- GoFastCampers, one of many largest title in overlanding circles, lastly has a camper choice for the Rivian R1T.
- It sleeps two in a pop-up tent above the R1T’s mattress, and you’ll arise within the mattress of the truck.
- However the {custom}, Montana-built camper is not low-cost. It begins at $9,450.
The Rivian R1 is the last word electrical off-roader, a minimum of for now. Whereas we look ahead to the Scout Traveler, Jeep Recon and eventual electrical Bronco to reach, you possibly can’t do significantly better than the flagship Rivian R1T and R1S. They each boast stable floor clearance, trick hydraulic suspensions, underbody armor and loads of torque. However if you wish to overland, quite than simply wheel, the R1T has an enormous downside. You’ll be able to’t sleep in it. Effectively, you could not, till GoFastCampers launched the Rivian model of its Platform Camper.
Those that wished to sleep in a Rivian needed to go along with the R1S. However in the event you’re hauling soiled, muddy, snowy gear round, it is definitely good to have a separate mattress, quite than having to scuff up the inside of your $90,000 SUV. The identical logic is why pickup-bed campers have lengthy been a favourite for overlanders. You’ll be able to haul heavy, messy gear in a correct truck mattress, then climb into an hooked up, enclosed sleeping platform. Not like with a rooftop tent, you can also arise within the mattress together with your head within the camper portion, and you do not want a ladder to get out and in. It is the last word resolution, except you’ve the house, group and rig for sleeping contained in the SUV itself.
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The camper can also be constructed to help mounting and carrying bigger objects on the roof. If you want to haul lumber or surf boards, as an illustration, you can buy cross bars that help you carry as much as 500 lbs on the roof, even on a path. You will additionally nonetheless have entry to the total mattress, together with room to sleep two adults of any top. GFC has additionally upgraded its included mattress lately, so your sleep ought to be fairly snug. The camper weighs 270 lbs, which—relying in your R1T’s battery measurement—ought to nonetheless offer you 1,500 to 1,750 lbs of extra payload capability for gear and passengers. GFC says it has a low-drag design that ought to solely cut back vary by 7 to 10%.
I attempted out GFC’s Platform Camper for the Ford Maverick again in 2022 and cherished it. Seeing them round San Diego on the backs of Rangers and Tacomas has me much more jealous. However for these of us who love EVs, there hasn’t been an excellent choice but. A part of why GFC campers work so properly is that they are constructed particularly for the truck and mattress configuration you’ve. Since Rivian is not promoting R1Ts as fleet-oriented work vans, they are a bit trickier to upfit than a Tacoma or Colorado.
Photograph by: GoFastCampers
GFC notes that the corporate needed to lower across the Rivian’s mission-critical rooftop antenna to make it work. (Facet notice: For those who’ve ever questioned why pickup vans nonetheless have conventional, flexible antennas mounted on the high of the hood, for this reason). The corporate additionally needed to work across the truck’s curved rear glass and management buttons mounted on the rail of the mattress. There are many hidden sensors, too. All of this stuff contribute to Rivian’s comparatively excessive restore prices, and in addition present why the simplicity of conventional truck beds is such a bonus. Most ICE vans are designed to be upfitted. So is the F-150 Lightning, as a result of it has the identical mattress, and the Silverado EV makes use of a variety of these rules too.
So it took some time for this camper to return out. In the meantime, F-150 Lightning homeowners might simply use the GFC camper constructed for the usual F-150. Now, although, GFC says it has a camper that retains the entire automobile’s practical bits in working order. It is also constructed by hand in Montana, by a crew of full-time workers who earn a dwelling wage. I have been to that Bozeman facility, and I have been a GFC consider ever since. It is good to see an organization make a {custom}, aggressive product for a passionate viewers whereas treating its individuals pretty.
However custom-designed, artisan-built campers aren’t low-cost. The usual GFC Platform begins at $8,450 earlier than equipment. However the Rivian model is a little more costly: $9,450. For those who needn’t sleep in it, and simply desire a well-built mattress cap in your R1T with a stable suite of equipment, the Platform itself is $4,999. Each can be found right now and could be ship to and put in at any of GFC’s eight retail places, that are in Bozeman, MT; Vista, CA; Sacramento, CA; Scappoose, OR; Denver, CO; Grandview, MO; New Braunfels, TX and Reidsville, NC.
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