There's Already a Sick Camper Option For the New Toyota Tacoma
The 2024 Tacoma isn't even on sale yet, but there's already a camper designed specifically for it. GoFastCampers announced on Monday that its Platform Camper is available for the new Taco.
We've tried out the Platform Camper on Ford's bite-sized Maverick, but noted in that story that the camper setup is a better fit for a larger, more capable truck. A hybrid 2024 Tacoma TRD Pro sounds about right, though if you want one for a 2024 Chevy Colorado or 2023 Ford Ranger you can also get a Platform for those. The full-size and heavy-duty trucks are also largely covered. Even Honda Ridgeline and Nissan Titan owners can order the enclosed shell with the deployable tent.
The aluminum camper is built in Montana and custom-fitted to each vehicle it's offered on. The Taco model weighs 266 or 278 lbs, depending on whether you have a long- or short-bed truck, and can support 500-lb dynamic loads on its roof with the optional roof bars. They're also designed so that you can fit solar panels under them. The camper is ringed by a T-track mounting surface, so you can attach awnings, lights, or additional gear. Inside, you get an eight-foot vaulted ceiling with the top deployed and a three-inch thick dual-density memory foam mattress. The bed is preserved, so your fridge, cargo, cooking, and toys can live in weather-tight comfort. And you should be able to stay cool in it, per GFC:
The 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. Combined with side access panels that can be securely cracked open, intercepting airflow and channeling it through the cargo area, this keeps your truck bed much cooler than possible with traditional topper or camper designs.
I found the Camper quite comfortable, though in 25-degree October weather in Yellowstone it definitely got chilly. Still, being off the cold ground is an advantage, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better (or more ethically) built camper. GFC notes in the release that all workers at its Montana factory are full-time and salaries start at $57,200 with full benefits. That's the highest starting wage of any manufacturer in the state. During a tour of the factory, the owner pointed out that all employees get their own set of Bose noise-cancelling headphones to drown out the GFC-automated CNC machines.
The downside of custom-designed automated processes, high-strength materials, comfortable mattresses, highly rebuildable designs, warrantied products, and living wages is the the Platform Camper's cost. The Tacoma model will start at $7700 before things like the optional crossbars. And don't worry that the truck isn't out yet. GFC's earliest delivery for any tent ordered today is January 4, 2024. So if you want one next year, you might want to order soon.
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