The Fake Jeep Not a Real Cruiser Thread

[upcruiser]

Ok, so I got a UPS delivery today, it was our new Baja Rack I ordered through my good friends at Roam Auto. The factory rack came off with no issue. Wow was there alot of grime under the feet of the stock rack and basically sludge in the anchor points along the roof. After cleaning those out a bit the new rack went on easily.

I originally was going to go the utility rack but we are trying out the FJ Exp rack. It has the flat surface on the back and the small sectioned off basket in the front. Like I have mentioned before the goal was to get the roof top tent lower and back a touch. We also wanted to be able to have a storage box and the ability to carry two 5 gallon jerry cans for fuel. Though the utility rack is both wider and longer, the Exp rack seems to accomplish this all with a smaller footprint. I think it will be a touch easier to lash down items in the front portion of the rack since it has sides. The main draw of the utility rack was the ability to haul a canoe or kayaks on it with the RTT off. We figured we would use the 80 series for trips with paddling involved since it is set up for sleeping inside anyway.

Here are some pics...




I love how low profile the rack sits. I think installing my RTT with the low clearance might prove to be a bit frustrating but we will see.








I was trying to get a feel for how things would fit in the front basket portion of the rack. This is with the Baja Rack jerry can mount installed. It secures down two 5 gallon cans and is both slick looking and stout. I only had one can on hand to test fit, but it gives an idea. I think I want to go with a larger sized Zarges case for my roof storage. Keep stuff I don't need daily like recovery gear and tools in a watertight and durable container. The other option would be to keep our outdoor gear for biking, climbing, skiing in our large drybag up there. Will wait to see how everything packs into the rig and what works best. Obviously its best to put lighter stuff up high. The footprint of the FJ lends itself to a pretty stable stance though.

We are holding off on the lift till I get to the UP this spring and put it on in the shop at Roam. Only so many projects I am willing to do in my driveway. ;-)

 

[tjtoytech]

Looks good, man! I personally like the style with the basket on the front, as opposed to the UT flat racks. But that's just my opinion.

I've been really impressed with the quality of the Baja Racks and the attention to design elements that fit the vehicle. The FJC has such a cool body style, the rack really complements it well.

The low profile to the roof definitely might make the tent install a little frustrating. Maybe consider unbolting the brackets from the roof and raising the rack for clearance to install the tent. The outer brackets for the rack to the roof are much easier to access. Just a thought!

Looking forward to your feedback. I know you will put it to the test!

 

[jeremyk]

I really like how my FJc looks. I have several different interior setups for solo sleeping or traveling with my wife and a RTT or just packing dogs and adult kids on a long road trip. It has gone everywhere I've asked it to and it has that awesome Toyota feature "bomb-proof reliability".

Great thread, I'm following this one.

 

[Haggis]

That rack looks good up there, better than the factory to my eyes. We want to do something similar but will have to use the full flat version because of the extra length of the Maggie. I will be watching to see how this rack holds up for you as I'm always a bit dubious of how western powder coating handles the salt and grime of eastern snowbelt winters.

 

[upcruiser]

Looks good, man! I personally like the style with the basket on the front, as opposed to the UT flat racks. But that's just my opinion.

I've been really impressed with the quality of the Baja Racks and the attention to design elements that fit the vehicle. The FJC has such a cool body style, the rack really complements it well.

The low profile to the roof definitely might make the tent install a little frustrating. Maybe consider unbolting the brackets from the roof and raising the rack for clearance to install the tent. The outer brackets for the rack to the roof are much easier to access. Just a thought!

Looking forward to your feedback. I know you will put it to the test!

Yeah, will let you know what ends up being the easiest way to get the tent on. I am wondering if the stock bolts are too long. Will mess around with it. A bunch of nights camping are already being planned. We are looking to do a trip with the mountain bikes and hitting Fruita, Moab, camp in Valley of the Gods (spending some time up at Muley Point and Goosenecks, then Sedona, St George Utah, Toroweep, some riding along the north rim of the Grand Canyon, then up through Escalante for some more solitude and some slot canyons. Will be alot of mountain biking and quite a bit of off pavement travelling. With the hitch mounted bike rack I can't do anything too crazy on the trip without beating up the rack badly.

 

[upcruiser]

View attachment 217347

I really like how my FJc looks. I have several different interior setups for solo sleeping or traveling with my wife and a RTT or just packing dogs and adult kids on a long road trip. It has gone everywhere I've asked it to and it has that awesome Toyota feature "bomb-proof reliability".

Great thread, I'm following this one.

Yeah, I agree, they definitely feel bomb proof. Do you have any pics of your interior sleep setup? You must have to move a front seat forward huh? I originally set up my 80 for solo travel and it was great. Plenty of room for a bed, storage, even with a bike or two inside. I made screens for the rear sliders so it has good ventilation too. Thats a pretty cool way to travel. Solo I always prefer sleeping in the rig if not sleeping out under the stars.

 

[upcruiser]

That rack looks good up there, better than the factory to my eyes. We want to do something similar but will have to use the full flat version because of the extra length of the Maggie. I will be watching to see how this rack holds up for you as I'm always a bit dubious of how western powder coating handles the salt and grime of eastern snowbelt winters.

