Varg In Jeep's Clothing

[bluesmokemonster]

That sort of thing is successfully used by the classic sports car crowd. Your lack of doors is one difference and the enclosed top is another. Getting rid of the top doesn't help the rain problem.

 

[68BuickV6]

Wow, I think I finally need to put a shower in one of these rigs, that's too cool.

 

[Jw60]

It does cut down on the constant wind up by my face, but the random “smacked upside the head” gusts are still there and more evident because the constant wind is less. The wind coming up from my legs is way worse. The lady wants to try half doors to have the illusion of safety on the freeway, so maybe that will help, but heat is a concern.

I think there’s just no way around the fact that these things are less aerodynamic than an outhouse. Cj5s are noticeably much less windy.

Ideally, I built this to throw in the back for driving in rain to cut down on road mist, and I’m sure that will work as planned. I was just hoping for more benefits.

Try it again with the back half of the roof tucked away or rolled up.

 

[ITLKSEZ]

A few additions.

I added a shovel mount…

And I finally found a way to add a hand throttle. I welded a little button to the gas pedal arm that I turned on the lathe that captures the end of a cable. I brazed a teardrop of silver onto the end of the cut cable to fit. I grabbed a bicycle shifter and mounted it under the dash. One click holds the rpm at a perfect 1700 RPM. When you operate the gas pedal, the cable slides through the slot in the button.

 

[sterlclan]

A few additions.

I added a shovel mount…

And I finally found a way to add a hand throttle. I welded a little button to the gas pedal arm that I turned on the lathe that captures the end of a cable. I brazed a teardrop of silver onto the end of the cut cable to fit. I grabbed a bicycle shifter and mounted it under the dash. One click holds the rpm at a perfect 1700 RPM. When you operate the gas pedal, the cable slides through the slot in the button.

coulda used this recently

 

[ITLKSEZ]

The swing-out tire carrier is finally complete! The last piece of the puzzle was added last night. Axe me what I added!

It’s fairly well hidden behind the tire. It’s not super quick or convenient to get to, but it’ll be rare that I ever need it. If I hopelessly pinch the saw, at least now I have a way to retrieve it.

Why all the extra mods to this thing recently? One of these years, hopefully next summer, my GF and I have a plan to drive down to Jarbidge, NV and do the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route in its entirety. I want to be as prepared and self-sufficient as possible.

 

[ITLKSEZ]

I made a few more mods in prep for the excursion. We’re headed out for a test run this weekend to see how things will work in the real world.

I added two insulated 1-gallon jugs to the wheel wells. They seem to keep water cold for about 2 1/2 days in 90° full-sun.

I sewed up covers for the axe and shovel to prevent accidental injury.

I sewed a dry bag for bedding that fits in the floor area behind the seats.

We found through trial and error that a traditional tent won’t work for us. We found this excellent solution…

We got a tent that uses the frame of a common 10x10 canopy. No poles to set up. Quick, easy, and heavy duty. Full trail report and pics to come after this weekend.

I made a small rack that slides into the receiver hitch that holds the canopy frame.

With it installed, I still have a 38° departure angle, and the swing out tire carrier still opens. I will have to find a new spot for the axe though.

And lastly, I made these.

They are mounts for e-track ratchet straps. I didn’t want to/wasn’t able to drill more holes in the tub, so I made these brackets to tie into the rear cage mounts.

They tuck in nicely. Now I have easy anchor points for hauling camp firewood and all our gear.

 

[Rozcoking23]

I love this build, always making improvements so it’s more useable.

 

[Fireball]

I made a few more mods in prep for the excursion. We’re headed out for a test run this weekend to see how things will work in the real world.

I added two insulated 1-gallon jugs to the wheel wells. They seem to keep water cold for about 2 1/2 days in 90° full-sun.

I sewed up covers for the axe and shovel to prevent accidental injury.

I sewed a dry bag for bedding that fits in the floor area behind the seats.

