Earthcruiser GZL

[ersatzknarf]

The highlights were covered above:
1. Very well built and fit and finish seemed great.
2. The shower didn't make sense to me, I would rather have storage, but the toilet pulls out pan and a inside cook top was in that area too.
3. I didn't like how steep the stairs were or how tight the door was, not a problem for me but my wife would not like the steepness.
4. I would prefer not to take the bed apart to use living space.
5. Was concerned there may not be enough storage for me....
6. Would love to have the hard top like this


I really suggest you look at one in person....

Thanks, again.

2. Yes, was thinking about that also... the Gazelle in EU has drawers there next to the shower area. Not sure why EC does not do that. We do want a shower and the hose also extends outside apparently.

3. The steep stairs and narrow doorway are a concern. I think you and I are in the same boat on that one with our wives...

4. Agreed, but seems somewhat unavoidable considering the limited space.

5. That is a concern and am concerned we'll need to add a small trailer.

Yes, seeing one (and a V2) in person is a must to proceed further.

 

[ersatzknarf]

How does the GZL attach to the truck? Also I don't see any jacks and am wondering how you lift it in and out?

Those are good questions. Am waiting for a second reply from EC. Will then ask about those points, thanks.

I think I see some jack attachment points in some of their photos, but the attachment to the vehicle is not clear.

 

[gfiero]

I looked at this and recently purchased a FWC for my 2007 DCSB Tacoma, price was the biggest factor. Storage is a problem so I opted for a Aluminess rear bumper with the large box on one side and the open box on the drivers side for the fuel cans. If the GZL is short on storage, (as is my FWC) then for you a bumper based storage option could help.

 

[Clutch]

I've only had mine deployed once in a 15+ wind..it seemed to do well but I'm curious to see how my new designed tent handles it...haven't used it in any appreciable winds yet..

But that does make a great point as to design positives!!!

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

Looked at the wind speed of that day, 24 mph with gust up to 32 mph. Challis, ID

 

[ersatzknarf]

I looked at this and recently purchased a FWC for my 2007 DCSB Tacoma, price was the biggest factor. Storage is a problem so I opted for a Aluminess rear bumper with the large box on one side and the open box on the drivers side for the fuel cans. If the GZL is short on storage, (as is my FWC) then for you a bumper based storage option could help.

Thank you very much ! I did not think to consider that. Adding one of those bumpers might help us to avoid the need for a small trailer and that would be great !

 

[cchoc]

I really like my Aluminess rear bumper. There is a toolbox inside the bumper itself in addition to whatever type boxes you put on the swing outs. On the FWC's there are access doorrs for the turnbuckles as well which you can use to store items that you don't mind getting wet or dirty in the truck bed on either side of the wheel wells. The Earthcruiser may have these doors as well, I didn't notice when I looked at the one at Expo.

 

[ersatzknarf]

Thank you for the feedback on the rear bumper. I did not at all know about the toolbox !

Oh, yes. I recall about the access doors for the turnbuckles. I seem to recall that some folks were able to exploit that for extra house batteries ?

Ahh, well, that might answer Simple's question about how the GZL is attached to the truck...

Oh, and looking further at the GZL, not sure if the Aluminess bumper could work with it, since it is angled out a bit

Then again, perhaps there are two versions; one for each bed length ?

 

[cchoc]

Aluminess makes a bumper extension so the bumper will extend out past the end of an FWC Eagle or Fleet on the Tacoma. Don't know if that is far enough for the Earthcruiser.

 

[ersatzknarf]

Thanks ! Well, there is always hope

 

[EarthCruiser]

EarthCruiser GZL Images

For more information check out the website below:

http://earthcruiser.com/our-vehicles/earthcruiser-gzl/

 

[Clutch]

Can you sleep in it with the top down? For stealth camping, or when the weather is really foul.

 

[sarconcepts]

I'm still perplexed by the spare tire location,
this is a slide in camper on a standard box, therefore the spare is normally held under the box. Are you suppose to remove the spare when you put the camper on, & put it in it's 'show off' location, only to remove it after camping & place it under the box again?
I think this location is more for looks than function, as having a wider door or an exterior storage compartment makes more sense, plus, what if you size up your tires (as some of us off-roaders tend to do) & your tires are too big for the allotted diameter ?

I would also make the roof lift at all four corners as many have said here before. There's no doubt I like the full lifting roof given what I've built, but the clearance over the bed seems really tight to begin with, then to drop the ceiling even more for some hard-to-reach roof storage seems odd.

It does look like a good quality execution however

 

[Haf-E]

I think the spare tire location is due to the campers European origin where significantly oversized wheels are not allowed and dual spares are more common.

The spare tire under the truck bed is not a great location for a lot of reasons - hard to get to when stuck to use as an earth anchor, tends to collect dirt and rust under there, etc.

 

[e60ral]

I had trouble getting through the door (6'3" 230lbs), I had to turn my chest and kind of go in sideways with my shoulders. I was only wearing a lightweight rain jacket, I think i would have real problems if I was bundled up in multiple layers.

I thought the way the storage is built-in with the composite type construction was a bit of an advantage over the FWC, but sizing felt similar. The FWC was definitely easier for me to get in and out. I liked that it looked pretty easy to move the shower and stove outside on the earthcruiser.

My takeaway from all of these slide-ins was that i'd want to do a flat bed model unless i need the vehicle to also be my DD

 

[ersatzknarf]

Many thanks for the valuable and relevant input ! Your views echo others I have heard as well.

Thanks, again