We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›
I love me a rooftop tent. They get you off the ground, away from the cold, lumpy dirt, and keep you relatively removed from the maws of curious wildlife, all without sacrificing the ruggedness of the great outdoors. But in the realm of rooftop tents, there’s good and then there’s great. Go Fast Campers occupies the latter with its pop-up camper products and it’s just launched two awesome versions for the new Toyota Tacoma and my personal lord and savior, the Honda Ridgeline.
Look, every off-road weirdo and their mother knows how much the community loves the Toyota Tacoma. They’re everywhere. Both on the trail and in mall parking lots. Maybe more in mall parking lots… But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t get rad things, and Go Fast Campers thinks the same thing. The crew over at GFC also truly considered the Tacoma’s payload, something that most outfitters don’t and made this thing as light as can be.
According to GFC, the new Platform Camper for the Tacoma comes in two varietals to fit either the 5-foot or 6-foot beds, and can be outfitted across the Tacoma range. The whole unit, which encompasses the platform itself and the rooftop tent, weigh in at just 266 pounds for the 5-foot bed version, and 278 pounds for the 6-foot bed.
Now, most folks don’t think of a truck’s payload or GVWR when they’re outfitting it for off-road duty. But both are critical metrics to your ensured survival, as well as your truck’s. It’s nice to see GFC actually doing the work that so many outfitters just won’t.
As for height, “The Platform Camper adds only 6.78 inches to the total height of the new Tacoma, while its lightweight construction maintains the truck’s newly-improved driving dynamics,” says GFC CEO Stephan Morris, adding “A GFC won’t slow you down, and gives you a comfortable, instantly-accessible place to sleep at the end of a long day on the trail.”
However, what I’m more excited about is that GFC now also offers a Platform Camper for the Honda Ridgeline, a drum I’ve been beating for ages as I sing the praises of the company’s most slept-on vehicle.
Like the Tacoma, the Ridgeline can also be outfitted with GFC’s Platform Camper and give Honda owners all the access to the wild and wonderful views this globe has to offer. And like the Tacos, it weighs next to nothing, thereby giving Ridgeline owners the ability to utilize more of the truck’s 1,500-pound payload. I’ve, uh, personally tested that rating and it’s reliable.
Each camper also comes with a “half inch-thick white honeycomb composite roof reflects solar radiation and provides air gap insulation, which is then complimented by an additional four inches of foam and fabric from the folded tent, plus another inch of composite in the sleeping area floor.” And the whole camper can support up to an extra 500 pounds dynamic. Yep, you could strap a whole elk to the top of it and still be good.
Yet, GFC’s engineering—and there’s indeed a lot of engineering that goes into these campers—comes at a price. The campers start around $7,000 depending on options. That may seem like a lot to most non-camping enthusiasts, but it isn’t that much more than the Roofnest atop my Can-Am project. And given the specs of each of these campers, as well as what goes into them, it isn’t that bad for one of the best in the business.
Now who wants to go on a cross-country off-roading and hunting trip where we sleep in our campers and tents all the way through and have a wild adventure?
