South America & Africa…w/ a 2 door Jeep

[Omar Brannstrom]

Omar here

Not an expert but had a 2 door wrangler

Helinox stuff is awesome and extremely small and light

Small stuff http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...family-overland-vehicle?p=1532791#post1532791

For light things, the trasharoo bag

At the roof a Raingler net, RPB roof net, can store a lot of stuff

Bestop sadle bags is very nice



We were 4 adults that went camping in a 2 door Wrangler

 

[Krytos]

I did not realize in my previous post that you already have a rack on your Jeep. Oops.

As far as hauling fuel, have you considered JCR bumpers instead of AEV? Will save you around $500 and I personally think they look better (not that looks really matter of course ) You will lose the water storage though unless you want to sacrifice some fuel storage for water with the rotopax.

http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/JKRTC/JKAC.html

A tailgate table would also be a nice addition if you plan on cooking and don't want to search for a suitable place to set up everything.

Came here to talk about JCR. AEV is awesome and the amount of engineering that they put into their stuff is insane. That being said, they're super expensive.

One option is getting a JCR or similar bumper set (they make a full width bumper with fender protection: http://www.jcroffroad.com/product/JK/JKVF.html) and getting an exorack from Vector off-road(http://www.vectoroffroad.com/exo-rack-p-76.html). This would allow you to run 12 gallons of fuel in Rotopax on your rear tire/tire carrier in addition to anything you might want to carry on your rack.

Right there you're saving yourself about a $1000. There's other places to cut down as well; Your fridge for example is $850 from ARB, but TruckFridge resells a 51 liter Indel B fridge for $529.
Indel B is an excellent brand and there are various comparisons that stack the two up against each other. Your lift kit is $1000 on your chart but OME makes a heavy duty for $720ish. Watching craigslist and the for sale sections of forums also helps a bunch, as you can find really good deals from time to time.

One thing I will pimp about AEV is their snorkel (https://www.quadratec.com/products/17100_011X_PG.htm). It requires cutting a bit of the hood but almost everyone I know that has gotten the JK ARB snorkel has regretted it, it's routed in kind of a weird way and the tube is kind of constricting. The air path of the AEV is a straight shot.

What winch are you getting? If you're going to be out and actually relying on your winch, don't skimp. Stick with the higher level Warns, ComeUp, SuperWinch, and Ramsey...basically anything Western made with a good warranty and good reputation. Synthetic rope might also be worth looking into.

On long trips it's the little things that make the difference, the tray table some people have mentioned is an awesome addition. The ability to have a place to prepare food or hold tools and parts is so convenient, you'll be wondering how you lasted so long without one.

I know none of this is rocket science but it adds up after a bit. And every little bit helps.

Edited to add:

The big thing is going to be space management. I suggest you get the majority of the stuff you need together before you start building a shelving system or look into drawers.

 

[Yuman Desert Rat]

If you go on my profile page and look around in my photo albums you might get some good ideas. I have an LJ but I'm guessing that you have more room to play with than me.

 

[Septu]

Came here to talk about JCR. AEV is awesome and the amount of engineering that they put into their stuff is insane. That being said, they're super expensive.

One option is getting a JCR or similar bumper set and getting an exorack from Vector off-road. This would allow you to run 12 gallons of fuel in Rotopax on your rear tire/tire carrier in addition to anything you might want to carry on your rack.

What winch are you getting? If you're going to be out and actually relying on your winch, don't skimp. Stick with the higher level Warns, ComeUp, SuperWinch, and Ramsey...basically anything Western made with a good warranty and good reputation.

Simply running the AEV tire carrier with the stock bumper provides the ability to carry 10g of gas, a larger spare, and is cheaper than replacing the whole bumper. Depending on what size of tires you're running, you may not even need a lift. A leveling kit gives you an inch or so up front. Also, check your spring rate to see how stiff yours are. Finding some stiffer springs would give you a boost as well. However, if you plan on loading the JK right up, spending some money for a better suspension setup will make your ride more enjoyable.

As for the winches, most (inc SuperWinch) are made in China. Here's the link to the winch shootout done a few years ago. http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/129-1107-massive-multi-winch-shootout/

I went with the 10k Engo simply because it an the Warn were the only 2 that were still completely functional after all the tests. It was also the cheapest - $350 vs $1300 for the Warn. I figured I'd try the cheap one first... and if it failed, go with the proven brand name one.

If you go on my profile page and look around in my photo albums you might get some good ideas. I have an LJ but I'm guessing that you have more room to play with than me.

Then a 2 dr JK? They'll have less room then you. But still look around at what everyone else is doing. If nothing else, it'll give you idea's as to what might work for you, and how you want to go forward.

 

[COMEUP]

Call COMEUP USA Inc.
They will be happy to sponsor you a winch.

 

[GetOutThere]

I have to agree with the sentiments of some others on here regarding AEV.

They are excellent products. No argument at all here about quality. But they're so expensive that they are a "delay of trip" option. Not only that, but those buggers are HEAVY.

