I have now taken my Jeep about 36,000 miles in just over a year and I’m getting ready to head out on another several month long journey. Here’s how my current gear is holding up along with some new upgrades.
New goodies
I finally finally FINALLY got my Gobi Ranger rack installed. I have been daydreaming about this thing for months. Not only does it look sharp, but it will hold 250-300 pounds gracefully. This will free up so much space within the Jeep and allow Keya, Zag, and myself to travel a bit more comfortably. I also got the tool box and some additional accessories that help keep it stable and from damaging my Jeep. I will likely be using it to store an extra gas tank (will purchase when needed) along with some surf boards and/or a canoe.
While waiting for Gobi to carefully fabricate the rack, I had my eye out for a specific cargo box. It needed to hold a fair bit of gear, while not taking up too much precious roof rack space. I settled on this Yakima Skybox 12 because it’s light, slim, and could even hold my skis. I set up a Craigslist alert and waited. Eventually I picked one up for about half the cost of a new one. Unfortunately, my rack wasn’t finished yet so I had to load it inside the Jeep (tight fit, but doable). So far it seems to work pretty well.
My tires were just about bald and fairly cupped since I didn’t do the best job rotating them early on (lesson learned). I picked up a new set of five slightly larger tires. They are the newest version the BFG Muds because the last set did extremely well in many conditions. And since I got bigger tires…
I got a 2″ lift. It’s nothing particularly flashy, but will be necessary with the added weight. I got stiffer variable rate coil springs meaning we won’t bottom out nearly as much when in fun places like the Maze District in the Canyonlands. It’s also a couple inches added distance from rocks which is always nice. Oh, and my mother can still get in my Jeep without a ladder so that’s well and good.
Going strong
I have both the Shop Tool Roll and the Wool Camp Blanket from the Adventure Tool Company and both are holding up extremely well despite the abuse I’ve given them over the last year.
I use the tool roll to hold screwdrivers, wrenches, maps, zip ties, and some spare lug nuts. It’s super handy and I keep it tucked between the roll bar and the window of my hardtop.
I have use the blanket for all sorts of things. I use it to cover the gear in the back of my Jeep rendering my gear mostly invisible when looking through the windows. I have used to line my hammock on cold nights, to keep myself and my dog warm and occasionally as a picnic blanket. The thing is tough and when I do wash it, it just gets softer and more amazing.
My Zeon 10s winch seems to be doing well, though I don’t have to use it all too often (a good thing?). I mostly seem to be using it to help move larger trees out of the way when on trails that haven’t been used much.
My Maximus 3 rear tire carrier is doing extremely well. It’s been through some gnarly stuff and shows no signs of strain anywhere. It’s been lugging around two bikes, a small gas tank, a high lift jack, and my shovel for almost a year now. Props to the Maximus team.
Both of my Firestik antennas are holding up well despite the parking garage abuse I have given both of them.
Sorta busted, but still working
The speaker in my Cobra 75WXST CB radio went out somewhere in the woods in Canada. Not so great. When we finally realized what the problem was, I rigged up this setup on the spot using a speaker I had in my tool bag and a phone tripod I was planning on using as a phone tripod. It works fairly well considering I’ve been using it like this for six months, but I’ll likely need to rig up something more permanent.
My Bestop RoughRider Black Diamond Tailgate Organizer is still a little troubled in that both bags no longer stay locked on. However, neither have slid off and seem to be holding steady since the last update.
My Yakima spare tire bike rack that came with the Jeep is still working well enough. I had to grind the plate down a bit to fit the bolt pattern of the Maximus 3 tire carrier (slightly different than stock). The bikes move around quite a bit more than I’d like, but I have yet to lose one. We’ll see how it does with the new tire over the next few weeks.
Gone
I have given away the hitch tow point to my father as it was largely superficial. Now we have a good way to pull his vehicle out of rough spots if needed.
I replaced the original high lift jack mount when I installed the Maximus 3 tire carrier. I’ll be donating it at some point.
I was using a black plastic bin in the back to store my Jeep gear (recovery straps, tools, etc), but it was a pain to move around when needed and kept falling apart. With the addition of the cargo box, it’s no longer needed.
What’s next
I’m thinking of either replacing the bulbs in my stock headlights or adding some big goofy spotlights. The stock headlights are pretty dim, which is unfortunate because I actually like the design of them. I could use any ideas or suggestions in this area.