Jeep Wrangler Habitat Official Release

[Dan Grec]

I think you could but then you would kill all of the storage area in the back of the Jeep for "walking around" space? The standard hatch is the entire back seat area between the center roll bar and back roll bar. Go to Adventure Trailer web page and look at the "Storage" for the JK Habitat. They have it set up so that you can sleep down below for an extra person or in the emergency situation you mentioned.
DK

Cool, thanks. I understand this is not at all what most people want, but I don't consider myself very normal.
Maybe moving the back roll bar so it's all the way back hard against the back window of the hard top will be an option for me... That would make the "hatch" basically the entire back section of the jeep, especially after I lose the sound bar. hmmm.

-Dan

 

[Ursa Minor]

modifying rear shell

...if I buy a J180, and either rip out the rear roll bar or seriously modify it, is there any reason I can't have a "cut-out" that's essentially the entire regular roof?

There are two areas on either side of the access way in the Habitat;

• 
  Toward the rear, once the rear roll bar is out of the way, one would be able to open up the shell as you proposed, it would give you something like an additional 24" x 48" of standing room.

• 
  Toward the front, the B-pillar roll bar (just behind the front seats, which includes the speakers/domelight/padding) can not be removed as the structure of the Habitat/J180 is secured to it. So there's no gain from cutting away any more of the shell to the front. If the speaker pod/dome light components are stripped from the roll bar, you might gain another couple inches in the center and a little more room in the corners. If you have a look at this early fit-test on the J8, you can see the stripped roll bar relative to the Habitat shell.
  
  Fit Test

You would likely need to do some minor changes to keep the tent canvas out of your way when the top closed, but that's a minor task relative to removing the roll bar.

Cheers,
John

 

[DingusKahn]

Propane storage

I solved my problem of where to safely carry my propane tank(s).

I wanted to be able to carry the 11lb propane tank outside the Jeep. I also wanted a spare gas can. So the basket on top to tie the two together worked out good. I can tie the spares down with Rok Straps if on a long trip and need that much gas. I will be running the stove and heater sold by Adventure Trailer. The advantage of building your own stuff is you can make it exactly the way you want it. Probably could have used 3/4" Square Tube instead of 1", but it aint gonna break.
It will be well below the roof line of the higher Habitat top. The tanks sitting in the rack are another 11lb and a 5lb. The full 11lb tank weighs 24lbs and the full 5lb tank weighs 14lbs. The tire rack is well made. The side you can't see has a sturdy latch that carries the load for that side. The spindle you see is very beefy; I suspect the plate it's welded to to fail before the spindle/bearing does.

 

[kb7our]

I solved my problem of where to safely carry my propane tank(s).

I wanted to be able to carry the 11lb propane tank outside the Jeep. I also wanted a spare gas can. So the basket on top to tie the two together worked out good. I can tie the spares down with Rok Straps if on a long trip and need that much gas. I will be running the stove and heater sold by Adventure Trailer. The advantage of building your own stuff is you can make it exactly the way you want it. Probably could have used 3/4" Square Tube instead of 1", but it aint gonna break.
It will be well below the roof line of the higher Habitat top. The tanks sitting in the rack are another 11lb and a 5lb. The full 11lb tank weighs 24lbs and the full 5lb tank weighs 14lbs. The tire rack is well made. The side you can't see has a sturdy latch that carries the load for that side. The spindle you see is very beefy; I suspect the plate it's welded to to fail before the spindle/bearing does.

DK, please stop coming up with cool ideas. I don't have time to apply them to my setup! What suspension are you running?

 

[DingusKahn]

Wade, the suspension is a TeraFlex 4" long arm less shocks. BUT.... I added a 3/4" Poly spacer to the back. The back has FOX remote resevoir shocks. Then I did the Off Road Evolution coil-over front conversion with King remote resevoir coil-overs. Ride is GREAT! Had to cut all of the factory suspension mounts off and weld on all the new stuff. Same with the HEMI conversion starting next week. Body off.. cut off factory motor and tranny mounts and weld on the new AEV stuff and drop in the 5.7 V8 and 5speed truck tanny. VROOOM !
Now if I just had some kind of roof top tent or something..... Maybe one that looks like a factory hard top....

 

[DingusKahn]

Bigger side windows

Hey UM John
If you are still having "Sewer's block", make the side windows bigger. The Nemo design has one HUGE window. If you made the two on both sides 50% to 100% wider, then why would we want anything else?

DK

 

[Dan Grec]

There are two areas on either side of the access way in the Habitat;

• 
  Toward the rear, once the rear roll bar is out of the way, one would be able to open up the shell as you proposed, it would give you something like an additional 24" x 48" of standing room.

• 
  Toward the front, the B-pillar roll bar (just behind the front seats, which includes the speakers/domelight/padding) can not be removed as the structure of the Habitat/J180 is secured to it. So there's no gain from cutting away any more of the shell to the front. If the speaker pod/dome light components are stripped from the roll bar, you might gain another couple inches in the center and a little more room in the corners. If you have a look at this early fit-test on the J8, you can see the stripped roll bar relative to the Habitat shell.
  
  Fit Test

You would likely need to do some minor changes to keep the tent canvas out of your way when the top closed, but that's a minor task relative to removing the roll bar.

