I'd be embarrassed to take a picture of the back of my jeep while packed for a trip... it's usually a war zone. I typically keep clothes, food and my laptop/camera in the jeep with everything else in the trailer... yet even with just that bit of stuff... it's usually a mess. Doesn't help that it doesn't get cleaned all that often.
packing a Jeep for adventures
- Thread starter roamingaz
- Start date
grogie
Like to Camp
Love the thread! Thanks for sharing your packing. I too have had to do the same. It's just my wife and I, so that has helped. So far we've made three trips with my TJ from the midwest out to Colorado for two week trips and it's been an adventure at what fits. I too learned to use duffle bags as they fit to whatever few inches are left!
Starting with the first trip, I removed the rear seat and installed a rack in back. The second trip I even tied the tent to the spare tire.
I then upgraded to a hitch rack for the last trip. It was hard to find one for a Jeep that cleared the spare, but this one worked okay.
And now last September to the Michigan U.P. I also now have a trailer.
Starting with the first trip, I removed the rear seat and installed a rack in back. The second trip I even tied the tent to the spare tire.
I then upgraded to a hitch rack for the last trip. It was hard to find one for a Jeep that cleared the spare, but this one worked okay.
And now last September to the Michigan U.P. I also now have a trailer.
Red Zebra
Adventurer
packed
Our set-up.
The rear seat is upright. What you can't see is the 1" nylon webbing mounted between the rear seat and the front seats to keep the load away from us in a collision or roll. Edit: The small driver side rear seat is folded to accommodate the Jet Tent.
Our set-up.
The rear seat is upright. What you can't see is the 1" nylon webbing mounted between the rear seat and the front seats to keep the load away from us in a collision or roll. Edit: The small driver side rear seat is folded to accommodate the Jet Tent.
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1leglance
2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
I think it makes a huge difference when you are gearing up for a solo trip vs a couple vs a family of 3-4.
When I am solo in my suburban I am swimming in space, I can have my sleep pad & bag setup full time in the back and not have to move my bags or anything around.
When it is me & 1 son or just the wife then we can still leave plenty of stuff out and have lots of extra storage space.
But when it is 3 of us on the trip then suddenly even my 70 Burb doesn't seem big enough.
Add bad/cold weather to the mix and suddenly there isn't enough gear in the world to keep us happy
Normally I don't like gear threads but this one is pretty cool since it is showing out people actually get out and USE the gear.
When I am solo in my suburban I am swimming in space, I can have my sleep pad & bag setup full time in the back and not have to move my bags or anything around.
When it is me & 1 son or just the wife then we can still leave plenty of stuff out and have lots of extra storage space.
But when it is 3 of us on the trip then suddenly even my 70 Burb doesn't seem big enough.
Add bad/cold weather to the mix and suddenly there isn't enough gear in the world to keep us happy
Normally I don't like gear threads but this one is pretty cool since it is showing out people actually get out and USE the gear.
stioc
Expedition Leader
I think it makes a huge difference when you are gearing up for a solo trip vs a couple vs a family of 3-4.
When I am solo in my suburban I am swimming in space, I can have my sleep pad & bag setup full time in the back and not have to move my bags or anything around.
When it is me & 1 son or just the wife then we can still leave plenty of stuff out and have lots of extra storage space.
But when it is 3 of us on the trip then suddenly even my 70 Burb doesn't seem big enough.
Add bad/cold weather to the mix and suddenly there isn't enough gear in the world to keep us happy
Normally I don't like gear threads but this one is pretty cool since it is showing out people actually get out and USE the gear.
100% agreed with every single sentence above :beer:
When it's us 3 + dog and winter camping I actually feel bad for the truck getting loaded to the max. I also worry about stuff flying and hitting someone in case of a crash or a rollover so I try to have everything tied down which isn't always easy. Our kitchen stuff fits in one plastic container (we switched to one of those Asian butane stoves and love it), clothes/personal stuff in the 3 REI duffle bags (1 per person), sleeping pads, bags, chairs etc on the roof rack (canvas cargo bag). I find bulk water, tent heater, Pett-toilet, spare gas can, propane tank(s) and fire ring the oddest/heaviest/hardest to pack.
roamingaz
Explorer
Thanks for all the replies some great set ups you all have. I will be doing some more write ups and reviews, here is a brief video I did this morning showing how to the stove pipe works on my wood stove, I have another video of the stove assembly but waiting for it to finish uploading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3afkxdEyl4&feature=c4-overview&list=UULu1aNJFFtwt_jZvMvzpQUQ
I guess everyone has their own level of comfort and must have items, for me I rarely camp just to sleep outside but rather a part of doing something else like fishing, hunting, trail ride or a event like Overland Expo. When we first started to slim down our gear the first thing was to use bags for everything and not pelican cases, it is amazing the amount of space that alone saved then from there we removed anything that we hadn't used in at least 2 recent trips and then the food and kitchen box was seriously raided ( I am working on a detailed write up for the kitchen).
