GFC Builds

Hey all, the cold is beginning to set in up here in Alberta, as such my camping season will soon come to an end. With that, I've been thinking about changing it up from my current setup of RCI bedrack + iKamper Mini. Pic below for attention:


I absolutely love this tent and feel I'll miss it when I make a change, but my needs are changing and I need to get a topper. I really like the look of the RSI smartcap, but want to avoid the look and size of the iKamper running on top of a topper, the RTT seems to sit wider than the cap, so I'm thinking selling up and going for a GFC would be my best bet.

I'll likely sell my iKamper and rack in the next month, but will look to save some pennies and place an order for a GFC in Feb/Mar 2023. While I wait what will seem as a lifetime I'd love to research some GFC builds for inspiration!

I have done a few searches and only really came across this (which is great):
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gfc-camper-q-a-and-visual-history.769124/page-3#post-27802118

I did come across the below, which is quite legendary! I'm wondering if anyone has any threads similar to the below, or dare I say is there a 'GFC Mega Thread' on TW?

https://forum.gofastcampers.com/t/julians-2021-trd-pro-build/3492

 

There is also a gofast camper forum
With a lot of good builds and inspiration

https://forum.gofastcampers.com/

But you will love a gofast
Very simple bare bones camper

 

I ran your same setup for while, then sold my rack to potentially try something different, and ended up with front runner load bars for the interim. I had a bunch of shit stolen so the topper/bed cover is the way for me.

I ended up ordering an RSI Smartcap towards the end of Q1 last year with a delivery slated for the end of Q2/beginning of Q3. For what its worth I have not seen the product yet and my ikamper mini is still on those front runner load bars that were supposed to be a temp setup...

The tacoma GFC is smaller than an Ikamper mini. So i completely understand where you're coming from.

Not sure what your timeline looks like-but if you go with the Smartcap, I would hesitantly place your order now with a good CC or wait to make sure they fulfill orders like mine before ordering yours. I have now been told early October with an additional shipment slated to arrive early November. But I am not holding my breath. The GFC is consistently 8-12 weeks out. It may make sense to order it with their $500 deposit as soon as you sell your iKamper, then schedule an install date in the spring once you've saved up a bit.

Regardless of what you decide, good luck!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gofastcamper-gfc-mods-tips-and-tricks-thread.585193/

Here is the GFC thread.

 

Its $100 deposit now. And they call you to choose options shortly after.

I just was reading that earliest delivery is in November

 

GFC increases their prices in January, so best to lock in this year price, this year

 

Perfect thank you, this is exactly the type of thread I was looking for but couldn't find for some reason!

 

Took me a little while of searching it too. I actually just got back from my install 2 weeks go. So far love it and is exactly what we need/wanted.

 

After the deposit and they call you a day or 2 later. You get invoiced for it all right away to lock in your spot. So not really allot of time to save pennies.

 

I like our GFC but would never pay what they are asking for now, it’s honestly not worth it. Just exploiting supply and demand. Other RTTs are integrating a lot of features the GFC doesn't have or require you to purchase separately.

 

I'd love one of these

 

My local sign shop gets a lot of business cutting panels for peoples DIY campers to acquire GFC utility without the GFC price, lol
Its a big step to ask 4k for a tent and then 11k for the shell and tent...
wtf.."1 for $12, 2 for $55!"

 

There a dude here with a thread who built a DIY GFC, for less than $3k using all the same parts basically.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-diy-wedge-camper.604686/

 

We're gonna just ignore the welding equipment, CNC router/mill/laser cutter, sewing machine, sewing expertise & labor provided by someone else, and likely dozens and dozens of hours of labor, eh?

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from pursuing the project, just be aware it's not "easy" in any way, shape, or form. Take into account a randomly chosen $100/hr shop rate and all of a sudden 40-60+ hours of labor makes a whole lot more sense with a $7k-12k wedge topper.

 

Not at all actually. There isn’t a skill set needed that you can’t pick up on YouTube. You can often rent CNC tables for simple cuts like this for as low as $20 but you can do it all by hand. Moreover you don’t need a super Gucci welder to Mig the frame, can even have a friend or a shop do it. A shop could weld that frame for probably a couple hundred bucks.

You are aright on the labor taking some time but that’s pretty obvious given that it’s DIY.

Even if you understood the labor involved it’s still not worth 8-12k for a wedge

 

^^THIS^^ part of the fun in DIY is practicing or learning a new skill. I could afford the GFC but it ain't perfect, and its imperfect enough to say it warrants my DIY time. VS buying it and grumbling about the fitment, spending more time on the internet looking for an alternative before ordering a different or new style and putting the GFC in the for-sale forum..Then my 12k venture starts looking more like 35k by the time my purchase iterations end.. Sure its just capitalism, but its waste...