My list once looked very similar to yours. I'm now looking at a LOD armor Lite front bumper, and a rear compatible with the AEV tire carrier, for hopefully the best of all worlds.

One nice thing about overlanding... it can be done on any budget. A lot of people, and a lot of various expos will make you feel like the latest and greatest of this or that is an absolute requirement. This is how I felt, that's for sure.

Personally, I now think differently.

Obviously you have to go with what works for you, but if you're waiting to have the perfect set up, you'll never leave. :smiley_drive:

 

[TheseCoordinates]

Omar here

Not an expert but had a 2 door wrangler

Helinox stuff is awesome and extremely small and light

Small stuff http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...family-overland-vehicle?p=1532791#post1532791

For light things, the trasharoo bag

At the roof a Raingler net, RPB roof net, can store a lot of stuff

Bestop sadle bags is very nice



We were 4 adults that went camping in a 2 door Wrangler

Hey Omar, Thats pretty amazing. You are able to pack 4 people and gear with you. How did your jeep take the weight? Did you feel like you need to upgrade your suspension?

 

[TheseCoordinates]

If you go on my profile page and look around in my photo albums you might get some good ideas. I have an LJ but I'm guessing that you have more room to play with than me.

Wow that is pretty amazing. The most innovative set-up I've ever seen. It's like a transformer LOL. I wish I had the skills. Great use of space, and I'm sure its pretty quick to setup and go

 

[Omar Brannstrom]

Hey Omar, Thats pretty amazing. You are able to pack 4 people and gear with you. How did your jeep take the weight? Did you feel like you need to upgrade your suspension?

Hi

I felt that the suspension could handle the load, was like driving as normal without passangers.

 

[lysol]

I'm guessing that you got the "Metal Masher System" from Raingler? lol.

http://www.raingler.com/#!jeep-combo-2-door/cnxx

 

[Metcalf]

My advice.

Take the minimal amount of stuff you need and take the extra money on the trip. A light jeep is a happy jeep.

The payload of your common JK is pretty pathetic really if you get to looking.

Try and keep it as front heavy as practical, this is more difficult than it sounds. It is WAY too easy to end up with a jeep, especially a SWB version, that is 500-600lbs rear heavy. This makes for poor performance all around in my opinion, especially in the sand, snow, and mud.

Remember, in most 3rd world countries the major traffic between towns 'off-road' is heavy trucks, not USA sized jeeps. The ruts in the road can create a HUGE problem there you can't really straddle them or move off to one side. You can end up having to drive in one rut. This creates and odd load on the axle bearings, and it gets worse the heavier the vehicle is.

 

[Omar Brannstrom]

I'm guessing that you got the "Metal Masher System" from Raingler? lol.

http://www.raingler.com/#!jeep-combo-2-door/cnxx

Hi

They have changed there site, difficult to find it should be this Roof/Back window net. It was called RPB roof net before. According to me it is difficult to have the net in front or back if long persons sit there, will probably touch the net with the head or with a cap or hat.. Children can easely sit in the back with the net over.





http://www.raingler.com/#!product/prd1/1662171525/roof-back-window-net

 

[lysol]

Hi

They have changed there site, difficult to find it should be this Roof/Back window net. It was called RPB roof net before. According to me it is difficult to have the net in front or back if long persons sit there, will probably touch the net with the head or with a cap or hat.. Children can easely sit in the back with the net over.

http://www.raingler.com/#!product/prd1/1662171525/roof-back-window-net

You know... I have a Google Doc that I update everyonce in a while of things I want. It even says RFB net now that I remember.

Are you saying that tall people would hit the net with stuff in it or would they touch it even if the net is empty?

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

Yeah would have to agree the AEV stuff is way over the top. You just need something to keep the critters out the grill. I bought a close out Body Armour bumper with a few hoops, If I remember it was around $450.

We thought about a water tank too, but even here in the US we have been glad to have a tank you can carry. You cant fill on board tanks from a spring. Three Reliance 3 Gal tanks fit behind each of the front seats in my JKU. That is 18 gallons and they are centered and low. Three gallons is not too heavy to carry. You can make up a spigot for those tanks for a few bucks from the hardware store. Winch and Fridge two batteries? Id say a come along, and try to be more vegetarian and go without the fridge! Prepared food is cheap in Mexico. I would rather have $1000 worth of fish tacos than AEV swag! Don't forget shade, was than on your list?

Get a table for the tailgate. There is a guy on ebay selling them for cheap. I have been using one for about a year now and it is holding up well. Don't forget about Craigslist too. People out here buy a Rubicon and then replace all the parts and sell the Ruby parts for cheap. Rock rails, shocks, tires etc its insane.

Lastly do whatever this guy does http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/30251-Antique-Land-Cruiser-on-the-road-since-2003
with the exception of driving a dinosaur of course. They have been everywhere and I don't think he has ever used the winch. Nothing they have came out of a catalog.

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

Picks of said table and bumper