But in the end everything fits well
We have everything we need to be plenty comfortable sleeping (I normaly have a sleeping pad on top of the groud blanket)
.....or eating
and we had a great time camping for new years!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3afkxdEyl4&feature=c4-overview&list=UULu1aNJFFtwt_jZvMvzpQUQ
I guess everyone has their own level of comfort and must have items, for me I rarely camp just to sleep outside but rather a part of doing something else like fishing, hunting, trail ride or a event like Overland Expo. When we first started to slim down our gear the first thing was to use bags for everything and not pelican cases, it is amazing the amount of space that alone saved then from there we removed anything that we hadn't used in at least 2 recent trips and then the food and kitchen box was seriously raided ( I am working on a detailed write up for the kitchen).
But in the end everything fits well
We have everything we need to be plenty comfortable sleeping (I normaly have a sleeping pad on top of the groud blanket)
.....or eating
and we had a great time camping for new years!
Thank you for sharing your great packing ideas Jess.
I'm at the same, even worse when talking 'bout space, when you considering I use a 2dr Tracker Soft top as a "Expo" vehicle...
I do camping with wife and a daughter too... and a dog (fox terrier).
I didn't want to loose the quick top down feature, so I had to keep out the idea of a basket roof rack.
My needs are similar like yours, I do a lot of surf fishing and kayak fishing, so I chose to custom a "surf rack", I can mount 2 kayaks, fishing rods on top or more stuff when I don't take kayaks.
I don't know if at some way it helps you.
My full loaded scenario:
Kayak, fishing rods and camping stuff on top, BBQ on hitch, Cooler on customized cooler rack.
My camping scenario:
ARB awning, fishing rods, chairs, roll table, tent, camping stuff on top, Cooler on rack, no cargo hitch.
I attached some Quick Clamps on the sides of the "Surf Rack" on a foldable way and used them as fishing rod holders, so, I can use them down to carry stuff when I don't need them, I can carry 4 (2 pieces) 13' surf fishing rods on top.
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The cooler rack, with additional 4 "quick" fishing rod holders to jumping between fishing spots (ATV mode).
Cheers from Cabo.
I'm at the same, even worse when talking 'bout space, when you considering I use a 2dr Tracker Soft top as a "Expo" vehicle...
I do camping with wife and a daughter too... and a dog (fox terrier).
I didn't want to loose the quick top down feature, so I had to keep out the idea of a basket roof rack.
My needs are similar like yours, I do a lot of surf fishing and kayak fishing, so I chose to custom a "surf rack", I can mount 2 kayaks, fishing rods on top or more stuff when I don't take kayaks.
I don't know if at some way it helps you.
My full loaded scenario:
Kayak, fishing rods and camping stuff on top, BBQ on hitch, Cooler on customized cooler rack.
My camping scenario:
ARB awning, fishing rods, chairs, roll table, tent, camping stuff on top, Cooler on rack, no cargo hitch.
I attached some Quick Clamps on the sides of the "Surf Rack" on a foldable way and used them as fishing rod holders, so, I can use them down to carry stuff when I don't need them, I can carry 4 (2 pieces) 13' surf fishing rods on top.
The cooler rack, with additional 4 "quick" fishing rod holders to jumping between fishing spots (ATV mode).
Cheers from Cabo.
nwoods
Expedition Leader
We had an LJ, which has tons more room than a TJ, but with a family of 4, it was still really really REALLY tight for us Bring-it-All-With-Us campers. It seems that when we go camping, we are kind of the hub of our group, and people expect us to have whatever it is they forgot. Plus, like Stoic says, our tables, chairs, bags and pads add up to a monstrous amount of volume. They are comfortable, but not compact by any stretch of the imagination. I am now waiting for NEMO to restock their pads and I will be trying out a Cosmo XL. It offers 3" of comfort, and packs down tiny compared to my REI 3.5 insulated pad that is nearly the size of my daughter when all rolled up.
