Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

The SEMA Show is now over. I left about 1pm on Friday because the halls were quickly becoming jammed with non-industry people. Not that I have anything against those people, but the crowds were so thick that you couldn't really talk business anymore. At 1pm, the line for these people to get in (at $100 each I believe) was about a half mile long, just at the West Hall. There were lines over at the other halls too.

I picked up the small sample compressor from the compressor company and they also gave me a slightly larger capacity second one. I'll be experimenting with both of them for my airbag suspension project and another project I haven't posted about yet.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the Quadratec JTe pickup is going to Moab to do some offroading and photography. I was invited to go along with my LJ and join the fun on the trails and the photography but I think I'll probably just head for home, even though I will be passing through Utah on the way home. It does sound like fun to join them but I've got too many projects going on and I need to get home.

I'm leaving SEMA with 3 new projects for MORryde, one new project from the compressor company, plus projects already on my list - the headlight project from Auxbeam, a small project for Overland Outfitters and a few of my own. It was a productive show, lots to get done.

Most of the SEMA photos I haven't posted yet are in the camping/overlanding space - roof top tents, overland camp trailers, stuff like that. Might not get to them until I get home.

 

[jscherb]

A company I work with occasionally is thinking of getting into the roof top tent business and they asked me for some information on the market, the types of tents out there and for some ideas on an RTT design that might set them apart from the crowd. I took these photos at the show to share with them.

A new trend in RTTs is the what I'd call the combination hard shell. The hard shell hinges up and the tent comes out the side.

Another growing trend is the vertical lift RTT. Smittybilt was showing this one.

This vertical lift from James Barroud has a matching awning.

A close-up of the tent-entry from under the awning.

Speaking of awnings, Rightline Gear was showing what I'd call a parasol awning. It attaches to a roof rack with velcro straps and looks like it breaks down very small.

There were a few Gladiator bed replacements at the show, this one from RocTank has a tilt-up RTT on top:

Another Gladiator sleeping solution, this one from Pittman Outdoors:

Also from Pittman is this tilt-up:

I only saw one tilt-up that had awnings over the side windows for rain protection. There were a lot of tilt-ups at the show and almost all of them were like the one above - I guess you'd have to zip the side windows closed in the rain. Seems like a big drawback - all windows should have rain protection.

A double tilt-up from Tuff Stuff Overland. Nice idea but very little rain protection for the windows/sides.

The benefit of the double-tip is the space inside - on a single tilt the hinge side is unusable, can't even put your feet all the way to the end.

By far the most common type at the show, and there were a lot of them, were the single tilt-up style. But most of them would be no good to me, at 6'6", I wouldn't fit in them. They're also fairly narrow, almost none of them are as wide as a queen bed, for example. The single tip-up is a nice idea but almost every example I saw at the show would be too small for me.

Another trend is what I'd all a "traditional" RTT, like mine below, but in a much smaller size. There were a number of those at the show too but I didn't take any photos of them. Designed for smaller vehicles maybe, they don't look like they'd be comfortable for two normal sized Americans.

This is my RTT, shown on a camping trip in Death Valley. It's an older design but what I like about it is the size - the sleeping area is about 7' long (I'm 6'6) and almost as wide as a queen bed, so it has more space inside than any of the ones above.

The only thing that's a bit of a pain with mine is the travel cover, it takes a bit of work to put it back on.

But for now I'm not trading mine on one of the newer trending models above, I like all the space I've got inside.

Next up: The only thing at the show that came close to matching the number of Broncos there were the overlanding/camping trailers. I'll go through those photos and post them next.

I'm writing this from my room at the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort. We're taking the "northern" route home through Utah/Colorado/Nebraska/etc. and Glenwood Springs is a good first day's drive from Las Vegas. Got here late afternoon and enjoyed the hot springs in the evening, after breakfast will spend some more time in the hot pool and then head east.

 

[jscherb]

Posted a bunch of SEMA trailer photos over in the trailer section: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/trailers-at-sema-2022.235944/

 

[jscherb]

I'll conclude my SEMA coverage with a few random things.

Need some secure storage in your headrest? These should fit Wrangler JK/JL and Gladiators. Comes in black, tan and two shades of gray. $489 MSRP. Spacing of headrest posts is adjustable and the posts lock into the seat with toggle-type wall anchors. They also sell a matching headrest with no compartment ($119 MSRP) in case you want both headrests to look the same but don't need both to have storage in them. https://www.theheadrestsafe.com/

Inspired Overland was showing a tilt-up roof top tent (one of the dozens of tilt-ups to be seen at the show) and the Jeep in their display had this shower tank. Only the tank was on display, no hose/nozzle. The guy at the booth at the time I walked by didn't know anything about it except he said a pump was an option. It's not on their web site (https://www.inspiredoverland.com) and maybe it isn't even their product. That's all I know.

