I appreciate hearing so many negatives. A lot of folks have trouble admitting that something so expensive isn't perfect. Previously having a Frontier and now an Xterra, it's nice to see GFC is making stuff for Nissan. Gear manufacturers always forget about us lol.
Thank you! Hopefully with the new Frontier it’ll put the truck more on the map for gear manufacturers lol how do you like having the Xterra now vs the Frontier??
Great 1 year review! I’m up here near Seattle so this will be my first fall/winter with my GFC.. I pray it doesn’t leak too bad or at all. So far so good.
Appreciate your honesty. I think others are quick to boast without talking about it's shortcomings. I've definitely noticed the water intrusion up here in Portland. I have a gap forming in my rear window seal as well that let's in a lot of water. That being said, it's all worth it and I never expected a truck bed to be fully water or dust proof. You forgot to mention that tangerine color is a major PRO 🤙🏼😎
Thanks Nolan! I honestly didnt think about the weatherization when i bought it but I'm not surprised its not fully weatherized since its not a contained unit in the bed. I definitely still think its worth it as well and have no regrets! And your right! lol I should have mentioned the orange as a pro ! 🙌
Had the same problem with my topper that i sold last week. Window seals all had to be replaced. Side windows not a problem but the rear one would have me removing the topper. Stopped dust & water from entering the truck bed by adding weatherproofing to surrounding area of the tailgate.
Sold my topper last week, windows needed weatherproofing. Looks like a fun way to go camping. Not going to purchase a GFC but a similar camper made in canada. Great review of GFC!!!
Nice!! What camper did you decide on? I've been following Blindman Overland for a while and he makes a camper called the Yucca Pac Camper which opens up the truck bed with a wedge tent, hes based in BC I believe
Great info. looking at one for my Ranger . Holding back because of NO rainfly. Don't understand that. Looking at the new Ikamper. Thank you so much. Like your Quick and to the point info.
Thanks Ken! Appreciate the feedback and glad the video was helpful! I've heard good things about the new IKamper but I'd still take the ability to hang out in the bed its been awesome for when the weather isnt so great. Good luck on your search! Let me know what you end up with, cheers!
Good presentation. You got some on skills. I want one! I'd use it more often as a canopy than a light camper. I'm a seattle resident but recently lived beautiful downtown Victorville (Adelanto actually) for 2 years on a job assignment. It's my wife, she thinks they're ugly, otherwise I'd have one yesterday 😢.
Thanks for the review. Great points. I’ll go. I don’t like my Gfc ladder because of the narrow steps kinda hurt my feet when coming down barefoot. I like that the Gfc is relatively lightweight.
We've had the ladder for a few weeks now but we've only used it once. I've noticed (and this is something I should have mentioned about the ladder in the video) that if were in the truck bed hanging out, we wouldnt go back outside and climb up the ladder lol we'd just jump right up there. I think we'd only end up using it if the bed was filled with stuff and we wanted to setup the tent and go to bed right away. Agreed on the lightweight of the camper! Good point, thanks for watching Cano!
To add to the ladder topic, there are ladders out there which are better in some respects. ex the alu cab ladder, it has superior steps and is still compatible with the mantis claw.
stumbled across this video as i'm looking at getting a pickup to build into an overlanding rig this upcoming spring. the GFC topper you've got is what i'd like to put on it. you covered a lot of the important bits... i wonder if by spring they'll have resolved the window/covering situation, bug netting should ALWAYS be on the outside! 😅
Glad you found the channel! I'm not sure if they have any plans to change the window covers and bug nets (at least that I've seen) there are a few other options out there like the Super Pacific or an Alu Cab that is a similar design to this. There is also Harker Outdoors which utilizes the tailgate to add more living space in the bed which is a really cool design aspect you dont see with other campers like this. Cheers!
I actually got a truck bed rug for a couple hundred and it has worked well as far as dust from the tailgate seeing it covers the gap. But then again I'm not driving in the desert and live in the wet and rainy northeast. When I picked up my GFC and drove on some dirt roads in the Oglala National grasslands the truck was filled with dust. i'll test it out a bit more locally on dirty roads and see what happens then post a reply. I'd love to hear people's ideas about sealing the camper for so for weatherization.
Can also run a fan system while driving to pressurize the interior to drive dust out. There are some overlanders that understand this concept I'm just part of the rumor mill.
I was actually looking at that type of bed rug but ended up buying the cheaper $100 one that just covers the floor (I regret it! I should have gone for the full bed coverage which but I’ll probably upgrade it eventually lol) how’s your camper been with the wet conditions out there? Any issues?
Yes. It’s washable as well. I’ll pull up to a self serve car wash detach it from its Velcro base and pressure wash it. The bed rug is comfy too much like walking on a carpet.
