My 1 Year Review of the GoFast V2 Platform Camper on a Tacoma

Here is my 1 year review of ownership of a GoFast V2 Platform Camper on my Toyota Tacoma.
What exactly is the GFC Platform Truck Camper? Well, it’s a truck bed shell combined with a roof top tent. What makes the GFC special is a few things, but most notably, the fact that once you pop up the tent, the bed of the tent is the roof of the shell, and it is transformable and removable. That means you can pop out a flooring section to drop down into the bed of the truck, or visa versa, and go from outside, into the bed of the truck, seal yourself in, and then go up into the tent. This is super helpful during winter camping and in bear country. The other major selling point is the weight of the whole system, which is only around 300 lbs. This is the weight of most fiberglass shells on trucks these days, not including another 300 lbs for a roof top tent.
Follow along with the rest of my adventures and reviews here: www.zacharykenney.com/

[@GarrettWatts]

Awesome video! Just got my GFC and am so stoked. Probably gonna upgrade to the the new Pro tent cause it has those top ventilation vents you were desiring… thank goodness the tents can be swapped!

[@billcarey774]

Cool honest video. Appreciate you taking the time to make and share the review.

[@dseyna]

Great job, thanks for sharing all those helpful details!

[@MoAlian]

Thank you for the thorough review. It was helpful.

[@troyallen5806]

Solid honest review. Appreciate it. Thanks.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Popcornbeetle]

Thank you. this honest review was enough to realize this is not for me. Almost got caught up in the hype.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Glad I could help! They are an awesome product, but sure do cost a lot of money.

[@jimmethven8074]

Great honest review. I agree the side doors are a must for bed access. For myself, I find the wedge design tent on top of a topper the best option. The side opening with a ladder is the best as inside-topper gymnastics are no fun in my 60s. It can save several thousand dollars and there is a wide variety of Chinese tents out there from 90 pounds to the heaviest metal top 240 pounders. I have a used ARE contractor topper with side doors and center latches/locks with a used roof nest wedge tent for under $2,000 all in. The tent is 130 pounds and the topper about 170 so a total of about 300 or so. I was surprised to feel the truck (Jeep Gladiator) a little more unsteady with the added weight up top so stiffer springs would help. If I had to do it again I would consider the new Go fast topper without the built-in tent as like I said the pass thru the roof isn't useful for me. Keep up the great work.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Thanks Jim, I appreciate it. And yeah, the new GFC toppers look awesome and super burly. I'm looking forward to seeing those out and about to check'm out for myself.

[@obrianmcc12]

GFC Topper on Gladiator here... consider adding a Hewig Rear Sway Bag. They are beefed up and tuneable

[@scottbruce9872]

Did not know that no lock for the actual tent. Thanks for the video.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Glad I could help

[@fredYNWA420]

@@ZacharyKenney8 did GFC suggest any type of work-around for the lack of lock on the tent? TIA

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Joel, not that I’m aware of. They didn’t include anything else when they sent me the lock replacements. Maybe drilling a hole on excess material between the two extrusions and throwing a pad lock on there?

[@williamsuarezable]

I just picked up my GFC 2 weeks ago and they now come with pre-drilled holes on the tent latches so you can now deploy a lock (of your choice).

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Good to know! Might have to do that on my own now

[@Supernova778]

wd40 is a solvent based lubricant and is probably making your locks worse after it dries, might wanna try some dedicated lock lube. Thanks for the review looking to get this exact set up with a access cab Tacoma in the coming year. did you have a noticeable decrease in mpg?

[@bmurray7248]

The price on the GFC makes them fair value but they missed on a number of features unfortunately. It’s another 4.5 K dollars to get one done right but the short comings of the GFC would constantly annoy me. Gonna spend the big bucks and get a Super Pacific.

[@jamesp6283]

As you mentioned you should upgrade to a heavy duty leaf pack because not only the weight of the gfc but also all your gear. Also you should get some bed stiffiners as I guarantee your bed will bow out over time since its composite and you will get a big gap between your tailgate and the side of the bed. I have total chaos pricey but I think worth it

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Great recommendation!

[@canceled1111]

If you don't want to install a whole new leaf pack, you can add a leaf to the stock leaf pack. Tacoma's rear suspension is known to "sag" over time especially if you keep weight on them. I added a leaf to my 2017 and it made a world of difference. But ultimately a beefier leaf pack would be the long-term fix for sagging.

