2000 WJ 4.7L - NJ to CA? (on a budget)

[raider1234]

Hello all. This is my first time posting on this forum so bear with me here.

So, I had the idea to take a road-trip with my home in New Jersey, across the U.S., to California, and then back. Along the way I would like to hit national parks like Yellowstone and see things like Mount Rushmore. I have planned for about a month away from home. Along the way, I would like to avoid hotels whenever possible to cut down on cost and to better experience the area that I am in. I plan to be completely self sufficient when camping i.e. bringing enough supplies for a friend and I to hang out a night or two in the desert.

I have drool over all of the high-end overland builds I see on here but just don't have the funds for one as a college student. But, I do currently own a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7L with 196,xxx miles that I have been driving since my junior year in high-school. The Jeep definitely needs some work but is already very capable stock. Although I would have to: get a new front driveshaft, new drivers side seat, new exhaust, new battery wiring harness, and a few other things to get it back to stockish.

The mods that I would like to do to it for the trip are a higher lift (currently has 2" bb), roof top tent (one item I am willing to splurge on for the sake of sleeping comfort for two people), tires, rock sliders, and recovery gear.

My question being, would this be a good idea to pursue? I am not looking to be able to do any high-end trails that require locked axles or anything like that but I would like to be able to drive Black Bear Pass for example. I also want to be able to camp out of the vehicle with a friend, hence the RTT. My budget is about $7500 for the entire trip including mods so I don't have all that much to work with. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know which mods are essential and what I could pass by and still be capable and safe on the trail. I would also like to know any other vehicle suggestions that are relatively cheap as well as capable.

Also, what route should I plan for for NJ to CA? Like I said, I would like to hit places like Yellowstone where I can drive out and camp. Thanks.

 

[Fursphere]

You can get a big Coleman tent and a big air mattress or two for about $900 LESS than a RTT. While not as 'cool' as a RTT, the new tents go up almost as fast and the big air mattresses are nice and comfortable. I would probably build some gear storage into the cargo area... maybe drawers or something? And do a couple of dry runs (short trips) first to see what you forget to pack and need.

And about it being a good idea or not? If you've got the time and resources to spend a month plus on a cross country road trip - DO IT. I've got a wife and kids now, and getting away for more than a few days (weekend) at a time these days is difficult. So before you get bogged down with "responsibilities" enjoy the freedom.

 

[raider1234]

You can get a big Coleman tent and a big air mattress or two for about $900 LESS than a RTT. While not as 'cool' as a RTT, the new tents go up almost as fast and the big air mattresses are nice and comfortable. I would probably build some gear storage into the cargo area... maybe drawers or something? And do a couple of dry runs (short trips) first to see what you forget to pack and need.

And about it being a good idea or not? If you've got the time and resources to spend a month plus on a cross country road trip - DO IT. I've got a wife and kids now, and getting away for more than a few days (weekend) at a time these days is difficult. So before you get bogged down with "responsibilities" enjoy the freedom.

Thanks for reply!! I have definitely looked into ground tent camping as a viable way to cut down cost, but like you said RTT are the cool way to go . I have reconsidering the RTT though because with the WJ, I lose a lost of space with a RTT on the roof. Otherwise, I would be able to stow a lot on top using the roof rack I have. The obvious benefits are that it's pretty easy to set up and also is bit more comfortable than sleeping on the ground, especially in places like Yellowstone and Moab that can get pretty chilly at night. I'm still up in the air though.

As for doing a short trip to prepare, I do one in somewhat similar conditions last year to Firefly Music Festival. Though not in the middle of nowhere, we did gain some valuable insight after camping for 5 days. The drive was only 2 hours but it was still a solid trip nonetheless.

