Our start to an overlander/expedition style Jeep JL

[Greggk]

So this is my wife's baby. It's a 2021 Wrangler Rubicon in the infamous Tuscadero paint. Currently has a Teraflex ST2 2.5" Lift, Falcon SP2 2.1 Monotube shocks,SteerSmart Yeti XD Swaybar links up front. 17x9 Weld Wheels, 35x12.50 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT tires, NFAB side steps, ARB Bondi Deluxe front bumper, Warn EVO 10k winch, and some other little stuff. We are looking to start setting it up for overlanding. We aren't really much into rock crawling as much as going out and just driving through the wilderness and seeing the best this country has to offer. If any of you have some suggestions, we will gladly take it!

 

[billiebob]

Great starting point... Only 2 people ???? Tent or trailer or RTT.... give us some parameters. Weekend explorations or month long excursions.

Great starting point regardless.

Tell us about how you eat. Food, refrigeration might be the most technical decision. Sleeping is the next. And how many days away from civilization. Are you thinking mostly campgrounds. Or off grid but close to the ammenties of civilization.

For me the top choice is where to sleep. Then what food do I need and how do I keep it fresh. Finally..... where do I wash and poop.....

My top suggestion is keep simple. The smallest HARD top RTT.... A SMALL cooler... 35L should be plenty for two. And poop every chance you get.... Gas stops, restaurants, road side pull outs, outhouses..... Me and my wife live this way on the road, we hate the idea of pooping IN the "camper".... there are always options travelling in North America..... no need to have an onboard pooper.

Even better than an RTT is sleep IN the JL if you can. Lots of "build"threads here to plan the best option if your trips are short and the option of a motel is appealing for a weekly shower.

 

[shays4me]

Go camping. Your Jeep is ready other than a cooler, tent and sleeping bags. To avoid wasting money you should just use it and then tweak your setup from there. Some people prefer to sleep in the back of the Jeep and I personally prefer that overall, except I'm tall and can't double up. Seriously though, put some gas in the tank and go!

 

[billiebob]

ps, all the mods you list have little to do with overlanding..... cool tho they might be any stock YJ. TJ. JK, JL, JT is 100% ready to overland. Sleep, eat, poop is all you need to add.

 

[AggieOE]

To my understanding, a stock vehicle with good tires is basically the best thing for overlanding. However, none of us are good at staying stock. lol So aim to keep modifications reliable.
What I've done with our vehicles is attempt to organize gear better. Drawers, cubbies, and specific bags go a long way. For a couple of weeks or even a weekend living out of your vehicle, you want to keep things organized. For me, there is nothing worse than having to move stuff to get to something you want. I use black plastic bins (the kind from Target) in the back of either SUV to organize lightweight items (clothes, sweaters, diapers). Currently, our RTT trailer has bigger bins for kitchen and camping gear. Even the cooler goes on the trailer.

Rear bins:

Robot or human?

Center Console:


So my $0.02, organization.