We found through trial and error that a traditional tent won’t work for us. We found this excellent solution…

We got a tent that uses the frame of a common 10x10 canopy. No poles to set up. Quick, easy, and heavy duty. Full trail report and pics to come after this weekend.

I made a small rack that slides into the receiver hitch that holds the canopy frame.

With it installed, I still have a 38° departure angle, and the swing out tire carrier still opens. I will have to find a new spot for the axe though.

And lastly, I made these.

They are mounts for e-track ratchet straps. I didn’t want to/wasn’t able to drill more holes in the tub, so I made these brackets to tie into the rear cage mounts.

They tuck in nicely. Now I have easy anchor points for hauling camp firewood and all our gear.

And you were picking on me about adding cupholders to the DJ!

This is awesome. It looks very modular with everything easily accessible. I'm curious how fast the setup/takedown is for camping.

That was a big drawback with everything vertically packed into the DJ on the Rubicon. You always needed something that was buried and had to yard sale everything to get to what you want. Then there was the packing it all back in....

 

[colojeepguy]

I made a few more mods in prep for the excursion. We’re headed out for a test run this weekend to see how things will work in the real world.

I added two insulated 1-gallon jugs to the wheel wells. They seem to keep water cold for about 2 1/2 days in 90° full-sun.

I sewed up covers for the axe and shovel to prevent accidental injury.

I sewed a dry bag for bedding that fits in the floor area behind the seats.

We found through trial and error that a traditional tent won’t work for us. We found this excellent solution…

We got a tent that uses the frame of a common 10x10 canopy. No poles to set up. Quick, easy, and heavy duty. Full trail report and pics to come after this weekend.

I made a small rack that slides into the receiver hitch that holds the canopy frame.

With it installed, I still have a 38° departure angle, and the swing out tire carrier still opens. I will have to find a new spot for the axe though.

And lastly, I made these.

They are mounts for e-track ratchet straps. I didn’t want to/wasn’t able to drill more holes in the tub, so I made these brackets to tie into the rear cage mounts.

They tuck in nicely. Now I have easy anchor points for hauling camp firewood and all our gear.

I'm curious about the water jugs and the canopy tent, where did you find those?

 

[ITLKSEZ]

I'm curious about the water jugs and the canopy tent, where did you find those?

Jugs:

https://a.co/d/0eT9pY5s

Tent:

https://a.co/d/0b9S5MP9

 

[ITLKSEZ]

And you were picking on me about adding cupholders to the DJ!

This is awesome. It looks very modular with everything easily accessible. I'm curious how fast the setup/takedown is for camping.

That was a big drawback with everything vertically packed into the DJ on the Rubicon. You always needed something that was buried and had to yard sale everything to get to what you want. Then there was the packing it all back in....

Cup holders are just… different.

Setup of the canopy and tent is quick. It’s all hooks and Velcro. I’ll time it tomorrow night and report back.

The best part about going this route is the fact that the jeep easily fits under the canopy. Need to avoid a sudden downpour? Have a breakdown in the middle of the desert? I’ve got a mobile garage!

I’ve got a tiny fridge on order. ($57 on Amazon, what could go wrong?!) Once that shows up, I’ll be able to plan for the fab of the upper deck. Then the final level of Tetris can begin.

 

[cj2atruck]

I have a canopy tent as well, and it’s pretty cool, especially if there are a lot of mosquitoes in camp. This was our tent option on our first trip on the Rubicon in the JK.

 

[ITLKSEZ]

I’ve got a canopy/tent follow-up.
It’s pretty sweet! The only drawback is the amount of space needed to pack it.

We went out last weekend on a quest to do a huge loop from Avery, ID, to Red Ives Ranger Station, then across a long, remote FS road to Superior, MT. The plan was then to head up to St. Regis, MT for some ice cream, then back over Gold pass to our camp near Avery. It was going to be a long day and a few hundred miles.

