danneskjold
Active member
The Frontier bed is a bit narrower than a Tacoma but the bottom of the Drifter actually sits more or less flush with the bed rails (that stick out quite a bit).
GFC vs. Vagabond
- Thread starter czukie
- Start date
The Frontier bed is a bit narrower than a Tacoma but the bottom of the Drifter actually sits more or less flush with the bed rails (that stick out quite a bit).
jbumx2
Observer
I don't think this is correct. I have heard of Frontier owners using Tacoma (2nd gen) bed racks for RTTs and they had to use spacers to account for the additional width between the bed rails. Maybe the 3rd gen Tacoma is wider. Anyway, I just sold my fiberglass topper so I'm planning to visit the Vagabond guys soon hopefully.
danneskjold
Active member
I believe the Frontier bed is wider but that the bed rails are recessed so for something like bed rails you would need spacers.
The Drifter fit mostly flush on my Tacoma, while it has a bit extra on the sides of the Frontier.
3rd Gen Tacomas have more or less the same bed as a 2nd gen - the major difference is the tailgate
Overlanerd
Vagabond Outdoors
Vagabond has my vote for quality, build and the willingness to listen to experience. I talked with other choices and were very closed minded on the design needs and features from a poptop. Im currently in a poptop Land Cruiser and if Vagabond offers a Tundra model with barn doors I will consider changing if I dont get a Maltec truck first.I wish Phil & Iggy the best of luck as I feel they have a bright future ahead.
The best thing to come out of EXPO was all the new choices from mild to wild.
Just reading back through the posts and realized I didn’t respond to this. It was great meeting you Phil! And also realized that your picks are between a full sized Vagabond camper and a Maltec??!! Honored to be in the running. Those are some very nice campers. Seriously stoked that you came by the booth and we really appreciate your insight.
The Frontier is 1.94” wider at the inside of the bed. The base of the Drifter can easily accommodate for that. We are making the Frontier- specific version shorter though.
That changes some of our major components since, when retracted, you have full use of the truck bed up to the cab wall. This requires different sized mattresses and bed extensions. So for the long bed, you still have full vertical clearance to the cab wall. The cabover mattress is shorter and the extension mattress is longer, in comparison to the DCSB version. same overall mattress dimensions though.
crazysccrmd
Observer
The GFC is supposed to open and have the struts support a 75lb weight. If you added stronger struts it would hold more weight open but be harder to close. Not sure on the Drifter but I imagine it’s similar given the similar wedge design and gas struts to open.
Overlanerd
Vagabond Outdoors
Definitely. Terrible picture, but the boat could extend to the hood on a DCSB or Access cab. Those bars are about 1-1/2” off the roof, so people with DCLB’s may need to go with a higher rise if the boat is longer than 13’.
If the total is less than 100 lbs, it shouldn’t be an issue. We have an internal locking support bar to help keep the roof up under load. At NWOR, I put almost all of my weight (+/- 190 lbs.) on the pull- down strap when demonstrating closing the lid. Roof didn’t budge because I forgot to swing down the locking bar.
Same issue. Heavier struts are available, but it will be hard to close without a load. We only recommend them for constant loads.
icedragonmx
Adventurer
The ability to carry a canoe on top of the Vegabond Drifter is what sold me on the design over all the others. Great having it extend far enough forward to have the sleep area access but the side benefit of this is that the canoe will not contact the windshields top edge during the late night stops where the canoe is left tied to the roof! The ability to side mount my Maxtrax and have a spot for the 270° canopy are bonuses (even if the one latch needs to be moved). Will hopefully be able to order in a few weeks if my current Xterra Pro4x is pronounced dead from last weekends swim (insurance claim). Wonder if the new ZR2 could be ordered with a Drifter as a dealer custom build, Lol.
Edit - pic of the canoe (would look sweet on top of the camper with some solar beside it!)
Edit - pic of the canoe (would look sweet on top of the camper with some solar beside it!)