Awesome! Love the truck as well and hope to keep him around for a while (I've seen Frontiers with 200k miles and still kicking!) lol Hopefully more Camper options will open up for the Frontier in the future, Thanks for watching Dane!
Thank you for the thoughtful, in-depth review. Very disappointed to see the extent of the water intrusion. I live on the east coast so summer thunderstorms -- sometimes tropical storm-force -- affect most of my summer camping trips. I was about settled on the GFC because of its relatively light weight and apparent quality but the tent windows look like another major drawback for camping in rain. Also perplexed by the bug screen setup -- that's a problem. Will now take another look at the AluCab camper but am loathe to give up my tailgate. For all the clever engineering that GFC seems to be capable of am very surprised they haven't designed the tent to better perform in rain. Am just about to pull the trigger on a new Toyota Tundra but will reconsider the topper. Teardrop trailer is a possibility.
I'm glad it was helpful ! Agree on the water, I've heard some owners install some kind of gutter system on the GFC but i've never looked into it myself. I was actually looking at the AluCab prior to the GFC, pricing was the biggest factor for why I went with the GFC, I love the setup of the AluCab though but was bummed about having to remove my tailgate too lol What kind of teardrop are you thinking?
Yo, about the dust - the frontiers have a good gap in the bed frame near the front and top of the bed. Not sure if you spotted this, but if you've tried to seal between the camper and the bed but missed this part you'll get the dust.
Hey Jeff! Thanks for the info, I have seen those gaps toward the back of the bed but havent gotten around to sealing them off. What would you use to seal it? Silicon of some sort?
@@Kadenventures The ones I spotted were up near the cab. I have yet to find an absolute way to cover them. They are tucked up high. I think some broad sticky tape would work well.
Love your content dude. Got a GFC on my Tacoma over the summer and your channel was super helpful with checking out the GFC before I bought it. Come out to Colorado sometime 🤙
Thanks A! Glad videos r helpful 🤙🏽 Colorado is on my list of future road trips with the GFC but I may need to fly up for a weekend trip this winter to do some snowboarding 🏂
Hey man! looking to purchase a GFC this week. I've read a BUNCH into the water intrusion issue. Just curious did you do any water-proofing of the bed before the install? I'm planning on silicone sealing under the plastic bed rail caps as well as taping and silicon'ing the back corners and getting some recommended weather stripping for the tailgate. Appreciate any input and thanks for this review!
Hey Matt! I didnt do any water proofing prior to getting it installed. After the install I did add some rubber seals around the tailgate area to help reduce dust and water entering the cab when we drive but thats it. Luckily rain isnt a huge issue for us but I have heard other GFC owners do that exact same thing - silicone sealing around the truck bed
Nice! Congrats on getting the camper! It’s been a fun upgrade, we do get some condensation sometimes too but cracking a window and running a electric fan in the tent helps 👌🏽
Hey Thank you! And sorry about that, right when I was about to film my lavalier mic died on me (I need to buy a new one) so I was using my Diety Duo mic which has a front and back shotgun mic, this may have been messing with the audio. I was trying to fix it up in post but I guess that didnt help. Noted for next video! Thanks for the feedback👌Appreciate it!
Thanks Bro! Its been a great upgrade with what we've been able to do/see/camp over the last year. But regardless of setup, its only as good as you getting out and using it! Cheers man
Hey Jim, I did not. I drove up to Montana and had it installed by GFC. Playlist here of the entire journey up and down with my first few nights camping in the GFC th-cam.com/play/PLULLdZboZ_panpeH0SQpcDYzLxdDA3ANv.html
I appreciate hearing so many negatives. A lot of folks have trouble admitting that something so expensive isn't perfect. Previously having a Frontier and now an Xterra, it's nice to see GFC is making stuff for Nissan. Gear manufacturers always forget about us lol.
Thank you! Hopefully with the new Frontier it’ll put the truck more on the map for gear manufacturers lol how do you like having the Xterra now vs the Frontier??
I have a GFC. It's good to hear what other owners are experiencing.
Thanks! Glad the video was helpful
Great 1 year review! I’m up here near Seattle so this will be my first fall/winter with my GFC.. I pray it doesn’t leak too bad or at all. So far so good.
Glad to hear! Hopefully its more airtight, i'm not sure if its just on the Frontier that does that? Do you have a Tacoma?
@@Kadenventures It’s on a 2nd Gen Tundra
Appreciate your honesty. I think others are quick to boast without talking about it's shortcomings. I've definitely noticed the water intrusion up here in Portland. I have a gap forming in my rear window seal as well that let's in a lot of water. That being said, it's all worth it and I never expected a truck bed to be fully water or dust proof. You forgot to mention that tangerine color is a major PRO 🤙🏼😎
Thanks Nolan! I honestly didnt think about the weatherization when i bought it but I'm not surprised its not fully weatherized since its not a contained unit in the bed. I definitely still think its worth it as well and have no regrets! And your right! lol I should have mentioned the orange as a pro ! 🙌
Hi Nolan! Have you submitted a customer service request regarding the water intrusion?
