Hey eSkaters!
I’ve simply taken the Base Camp Ghost for a trip and I’ve to say, proper from the highest, this electrical skateboard may be very spectacular.
It’s positively not an eBoard for everybody. In actual fact, it should in all probability go well with solely a small subset of eSkaters, however for these folks, it’s superb.
So, let’s get into this Base Camp Ghost evaluate and discover out if that is the fitting eBoard for you.
Base Camp Ghost Assessment
Deck and Design
The very first thing you’ll discover in regards to the Ghost is its rounded bowl form deck which just about appears to be like prefer it’s sagging inwards.
This design may be very intentional as a result of the deck itself may be very stiff with just about zero flex to it.
This bowl form means that you can set your ft into the deck to offer you extra management when making tight turns and offering extra help when taking off aggressively.
The griptape may be very grippy, virtually to some extent the place it was sort of arduous to shift my ft round. In my eyes, it is a actually good factor, as a result of after you have your ft positioned in the fitting place, you possibly can ensure that your ft received’t slip round and also you’ll all the time know the place your ft are on the board.
It has a skinny layer of shock absorbing griptape which matches an extended approach to making the trip a little bit extra snug, as a result of that’s actually the one consolation characteristic you get with this one.
The deck is made from T700 3K carbon fiber which is identical materials they use in supercars. Base Camp say that after they have been designing this deck, they draw inspiration from Components 1 racing, as they aimed to create a deck that was light-weight but in addition sturdy and sturdy.
The carbon fiber is then wrapped in a layer of ABS to make it extra immune to bodily harm and chemical corrosion.
The deck is made up of a one-piece mildew to make it IP65 waterproof and dustproof.
Wheels
The Base Camp Ghost has 90mm 76A polyurethane wheels primarily based on the V2 Hemotox method which is identical method utilized by a few of the greatest eSkate wheel manufacturers like Boa.
Their clear profit is that they’re tremendous quick, however they’re nonetheless fairly grippy so you possibly can head into corners quick and are available out quick.
Due to the belt-drive design, it’s also possible to swap these wheels out for nearly every other wheel you would like.
Base Camp additionally promote 96mm glow wheels and honeycomb wheels to go well with any model of using you want.
Vans
The vans on the Base Camp look superior. They’ve these cutouts throught them which not solely look nice however scale back the overal weight of the board.
They’re CNC 7075 aluminium, which Base Camp say is aerospace grade materials.
After I took the board for a spin, I didn’t discover myself getting any pace wobbles. They have been good and durable and had nice responsiveness when making turns and carving.
Battery and Vary
The guts of the Base Camp Ghost is a 12S2P Molicel P42A 21700 8.4Ah 373Wh battery pack and is specced to get you a variety of 25 miles / 40km.
I rode for simply over 10km and the battery indicator on the distant had solely dropped a small quantity.
This is among the solely boards I’ve ridden lately that I’ve confidence that it’ll truly hit the vary they promote it to have.
I spent virtually your entire time in mode 2, for causes I’ll clarify within the subsequent part, and I rode up a handful of steep hills for testing. So, to see various battery left after my trip, I used to be very impressed.
Motors, Pace, and Hill Climbing
The twin 3000W belt-drive 5255 Hobbywing motors are next-level.
The speeds this eBoard cang et as much as is sort of scary for a deck of this size.
It has a prime pace of 34mph / 54kmh and the acceleration on it’s simply insane.
It’s waaay too quick for me, which is why I spent more often than not in pace mode 2.
And even in that mode, it was greater than sufficient energy for me.
I used to be in a position to climb hills with none points. I full throttled up at 18mph / 29kmh.
So I examined its hill climbing skill in pace mode 4 and it utterly dominated the hill. I used to be pushing 20mph / 32kmh uphill and it had loads of extra room within the throttle.
ESC and Distant
Base Camp created an ESC tailor-made for the Ghost that they name the XESC, and it comes with a distant that I haven’t seen earlier than.
The XESC is so much just like the VESC with just a few key variations.
The VESC gives actually excessive present a excessive voltage to permit DIY fans to construct eBoards round it with out limitations, nonetheless, it means that there’s typically wasted energy. The XESC is dialled-in to match the efficiency capabilities of the Ghost with none energy wastage. It gives the optimum quantity of energy to the motors from the battery whereas sustaining stability and security.
The management you get from the XESC is nice. I all the time felt just like the board responded to my thumb actions as anticipated and I felt like I had whole management over the pace and braking.
The kick within the acceleration in mode 2 was quick. In modes 3 and 4, it was insane. You really want to have some degree of expertise to trip this electrical skateboard, as a result of if you happen to don’t know the way to shift your weight accordingly, you’re going to finish up in your ass.
The distant, which Base Camp name SOUL, is de facto fairly good.
The design is one thing I haven’t seen earlier than and could be charged with USB-C.
The board has a standby mode the place after 5 minutes of not using, the board will go into standby, the place it might then be turned on and off with simply the distant for twenty-four hours. After 24hrs, the board will shut down and also you’ll want to show it again on once more on the board.
You’ll be able to put the board into reverse by double-clicking the gearbox button and you’ll enter cruise management by clicking the facility button once you’re on the desired pace.
The OLED show reveals all of the helpful data like battery ranges, present pace and pace mode.
You can too cycle by means of additional data by clicking the Energy button when the distant is on. This may show data resembling ESC and Motor temperature, motor RPM, the motor kind, drive ratio, wheel diameter, motor pole pairs, journey distance and odometer (whole distance).
Trip Expertise and General High quality
Driving the Base Camp Ghost makes me really feel like I’ll grow to be a ghost sooner fairly than later.
It has some immense energy that I, who I might think about an intermediate rider, can’t even deal with.
It’s acceleration and prime pace are positively suited to superior riders who’re searching for that adrenaline kick.
The deck is stiff so that you spend numerous vitality balancing and absorbing vibrations from the highway. After my trip, my ft have been fairly sore. You’d ultimately construct up extra foot energy, and I’ve been using extra flexy decks these days, so I miht simply not be used to it.
Base Camp are dedicated to offering a high quality expertise to their clients so they provide a 12 month producers guarantee that covers defects in workmanship and materials, plus lifetime technical help.
Extras
The kicktail is there, however it’s actually small. You can also make very small tictacs round corners if want be, but it surely’s not straightforward.
On the underside of the kick tail is a protecting puck, which is useful to guard the deck once you kick it as much as carry it.
Lastly, it comes with a prolonged and in-depth consumer handbook that outlines all the boards options and specs. Now that I give it some thought, I ought to learn it to search out out what that different distant data is.
Ultimate Ideas
General, the Base Camp Ghost is an especially highly effective electrical skateboard and needs to be reserved for superior riders who’re searching for an actual thrill.
I can’t advocate it as an off-the-cuff cruiser, becuase it doesn’t supply the extent consolation that I’m used to in electrical skateboards when using at slower speeds.
The Ghost is for going locations quick.
It is available in at US$1,299, so it has the premium price ticket, however I do assume it’s warranted for the sort of efficiency you get out of it.