[@williemeam]

Think i need that for the maverick

[@jacemullen9661]

What is your bike rack? I love the swing out!

[@ZacharyKenney8]

It’s the Kuat Swing arm! And it really is awesome! Rocky Mounts makes a combined rack too. Either option is really good in my opinion.

[@luckistryke13]

My Buddy’s GFC rear lift gate keep on popping off on rocky road. All of his stuff got all dusty. They need to redesign the lock mechanism.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Dang that’s a huge bummer! Luckily, I personally never had any issues with that. And I live on a mountain with a very bumpy dirt road. Granted I do think their locking mechanisms were annoying, but they never opened up on me.

[@geoffbutz708]

You mentioned you have a friend designing new locks for the camper. Got anymore info on it?

[@ZacharyKenney8]

No updates yet, I'll try to post a link as soon as he has a product ready on his website.

[@oshinnflyer]

@@ZacharyKenney8- any update on the new lock solution? TIA!

[@obrianmcc12]

@@ZacharyKenney8 .... really skeptical when you mentioned "electronic" locks ... I hope they beta test heavily in ALL of the elements.

[@yepme6484]

Superpacific switchback xt1 , I like the design but, it's pricey in my opinion.

[@bigmtnrealtor2078]

This Winter my locks have been a Major issue, If you have any replacemnt locks or upgrades , please drop a link. Thanks

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Forreal! I’m in the same boat. That and the rear door freezing to the tailgate. This winter’s snow in Utah has been a nightmare on everything

[@RichardD_MO]

You mentioned the dusty roads, but do you get much dust sucked into the shell? I see the positive pressure vents on SmartCap and AluCab, but would be nice to buy American Made.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

The new seals on the V2 prevent nearly all dust from getting into the shell/bed! I was shocked about this, especially with how many leak paths are in the truck bed. But yeah, as I mentioned, live 5 miles back on a dirt road and have never had an issue with dust ingress.

[@ScoobyFermentation]

Any leaks in the PNW? I'm hearing pretty bad stuff about the V2.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

To be honest, I haven't had any issues, but I've been very fortunate and haven't had to deal with much (if any rain) when camping in it. My trips to the PNW in OR or WA have been shockingly dry, or simply a passing shower. I assume you're wondering about leaking in the tent? If so, can't really comment as mentioned above. But the shell has been surprisingly water tight, testing it often with a pressure washer when cleaning the truck. Hope that helps, cheers!

[@jackofblades6736]

Did you have to upgrade your rear suspension?

[@ZacharyKenney8]

No, but I will say, I wish I had. For daily driving and maybe a bike on the back, it was not an issue. It only weighs like 300ish lbs. but when we went on long trips around the west with a lot of gear or when we are hauling around wood in the summer, I would easily clap out the suspension onto the bump stops. So it all depends on how much you load up.

[@yepme6484]

I want to get me a" super Pacific "but I can't even afford the half price. Pluse I have 3/4 ton dodge 2500 Cummins with an 8 foot bed.

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Those looks so sick! Not gonna lie! But yeah they are pricey

[@tinshield]

If you’re on the East Coast almost impossible to entertain Super Pacific.

[@Nolgore]

What pad do you use?

[@ZacharyKenney8]

I just use two Alps Mountaineering self-inflating pads. Needed something that would deflate fully to keep them up there all the time.

[@sabinahavkins5933]

How would you get a 70 lb dog up there?

[@ZacharyKenney8]

Two options: 1. to get our 60lb dog up into the tent, I would stand on the tailgate, have him jump up to meet me, then pick him up and put him in the tent. 2. Because the floor of the tent is modular, you could build "steps" inside the back of your truck allowing your dog to climb up them and through hole in the floor. We did this for a bit, but then he kept scratching our coolers with his nails, so admittedly it didn't last long.

[@mavmav6555]

Mine leaks.

[@chancesareshewears]

Way too expensive for what is a tent

[@ZacharyKenney8]

I agree if you’re looking at it from that way. But if you are in need of a truck shell, that’s a huge part of it. For us it worked, we were camping 30-50 nights outside a year, so this made things so much easier. Definitely a waste if you’re only heading out a few nights a year.