Well, we made it as far as 16 miles into the long FS road when we ran into massive sections of blowdowns. Someone cleared it up to that point, but gave up. We spent a few hours on it, ran through two full tanks of saw gas, then we bailed. We made it all of .15 miles; it was that bad. It was still 33 miles from there to Superior.

Back at camp, I got a few shots of the setup process. Two nights or ten, this is pretty much how the packing looks until I get the upper deck figured out.

Canopy frame is out of the bag

Tent is hooked in the center and corners

All set up! The sheer size of this thing is impressive.

An inside shot. This is a queen air mattress on two cots. Not only do you not hit your head on the roof, I can’t even reach it!

After a long, dusty, dirty day, the hot shower is a very welcomed sight.

Sunday morning breakfast was oatmeal with fresh huckleberries and thimbleberries. It was a bit bland because I didn’t bring enough sugar. I was glad I made a few hot dogs as a fail-safe.

Here’s a time lapse of the breakdown process. I didn’t time it, but it’s quicker than a traditional tent, fur shur.

https://imgur.com/igQLV5G

We came home to a smokey hellscape.
I got this shot the next morning at work.

I’m going back next weekend to try again from the Montana side. It can’t possibly be that bad for the whole stretch. Right? Right???

 

[givemethewillys]

I’ve got a canopy/tent follow-up.
It’s pretty sweet! The only drawback is the amount of space needed to pack it.

We went out last weekend on a quest to do a huge loop from Avery, ID, to Red Ives Ranger Station, then across a long, remote FS road to Superior, MT. The plan was then to head up to St. Regis, MT for some ice cream, then back over Gold pass to our camp near Avery. It was going to be a long day and a few hundred miles.

Well, we made it as far as 16 miles into the long FS road when we ran into massive sections of blowdowns. Someone cleared it up to that point, but gave up. We spent a few hours on it, ran through two full tanks of saw gas, then we bailed. We made it all of .15 miles; it was that bad. It was still 33 miles from there to Superior.

Back at camp, I got a few shots of the setup process. Two nights or ten, this is pretty much how the packing looks until I get the upper deck figured out.

Canopy frame is out of the bag

Tent is hooked in the center and corners

All set up! The sheer size of this thing is impressive.

An inside shot. This is a queen air mattress on two cots. Not only do you not hit your head on the roof, I can’t even reach it!

After a long, dusty, dirty day, the hot shower is a very welcomed sight.

Sunday morning breakfast was oatmeal with fresh huckleberries and thimbleberries. It was a bit bland because I didn’t bring enough sugar. I was glad I made a few hot dogs as a fail-safe.

Here’s a time lapse of the breakdown process. I didn’t time it, but it’s quicker than a traditional tent, fur shur.

https://imgur.com/igQLV5G

We came home to a smokey hellscape.
I got this shot the next morning at work.

I’m going back next weekend to try again from the Montana side. It can’t possibly be that bad for the whole stretch. Right? Right???

That ez-up tent is pretty cool! Where did you get it from?

 

[ITLKSEZ]

That ez-up tent is pretty cool! Where did you get it from?

Amazon

https://a.co/d/0b9S5MP9

 

[Tumbleweed]

Well, love the concept. Look into the "Max Axe" 7 way tool. Figure out a way to swing through Mtn Home, Id. on your way to Jarbidge. There is always a garage you can park/sleep in overnight. Or the recliners on the couch. The big massage chair recliner is ready to use. You can get to Jarbidge via mostly gravel roads from here; or mostly 2 lane highways if you want to avoid I84.

 

[fr8dog61]

Love the time-lapse of the tent process! Y’all really have it down well!

 

[ITLKSEZ]

Love the time-lapse of the tent process! Y’all really have it down well!

That was our first time using it! She’s a good teammate.

 

[cj2atruck]

We don’t use our tent like this unless we are going to stay for more than 1 night because of the setup time, but it’s a fantastic tent system. We use a double high air mattress, have the porta-potty in one corner and still have room for the cloths tote and a chair.

Nice time lapse…