Hondo Garage's New Thing

Congrats

 

A ton of “new” GFC owners seem to be having trouble closing and I’ll admit I did as well when mine first arrived (almost 4 months ago now). The advice given to me by several even earlier adopters and @wileydavis was to go slow. I’ll say that one more time. GO SLOW.....

Once i adjusted my closing procedure to take 1 or 2 mins closing slowly and continually tucking the fabric in as I go it’s easy to close. Seriously. Easy, when I started going fast. Not so much. Also open both side windows and unzip the rear door maybe 18”-24” that’s it.

Slow down, tuck as you go and it will 100% close without issue... SLOW......

Get it?? SLOW!!!!!!!!

 

Dang man!! I wish you had seen my post on the last page. I’m selling my spot which would have got you around 100 orders sooner. Congrats anyways!

 

Start driving. It says Complete.

 

I wish I saw it earlier too! I saw your post minutes after placing the order.

 

For closing with all cushions in it takes me < 1 minute. Close it 95% of the way fast. Push the fabric away from the corners and slowly close the last couple inches.


No major leaks upstairs in mine. We had 3” of rain in 3 hours. The tent was collapsed and closed. One cushion might have been slightly damp. If it was wet, it was so little it was hard to tell if the cushion was just cold or slightly damp.

Camping in the rain with the tent open was totally dry upstairs in the one storm so far.

I wonder if the upstairs leaks when the tent is closed are due to people leaving the windows open in a way that water gets in. The extrusions do not form a water tight seal, the tent provides the seal.

Downstairs leaks slightly through the front bedside corners. I really wish I sealed the bed better before install. I don’t consider this a gfc issue.

 

Rome wasn’t built in day...but my camper was!

If it was summer time I’d drive, but I’ll take the shipping thank you.

 

I'll mirror @Borrego Taco 's post. I didn't notice the different sized gaps in the locking mechanism on my GFC until people started posting their own pictures. Mine is at least 1/4" inch on the left and completely flush on the right. I haven't had any issues closing mine. Yes, it can be difficult after the first few times closing it, but I quickly learned that if it is hard to close then I have fabric getting caught somewhere. I lift up the top about a foot, readjust the fabric and voila, it lines up and closes with a little weight on top. It takes a little effort, but is still less than a minute or two for complete setup/takedown.

As for water, I've been through inches of rain and had the tent up through five inches of snow and had no issue. The only issue has been condensation caused by two people and two dogs, but this will always be the case without using a thorough air circulation issue.

All in all, I'm happy with my purchase and can't wait until they are done testing the new accessories this winter. I'm looking forward to their new solutions for mounting solar panels and storage.

 

I've been to Sedona in the winter camping with my dirt bike. Tons of trails and great weather. Shouldn't be too many tourist either.

 

Year round riding here in the Hurricane/St. George area (southwest utah). Over the edge sports should be having a shop ride tomorrow, most likely on one of the mesas. If you haven't ridden here before, you should check it out. Mesa riding is pretty unique, especially with locals showing you around. And there is lots of dispersed camping with great views.

 

want to give a bit more details on the GFC build you ordered? Or this just for the spot and then GFC will reach out on exact build when they are close to assembling?

 

397 is a deposit with no formal build info yet. We will reach out before the build begins to get vehicle information and other choices. It wouldn't even really be a problem if you wanted to order an XL and the spot was for a standard size camper, the difference in price for the deposits would just be invoiced, and the final price would reflect the product ordered when we begin the build.

All of that said...

GFC will not and does not broker spot switches, sales or other transactions involved around selling spots in line. You guys are responsible for those transactions, and we can help swap spots or add a new owner to the deposit once you have all the details sorted. Just make sure that both the owner and the buyer are included in the email to us if you do make a transaction.

 

Great to hear! Thanks for the info.

 

Just in case I wasn't convincing enough, Bike Mag was out here for their Bible of Bike Tests a couple months ago and just put out a good video on the variety of riding around here:

 

Thanks! You got to it before me. I've been busy deep cleaning the bearded dragon's cage and didn't see the replies.

 

This is a fantastic area for mountain biking, even in the winter time! My favorite trails in the St George Area are West Loop on Little Creek mesa, the big loop on Gooseberry Mesa, and Wholly Guacamole. The JEM trail is also a fun little trail, especially if you have a friend to shuttle. If you're into some serious downhill, flying monkey is a classic. You may even be able to get some riding in around Moab right now since it's been a pretty mild winter so far in Utah. If you want recommendations for that area feel free to reach out.

 

I just realized the wait is a year. Bummer. Too long. Ground tent it is!

 

Did you drive through Mt Hood?

I saw an MGM access cab with awning on driver’s side about two weeks ago when I was on my way to Portland from Bend.

 

Yeah,
That was me.

 

Officially paid my balance yesterday and got marked as “ready for production”