This isn't a new product this year but it was on one of the Jeeps in the "Overland Experience" section of the show. It straps to the top of the spare. The Jeep was a JLU with stock tailgate hinges and it was very wobbly. A MORryde tailgate reinforcement and HD hinges is a must if you're going to use this.

Winbo Manufacturing is a Chinese company that makes Jeep accessories. I can see the conversation between the boss and a worker over in China before the show: "Wang, many Jeeps at SEMA will have jacks mounted on their racks. Please make up a mount and put a jack on our rack for the show". Wang: "Yes sir, boss, I'll get right on it." But apparently Wang has never seen a HiLift...

It's a shop floor jack. Can you imagine trying to roll one of these under the Jeep on the trail?

I mean no disrespect to the Chinese in this, I've done work with a number of Chinese companies over the years and I've always found the people I work with very worthy of respect. But seriously, a shop floor jack mounted on the rack?

EDIT: I was just told the the Pro Eagle jack above is meant to be used off-road. Still, I can't imagine it.

I spotted this propane tank cover at the show:

It looks very nice, but I'm still trying to decide if if serves a useful purpose other than the collect dust. It's not insulated, but perhaps it moderates the temperature when the sun is hitting the tank? Maybe if you store the tank loose inside the Jeep is rattles less? Not really sure of its purpose but it does look nice.

I designed a propane tank carrier that mounts to the MORryde HD hinges (either JK or TJ hinges) so maybe I'll sew a cover like that just because I like the look of it. My tank on the MORryde hinges on my trailer:

Since Overland Outfitters is soon to be releasing the "Sparehopper" spare bag I designed, I kept an eye open for other spare bags. Found these two:

Personally I don't like the styling of the bags that are on the market, which is why I designed mine the way I did. I wanted a little more defined shape, and a retro look reminiscent of the actual "trunks" that were on the back of cars in the '20's and '30's with lids secured by leather belts.A few days before leaving for the show I received a preproduction sample from Overland Outfitters so I installed it and it's been on the LJ for the whole trip. At end of the trail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on the way out to SEMA:

One last photo:

I took the photo at about 1pm in the lobby of the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center and the photo doesn't really do the line justice. The line goes all the way to the horizon at the left and all the way to the windows at the right - based on the side of the West Hall I'd estimate that the line is about a half mile long. Those are people waiting to pay $100 to get into the show on the last day. By the people at the back get to the front of the line it might be 2pm or later, and on Friday the show closed at 4pm. It takes at least 15 minutes to walk to the North Hall, not to mention the Central Hall or the South Halls. Free advice: If you plan to go to the show on the last day, I think you can pay in advance (only $70) and pick up your badge on a shorter line (or maybe have it mailed to you, I'm not sure).

As a SEMA Member, my badges (mine and a spouse badge) showed up in the mail on August 29.

That's it for this year's SEMA coverage, I hope you found it useful or at least enjoyed it. I'll repeat the process next year.

 

[DCH109]

Actually that floor jack is a Pro Eagle https://www.proeagle.com/ and they claim it is for off road.
1.5 ton is like $419 so not a cheap jack by any means.
I do not know if I would use it or have it mounted on the side of my vehicle like that.

 

[jscherb]

A while back MORryde told me they planned to consolidate the multiple "trays" that some of the products have - the JK and JL side mount jerry can carriers, the spare mount jerry can carrier and the ammo can carrier all have trays to support the cans they carry and there have been a couple of minor variations among them. At SEMA they told me they had completed the engineering to use a single tray across all products but not having a JKU handy, they asked me to verify that the new tray worked properly with the JKU ammo can carrier. They sent me the product, it arrived yesterday and I installed it this morning.

Installed on the driver's side (it can install on either side):

Checking it out with a range of ammo cans and a kitchen battery (none of them are strapped in for the photos):

Mission accomplished.

 

[jscherb]

I designed the Saddlebags OO sells to secure to the hardtop bolts; they hang down from there and are shaped to hug the curves of the inner fender. There's a zipper strip that is held in place by the hardtop bolts and the Saddlebag zips to it. Here's one in my JKU:

OO asked me to figure out how to install Saddlebags in a JL with a Sky One Touch hardtop - they tell me they've had some requests from Sky One Touch owners. The problem is that there are no hardtop bolts securing the removable hardtop panels so there's no place to bolt the zipper strips to.

So I figured it out for them. The solution is self-adhesive zip-tie mounting pads:

The bases get attached through the grommets that are normally used for the hardtop bolts:

The self-adhesive bases get stuck to the bottom flange of the Sky One Touch side panels, the zipper strip gets stretched tight between them.

The bases are rated for 40 lbs. of pull each and each zip tie is rated for 75 lbs. so I think these will work very well.

Problem solved .

 

[Desert_Roaming]

I can tell you the Pro Eagle jack IS the jack for offroad. We use them all over the desert terrain. They are well suited for all types of terrain that we've thrown at them. Many top name desert racers use them too. Give one a shot you'll be surprised.
They weigh about 60 lbs for reference so it's not light but the ease of use is a acceptable trade off.

