JK/JL Jeep Camper Concept

[LostInTheWorld]

I realized that I haven’t updated this post in a long time.

Yvonne and I have been out in the camper every few weeks this summer and loving how easy it is to jump in the camper and go when we have a few free days. It’s been a busy summer with a dynamic work schedule, so having the camper ready on-demand has been super nice. We also have a few trips lined up for this fall in areas that are a bit too hot in the summer, so we are looking forward to those upcoming trips.

The camper has been working perfectly for us, but it’s funny how I can’t help but think about what different things I would maybe try if I made another camper. We really like the compact size of this setup, so I’d for sure stick to this small size. It’s just so practical and cozy for the two of us.

 

[86scotty]

Great pics! What kind of fuel mileage are you averaging? I can't remember if yours is gas or diesel.

 

[LostInTheWorld]

Great pics! What kind of fuel mileage are you averaging? I can't remember if yours is gas or diesel.

Good question. We’ve put 10,050 miles on the vehicle with the camper installed, so we have a good bit of info on that now; I just looked through our little fueling logbook this morning to see what we’ve been getting for mileage. Over those 10,050 miles, our average fuel mileage has been 17.4 mpg. That mileage is based on total miles driven (GPS verified) and the total fuel burned. The onboard mileage that the vehicle reports is 18.4 mpg average over that time, so the vehicle is reporting right at 1.0 mpg better than what we think we are actually getting. For some reason, every vehicle that we’ve driven that reports mileage on the dash has always over reported, but we trust the 17.4 mpg that we have verified by other means.

On the stock jeep before the camper install, we were getting 20.1 mpg average, so adding the aerodynamically draggy, fully loaded camper reduced the fuel mileage by only about 2.7 mpg. I think that is actually pretty good considering that the camper has such poor aerodynamics. Depending on the trip, and what we take with us, we are still operating under or right at the gross weight, so we aren’t running over the MGVR even loaded up with us both in it, so that is nice.

Ours is a stick shift gasoline JLU Sport (Dan Grec’s is a diesel automatic JLU Rubicon).

 

[shays4me]

Good question. We’ve put 10,050 miles on the vehicle with the camper installed, so we have a good bit of info on that now; I just looked through our little fueling logbook this morning to see what we’ve been getting for mileage. Over those 10,050 miles, our average fuel mileage has been 17.4 mpg. That mileage is based on total miles driven (GPS verified) and the total fuel burned. The onboard mileage that the vehicle reports is 18.4 mpg average over that time, so the vehicle is reporting right at 1.0 mpg better than what we think we are actually getting. For some reason, every vehicle that we’ve driven that reports mileage on the dash has always over reported, but we trust the 17.4 mpg that we have verified by other means.

On the stock jeep before the camper install, we were getting 20.1 mpg average, so adding the aerodynamically draggy, fully loaded camper reduced the fuel mileage by only about 2.7 mpg. I think that is actually pretty good considering that the camper has such poor aerodynamics. Depending on the trip, and what we take with us, we are still operating under or right at the gross weight, so we aren’t running over the MGVR even loaded up with us both in it, so that is nice.

Ours is a stick shift gasoline JLU Sport (Dan Grec’s is a diesel automatic JLU Rubicon).

That’s great mileage for a setup like that! If I could get that with my jkur with Ursa Minor top I’d be ecstatic. I’ve kept track since it was new and I’m getting 14.3 overall. If I had 3.73 gears and stock tires it would be better, but I opted for 4.10’s and 33”. My jeep also lies to me about gas mileage. I think it’s to make me feel better.

 

[Dan Grec]

That’s great mileage for a setup like that! If I could get that with my jkur with Ursa Minor top I’d be ecstatic. I’ve kept track since it was new and I’m getting 14.3 overall. If I had 3.73 gears and stock tires it would be better, but I opted for 4.10’s and 33”. My jeep also lies to me about gas mileage. I think it’s to make me feel better.

For what it's worth, My Diesel "Michael Fuchs" camper gets ********** on 24mpg.
It's heavy, and has 35x11 tires.

When I drove it cross-country as a bone-stock Rubicon I had many tanks of 28mpg and one of 29.

-Dan

 

[shays4me]

For what it's worth, My Diesel "Michael Fuchs" camper gets ********** on 24mpg.
It's heavy, and has 35x11 tires.

When I drove it cross-country as a bone-stock Rubicon I had many tanks of 28mpg and one of 29.

-Dan

That’s better than the wife’s stock diesel gladiator. I’ve seen 22 out of it if I’m acting like there’s a grape between my foot and the gas pedal.