First - stay safe and hurry home!! Once you are home and all that saved up pay is burning a hole in your pocket - which I am happy to help you spend because so many others on this forum help me out so much - you can realize your dream of iPad Mini Navigation!! Pictured below is my current setup. The main thing you were asking about is the iPad Mini (I have the newer Retina display) for use with TopoMaps, or similar, mounted in your Jeep. The mounting system I choose to go with for the iPad is from
www.proclipusa.com. As you can see I also am a RAM fan but for the iPad Mini I like the ProClip - I also have my iPhone mounted in a ProClip on the lower console.
I have the BadElf for lightning display (
http://bad-elf.com/products/be-gps-1008 ) which plugs directly into the Mini. The BadElf includes a pass through cable for charging the Mini and the BadElf gets its power from the Mini. As you may be able to see my Mini is in airplane mode which means it is receiving no signal from cell or wifi. The literature from BadElf says this is the preferred method of operation since less power is used. Also - if you elect to get a Mini without cell service it would be no big deal. My Mini is wifi and cell enabled but that is because I use it for just about everything but a phone.
I have gone a little ape**** with maps since I wanted to try several and like several have pointed out - the standard Google and Apple maps won't work in airplane mode or away from a cell signal which is kinda the point for overlanding/off-roading. The maps I have confirmed that work with the BadElf in airplane mode are: GPS MotionX HD, Premium CoPilot, TopoMaps, SpyGlass, Commander Compass and Gaia GPS. The BadElf site has several mapping apps (marine, aviation and road) that can be used with the unit. I also have Scenic Map, TacNav and MilPGPS on my Mini and play with those but still getting familiar with some of the features.
One of the guys has an amazing FAQ on the MotionX stuff which I can't find at the moment but worth looking for -- will add it if I find it later.
Suffice it to say - the Mini (IMHO) is a very capable unit for what you want, it is easily mountable in your Jeep (mine is in a 2011 Toyota Tacoma) and includes an iPad Mini which can be used for all sorts of other stuff as well. I am a bit of a fan but did a lot of research and this was not my first iPad -- I had a boat anchor first gen. Now - be warned - I am not some hardcore overlanding expeditioning guru dude that lives out of his Land Rover three hundred days a year and eats kangaroo for supper every night - so you may find my advice a bit elementary or naive but take it for what it is worth -- I like the Mini, I love that I found the BadElf and can use it off-grid and I love the ProClip for a mounting solution.
Hurry back - get that rig in shape and post lots of pics!!!!!