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Thats a beautiful canoeThe ability to carry a canoe on top of the Vegabond Drifter is what sold me on the design over all the others. Great having it extend far enough forward to have the sleep area access but the side benefit of this is that the canoe will not contact the windshields top edge during the late night stops where the canoe is left tied to the roof! The ability to side mount my Maxtrax and have a spot for the 270° canopy are bonuses (even if the one latch needs to be moved). Will hopefully be able to order in a few weeks if my current Xterra Pro4x is pronounced dead from last weekends swim (insurance claim). Wonder if the new ZR2 could be ordered with a Drifter as a dealer custom build, Lol.
Edit - pic of the canoe (would look sweet on top of the camper with some solar beside it!)
icedragonmx
Adventurer
Thanks, I just like the idea that the Vegabond allows for the length of a canoe on top while the camper is in use. I am sold on this one! Drifter for the win!!!
Clutch
<---Pass
Those who like pillows and others that do not...
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What type of person doesn’t like pillows?
Having been one of the early depositors on the gfc and then viewing one and thinking about it further then switching to a drifter I can see that a lot of us are seeing the same things, the GFC is made for minimalist camping, sort of throw your toys in the truck get to camp and setup quickly. Not so much the extended trips camp although its doable, the remove able floor to access the RTT portion is not conducive to this IMO.
That being said the GFC is extremely well built, although I don’t necessarily agree with their design philosophy, but their sales are proving they have cut out a slice in the market. And i like their design, couple thinks I’d change about it personally though and they don’t seem to open to custom orders at this time from talking with them, which may change?
I ended up switching over to a drifter. The drifter IMO is setup more for longer durations stays/etc with how it is setup with the bed platform etc. Sure its heavier but not by that much from what I can see 70-80lbs, I’m not racing through the desert with my truck and hitting whoops and jumps. Slow and steady wins the race and saves on the wallet with broken parts!! The lus i’m more go somewhere for 3-4 days and veg out by a lake and some places with awesome hikes/views.
What I have found with Vagabond is they are more open to customization work if your willing to pay for it, and they can fit it into their design. I presume they would even be willing to do a custom build entirely if you paid for it.
Regardless they are two very well built options which neither could go wrong with. I look forward to seeing them all in the wild and people enjoying them and building them out!
Steve
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Having been one of the early depositors on the gfc and then viewing one and thinking about it further then switching to a drifter I can see that a lot of us are seeing the same things, the GFC is made for minimalist camping, sort of throw your toys in the truck get to camp and setup quickly. Not so much the extended trips camp although its doable, the remove able floor to access the RTT portion is not conducive to this IMO.
That being said the GFC is extremely well built, although I don’t necessarily agree with their design philosophy, but their sales are proving they have cut out a slice in the market. And i like their design, couple thinks I’d change about it personally though and they don’t seem to open to custom orders at this time from talking with them, which may change?
I ended up switching over to a drifter. The drifter IMO is setup more for longer durations stays/etc with how it is setup with the bed platform etc. Sure its heavier but not by that much from what I can see 70-80lbs, I’m not racing through the desert with my truck and hitting whoops and jumps. Slow and steady wins the race and saves on the wallet with broken parts!! The lus i’m more go somewhere for 3-4 days and veg out by a lake and some places with awesome hikes/views.
What I have found with Vagabond is they are more open to customization work if your willing to pay for it, and they can fit it into their design. I presume they would even be willing to do a custom build entirely if you paid for it.
Regardless they are two very well built options which neither could go wrong with. I look forward to seeing them all in the wild and people enjoying them and building them out!
Steve
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Overlanerd
Vagabond Outdoors
The fabric is “cold crack” rated for -40° F. So -25°C (-13°C) shouldn’t be a problem. The fabric will get stiffer with cold weather, which is why we went with field- adjustable latches. They are easily operable with snow gloves on.