The coating seems pretty durable from handling it, time will tell. They use mag chloride in CO these days, its pretty corrosive but with winter almost being over here, not sure how much exposure to it it will get. It is surprising how much better the rig looks with this rack. The stock rack is not only completely useless, it looks terrible too.

 

[upcruiser]

For those interested in how we are doing activities with the little guy I thought I would post up a few pics. Both Jules and I are pretty active people. We are both big skiers, she is a big mountain ripper who is fresh out of 10 years living in Jackson, and I am a ski coach who is just fresh off of 9 years of pretty steady travel skiing around the world for work. We both love winter so being able to take Kruz out in the snow and do stuff is pretty important. Outside of skiing we are both avid mountain bikers, road bikers, paddlers, and savvy travelers. We both grew up with horses and we both are motorcycle geeks so it will be interesting how that plays out over the years. We definitely want to get bikes again and get Kruz riding at a young age if he is into it. So you can see why our vehicle selection is so important as we want to be able to support the activities and lifestyle we love. There probably isn't 1 vehicle that can meet all of our needs thats why we have several to use for different uses. Here are some pics from out and about with the little guy.


Family back country skiing in some fresh


I mentioned the Chariot before. This thing is such a cool piece of kit. Works as a stroller for around town or on the dirt, attaches behind a bike, and even works with skis for on snow. Works great. Can't wait to hook it up to our tandem mountain bike for some dirt road touring this summer!


Here is the Chariot on snow, Shrine Pass doing some nordic touring.


Night skiing


Carrying some heat on skinny skis!


Of course it helps to have an amazing spouse to help make it all possible. Mid ski pitstop.


Kruz with his first Epic pass, the background sums it up.


But when it is all said and done, Kruz prefers his Defender for getting around. He is so happy here he is puking a bit.

 

[jeremyk]

Very cool! Great lifestyle -keep it going... No pics of my set up right now, but I'm 5'10" and, yes the passenger seat is all the way forward and my drawer platform is level with the wide spot for more room. It's fine until I put my fridge and drop-slide in, then it's a bit cramped.

I'm installing a Metal Tech rear bumper right now because I want the storage on the swing-out and my plastic is pretty loose since it got worked over pretty heavily on the Rubicon. Maybe I will take and post some build pics as I get ready for my next Utah solo.

 

[Ramjet]

Very cool! Great lifestyle -keep it going... No pics of my set up right now, but I'm 5'10" and, yes the passenger seat is all the way forward and my drawer platform is level with the wide spot for more room. It's fine until I put my fridge and drop-slide in, then it's a bit cramped.

I'm installing a Metal Tech rear bumper right now because I want the storage on the swing-out and my plastic is pretty loose since it got worked over pretty heavily on the Rubicon. Maybe I will take and post some build pics as I get ready for my next Utah solo.

I want some pictures of this when you're done.

 

[5280transplant]

My wife and I are pregnant and this thread is an awesome inspiration! We are moving back home to Colorado ASAP and this is making me want to be there already!

 

[upcruiser]

My wife and I are pregnant and this thread is an awesome inspiration! We are moving back home to Colorado ASAP and this is making me want to be there already!

Colorado is a great place to be for ease of access into some cool backcountry for sure. Have you checked out Mark Stephen's website Adventure Parents? Its really cool and Mark is a long time member on the forum here. Great product reviews and tips for family adventures. A good friend told me that one kid is a breeze, but two makes it infinitely more challenging. He is into pretty similar outdoor activities that we are so in that context he is referring. We are planning some canoe camping this summer and even some backpacking. I have a GIANT Lowe Alpine pack that I can basically carry everything in and have Jules carry the baby in the baby pack. Might be a bit more work than the usual fare of having a sub 30 pound pack but I am thinking it will be alot fun still. I think if you are creative you would be surprised how much stuff you can still do in the first year, just needs a bit of planning.

 

[5280transplant]

I will have to look at that. It sounds awesome. We will be back there soon enough and maybe we will see you on a trail ride! Good luck with everything!

 

[upcruiser]

I just realized that I never posted up our first trip from Colorado's San Juan's in this thread from last summer. It was the initial trial run of doing the overland thing with a 1 month old....

http://kristiansaile.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/touring-the-san-juans-of-colorado-with-a-newborn/

 

[TJDIV]

Yeah, will let you know what ends up being the easiest way to get the tent on. I am wondering if the stock bolts are too long. Will mess around with it. A bunch of nights camping are already being planned. We are looking to do a trip with the mountain bikes and hitting Fruita, Moab, camp in Valley of the Gods (spending some time up at Muley Point and Goosenecks, then Sedona, St George Utah, Toroweep, some riding along the north rim of the Grand Canyon, then up through Escalante for some more solitude and some slot canyons. Will be alot of mountain biking and quite a bit of off pavement travelling. With the hitch mounted bike rack I can't do anything too crazy on the trip without beating up the rack badly.

When I'm debt-free @ 40 I think I'm going to relive your 30's.