Camping in Soft Topper

[Ramplestiltskin]

Hey guys, I'm curious if anyone has experience camping in a softopper and would caution me against going that route for any reason. I had an ARE hard shell with carpet lining on my last truck for the last 9 years, so I'm plenty aware of the benefits and drawbacks of a hard shell. My primary use of the bed is sleeping in the back and hauling equipment for hunting and fishing trips. I've always put the more expensive items under the back seat in the cab to the extent possible. I just got a new truck and am in that lovely process of spending more money to set it up.

I'm trying to decide between (1) an ARE shell with the windoors or (2) a Fas-Top that converts between a soft tonneau and soft topper (Fas-Top Traveler | Topper & Tonneau). Potential concerns are ease of access from inside and outside the bed, ventilation, condensation, temperatures, durability (in Arizona weather), fuel efficiency, maybe bears, etc. I guess my main concerns with a soft topper are getting annoying with the manner in which I have to open and close it, and it being too warm in the back.

The main reason I'm considering the Fas-Top is so that I can keep it as a tonneau cover in town and just leave a few camping things stored back there out of sight. I realize someone can just cut open a soft tonneau, but I think that's fairly unlikely given that person doesn't know if anything is even back there. I figure the tonneau would be more likely to deter crimes of opportunity than a hard shell. I always left my hardshell unlocked on hunting trips because I'd rather have people just steal my stuff than break my window and steal my stuff.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[DEG]

What about a hard folding tonneau and a small tent that fits under the seat. They even make tents that fit in the truck bed that may work with a hard tonneau folded up to the front.

If you plan on sleeping in it often, I would just get a hard cap.

 

[ZachT]

I have had a SoftTopper for about 5 years. I love it. I have camped in it a few times. Only thing I have done is un-button the forward most snap and tuck the material inside to get a little air flow during the night. Almost all of my camping has been done in warmer months, so cannot comment on winter use.

Zach

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

What about a hard folding tonneau and a small tent that fits under the seat. They even make tents that fit in the truck bed that may work with a hard tonneau folded up to the front.

If you plan on sleeping in it often, I would just get a hard cap.

Thanks for the input. Make a long story short, going with a topper is a must for me. So really, I'm just curious about people's experiences with softoppers.

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

I have had a SoftTopper for about 5 years. I love it. I have camped in it a few times. Only thing I have done is un-button the forward most snap and tuck the material inside to get a little air flow during the night. Almost all of my camping has been done in warmer months, so cannot comment on winter use.

Zach

Thanks for the input, Zach. Do you find that it gets loud when it rains or do you experience much movement when its windy?

 

[walker18]

I had an a.r.e. topper on my last ram, and switched between that and a soft tonneau. With my new ram I went with the fas-top traveler for the same reasons you mentioned. It's been about 4 months and I love it. I haven't had the chance to camp in it in bad weather yet but I see no issues so far.

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

I had an a.r.e. topper on my last ram, and switched between that and a soft tonneau. With my new ram I went with the fas-top traveler for the same reasons you mentioned. It's been about 4 months and I love it. I haven't had the chance to camp in it in bad weather yet but I see no issues so far.

Good to hear! I'm definitely leaning towards to the Fas-Top.

 

[ZachT]

Thanks for the input, Zach. Do you find that it gets loud when it rains or do you experience much movement when its windy?

I'm a fair weather camper, so no experience with rain or heavy wind. I would imagine it would be similar to being in a tent. It's all part of the experience, right?

Zach

 

[boogielander]

How about something like a Go Fast Camper?




(lighting not included. That's my addition)
Benefits:

• You sleep upstairs
• Inside access from the bed
• Ability to stand fully, even with the Decked drawer
• You don't have to open the tent to camp if you choose not to
• Ability to open one, two, or all three panels for maximum ventilation
• Light weight for a hardshell camper
• Minimal effect on MPG (my MPG is the same, before and after)
• A host of aftermarket accessories catered to GFC
• Rad people at the company
• Made in Belgrade, MT
• Ability to lock the panels (security)
• Ability to use the bed area as usual when not camping.
• Trail-rated and Baja Approved camper. Only camper on the market that can withstand jumps and blasting through Baja
• Company really stand behind their products. Have a question? Shoot them an email or call them, they'll gladly answer it for you.
• Awesome community. GFC owners help each other out all the time and have meet ups and gatherings.