Cheers,
John

John,
Thanks for the great reply. That's exactly what I wanted to know.
Modifying the rear roll bar would be a big task. After I see the whole setup, and assess the size of the job I might consider removing the entire rear of the roll bar. There will be no rear seats, and never people in the back, so even in the event of a roll over the two front seats are still protected.
Throwing out the sound/lights/padding bar in front would be the first thing I'd do.

Hmm. Interesting.

-Dan

 

[DingusKahn]

Habitat Camper

Here you go Dan
Now if you understand the hatch (that is open above the back seat between the roll bars) then imagine yourself standing up on the floor of the Jeep looking to the back. The floor of the sleeping area is about waist high - counter top. You cut the opeing to fit the stove below. Or better yet, the same company makes a combo sink stove that closes flush. They are not deep enough to totaly mess up the space below, if you are creative with the plumbing.
It would sure smell up the bedroom, but not any worse than any other big truck mounted camper.




ignore the sink and other stuff, just want you to see the stove.



I live in the desert, so I would rather be outside cooking. And I plan on awnings - plural.

 

[The Swiss]

Here you go Dan
Now if you understand the hatch (that is open above the back seat between the roll bars) then imagine yourself standing up on the floor of the Jeep looking to the back. The floor of the sleeping area is about waist high - counter top.

DK, after our previous discussion in the J30 Pop-up thread regarding advantages and disadvantages of the J30 vs J180, I was thinking along the same line, that the rear area would be an ideal counter space to set up the stove in case of foul weather (I don't live in the desert :elkgrin which would be easier in the J180 as all the bedding etc is to the other side. However, I did not go as fancy thinking about a built-in, granite counter-top kitchen, which actually is a very interesting idea ... next thing we know, you will come up with a way to fit a jacuzzi in the "2 room Jeep apartment"

 

[Dan Grec]

Here you go Dan
Now if you understand the hatch (that is open above the back seat between the roll bars) then imagine yourself standing up on the floor of the Jeep looking to the back. The floor of the sleeping area is about waist high - counter top. You cut the opeing to fit the stove below. Or better yet, the same company makes a combo sink stove that closes flush. They are not deep enough to totaly mess up the space below, if you are creative with the plumbing.
It would sure smell up the bedroom, but not any worse than any other big truck mounted camper

View attachment 79745
ignore the sink and other stuff, just want you to see the stove.

Thanks DK.

That's exactly what I'm thinking about. I'd have a counter down one side, a bench seat down the other, and a way to make the entire area a bed.

I also much prefer to be outside for cooking, living, etc. During my Pan-Am drive in my tiny Jeep TJ, I learnt in the case of exceptionally foul weather, or safety concerns, I want to have the inside option. It's kind of ironic, but I actually want it to be really cramped and uncomfortable, which will drive me outside in all but the worst weather.

-Dan

 

[elcoyote]

Habitat deployment

For those of you who have been wondering how easy is it to deploy a Habitat top, we just posted on our website a short video here that shows from getting out of the parked Wrangler to full camp deployment and a cold root beer, 2 minutes 36 seconds. Gotta love it!


...and in case you're wondering about the location: Alta Lakes, Colorado...the handsome fellow in the checkered shirt...Jeremy Womack of ExpeditionOps of course!

 

[kb7our]

For those of you who have been wondering how easy is it to deploy a Habitat top, we just posted on our website a short video here that shows from getting out of the parked Wrangler to full camp deployment and a cold root beer, 2 minutes 36 seconds. Gotta love it!


...and in case you're wondering about the location: Alta Lakes, Colorado...the handsome fellow in the checkered shirt...Jeremy Womack of ExpeditionOps of course!

Great to see all the progress stages over the last couple of years from vapor to this incredible camper. Do you have any pricing and availability information on the Nemo zip on awning we've seen here? Also, is the production Nemo tent finalized or are you guys waiting to confirm the next prototype Nemo?

 

[DKM]

Mario, have you done field tests in colder/wetter climates? I'm curious as to how the Nemo tent holds up to inclimate weather conditions.

 

[elcoyote]

Mario, have you done field tests in colder/wetter climates? I'm curious as to how the Nemo tent holds up to inclimate weather conditions.

DK, yes we have had some opportunity to use the Habitat with NEMO tent and our spec fabric under some less than ideal conditions. Jeremy of Expedition Ops and I spent two nights in continual downpour in Ouray Colorado last year. I was a little worried as we had not tested the fabric beyond the "Hose in the parking lot" method. I was pleased that we remained high and dry both nights, even though the tent was put away wet on morning #1. The only place we experienced a leak was where I had not completely pulled down the rear window cover on night #1...operator error not to be repeated on night #2 of rain.

On our 3rd day in Ouray, the first dry day of the trip, we opened up the tent to display at the Jeep Jamboree event, the tent was wet on the exterior and dry on the interior. It dried out in about 30 mins in the sun. This tells me that very little moisture was absorbed into the surface fibers of the fabric and that the weave and fiber impregnation is performing as we had expected.

On some particularly cold nights in the San Bernardino mountains around 6000-7000 ft where I have battened down the hatches to trap warm air in the tent, I have experienced mild condensation. Nothing dripping on my head or anything. I consider this to be normal for any tent given the conditions.

I hope that helps

 

[DKM]

That`s what I wanted to hear. We are seriously considering purchasing a Jeep, but were concerned about using the Habitat in inclement (note to self: that should of been inclement weather conditions in my previous post) weather conditions.