Had the same problem with my topper that i sold last week. Window seals all had to be replaced. Side windows not a problem but the rear one would have me removing the topper. Stopped dust & water from entering the truck bed by adding weatherproofing to surrounding area of the tailgate.
Sold my topper last week, windows needed weatherproofing. Looks like a fun way to go camping. Not going to purchase a GFC but a similar camper made in canada. Great review of GFC!!!
Nice!! What camper did you decide on? I've been following Blindman Overland for a while and he makes a camper called the Yucca Pac Camper which opens up the truck bed with a wedge tent, hes based in BC I believe
Great info. looking at one for my Ranger . Holding back because of NO rainfly. Don't understand that. Looking at the new Ikamper. Thank you so much. Like your Quick and to the point info.
Thanks Ken! Appreciate the feedback and glad the video was helpful! I've heard good things about the new IKamper but I'd still take the ability to hang out in the bed its been awesome for when the weather isnt so great. Good luck on your search! Let me know what you end up with, cheers!
Good presentation. You got some on skills. I want one! I'd use it more often as a canopy than a light camper. I'm a seattle resident but recently lived beautiful downtown Victorville (Adelanto actually) for 2 years on a job assignment. It's my wife, she thinks they're ugly, otherwise I'd have one yesterday 😢.
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video. And there are other campers out there like this that maybe your wife would like better lol
Great and honest review!
Thanks for watching MTC! Hope it was helpful 🍻
Thanks for the review. Great points. I’ll go. I don’t like my Gfc ladder because of the narrow steps kinda hurt my feet when coming down barefoot. I like that the Gfc is relatively lightweight.
We've had the ladder for a few weeks now but we've only used it once. I've noticed (and this is something I should have mentioned about the ladder in the video) that if were in the truck bed hanging out, we wouldnt go back outside and climb up the ladder lol we'd just jump right up there. I think we'd only end up using it if the bed was filled with stuff and we wanted to setup the tent and go to bed right away. Agreed on the lightweight of the camper! Good point, thanks for watching Cano!
To add to the ladder topic, there are ladders out there which are better in some respects. ex the alu cab ladder, it has superior steps and is still compatible with the mantis claw.
@@cano1732 Good to know Thanks!!
stumbled across this video as i'm looking at getting a pickup to build into an overlanding rig this upcoming spring. the GFC topper you've got is what i'd like to put on it. you covered a lot of the important bits... i wonder if by spring they'll have resolved the window/covering situation, bug netting should ALWAYS be on the outside! 😅
Glad you found the channel! I'm not sure if they have any plans to change the window covers and bug nets (at least that I've seen) there are a few other options out there like the Super Pacific or an Alu Cab that is a similar design to this. There is also Harker Outdoors which utilizes the tailgate to add more living space in the bed which is a really cool design aspect you dont see with other campers like this. Cheers!
I actually got a truck bed rug for a couple hundred and it has worked well as far as dust from the tailgate seeing it covers the gap. But then again I'm not driving in the desert and live in the wet and rainy northeast. When I picked up my GFC and drove on some dirt roads in the Oglala National grasslands the truck was filled with dust. i'll test it out a bit more locally on dirty roads and see what happens then post a reply. I'd love to hear people's ideas about sealing the camper for so for weatherization.
Can also run a fan system while driving to pressurize the interior to drive dust out. There are some overlanders that understand this concept I'm just part of the rumor mill.
I was actually looking at that type of bed rug but ended up buying the cheaper $100 one that just covers the floor (I regret it! I should have gone for the full bed coverage which but I’ll probably upgrade it eventually lol) how’s your camper been with the wet conditions out there? Any issues?
@@JohnLaFosse I’ve heard of this as well! I’ll have to do more research to see what other folks have been doing, thanks for the suggestion!
Yes. It’s washable as well. I’ll pull up to a self serve car wash detach it from its Velcro base and pressure wash it. The bed rug is comfy too much like walking on a carpet.
My frontier is Pro4X same year as yours and 120k miles love my truck! Hopefully find a camper for her one day, thanks for the review!
Awesome! Love the truck as well and hope to keep him around for a while (I've seen Frontiers with 200k miles and still kicking!) lol Hopefully more Camper options will open up for the Frontier in the future, Thanks for watching Dane!