Downside:

• Cost (new one is about 10x the price of a soft shell)
  • They do have financing.
  • But plenty of used ones out there for 30-40% off, just make sure you have it transferred from
• Lead time (order now and you'll get yours in about 6 months)

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

How about something like a Go Fast Camper?
View attachment 178842
View attachment 178843
View attachment 178844
View attachment 178845
(lighting not included. That's my addition)
Benefits:

• You sleep upstairs
• Inside access from the bed
• Ability to stand fully, even with the Decked drawer
• You don't have to open the tent to camp if you choose not to
• Ability to open one, two, or all three panels for maximum ventilation
• Light weight for a hardshell camper
• Minimal effect on MPG (my MPG is the same, before and after)
• A host of aftermarket accessories catered to GFC
• Rad people at the company
• Made in Belgrade, MT
• Ability to lock the panels (security)
• Ability to use the bed area as usual when not camping.
• Trail-rated and Baja Approved camper. Only camper on the market that can withstand jumps and blasting through Baja
• Company really stand behind their products. Have a question? Shoot them an email or call them, they'll gladly answer it for you.
• Awesome community. GFC owners help each other out all the time and have meet ups and gatherings.

Downside:

• Cost (new one is about 10x the price of a soft shell)
  • They do have financing.
  • But plenty of used ones out there for 30-40% off, just make sure you have it transferred from
• Lead time (order now and you'll get yours in about 6 months)

I have looked into that GFC setup, but that cost is hard to swallow and I'd no longer be able to park in my garage. Where have you see used ones for sale?

Also, are you running Falken Wild Peak AT3's? 35s on 18s? How do you like those?

 

[boogielander]

I have looked into that GFC setup, but that cost is hard to swallow and I'd no longer be able to park in my garage. Where have you see used ones for sale?

Also, are you running Falken Wild Peak AT3's? 35s on 18s? How do you like those?

I found mine here: For Sale
They also have the "topper" which is the version without the tent too. that's supposed to help with parking.

yeap i have AT3s 35 on 18. They are awesome.
you can read my impression here: Boogielander Build - Part 4 - Wheels and Tires
and yes, over 10k miles later initial impression still stands.

 

[Ramplestiltskin]

I found mine here: For Sale
They also have the "topper" which is the version without the tent too. that's supposed to help with parking.

yeap i have AT3s 35 on 18. They are awesome.
you can read my impression here: Boogielander Build - Part 4 - Wheels and Tires
and yes, over 10k miles later initial impression still stands.

I'm really digging your setup. I just read your writeup on the GFC website too. I don't get very aggressive with my trucks, but I do have to creep my way through some pretty beat up and twisted trails as I use them for remote access on my big game hunting trips. I last had P sized Cooper STT Maxx tires (effectively 34s on 18s), which I liked but would maybe like a little bit more MPG friendly tires. I'll probably go with your same wheels and tires in the next year or two.

I may just go with the GFC topper or back to an ARE shell with a bed rug (what I've had on my last two trucks). Only other changes I'm looking at right now are swapping in a 33g tank (I have a 26 right now) and upgrading the suspension in the next year or two (currently stock suspension from Off-road Package with 2" leveling block up front (purchased this way, not my call)). Overall, I'm liking my 1500 so far after having two F150s in the past, but I do miss the little bit higher stock height.

 

[boogielander]

I'm really digging your setup. I just read your writeup on the GFC website too. I don't get very aggressive with my trucks, but I do have to creep my way through some pretty beat up and twisted trails as I use them for remote access on my big game hunting trips. I last had P sized Cooper STT Maxx tires (effectively 34s on 18s), which I liked but would maybe like a little bit more MPG friendly tires. I'll probably go with your same wheels and tires in the next year or two.

I may just go with the GFC topper or back to an ARE shell with a bed rug (what I've had on my last two trucks). Only other changes I'm looking at right now are swapping in a 33g tank (I have a 26 right now) and upgrading the suspension in the next year or two (currently stock suspension from Off-road Package with 2" leveling block up front (purchased this way, not my call)). Overall, I'm liking my 1500 so far after having two F150s in the past, but I do miss the little bit higher stock height.

one philosophy i have when building trucks for myself and customers is overengineering it is always better than not. I don't send my truck all the time, but I built it so when I do, I don't have to worry about anything. Plus, when you build it to handle the extremes, it can handle the non-extremes easily and reliably because it is engineered to withstand things that are way more hardcore.
As you can probably see, my truck's goal is to be able to go fast and overland, two extremes of the spectrum. Going fast means lighter weight, while overlanding means bringing all kinds of gears for week or month long self-reliance off grid. GFC puts it right in the middle, so I have payload quotas for other things!