The snow could sit on the ledge at the bottom of the tent, but that area turns up 90°, on the inside of the tent, so water/ snow shouldn’t get in. The ledge is smooth, without crevasses, and snow can be easily brushed off. There is also a support rod for peace of mind.
Hodakaguy
Adventurer
We recently had a great time at the NorthWest Overland Rally here in WA and got to look over all the camper brands in once spot. My father and I were planning on ordering a GoFast camper for his truck...now that we had the opportunity to see all the options in person we are looking at the Vagabond.
We liked the GoFast unit, light and simple. Construction looked really good and finish work was top notch. Canvas material is similar to what we have on the FWC and it’s been super waterproof. We live in the desert and the camper will be outside 365..the sun here tears things up fast. We both wondered how the composite roof will hold up over time to intense sun. Also not sure I like the light coming in through the composite translucent top, I could see times where I want it dark in the tent. Guess one could always make a internal light cover for the top.
We both really liked the Vagabond unit a lot as well, the construction is top notch and we both prefer the solid aluminum structure, insulated aluminum roof and less seals on the sides (I see this as being a lot more water/dust proof over time). They also have similar canvas material to the FWC which again we have found bullet proof in rain. We liked the longer extension over the cab and the ability to have a standing space with the bed deployed. The Drifter is also built out of thicker aluminum than the AT and was really rock solid! We also liked the side windows in the Drifter and they will be offering the Dometic windows. Without the tube frame of the GoFast the interior seems more roomy and offers more options for build outs. We really liked the one piece aluminum roof and it would be great for mounting solar or carrying my Kayaks.
The AT was great as well but higher $$ and the canvas material looked more like treated tent material than a true waterproof material like the others. I hung around twice to talk to the AT rep but never got the chance. The fit and finish of the AT was really good. They had the habitat on display as well but we both prefer the wedge design over the Habitat.
They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but I think we are liking the Drifter the best of the three.
Here’s an arial shot of the NWOR
And a couple of the campers.
AT
Vagabond
Gofast
And our camp in the FWC.
Hodakaguy
We liked the GoFast unit, light and simple. Construction looked really good and finish work was top notch. Canvas material is similar to what we have on the FWC and it’s been super waterproof. We live in the desert and the camper will be outside 365..the sun here tears things up fast. We both wondered how the composite roof will hold up over time to intense sun. Also not sure I like the light coming in through the composite translucent top, I could see times where I want it dark in the tent. Guess one could always make a internal light cover for the top.
We both really liked the Vagabond unit a lot as well, the construction is top notch and we both prefer the solid aluminum structure, insulated aluminum roof and less seals on the sides (I see this as being a lot more water/dust proof over time). They also have similar canvas material to the FWC which again we have found bullet proof in rain. We liked the longer extension over the cab and the ability to have a standing space with the bed deployed. The Drifter is also built out of thicker aluminum than the AT and was really rock solid! We also liked the side windows in the Drifter and they will be offering the Dometic windows. Without the tube frame of the GoFast the interior seems more roomy and offers more options for build outs. We really liked the one piece aluminum roof and it would be great for mounting solar or carrying my Kayaks.
The AT was great as well but higher $$ and the canvas material looked more like treated tent material than a true waterproof material like the others. I hung around twice to talk to the AT rep but never got the chance. The fit and finish of the AT was really good. They had the habitat on display as well but we both prefer the wedge design over the Habitat.
They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but I think we are liking the Drifter the best of the three.
Here’s an arial shot of the NWOR
And a couple of the campers.
AT
Vagabond
Gofast
And our camp in the FWC.
Hodakaguy
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icedragonmx
Adventurer
This is great news for those of us that winter camp in the cooler weather. Thanks to eatSleepWoof for asking the question. My worst was -45c in a tent, I do not want a repeat of that long weekend! On the Drifter is the side metal panel strong enough to direct mount 4 MaxTrax using their standard bolts x4 or should we plan on reinforcing it with a backing plate? Have seen rails used as the base previous but no direct attachments where they just drill a hole and secure the MaxTrax bolt.