 

[Fursphere]

Another option for extra gear is an ultra light ultra cheap harbor freight trailer. Probably limit your travel speeds though. /shrug

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f27/...ype-trailer-ultimate-build-up-thread-1180456/

 

[AgentOrange76]

I feel ya with the whole broke college kid thing, I am one. If you're looking to save even more money, money you could use on the trip instead, you could look at keeping the same 2 inches lift under the Jeep if you're not planning on doing anything hardcore. Not only would you save money by not buying a lift but you would also save a lot of money on tires. It wouldn't give you "the look" but I'd be willing to bet with some decent tires and the swaybar disconnected black bear pass wouldn't be a huge deal. If you're looking to get a little adventerous and ebd up skipping the lift use some of the money you would have spent on a lift and put it towards sliders and armor. Another option you have if you don't wanna fool with a ground tent but don't want to drop the coin on a RTT is sleeping in the Jeep. You could build drawers underneath for storage and put a pretty substantial mattress on top to sleep on and still leave the roof rack open for gear. Go for the trip, sounds like a lot of fun, keep us posted!

 

[raider1234]

I feel ya with the whole broke college kid thing, I am one. If you're looking to save even more money, money you could use on the trip instead, you could look at keeping the same 2 inches lift under the Jeep if you're not planning on doing anything hardcore. Not only would you save money by not buying a lift but you would also save a lot of money on tires. It wouldn't give you "the look" but I'd be willing to bet with some decent tires and the swaybar disconnected black bear pass wouldn't be a huge deal. If you're looking to get a little adventerous and ebd up skipping the lift use some of the money you would have spent on a lift and put it towards sliders and armor. Another option you have if you don't wanna fool with a ground tent but don't want to drop the coin on a RTT is sleeping in the Jeep. You could build drawers underneath for storage and put a pretty substantial mattress on top to sleep on and still leave the roof rack open for gear. Go for the trip, sounds like a lot of fun, keep us posted!

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'm going to stick with the 2" lift that I have now and upgrade the blown Rough Country shocks to Bilstein. Like you said, I'll save a bit more by getting smaller tires and could get a bit better fuel mileage as well.

As for sleeping in the Jeep, I have seriously considering constructing a bed system in the pack but my only concern is having the bed platform in the back will require us to have to put all the gear that we have with us on the roof or outside the Jeep somewhere while we are sleeping. That exposes our gear to theft and the elements, especially when staying somewhere like a campground. But, if there is a good way that I could make that work, please let me know. Because I'm cutting out the lift, I do have the extra coin for the RTT though

 

[NatersXJ6]

I've done similar trips a few times in my college years. I suggest you throw $1000 in an account for emergencies, buy some used backpacking tent And basic gear off Craigslist, and get on the road as-is. bring some tools, spend most of your money on gas, beer, and be happy.

With the Internet now, it is really easy to coordinate with some locals for trail runs. You won't ever be away from basic help or a tow strap if you are just hitting the popular areas.


And... You wont really find anywhere colder at night than what you see in Jersey. get some decent sleeping bags and you'll be good to go. someday when you get out of school you can live the RTT dream. I was feeling pretty good about surviving a wet, stormy night in my RTT a few weeks ago, then I drove by a VW golf on the side of a forest road with a blue tarp stretched off the rear hatch and staked to the ground... i thought DoH yeah... I used to still camp before I had all this stupid crap that I have now... Nice reminder of how little you need (or how much you spend for that final mile of trail).

And... Unless you are about 12, you're already doing well with the ride. My first 2 cross country trips were in chevy blazers that were born before I was! Taking tools was mandatory.

 

[AgentOrange76]

Thanks for the suggestion! I think I'm going to stick with the 2" lift that I have now and upgrade the blown Rough Country shocks to Bilstein. Like you said, I'll save a bit more by getting smaller tires and could get a bit better fuel mileage as well.

