EarthRoamer XV-JP "Northwest Edition"

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

10+ year old thread... still alive... incredible.

Mike- glad to hear you're back in the XV-JP business... full circle!
Paul- happy to see how this turned out... great integrity, bud.

I can't wait to get over to check out all the work that's been done since it left my shop, Outback Hardware, all those years ago. I've followed this thread as a lurker for years, and was disappointed to hear of the midlife woes of this unique vehicle, as well as all the drama that Mike dealt with. FWIW, Mike will always be one of my favorite customers, and I've considered him a good friend for the past decade+ as well. It was good to see the XV-JP go to the very capable hands of Paul Jensen, a few years back, and I've always enjoyed the mod details, the trip reports, and the pics.

Looking forward to seeing what the future has in store...

 

[kjp1969]

That leads me to the Jeep... I think it's time to let it go...

You guys are a classy pair- it's nice to see your mutual respect. Whatever that amount was, I'm sure it was a fair price for great work.

 

[PaulJensen]

(above) Today Mike and Sue came to get Earthroamer XV-JP #003... Taking care of the formalities...

(above) Everybody is stoked here...!!!...

(above) The start of another set of adventures...

(above) Many happy trails ahead of you, Old Friend... (The Jeep, not Mike)...

 

[mhiscox]

We just arrived back home, totally safe and sound. The little camper ran swell and boogied through the I-5 slog with no problems. (And a pro tip: my wife in the chase vehicle reported that putting fluorescent orange Maxtraxs on your hood really help keep track of you in heavy traffic. )

Huge thanks to Paul and Pam for all of the hospitality and helpfulness in making everything as good as it could be. #003 is happy and content (Anthropomorphics-R-Us) in the exact location in the shop where she spent most of her initial eight years.

All in all, a very successful and significant day.

Given that I have neither Paul's ability to consistently demonstrate clever techniques nor his photographic talents to document cool places the Jeep travels, I must warn everyone to expect a drop in the production values of this thread with the Jeep back in my hands. And neither do I have any great adventures planned yet. Still, Paul and I have always appreciated all of the interest and support and I'll be sure to keep everyone informed should anything worthy happen.

 

[PaulJensen]

Did it fit under the breezeway...???...

 

[mhiscox]

Tomorrow's experiment. Gates open at 10:00 am.

However, preliminary investigations conducted with my Unger telescoping pole as a story pole suggests that the betting ought to be:

Camper roof: Strongly a "fits."

Roof rack with anything in the basket higher than the side rails: Strongly a "doesn't fit."

Roof rack with nothing in the basket higher than the side rails: Too close to call. It'll pass or fail to pass through the breezeway by less than an inch. (I was checking out the Sawzall possibilities, but there are long runs of gutters on both sides, so cutting out a roof-basket-size hole won't help.)

News tomorrow.

 

[java]

This thread started with such a terrible turn, made a full recovery, and is back with its original owner. I am Smiling.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[mk216v]

We just arrived back home, totally safe and sound. The little camper ran swell and boogied through the I-5 slog with no problems. (And a pro tip: my wife in the chase vehicle reported that putting fluorescent orange Maxtraxs on your hood really help keep track of you in heavy traffic. )

Huge thanks to Paul and Pam for all of the hospitality and helpfulness in making everything as good as it could be. #003 is happy and content (Anthropomorphics-R-Us) in the exact location in the shop where she spent most of her initial eight years.

All in all, a very successful and significant day.

Given that I have neither Paul's ability to consistently demonstrate clever techniques nor his photographic talents to document cool places the Jeep travels, I must warn everyone to expect a drop in the production values of this thread with the Jeep back in my hands. And neither do I have any great adventures planned yet. Still, Paul and I have always appreciated all of the interest and support and I'll be sure to keep everyone informed should anything worthy happen.

Hooray, back in business as they say!

And I'm sorry, what???...no great adventures planned yet? I beg to differ buddy.

PS--Well done on your signature list. I'll try to remember if you forgot anything.

 

[PaulJensen]

"pass through the breezeway by less than an inch."

Air down...

 

[mhiscox]

I knew that.

Seriously, it'll obviously work, and no problem if the Jeep is just going back there to be stored for several weeks at a time. I think, however, that it would get really old airing down and back up multiple times a week. I think I'll still go out to do my Mr. Wizard Former Scientist thing. Data-R-Us.

 

[mhiscox]

I'm sure no one has been able to get anything done today because of worries associated with not knowing if the Jeep can make it back to my carport . . .

Bate your breathe no more. It fits as is. No chance of surfboards and other Jensen-ish rooftop accoutrements, but the rack basket fits by a little.

Carry on.

 

[westyss]

Mike glad to hear you got your baby back! let's do some WABDR!

 

[mhiscox]

THANKS!

You and Steve following me in your big Fusos down that narrowing-to-non-existent track on our "shortcut" is one of more memorable overlanding moments. True dedication . . . and we should have had a camera crew along.

That'd be a fun trip to celebrate things getting more back to normal. Works for me.

 

[Drewgould]

Late to the party as ever, I've just caught up and seen that Mike has his Jeep back! Great to read, as Mike has been super helpful with advice on our own XV-JP #5. We did put ours up for sale here in the UK, but had little serious interest, despite the media frenzy of campers wanting such rigs! So, with another years MOT secured, #5 may be with us for a bit longer, and I'm still debating changing the roof!
Enjoy having yours back Mike.

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks for checking in, my friend,

Hard to believe that hordes of intelligent folk can't see the wonders of living in a 125 cubic feet box. They must lack imagination.

Though I do count myself lucky to travel solo in it these days. Most of my attempts at living in it with two people were pretty slapstick. They're not so bad for warm dry places where most activities can take place outside, but neither you nor I can count on that.

Good luck figuring out how to optimize the roof if you keep it. Every option I can think of has pros and cons and I could argue for any of them . . . save for the original tent whenever it gets soaking wet and has to be folded back into the interior. I do regret the increased extra height from the permanent roof extension I've got now, but there's a lot to be said for never needing to faff about with roof setup and so I'll be keeping my configuration for the foreseeable future.

Best wishes for whatever you end up doing. An XV-JP is an interesting and rare alternative and I'm pleased to have mine back. They're is still a considerable step in comfort above the other alternatives available for a Wrangler, and when it comes to actually going off road, the form factor can't be beat.

Carry on bravely,

Mike