 

[pith helmet]

Not sure which of your threads this fits best...I ordered some of the JK door pockets for my wife. Had them for about 2 months waiting for her birthday to come around. I'm kinda forgetting whose birthday it is, seems like mine. I installed them last night and they look really great. They really dress up the Jeep.

Install was pretty easy overall. The fit is very tight, so you have to earn it a bit, but once on, they aren't going anywhere. I also probably didn't follow the instructions to a T.

There is '0' sag in them. I loaded the big pocket with the closure down to make sure it would clear the door in all cases, and it maintains about 2" clearance. I opted not to install the screws, figuring I will do them if they ever need it. I couldn't be happier with them, most importantly, neither could the wife. I just have to keep her away from the OO catalog. Homerun, Jeff.

The big pocket reminded me of an old timey binocular case, and it is just the right size. Now I actually want her to drive on the next trip so I can relax with all my stuff at hand.

 

[jscherb]

Not sure which of your threads this fits best...I ordered some of the JK door pockets for my wife. Had them for about 2 months waiting for her birthday to come around. I'm kinda forgetting whose birthday it is, seems like mine. I installed them last night and they look really great. They really dress up the Jeep.

Install was pretty easy overall. The fit is very tight, so you have to earn it a bit, but once on, they aren't going anywhere. I also probably didn't follow the instructions to a T.

There is '0' sag in them. I loaded the big pocket with the closure down to make sure it would clear the door in all cases, and it maintains about 2" clearance. I opted not to install the screws, figuring I will do them if they ever need it. I couldn't be happier with them, most importantly, neither could the wife. I just have to keep her away from the OO catalog. Homerun, Jeff.

The big pocket reminded me of an old timey binocular case, and it is just the right size. Now I actually want her to drive on the next trip so I can relax with all my stuff at hand.
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Thanks for the nice words, I'm glad you like it - I'll let the folks at OO know.

There's a reason every product comes packaged with a catalog... they tell me something like 80% of their customers buy again after they see the quality of the first product they buy .

 

[jscherb]

Back in March I did a review of a security camera I installed in my garage: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...factory-hardtops.127687/page-335#post-3005864. It's been in service since then.

The best thing about it for me? If I've left home and can't remember for sure if I closed the garage door, with this camera and its internet connection I can verify that the garage doors are closed wherever I am in the world .

I'm bringing this up again because a) I've been really happy with the camera, b) it has worked perfectly since I installed it in March and c) the company contacted me yesterday and asked me if I'd let people know about their Black Friday sale. Because of a and b I'll do that:

20%OFF Throughout The Whole Online Store
Coupon Code: BF20
25%OFF On Order Over $1200
Coupon Code: BF25
https://lumarysmart.com/pages/black-friday-pre-sale-2022

Full disclosure: I receive no compensation from Lumary. I am not an employee of the company. They contacted me out of the blue in March and asked if I would be interested in reviewing their security camera and I agreed; that's the extent of my relationship with them.

 

[pith helmet]

I have considered cameras like this and these are nicely priced. I have been reluctant to pull the trigger because I am concerned about having Wi-Fi cameras on my property. I am not tech savvy enough to know that they are secure.

 

[jscherb]

I have considered cameras like this and these are nicely priced. I have been reluctant to pull the trigger because I am concerned about having Wi-Fi cameras on my property. I am not tech savvy enough to know that they are secure.

These days pretty much nothing is 100% secure, but in the case of the camera in my garage, what's the risk? Someone might see my Jeeps in the garage if they managed to figure out how to hack the camera? They might see that one of my Jeeps isn't home? Some evil person going to the trouble to hack the camera to see if my Jeeps are home or not isn't a risk that keeps me up at night since all they'd have to do is look in the garage window to see the same thing. To hack the camera's wifi signal they'd have to be close enough to the house to see in the garage window anyway.

 

[pith helmet]

I guess I’m most concerned about the software itself. But that’s just me. ?

 

[jscherb]

Idea du jour...

The other day I posted about installing OO Saddlebags in a Sky One Touch hardtop - the side panels don't bolt to the tub so there are no bolts to hold the zipper strip in place. I used self-adhesive zip-tie bases instead:

There's never enough storage in a Jeep, especially and expedition-equipped one, so using those zip-tie bases started me thinking - what else could be done with them? Which led me to the roll bar buddies - normally they strap to the roll bar:

It turns out they're a good size to fit on the hardtop sides, just below the windows. Here's one installed with zip tie bases on a hardtop side I have here, this is a tan buddy OO sent me when they were getting ready to put the buddies in production (they ended up only doing them in black):

The zip tie bases I used for the Saddlebag can also be seen in the photos above.

To make the buddy work on the hardtop side, I added a few grommets to the buddy to accept zip ties that would securely hold the pocket in place on the hardtop side (back view):

In my JKU:

Completely out of way and I think the pockets look good there too.