June 19, 2024 5 min read 1 Comment
GoFastCampers is today launching the Platform Camper V2 Pro. Packed full of meaningful upgrades, it’s designed to make living with it—andin it—an easier, nicer experience. That’s because we listened to you, our customers, and gave you what you’ve been asking for.
When GFC invented the modern wedge camper way back in 2017, we set out to create the first camper that wouldn’t ruin your truck. Radically simple and incredibly lightweight, that V1 was built like a trophy truck, and reduced the concept of a camper to its logical minimum—a place to hang out and sleep out of the weather, that required virtually no effort or time to set up and take down.
Because it was so strong, it could withstand the abuse delivered by driving hard in harsh environments. And even if you weren’t hauling ass, that strength made it just one less thing to worry about.
Because it was so light, you could actually drive hard in harsh conditions. But even if you were just toodling around, you didn’t have to worry about expensively modifying your suspension, or destroying your fuel economy, or increasing your braking distance, or pulling it off and putting it on every time you wanted to use it.
And because it was so simple, and easy to use, you could use it more often, with less planning, in more environments. That original V1 was the first camper that actually added utility to your truck in daily driving.
That formula proved successful. We sold thousands more campers than we ever thought possible. And because that led to long wait times (sometimes as long as a year!), we created the V2, which did all of the same stuff, but was possible to manufacture in volume. Along the way, we also solved a lot of problems around automated manufacturing and ethical employment practices, using the opportunity all that success brought to create a bunch of good jobs right here in our small Montana hometown, and keep making campers in the United States.
But we didn’t run out of problems to solve.
Over the years, you’ve told us that things like condensation and ventilation were issues. You asked for a more comfortable mattress, better latches, and features like a fabric headliner, and quality of life improvements like integrated lights.
And we listened. The V2 Pro solves the problems you told us about.
Let’s start with ventilation. On the old camper, if you closed all the vents, you didn’t have ventilation. So our first priority was adding vents that could stay open all the time. Even in driving rain, even when it’s cold out. You said it’d be nice to have those vents up high, in the tent’s topmost corners, so they could effectively exhaust warm, moist air, and prevent the build up of condensation. So that’s where we put them, behind hoods that will keep even horizontal rain from blowing in, and which remain held open by fabric reinforcements that can’t break when you close the tent inside the camper.
We also made the rest of the windows and doors larger, adding 37.5 percent more area to the side and rear doors, 22.4 percent to the windows at the front, and a total of 52.5 percent more total ventilation.
In testing, those top vents effectively exhaust the moisture created by your breath and body out of the tent, replacing it with cool, dry air drawn through the lower windows and doors.
In the unlikely event that any condensation still forms, we’ve added a headliner made from a marine polyester fabric. Like a good set of long underwear, that will capture any moisture that reaches it, and spread it out so it can evaporate quickly, without forming any annoying droplets that will fall on your face while you’re trying to sleep. That headliner also blocks some light from the sun, keeping the interior of the camper darker, in case you want to sleep in, or take an afternoon nap. It’s also a great place to velcro any storage pouches or patches.
Staying inside the tent, you’ll now find pockets for your phones and headlamps, an independently controlled LED light strip that dims and switches between warm white and red colors, and a bunch of loops you can clip stuff like keys to, so you don’t lose those.
Then there’s GFC’s new TurboNap mattress. The product of two years of research and development, it’s only three inches thick, but almost certainly more comfortable than the bed you sleep on at home. We achieved that with an open cell foam that won’t grow stiff in cold temperatures, wrapped in a breathable, stretchy, machine-washable tech fabric that adds even more comfort. That works seamlessly with our Transform-A-Floor panels, so you’ll still be able to move those around to open the entire camper up to the eight-foot tall vaulted ceiling, create a bunk bed or standing height desk, or simply climb in and out without disturbing the person you just had great sex with, courtesy of all the space created by the camper’s wedge shape.
Move outside, and you’ll see doors that now zip closed all the way around, and which are much easier to secure when you have them rolled up. The rear door now zips open from the bottom and the top, so you have it partially open while retaining privacy. All those coil zips now run much more smoothly, and incorporate silent zipper pulls that won’t rattle in the wind. And every opening is backed by no-see-um mesh, which combines with the fully enclosed sleeping area to keep anything that might bite you out of the sleeping area.
You’ll also notice the slick new latches, which feature bi-directional key orientation (just put the key in the hole and it will work), and come with really nice covers to keep grime and ice out of the locks.
We even skeletonized the camper’s billet end caps. Not only does this save a total of .947 pounds per-camper, but it looks sick, and gives us a place to put our new Pro badging.
Open the panels to look inside, and you’ll see new stretchy mesh bedding catches on the underside of the square Transform-A-Floor panels, four LED light strips that also dim and switch from warm white to red, and new plus nuts on the tubular space frame that make it easier to add things like molle panels, quick fists, and other storage gear, and a new 45 percent tint on the optional rear window glass, which adds privacy and security while lowering interior temperatures in direct sun.
What’s all that add up to? The first camper that won’t ruin your truck that’s also a lot better to camp in. And we’re going to sell you all those solutions to the problems you told us about for the same starting price as the old V2, which the Pro replaces: $8,450.
What about existing customers? If you’ve got an order in our production queue already, you’ve probably heard from customer service by now about switching to the Pro. But if you already have your V2, we’ve got good news for you there too. You’ll just have to wait until July 1 to hear it.
All this is thanks to you guys, our customers. Because we listened to you, you can now drive fast, and camp better.
Marshall Hoverson
July 07, 2024
I already have my pro on order and I’m all excited about getting it so I can start camping and going new places!