As for sleeping in the Jeep, I have seriously considering constructing a bed system in the pack but my only concern is having the bed platform in the back will require us to have to put all the gear that we have with us on the roof or outside the Jeep somewhere while we are sleeping. That exposes our gear to theft and the elements, especially when staying somewhere like a campground. But, if there is a good way that I could make that work, please let me know. Because I'm cutting out the lift, I do have the extra coin for the RTT though

Sleeping in the back and still having room to store all your stuff could be as simple as a basic wood platform midway up the passenger compartment in the back and stashing lesser used items way in the back and stuff you use every time you get to camp could stay in easy to reach places or even on top of the bed. I'm a firm believer in tent camping is the only real camping, was raised that way, and when my mom wouldn't camp anymore we got a pop up camper because you still slept in a "tent." But man, anytime the rain is pouring down and splashing mud all over my tent and tarp I dream of having none of those issues and just crawling in the back of a warm waterproof vehicle.....plus you could crash at a Walmart or something like that overnight, harder to get away with that in a tent haha. I really don't know how or if a system like that would work, I can only dream haha. Perhaps someone who has done it could chime in. As far as storage, I'm sure there's better ways to go about it, but as a broke college kid I swear by $3 rubbermaid totes haha. Good choice on the bilsteins, my buddy put a pair of their shocks and struts on the front of his ram and absolutely swears by the world of difference they made. And x2 on the mileage, everyone/thing tells me I need to re-gear because I'm running 3.07s and 31s, and I would agree because I know there's performance lost, but I can crank out over 20 mpg on the highway while most wrangler guys dream of 12, so I don't mind. And hey, there are cheaper alternatives out there instead of a RTT, but if its really what you want and you'll spend the whole trip kicking yourself if you don't have one, go for it man. Some things can be the difference between an awesome trip and a miserable one. For some it might be a coffee maker, for others it could be a RTT Also, take all this with a grain of salt, I don't know nothin' :sombrero:

I've done similar trips a few times in my college years. I suggest you throw $1000 in an account for emergencies, buy some used backpacking tent And basic gear off Craigslist, and get on the road as-is. bring some tools, spend most of your money on gas, beer, and be happy.

With the Internet now, it is really easy to coordinate with some locals for trail runs. You won't ever be away from basic help or a tow strap if you are just hitting the popular areas.


And... You wont really find anywhere colder at night than what you see in Jersey. get some decent sleeping bags and you'll be good to go. someday when you get out of school you can live the RTT dream. I was feeling pretty good about surviving a wet, stormy night in my RTT a few weeks ago, then I drove by a VW golf on the side of a forest road with a blue tarp stretched off the rear hatch and staked to the ground... i thought DoH yeah... I used to still camp before I had all this stupid crap that I have now... Nice reminder of how little you need (or how much you spend for that final mile of trail).

And... Unless you are about 12, you're already doing well with the ride. My first 2 cross country trips were in chevy blazers that were born before I was! Taking tools was mandatory.

x2 on the emergency fund. Because Murphy's Law. And I can only imagine how much fun road tripping in something like that would be! We have an old CJ5, and I drive that whenever I can because it's so much fun, but they do get cranky. I don't even own it and have had the water pump let go in the school parking lit, the throttle cable disconnect on the way to a buddies house, and total brake failure twice. And that was only with me being the wheel! Man I love that thing to death....

 

[raider1234]

Sleeping in the back and still having room to store all your stuff could be as simple as a basic wood platform midway up the passenger compartment in the back and stashing lesser used items way in the back and stuff you use every time you get to camp could stay in easy to reach places or even on top of the bed. I'm a firm believer in tent camping is the only real camping, was raised that way, and when my mom wouldn't camp anymore we got a pop up camper because you still slept in a "tent." But man, anytime the rain is pouring down and splashing mud all over my tent and tarp I dream of having none of those issues and just crawling in the back of a warm waterproof vehicle.....plus you could crash at a Walmart or something like that overnight, harder to get away with that in a tent haha. I really don't know how or if a system like that would work, I can only dream haha. Perhaps someone who has done it could chime in. As far as storage, I'm sure there's better ways to go about it, but as a broke college kid I swear by $3 rubbermaid totes haha. Good choice on the bilsteins, my buddy put a pair of their shocks and struts on the front of his ram and absolutely swears by the world of difference they made. And x2 on the mileage, everyone/thing tells me I need to re-gear because I'm running 3.07s and 31s, and I would agree because I know there's performance lost, but I can crank out over 20 mpg on the highway while most wrangler guys dream of 12, so I don't mind. And hey, there are cheaper alternatives out there instead of a RTT, but if its really what you want and you'll spend the whole trip kicking yourself if you don't have one, go for it man. Some things can be the difference between an awesome trip and a miserable one. For some it might be a coffee maker, for others it could be a RTT Also, take all this with a grain of salt, I don't know nothin' :sombrero:



x2 on the emergency fund. Because Murphy's Law. And I can only imagine how much fun road tripping in something like that would be! We have an old CJ5, and I drive that whenever I can because it's so much fun, but they do get cranky. I don't even own it and have had the water pump let go in the school parking lit, the throttle cable disconnect on the way to a buddies house, and total brake failure twice. And that was only with me being the wheel! Man I love that thing to death....

Though I really really want the RTT, I have come to terms with the fact that nor do I need it and nor I have the money to spend on something like that. I'm going to go for the bed platform system like others have suggested. I think that would help me appreciate the trip more with a bit less luxury. The only issue I have with that is where would I put my full sized spare while sleeping? I guess just move it to the roof rack or I could maybe make the bed platform high enough to fit a tire underneath? The platform I am imagining i have attached a picture of.

Should I invest in things like a winch bumper and winch? I want to do Black Bear Pass for example but I'm not sure if I'll really need it, especially traveling with locals who could hall me out if necessary. Skipping out on the winch and winch bumper would save another $700 that could go to gas and beer

Also, what are some recommendations for being able to find somewhere to sleep in the truck, tent every night? I know national parks have campsites but what about some of the other places along the way that don't have campsites? Should we just post up in a Walmart parking lot? I'm up for whatever but it would be nice to hear what some other people have done in the past.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Time of year?

Your route depends on time of year. I assume as a student you are probably going in June or July?

Beware that national park campgrounds and a lot of national forest campgrounds in the west require reservations months in advance.

 

[AgentOrange76]

Though I really really want the RTT, I have come to terms with the fact that nor do I need it and nor I have the money to spend on something like that. I'm going to go for the bed platform system like others have suggested. I think that would help me appreciate the trip more with a bit less luxury. The only issue I have with that is where would I put my full sized spare while sleeping? I guess just move it to the roof rack or I could maybe make the bed platform high enough to fit a tire underneath? The platform I am imagining i have attached a picture of. View attachment 374707View attachment 374706

Should I invest in things like a winch bumper and winch? I want to do Black Bear Pass for example but I'm not sure if I'll really need it, especially traveling with locals who could hall me out if necessary. Skipping out on the winch and winch bumper would save another $700 that could go to gas and beer

Also, what are some recommendations for being able to find somewhere to sleep in the truck, tent every night? I know national parks have campsites but what about some of the other places along the way that don't have campsites? Should we just post up in a Walmart parking lot? I'm up for whatever but it would be nice to hear what some other people have done in the past.

That platform looks sweet! I'd probably throw the spare on the roof, if you decide to just mount it up there, depending on how you mount it you could use anything from a lock lug but to a cable lock through the wheel to prevent theft. The nice thing about vehicle sleeping is its incognito, so crashing at something like Wal-Mart can be done in a pinch. Could be helpful on those long days of driving though nothing but grass. Other areas that may work for areas without campgrounds might be something like a partially built neigborhood tjat has some roads but no houses, or some other secluded spot. Think about where you would go if say, you had a girl with ya and wanted some privacy Those spots, at least in my mind, would be a safe bet for sleeping in the Jeep. I'd try and avoid relying on Wal-Mart as my campsite though. Check out national forests in the areas you'll be exploring. At least around here there's dozens of free roadside camping sites on all the gravel roads. National forests are less of tourist traps in general as well. They will also have campgrounds too, at least around here they do. The disadvantage is that roadside camping is first come firat serve. I would probably research campgrounds around the areas you'll be so you always have a fall back if there's no spots in the forest or you're simply exhausted from the day and need a place to crash and not worry about finding a spot. As for a winch, I believe h&k make a hidden winch mount that probably wouldn't cost as much as a full blown bumper. And again, it's a matter of balancing needs and wants. I have a winch. Do I need it? Well, I still haven't used it, so probably not. But it's great insurance and it makes my mother sleep at night, so it's up there shoving air around.

