GFC or Vegabond Drifter?

[Trucks2019]

I am looking for opinions on whether to get the GFC or Vegabond Drifter. I like how I can get a fan and wiring installed as part of the build and the the thing looks built like a tank. The downsides are the 12 month wait time for one and its about 80lb heavier than the GFC. I can now get a GFC in 8 weeks but concerned about the durability long term. I live in the PNW so generally exposed to lots of rain and snow. Appreciate any feedback!

 

[Northern Tundra]

The Drifter is a better built camper with more options, however the current wait time is far longer than the 12 months advertised. Customer service is far superior with GFC as well. What kind of truck do you have? There are lots of good options available now besides these two companies

 

[Mania]

Since you are in PNW check out the superpacific they have some cool looking rain management going. I think their lead times have gotten shorter.

 

[Groverland]

The best one is the one you can actually go out and camp in!

 

[jadmt]

I had a GFC and I liked it but I would not get another one. I would look at something more like a FWC project M. I would not get a wedge style one again.

 

[OVRLNDFX4]

Why not a wedge again?

 

[jadmt]

Why not a wedge again?

just did not work very well for 2 people and a dog at least for us. A true cab over bed set up would be much better. trying to get up and down from the bed of the truck when there are two people was a total pain. We ended up only using an outside ladder. On paper it seemed like entering from the bed was a cool idea but in reality it did not work well. If solo it would have been fine though.

 

[86scotty]

Truth ^^^

 

[chmura]

I really wanted a GFC at first for my Tacoma. Saw one in person and it looked really flimsy in person. It has honey comb top that you people can kind of see through at night when the light is on inside. The major kicker was it was more like a tent than a camper. Major flaw for me was you have to remove bottom mattresses in order to get out and cannot store your bedding uptop.

After seeing it in person I saw a Drifter and the built quality was night and day. I have had my Drifter almost 3 years and still flawless and dont regret my purchase one bit.

 

[Photobug]

just did not work very well for 2 people and a dog at least for us. A true cab over bed set up would be much better.

Why can't a wedge have a cabover feature? I saw a prototype of a wedge built locally and as much as I liked the idea, but think if the area had 24-30" permanently there it would allow the extra leaf to be stored and bedding to be stored in that area. then make the sleeping area more flexible.

 

[Northern Tundra]

just did not work very well for 2 people and a dog at least for us. A true cab over bed set up would be much better. trying to get up and down from the bed of the truck when there are two people was a total pain. We ended up only using an outside ladder. On paper it seemed like entering from the bed was a cool idea but in reality it did not work well. If solo it would have been fine though.

I appreciate your feedback, as I am waiting for a wedge camper and have a similar people/dog situation. Do you think that if you had a camper that had a few feet of standing room with the bed made if it would have made things easier? I know the GFC is probably the most difficult of all campers for getting in/out of bed, as it requires a bed cushion removal or the outside ladder as you mentioned.

 

[jadmt]

I appreciate your feedback, as I am waiting for a wedge camper and have a similar people/dog situation. Do you think that if you had a camper that had a few feet of standing room with the bed made if it would have made things easier? I know the GFC is probably the most difficult of all campers for getting in/out of bed, as it requires a bed cushion removal or the outside ladder as you mentioned.

We are not tall I am 5'9" and wife 5'3" and the vee just kills the actual room you have. I suppose if it were on an 8' bed it would help but my 6.5" bed just was not convenient for getting up in the middle of the night without the other person having to get up as well. On a GFC I thing the mattress size is going to be the same on 8' or 6.5" and the V end limits space if you scoot down towards the V. my buddy's rtt had a much more roomy sleep area. If GFC had a similar design ie the V much wider it would be nicer.

 

[jadmt]

Why can't a wedge have a cabover feature? I saw a prototype of a wedge built locally and as much as I liked the idea, but think if the area had 24-30" permanently there it would allow the extra leaf to be stored and bedding to be stored in that area. then make the sleeping area more flexible.

my guess is to make it work it would have to be really long. I guess if you were really short and had really small feet wedges would be fine.

 

[Photobug]

my guess is to make it work it would have to be really long. I guess if you were really short and had really small feet wedges would be fine.

I am not sure I explained myself concept well.

What I would love to see is a wedge style camper be 24-30" higher, looking just like the popups, until it wedges up vs popping up. The area over the cab would then have storage space even when collapsed. Instead of the wedge coming from a narrow (unuseable) point there would be foom for your feet at the end so a shorter bed would not be such an issue.

I would guess there would be some structural details to work out but, think of all the advantages: bedding storage, greater useability as a bed. The extra space could even be as little as 18", also with the extra built in headroom maybe the wedge angle could then be smaller. I can tell just by looking at them a wedge is not for me, but if one was made with the extra height, it would be a game changer.

 

[plh]

my guess is to make it work it would have to be really long. I guess if you were really short and had really small feet wedges would be fine.

Yes, somewhere around 100" length up top would give a gap enough to stand while keeping a 75 to 80" sleeping surface stationary.