting stuff. I’m going to be leaving the desert Southwest and I hear about this stuff called rain and snow! Unfortunately I grew to the perfect height of 6’ 2”, and my bed rack system is at about 5’ 11”. I want to add a canopy for rain cover and my rack puts it at forehead level. I really enjoy smashing my head into things (not) and the GFC has extrusions for putting things on that will be above that. Also, there are no rods to hold the window covers open that interfere with a canopy mount on it. Things I got used to on short 3-10 day trips will become really annoying on an extended trip. Also, I will be able to put solar panels on the hard roof without needing to make them removable.
Is the GFC right for you? Maybe. But it’s the right choice for me (I hope since it’s still in pre-order status!). Keep up on this thread for more, and come see the AAV booth at overland expo west to check it out
Go Fast Campers is a “collaboration between Hondo Garage and Aerocontinental. We're neighbors in the same Bozeman, Montana industrial complex and once we realized we both wanted a small camper that didn't exist, it was hard to ignore the fact that we were the right folks to build it.”
It’s basically a bed topper with a built in pop up wedge tent. The mattress is configurable to allow the bed to be used as a living area, allowing for multiple configurations to fit your needs. The entire system is built on a steel space frame to provide the support structure but without the extra weight.
Check out the website at
https://www.gofastcampers.com/
So, why am I moving on from my RTT? A few reasons...
1- Living Space. This turns my truck bed into a living area. Inclement weather, cold mornings, and bugs tend to ruin a trip. I’m heading to mosquito country at the end of summer and a sealed area to cook, chill or use the “facilities” is a nice thing. But my ARB and the annex provide that already. So...
2- Ease of setup and take down. Pull the release latch and the tent opens. Pull down and lock in place and it’s closed. The RTT isn’t difficult to put up and down, but the annex adds some steps and time. Also, the annex needs to be bagged and stowed on take down and zipped in and staked down on setup. How much time and effort is this? Not much, but do you need it...
3- I don’t need the space of the RTT and annex. It’s me and Jaxx (if you’ve been to a rendezvous or expo west you’ve met my border collie companion). I bought the annex when I wasn’t single but have no need to sleep 4 now. Setting up and tearing down extra square footage isn’t neccesary and adds complexity for no real benefit. The annex is very useful for an enclosed area to have a warm breakfast, get out of the wind, or do some “reading and thinking” but that is covered by the GFC...
4- Security. On a long trip I’m planning to park the truck for a day or several while exploring or enjoying alternate accommodations. The bed rack and RTT are great but they don’t seal the bed from view or casual theft. A determined thief will force entry and you can’t stop everything, but having a bed topper will keep stuff out of sight and out of reach. The truck is going to be my home for a month so I don’t want to be worried about things walking while I’m in a bar, casino, back country hike or church (most likely those first ones). Speaking of securing things...
5- Mounting stuff. I’m going to be leaving the desert Southwest and I hear about this stuff called rain and snow! Unfortunately I grew to the perfect height of 6’ 2”, and my bed rack system is at about 5’ 11”. I want to add a canopy for rain cover and my rack puts it at forehead level. I really enjoy smashing my head into things (not) and the GFC has extrusions for putting things on that will be above that. Also, there are no rods to hold the window covers open that interfere with a canopy mount on it. Things I got used to on short 3-10 day trips will become really annoying on an extended trip. Also, I will be able to put solar panels on the hard roof without needing to make them removable.
Is the GFC right for you? Maybe. But it’s the right choice for me (I hope since it’s still in pre-order status!). Keep up on this thread for more, and come see the AAV booth at overland expo west to check it out
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