 

[raider1234]

Your route depends on time of year. I assume as a student you are probably going in June or July?

Beware that national park campgrounds and a lot of national forest campgrounds in the west require reservations months in advance.

Yes I plan to go either late May into June or mid June into July. I am planning to either begin or end the trip at Firefly Music Festival in Delaware.

I have looked into booked reservations for campsites and would like to have the trip planned out by Christmas so hopefully there will slots.

 

[raider1234]

That platform looks sweet! I'd probably throw the spare on the roof, if you decide to just mount it up there, depending on how you mount it you could use anything from a lock lug but to a cable lock through the wheel to prevent theft. The nice thing about vehicle sleeping is its incognito, so crashing at something like Wal-Mart can be done in a pinch. Could be helpful on those long days of driving though nothing but grass. Other areas that may work for areas without campgrounds might be something like a partially built neigborhood tjat has some roads but no houses, or some other secluded spot. Think about where you would go if say, you had a girl with ya and wanted some privacy Those spots, at least in my mind, would be a safe bet for sleeping in the Jeep. I'd try and avoid relying on Wal-Mart as my campsite though. Check out national forests in the areas you'll be exploring. At least around here there's dozens of free roadside camping sites on all the gravel roads. National forests are less of tourist traps in general as well. They will also have campgrounds too, at least around here they do. The disadvantage is that roadside camping is first come firat serve. I would probably research campgrounds around the areas you'll be so you always have a fall back if there's no spots in the forest or you're simply exhausted from the day and need a place to crash and not worry about finding a spot. As for a winch, I believe h&k make a hidden winch mount that probably wouldn't cost as much as a full blown bumper. And again, it's a matter of balancing needs and wants. I have a winch. Do I need it? Well, I still haven't used it, so probably not. But it's great insurance and it makes my mother sleep at night, so it's up there shoving air around.

Thanks for the suggestions! All those camping spots sound good to be. I was worried about finding a place to stay in cities but I should be able to find a high school make out spot in most cities.

What about showering and bathrooms? I know campgrounds have bathhouses but what about when we aren't staying at a campsite and are in the back-country for example? Are we just going to have to tough it out for that day until we can get to a campground? I'm okay with it but my friend is a bit of a sissy to stuff like that.

 

[iflypropjobs]

I have an '04 WJ with the 4.7 & a RTT - it eats 3mpg or so off what you normally get, so count that into your estimate.

Sounds like a "grand" adventure - have fun!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[AgentOrange76]

Thanks for the suggestions! All those camping spots sound good to be. I was worried about finding a place to stay in cities but I should be able to find a high school make out spot in most cities.

What about showering and bathrooms? I know campgrounds have bathhouses but what about when we aren't staying at a campsite and are in the back-country for example? Are we just going to have to tough it out for that day until we can get to a campground? I'm okay with it but my friend is a bit of a sissy to stuff like that.

Hey, high school make out spots sound like totally appropriate crash spots to me, but I think like one, so maybe someone can knock some sense into us if that's not the case As for showers and stuff, I know most truck stops around here have showers and locker rooms and that sort of thing. Now how receptive they would be to non-truckers, that I don't know. They can get nasty on the CB occasionally if they find out out you're not one of them. Now you aren't some homeless dude trying to bum a shower, you're on the road same as they are, so that may help some. Also, it's amazing what free beer will do to diffuse a situation, for any sketchy encounters for that matter. Truck stops may not be your best bet, but it's the only thing I know of. Hopefully someone's got a better idea, but if not and it works, you're set. Perhaps I should add some decent moral advice as well to not me look like a total sleazbag haha. Some of the money you save from lack of lift and RTT could go into a shower system. Could be anything from a full blown vehicle depenent one to a simple solar shower. Just make sure you find a real good make out spot if you go that route