Tom Sheppard has picked a Jeep for his next vehicle

[Dan Grec]

not sure why anyone would drive a ECU controlled diesel into remote parts of this planet....

I'm very interested to see what he does about that.
Even if he finds some way to do an emissions delete, will the engine be OK burning bad diesel?
What will prolonged use of high sulfur diesel do to for example the injectors?

-Dan

 

[Mbogo]

It appears he is planning on removing the front passenger seat for more storage. This modification will also allow him to stretch out inside the vehicle when necessary. Going solo vehicle, solo driver to impossibly remote and forbiddingly harsh places requires a special breed of overlander. If anyone is totally prepared to do that, Mr. Sheppard is. I, however, will not be taking all the passenger seats out of my vehicle any time soon.

 

[Septu]

His choice makes perfect sense to me. Of course, I am a bit bias. The four door was created for one thing and that was to appeal to the average family buyer. The extra doors and wheel base are to haul passengers, period. If you, me, or Tom are traveling solo then the two door is a lot better choice overall. I do not see where this overlander will be climbing any extremely steep slopes; the only area where the 4dr excels off road vs. the 2 dr.

I think most of us would agree the minimalist approach is the best when doing serious overlanding or we would all be buying RVs. In 2008, when I was looking to buy a jeep I debated going for the 4 dr or 2 dr for a while. At the time the price difference was only $2K not enough to be a consideration. It came down to the purpose of the vic. I had my road machines (crew cabs, long wheel base, 4x4s) and what I needed was a vic for the woods that would carry me and my kids, be road legal, and work as a third or fourth vic when needed.

In a 2 dr with the rear seat removed there is plenty room for cargo to support a several week mission. Actually, my preference is the rear seat out and just one co-pilot, agile and mobile is the name of the game here. Why would you pay more money and have a less capable off-road vic to have room you do not need?? This, as was quoted early, is why the 2 dr is the better choice for Tom or any overlander not looking to sleep in their vic. Of course, it is impossible to go around the world without having a vic you can sleep in; no one and I mean no one uses a motorcycle for that!!!! :bike_rider:

Really? 4 drs are ONLY to haul passengers, and is a less capable vehicle? You can build a JKU up to whatever you want, to the point where it will follow a 2dr damn near anywhere.

I solo 95+% of the time and yet wouldn't trade my 4dr for a 2dr under any circumstances. Longer range, more comfortable drive/ride (longer wheel base), and space. Space is one of those funny things... you don't have to use it, but if you don't have it, you can't use it. I've wheeled a lot with different jeeps, and I've never once come into a situation where my length has been an issue. When I did Whipsaw last summer, of the 19 jeeps, all but 3 or 4 were JKUs (and 2 of those were TJs). Not the most challenging or technical trail, but even in the tight stuff, I never once had an issue.

So while I'm more than willing to admit that a JKU isn't for everyone, to quickly dismiss it as a less capable machine, and only good to haul passengers is pure ignorance.

 

[toymaster]

^^^^ Everyone has an opinion and you have shown yours. My opinions come from a life time of experiences and an understanding of physics. You show me your degree and i will show you several of mine.

As far as your understanding of the minivans history well, I would say you need to do more research why chysler made the 4 door. I'll give you a hint it was not off road prowess.

Enjoy what you bought and I'll enjoy the roots of the original side-by-side ATV that I bought.

 

[Dan Grec]

So while I'm more than willing to admit that a JKU isn't for everyone, to quickly dismiss it as a less capable machine, and only good to haul passengers is pure ignorance.

I'm not going to get into the debate about a JKU being more or less capable off road, but to the original topic:

Tom is traveling solo. He has decided a 2 door will carry him and all the gear he requires. He simply does not need the extra space provided by the 4 door.
He is extremely experienced, so I'm going to trust his judgement on that one.
The fact he has driven a 4 door vehicle for so long means he must not have filled it too much.

I commend his "less is more" approach in this regard, and hopefully I can learn a thing or two from him.

-Dan

 

[X-plorenow]

I agree with you. Solo vehicle is one thing, solo driver is another, talk about solitude! To each his own though.

It appears he is planning on removing the front passenger seat for more storage. This modification will also allow him to stretch out inside the vehicle when necessary. Going solo vehicle, solo driver to impossibly remote and forbiddingly harsh places requires a special breed of overlander. If anyone is totally prepared to do that, Mr. Sheppard is. I, however, will not be taking all the passenger seats out of my vehicle any time soon.