Here is what we brought on one cold trip to Calico for a few days of off roading and shooting:
In the front there are 4 chairs, and one roll-a-table (in the black back). On the left are two clothing bags (one for boys-green, one for girls-blue). Behind and next to the clothing bags is sleeping bags and pads ...extending all the way to the right to the ammo can. Water, smallish cooler with a gas lantern on top (I always bring it, seldom need it). In front of the Action Packers is an REI Basecamp 6 tent (and a piece of blue carpet for the entry). One action packer is for camp gear, repair parts and tools, and the other is the camp kitchen box. Small cooler for some reason ( I can't remember) and then a large Action Packer for firewood, plus misc shooting items.
The rack above the spare tire was VERY handy:
Here is another shot for a 4 day Mojave Trail run. The back seat is in place and there is a web of safety straps keeping all the gear from falling forward:
We eventually moved to a trailer, but didn't use all that often:
Here is what we brought on one cold trip to Calico for a few days of off roading and shooting:
In the front there are 4 chairs, and one roll-a-table (in the black back). On the left are two clothing bags (one for boys-green, one for girls-blue). Behind and next to the clothing bags is sleeping bags and pads ...extending all the way to the right to the ammo can. Water, smallish cooler with a gas lantern on top (I always bring it, seldom need it). In front of the Action Packers is an REI Basecamp 6 tent (and a piece of blue carpet for the entry). One action packer is for camp gear, repair parts and tools, and the other is the camp kitchen box. Small cooler for some reason ( I can't remember) and then a large Action Packer for firewood, plus misc shooting items.
The rack above the spare tire was VERY handy:
Here is another shot for a 4 day Mojave Trail run. The back seat is in place and there is a web of safety straps keeping all the gear from falling forward:
We eventually moved to a trailer, but didn't use all that often:
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mrpotatohead
Observer
If I may, I got a hitch mounted cargo rack from a family friend before moving cross country. I got a cheap plastic cargo tub and was able to squeeze that along with a 20mm ammo can on the back and packed it full of tools ,clothes, recovery gear etc.It really cut down on gear in the backseat and the extra stuff came in handy when my radiator went boom in Iowa
danielbuck
uncle buck
I'm always looking for clever ways to pack things up! (as probably any other short-wheel base jeep owners do, haha!)
On my TJ I've got a few eye-bolts on the top rail of the tub, and one on each side on the outside of the tub, to help with strapping things down on the inside, as well as tossing things up on the top. It's a soft top with no roof rack, but the cage supports any weight up there nicely. Putting smaller bags and items into one or two larger GI type duffel bags makes it alot easier to secure things on top of the jeep.
On my little CJ, since I don't have a winch on that one I'm going to make a wooden box that goes on the front bumper and maybe goes about 1/2 way up the grill.
On my TJ I've got a few eye-bolts on the top rail of the tub, and one on each side on the outside of the tub, to help with strapping things down on the inside, as well as tossing things up on the top. It's a soft top with no roof rack, but the cage supports any weight up there nicely. Putting smaller bags and items into one or two larger GI type duffel bags makes it alot easier to secure things on top of the jeep.
On my little CJ, since I don't have a winch on that one I'm going to make a wooden box that goes on the front bumper and maybe goes about 1/2 way up the grill.
SiliconTi
Stuck in the Mud
Thanks to the OP (and others) for this thread. I was in the middle of planning a cargo trailer conversion, and this thread snapped me out of it - I really just need a small trailer to carry the cooler, welder, doors, etc., not a whole camper behind me. Thanks for the head slap.
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Stumpalump
Expedition Leader
I doubt I bring much more than you even when I'm in the E350 van. You just don't need 90% of the trinkets you see on expo. I may even pull the Partner stove out because the tiny backpack stove does everything except bacon and pancakes. Putting your money into high end sleeping bags proves you know where to spend it. Same with the Kifaru stuff. You will have it for life. I'd be afraid of an open bottom tent because of snakes and scorpions. I like that heater and have never heard anything other than Kifaru is the best but how do you feel about not being in a sealed, floored tent? Is it a trade off for size, quality and small packaging?
TripLeader
Explorer
I love seeing all the ActionPackers. They are definitely the way to go. My AP and Igloo cooler fit perfectly between the wheel wells of my old TJ and my new LJ.
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This was my old Jeep in Colorado a couple of years ago.
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This was my old Jeep in Colorado a couple of years ago.