I would be interested in joining you on the Idaho BDR, I’ve done 4 of them already and since I will not be going to Alaska this summer, this BDR is very doable for me, please let me know if I can join you, thx
TJ as road trip/overlander?
- Thread starter Eric_
- Start date
rnArmy
Adventurer
Of course you can join us! It would be great (not required but would be nice) if you joined Overland Bound ($30.00 or so depending on if you want a metal emblem or not), and then register as a participant for the trip so you're kept in the loop.
US Northwest - Idaho BDR (and then some!) | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY
Go to "Store" on the header in the link above, and go from there. Then you can introduce yourself to the group that's going, and participate in the discussions as we prepare for the trip. On the first post of the IDBDR thread, at the bottom there's a box that says "View Rally Point". That's where you register. And the subsequent twelve posts will tell you all about requirements and procedures & such. Don't let it scare you - it is mostly common sense stuff that I just spell out so nobody gets blindsided.
I too was originally going to go up north this summer. My plan was to run the Dempster in northern Canada all the way to the Arctic Ocean, but they have strict Covid requirements up north for non-residents that pretty much made it a no-go. I've only done one other BDR so far - the WABDR. The BDR folks have done their homework. Definitely order the paper map (I think they're worth it) when you go to the IDBDR site to get the GPS tracks.
Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route (IDBDR) Map & Information (ridebdr.com)
Are you planning on doing just the IDBDR (which is totally cool), or are you also interested in doing the bonus "and then some" part of the trip?
Please let me know what I can do to help you. It'll be here soon!
And to tie this back into the original topic of "TJ as a road trip - overlanding vehicle"....
You mention you've done four of these BDRs in the past. Did you do them in a TJ (I'm guessing you might have since this thread is about TJ's)? If so, what was your experience/impression of adventuring in your TJ? Pro's and Con's?
I did 2 BDR’s in my TJ and 2 in my Gladiator, my TJ is set up for overlanding and rock crawlering I have a roof top tent , the pros of the TJ everything is great never had any issues the cons are only at Highway speeds because I really can’t hear the radio or the communication radios and when I talk on the radios nobody can hear me clearly but on the trails there is no issues. My TJ is an LJ so I have a longer wheel base then the regular TJ’s so I actually have more room and a very comfortable ride and the openness of the LJ is really fantastic in my opinion
Attachments
MOAK
Adventurer
I had an 04 TJ Rubicon. My wife and I loved that machine, it took us to places that 99.99999 % of the population will never go. In my opinion the TJ Rubicons were the very best Jeeps ever produced. Rough riding, noisy, crappy stereos, you name it. It had lots of flaws, compared to cushy floatmobiles. All these flaws were part of the jeep experience, it was, until the JK, a Utility Vehicle. Nothing sporty about it.
Nine years ago my wife was diagnosed with a very bad neck, resulting from a bicycle accident when we were young. Since that diagnoses she has annual RFAs for C3-4-5. Six years ago she had a C-2 bilateral ganglionectomy. Riding in the TJ was pure hell for her. That along with the fact that we are guilty of dragging along too much gear. Even with the OME “ heavy “ suspension we were tail dragging. I never understood the problem with the “weak” engine until we were confronted with headwinds the entire length of Texas. Two days of 3rd gear @ 3400 rpm’s to maintain 55 mph. So, we needed above all else, comfort for my wife, and a respectable GVWR. Even with our small 1,000 lb trailer the 4.0 I6 was not up to the task. So, we sold it and moved into a triple locked 80 series. We have great memories of that jeep, however, no regrets about selling it. It was time. So, to answer the OPs question? Yup, if you’re in excellent health, and don’t mind the pitfalls of being in a underpowered, uncomfortable, poopy GVWR vehicle and don’t mind learning to turn your speaking volume down when not in it, then your jeep Utility Vehicle can and will be an enjoyable experience. We enjoyed our several Jeeps for 20 plus years.
Nine years ago my wife was diagnosed with a very bad neck, resulting from a bicycle accident when we were young. Since that diagnoses she has annual RFAs for C3-4-5. Six years ago she had a C-2 bilateral ganglionectomy. Riding in the TJ was pure hell for her. That along with the fact that we are guilty of dragging along too much gear. Even with the OME “ heavy “ suspension we were tail dragging. I never understood the problem with the “weak” engine until we were confronted with headwinds the entire length of Texas. Two days of 3rd gear @ 3400 rpm’s to maintain 55 mph. So, we needed above all else, comfort for my wife, and a respectable GVWR. Even with our small 1,000 lb trailer the 4.0 I6 was not up to the task. So, we sold it and moved into a triple locked 80 series. We have great memories of that jeep, however, no regrets about selling it. It was time. So, to answer the OPs question? Yup, if you’re in excellent health, and don’t mind the pitfalls of being in a underpowered, uncomfortable, poopy GVWR vehicle and don’t mind learning to turn your speaking volume down when not in it, then your jeep Utility Vehicle can and will be an enjoyable experience. We enjoyed our several Jeeps for 20 plus years.
Last edited:
MOAK
Adventurer
I see this comment a lot about manual transmissions and in particular the clutch. Been driving stick shifts for over 50 years, lots of off road trail running & rock crawling, pick up trucks, euro sedans, medium size trucks, big trucks and medium sized farm tractors. I don’t ever recall burning a clutch. Sadly, most people think that it’s OK to ride a clutch outta the hole. They don’t even realize the damage they do or that anything is wrong with their methodology. Sadly, because of this, stick shifts are going away. ☹️☹️
I agree have been driving manuals for 58 years and never burned up a clutch, the first thing my dad told me to never ride the clutch as soon as your rolling get your foot of it and only use it to shift and to stop
rnArmy
Adventurer
PM sent.