The only thing is, GFC on our truck is NOT fully sealed (there will be some gaps near the tailgate) but so far that has been a non-issue for me.

 

[Tpreston]

one philosophy i have when building trucks for myself and customers is overengineering it is always better than not. I don't send my truck all the time, but I built it so when I do, I don't have to worry about anything. Plus, when you build it to handle the extremes, it can handle the non-extremes easily and reliably because it is engineered to withstand things that are way more hardcore.
As you can probably see, my truck's goal is to be able to go fast and overland, two extremes of the spectrum. Going fast means lighter weight, while overlanding means bringing all kinds of gears for week or month long self-reliance off grid. GFC puts it right in the middle, so I have payload quotas for other things!

The only thing is, GFC on our truck is NOT fully sealed (there will be some gaps near the tailgate) but so far that has been a non-issue for me.

Awesome truck. I like the GFC camper and have seen it at Overland Expo. Even though it is relatively light I was concerned about how it would on and ride off-road on my 2019 Rebel. The payload is low on the Rebels and I wasn’t sure how the truck would handle, especially with the edition of fridge, equipment, etc. Have you had any issues?

 

[boogielander]

Awesome truck. I like the GFC camper and have seen it at Overland Expo. Even though it is relatively light I was concerned about how it would on and ride off-road on my 2019 Rebel. The payload is low on the Rebels and I wasn’t sure how the truck would handle, especially with the edition of fridge, equipment, etc. Have you had any issues?

first off, GFC is the only camper that can do this:

@dtourino on Instagram: "Anyone want to parallel me on a dirt bike for the next one? 8,000lb Truck + 90mph road gap. 🎥: @avvblanc"

7,841 likes, 91 comments - dtourino on June 27, 2022: "Anyone want to parallel me on a dirt bike for the next one? 8,000lb Truck + 90mph road gap. 🎥: @avvblanc".

www.instagram.com

or this

@dtourino on Instagram: "Spent the day in Johnson Valley with @avvblanc to get some video of the finished Ram build; namely the fully optioned Unchained System. These cell-phone clips don’t do it justice - dying to see what he pulls off his camera!"

2,845 likes, 74 comments - dtourino on June 14, 2022: "Spent the day in Johnson Valley with @avvblanc to get some video of the finished Ram build; namely the fully optioned Unchained System. T..."

www.instagram.com

It is the only Boogie Rated camper. Not Super Pacific, not 4WD, not Lone Peak Overland, not OVLNDR, nothing else.


This is how the interior of the camper is usually. Just two Pelican boxes and the Decked drawer that contains my kitchen stuff on the left and tools on the right. Both are filled. I also strap the gray stool on top of the boxes. When everything is strapped down to the Decked, there is no movement or anything.
I keep the fridge inside the cab, tied down on the floor using a floor mounting plate I made and am prototyping. The same goes with my Ecoflow systems.

With everything, I am looking at about additional 700-750lb over stock (empty). That's just for me, myself, and I and everything I need. I never had any issues with the setup. With my Fox 2.5 DSC and Carli HD Springs in the rear at the firmest setting, I've never bottomed out the rear before. The 5.7 Hemi took all the weight like it's nothing, and my MPG remains the same when it was empty (that's with all the weight and 35s).
IF you elect not to go with Decked Drawer, you will gain about 100lb or so back. I like to have my stuff contained and organized without reaching in to grab them, so that's the tradeoff I made.
At my overlanding mode (aka, everything in), I can still carve canyons and pass those weekend drivers in their subarus, priuses, etc going up the mountain. Never felt the weight on the truck when turning. When I am doing day trip only, I run empty with the exception of Decked and its contents, since I am still the kitchen for lunch even for day trips.

The only thing is, as any other camper setup, when encountering crosswind, you WILL feel it and have to fight it. But that's just with any other camper setup.


To make it 100% boogie rated, I had to drill and install these custom made L brackets on the mounts to prevent any forward or rearward shifting of the camper when going high speed on dirt. This is only a problem if you participate in "sending it" on the trail, since there's nothing that really stops the forward and rearward movement of the camper for all these clamped on types of mounting. To mount these, you WILL have to drill the plastic bed cover, but good news: when you're done with it and return it to stock, simply buy a new pair of covers and no one will know.
*This one is optional, but like I said above, I overengineer stuff for that 1% of chance