Thank you for the thoughtful, in-depth review. Very disappointed to see the extent of the water intrusion. I live on the east coast so summer thunderstorms -- sometimes tropical storm-force -- affect most of my summer camping trips. I was about settled on the GFC because of its relatively light weight and apparent quality but the tent windows look like another major drawback for camping in rain. Also perplexed by the bug screen setup -- that's a problem. Will now take another look at the AluCab camper but am loathe to give up my tailgate. For all the clever engineering that GFC seems to be capable of am very surprised they haven't designed the tent to better perform in rain. Am just about to pull the trigger on a new Toyota Tundra but will reconsider the topper. Teardrop trailer is a possibility.
I'm glad it was helpful ! Agree on the water, I've heard some owners install some kind of gutter system on the GFC but i've never looked into it myself. I was actually looking at the AluCab prior to the GFC, pricing was the biggest factor for why I went with the GFC, I love the setup of the AluCab though but was bummed about having to remove my tailgate too lol
What kind of teardrop are you thinking?
Yo, about the dust - the frontiers have a good gap in the bed frame near the front and top of the bed. Not sure if you spotted this, but if you've tried to seal between the camper and the bed but missed this part you'll get the dust.
Hey Jeff! Thanks for the info, I have seen those gaps toward the back of the bed but havent gotten around to sealing them off. What would you use to seal it? Silicon of some sort?
@@Kadenventures The ones I spotted were up near the cab. I have yet to find an absolute way to cover them. They are tucked up high. I think some broad sticky tape would work well.
Love your content dude. Got a GFC on my Tacoma over the summer and your channel was super helpful with checking out the GFC before I bought it. Come out to Colorado sometime 🤙
Thanks A! Glad videos r helpful 🤙🏽 Colorado is on my list of future road trips with the GFC but I may need to fly up for a weekend trip this winter to do some snowboarding 🏂
Awesome video I have. Been thinking about getting for a Tacoma
Thanks man! I've been seeing a few GFC's for Tacomas on sale around the las Vegas/phoenix area!
@@Kadenventures Here in Colorado it’s Tacoma country
@@kungfumtb310 I'm sure you'll find something out there then! lol
Hey man! looking to purchase a GFC this week. I've read a BUNCH into the water intrusion issue. Just curious did you do any water-proofing of the bed before the install? I'm planning on silicone sealing under the plastic bed rail caps as well as taping and silicon'ing the back corners and getting some recommended weather stripping for the tailgate. Appreciate any input and thanks for this review!
Hey Matt! I didnt do any water proofing prior to getting it installed. After the install I did add some rubber seals around the tailgate area to help reduce dust and water entering the cab when we drive but thats it. Luckily rain isnt a huge issue for us but I have heard other GFC owners do that exact same thing - silicone sealing around the truck bed
Nice video. I just picked mine up in September and haven’t had any water leaking in yet. 🤞🏽 🤙🏽
I did have a condensation issue though 😮 I started keeping the small windows cracked and it seems to have fixed that issue. 👍🏽
Nice! Congrats on getting the camper! It’s been a fun upgrade, we do get some condensation sometimes too but cracking a window and running a electric fan in the tent helps 👌🏽
Great video! But…what mic are you using? Your voice kept moving from left to right and it really threw me off
Hey Thank you! And sorry about that, right when I was about to film my lavalier mic died on me (I need to buy a new one) so I was using my Diety Duo mic which has a front and back shotgun mic, this may have been messing with the audio. I was trying to fix it up in post but I guess that didnt help. Noted for next video! Thanks for the feedback👌Appreciate it!
Awesome set up bro, that’s my dream set up 😊but the price is not affordable, but still thats my long term goal..
Thanks Bro! Its been a great upgrade with what we've been able to do/see/camp over the last year. But regardless of setup, its only as good as you getting out and using it! Cheers man
You’re supposed to hook the carabiners to the loop on the outside not the tent fabric itself.
Yes I do that but sometimes I just want to open the window halfway
did you install the GFC yourself?
Hey Jim, I did not. I drove up to Montana and had it installed by GFC. Playlist here of the entire journey up and down with my first few nights camping in the GFC th-cam.com/play/PLULLdZboZ_panpeH0SQpcDYzLxdDA3ANv.html
2018 frontier 4x4 33inch tires im getting 17mpg with a gfc.What awning do you have?
Nice! Even with my truck stock with nothing on it I was still only getting 16MPG highway speeds lol Its an OVS 270
My 2022 Nissan Frontier pro x4x gets 24.6 mpg! Be cheaper to build your own!
Damn! Thats awesome! My 2012 Frontier has no such gas mileage lol
I feel like the super pacific is better than this especially with their bed
I dont know too much about the Super but i've heard good things, so good to know!
@Kadenventures love your channel man.
@@pingpongballz5998 Thank you! Glad you enjoy it 🤙
Spends $8k+ on a gfc then complains about a $200 cross bar lol.
How my cheap ass saved enough to afford the 8k lol Thanks for watching Sean!