Dan Grec
Expedition Leader
I Agree entirely.
I can't believe how often you see a video online of someone driving up a moderate incline or sand or something and when they get to the top everyone smiles about the clutch smell, but then just shrugs and says "oh well, nothing you can do".
If you can smell the clutch, you're doing something very, very wrong.
The clutch should be thought of as a switch - the clutch is ON or the clutch is OFF, it's *never* half way.
And that applies times a hundred when you're in 4x4, and a hundred times more when using any amount of throttle.
-Dan
nwoodworth1390
Member
Before kids and age kicked in my wife and i traveled all over the US and Canada in a 5spd 2013 Ford Fiesta hatchback. Just tossed our dog, ultralight backpacking gear, and a cooler in the back and we were set. If we could do it in a Fiesta, any single person or couple can do it in a TJ. We would have been soooo stoked to have all that 4x4 capability during those years. Now we are the typical people with entirely to much stuff and money stuck into our rig. I miss the simplicity.
rydz
Member
I say ,drive what you can afford/know how to fix/can live with ect. There are likely no perfect choices, just your own choice.
I put together a 1992 Hilux Surf with a 2.8L 4 cyl diesel (no turbo,this thing clatters so loudly that Toyota puts a second rocker cover with sound deadening to "try" to keep the noise down......doesnt work)and 235/85/16 tires, you want slow, this is sloooowwwwwww!
I also looked at/and thought about the "stuff" I "needed" to bring. Then I though some more.......
I put an Amazon folding mattress in the back,and some stuff in a knapsack, and a cheap cooler (more to know where my food was than for cooling honestly) and drove and camped from the UK to Portugal. Then I did 900 kms off road in Portugal North to south. and thats where the Surf really did shine.This silly little truck I put together in my garage went places and did things I honestly thought it could never do,it was way more capable than I was comfortable with, so be honest with what you really need it to do and where you are going to go.
I kept the mods minimal (spartan lockers front and rear) and put on good tires (Cooper STT Pro) that are very noisy and but really strong. Thats about it.
So now its really noisy, really slow, but dead nuts reliable and tough as nails, and I miss driving it everyday (stayed behind for more adventures out that way and Africa one day).
Watch the classifieds on this and many other sites, huge built rigs that end up doing very little adventure and cost way too much to justify as daily drivers get sold off all the time.
I have always believed that there is no perfect hammer, sometimes you need a small one and sometimes you need a sledgehammer, so I prefer to have various "hammers"(vehicles) to do what they are intended to do ,not one that does everything (and all my stuff is used/older,because absolutely nothing even remotely new does anything particularly well either,but costs way too much for what they offer).
At the end of the day, drive what you want.
Cheers,
Paulo
I put together a 1992 Hilux Surf with a 2.8L 4 cyl diesel (no turbo,this thing clatters so loudly that Toyota puts a second rocker cover with sound deadening to "try" to keep the noise down......doesnt work)and 235/85/16 tires, you want slow, this is sloooowwwwwww!
I also looked at/and thought about the "stuff" I "needed" to bring. Then I though some more.......
I put an Amazon folding mattress in the back,and some stuff in a knapsack, and a cheap cooler (more to know where my food was than for cooling honestly) and drove and camped from the UK to Portugal. Then I did 900 kms off road in Portugal North to south. and thats where the Surf really did shine.This silly little truck I put together in my garage went places and did things I honestly thought it could never do,it was way more capable than I was comfortable with, so be honest with what you really need it to do and where you are going to go.
I kept the mods minimal (spartan lockers front and rear) and put on good tires (Cooper STT Pro) that are very noisy and but really strong. Thats about it.
So now its really noisy, really slow, but dead nuts reliable and tough as nails, and I miss driving it everyday (stayed behind for more adventures out that way and Africa one day).
Watch the classifieds on this and many other sites, huge built rigs that end up doing very little adventure and cost way too much to justify as daily drivers get sold off all the time.
I have always believed that there is no perfect hammer, sometimes you need a small one and sometimes you need a sledgehammer, so I prefer to have various "hammers"(vehicles) to do what they are intended to do ,not one that does everything (and all my stuff is used/older,because absolutely nothing even remotely new does anything particularly well either,but costs way too much for what they offer).
At the end of the day, drive what you want.
Cheers,
Paulo
billiebob
Well-known member
yep, this ^^^ the clutch is either in or out.... I have over a million miles driving 8 axle superbees and never needed clutch work. The biggest issue is picking the right gear, I had 18 to choose from. In any 4x4, low range is too often ignored. 1st gear, low range, you should never smell the clutch.
NEVER ride the clutch. Push it in and when you let it out get yer foot off the pedal. They put that little foot rest to the left for a reason.
billiebob
Well-known member
Thats just an excuse. My '87 YJ had 3.07s with 33s..... Never an issue but I did use 4LO sooner than I do with my Rubicon with 4.10s. The cool thing about 3.07s and 33s was the speed range in 2nd gear 4HI going up the mountain forestry road, I never needed to shift. Coming down in 4LO, the fact you could hit 60mph was a blast..... 3.07s, 33s, 4LO, 4.2L that YJ drove like a Mustang. And in 4LO, 33s, 3.07s downhill 2nd gear was incredibly responsive. The only place 3.07s and 33s is awful is fully off road and crawling over boulders it goes almost slow enough at idle in 1st to never need to touch the clutch. My Rubicon in the same spot you can idle in 1st gear, 4LO while drinking beer.
I bought my first Jeep in Grade 12, a 1952 M38 and drove it thru an Alberta winter without a roof... or doors. I just realized that was 50 years ago. My Uncle drove a Jeep in WWII in Europe when all "Jeeps" were government issued.
Uncle Bill, 1944, somewhere in Europe. Man I like those tires.
Last edited:
