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Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent)

SteveSh

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Can anyone show me their camping setup that does not include a rooftop tent or recommend a site that could show me great setups? I have a soft top and want to be able to have all the essentials for camping but don’t want the rooftop tent option. What are the essentials you use to camp and have everything fit in the back of a JLU?
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johnnyj

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Can you be a little more specific about the problem you're trying to solve? Are you intending on simply putting camping gear (ground tent etc) into the back of a JLU? With the seats folded down you can fit a tent in it's bag plus enough rubbermaid containers to hold weeks worth of food/water/gear in the back of a JLU without breaking a sweat.

Are you intending on sleeping IN the jeep? How long of a trip are we talking about?

In a general sense, before I went with sleep-in-rig options, I used to have a tent and a few rubbermaid or plano tubs. One tub is for gear (cooking pans pans, knives, mallets, guylines, stakes, etc - basically everything that is gear except your stove) and one tub for dry/canned/food. If you start to go on longer trips, you probably will need to add a 5 gallon water container (the blue water cubes work really good) and an ice chest so you can eat fresh food at meals. I eventually got sick of dealing with ice and bought a 12v ARB fridge. Literally all of the above fit in my rig with the seats down (even better now that I went to a flat floor to eliminate the seat hump/save weight) with enough room to sleep after I put the tubs outside the jeep on a ground sheet).
 

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I would like to know as well. I don't even understand the concept of sleeping up there, lol. Why? Spiders? Bears? What if you want to drive somewhere all of a sudden? Is this a "safe place" thing? It's so silly in my mind at this point as I don't understand others frame of mind. With all due respect, I'm sure there are important things I never thought of.
 
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SteveSh

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Can you be a little more specific about the problem you're trying to solve? Are you intending on simply putting camping gear (ground tent etc) into the back of a JLU? With the seats folded down you can fit a tent in it's bag plus enough rubbermaid containers to hold weeks worth of food/water/gear in the back of a JLU without breaking a sweat.

Are you intending on sleeping IN the jeep? How long of a trip are we talking about?

In a general sense, before I went with sleep-in-rig options, I used to have a tent and a few rubbermaid or plano tubs. One tub is for gear (cooking pans pans, knives, mallets, guylines, stakes, etc - basically everything that is gear except your stove) and one tub for dry/canned/food. If you start to go on longer trips, you probably will need to add a 5 gallon water container (the blue water cubes work really good) and an ice chest so you can eat fresh food at meals. I eventually got sick of dealing with ice and bought a 12v ARB fridge. Literally all of the above fit in my rig with the seats down (even better now that I went to a flat floor to eliminate the seat hump/save weight) with enough room to sleep after I put the tubs outside the jeep on a ground sheet).
I am ok getting a 2-3 person tent and camping outside when we stop for the night. I am just wanting to see what everyone packs “as essential” and how they pack giving the minimal space - even with the back seats laid flat. There are lots of creative people and wanting to see their ideas. Weekend type outings. Some would say roughing it.
 

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The definition of “essentials” varies by individual. I was able to pack all my camping gear in the back of my 2013 2-door Rubicon with the rear seat removed. If you ask Brad at Trail Recon, he needs an entire convoy just to carry all his “essentials” for a three-day weekend. He even made a 20-minute video on this topic; it was ridiculous how much crap he “needs.”

With regards to tents: I found that I like having space to stretch, stand up and change clothes if I need to. A six person tent is perfect size for 2 people; the bag is not much bigger and gives you plenty of space to putt a queen sized air mattress and all your stuff inside.

I bought a Kelty Tallboy for six people like the one below 30 years ago; it looks a little worn but it still works. That thing is indestructible and gives me all the space I need.

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) 1609720026547

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) 1609720071697
 
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WhereRU_A-A-Ron

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Love to see what and how you pack it. What would you consider essential?
Here's a snapshot of what I could quickly gather up and take a picture of. It's not everything we take. Sleeping pads (NEMO switchbacks) and sleeping bags (all Kelty) for us and the two kids. Sleeping pad for our dog. Tent (Klymit Cross Canyon 4) and tent footprint and two small camp chairs (old REI chairs no longer available), and finally some bowls for dog food and water.

Things not pictured: Small cooler for quick trips, RTIC 52qt Ultra-Light cooler for longer trips. Coleman 2 Burner Propane Camp stove and small bag with matches, lighter, toilet paper, some camp utensils and other small items. We almost always find or buy firewood at camp to reduce packing load. Clothes are always packed in small bags or backpacks though I'll likely be buying a 75L water resistant duffel bag to pack everyone's stuff in soon.

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) IMG_1680


Sorry I don't have any pictures of our stuff all packed in the back of the Jeep. Next time we go camping I'll try and remember to edit this post with a picture of it all stuffed in the back. Also, dog rides in the floor with the kids in the backseat. I should point out that we do use a roof rack and I have some modified waterproof rifle cases that slide in and out of the rack that we take on longer trips.

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) IMG_1605


Still plenty of room for more things with all 4 of us and the dog. Also be sure to use the cargo area under the mat in the back as that will hold a surprising amount of stuff.
 
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SteveSh

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Here's a snapshot of what I could quickly gather up and take a picture of. It's not everything we take. Sleeping pads (NEMO switchbacks) and sleeping bags (all Kelty) for us and the two kids. Sleeping pad for our dog. Tent (Klymit Cross Canyon 4) and tent footprint and two small camp chairs (old REI chairs no longer available), and finally some bowls for dog food and water.

Things not pictured: Small cooler for quick trips, RTIC 52qt Ultra-Light cooler for longer trips. Coleman 2 Burner Propane Camp stove and small bag with matches, lighter, toilet paper, some camp utensils and other small items. We almost always find or buy firewood at camp to reduce packing load. Clothes are always packed in small bags or backpacks though I'll likely be buying a 75L water resistant duffel bag to pack everyone's stuff in soon.

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) IMG_1605


Sorry I don't have any pictures of our stuff all packed in the back of the Jeep. Next time we go camping I'll try and remember to edit this post with a picture of it all stuffed in the back. Also, dog rides in the floor with the kids in the backseat. I should point out that we do use a roof rack and I have some modified waterproof rifle cases that slide in and out of the rack that we take on longer trips.

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) IMG_1605


Still plenty of room for more things with all 4 of us and the dog. Also be sure to use the cargo area under the mat in the back as that will hold a surprising amount of stuff.
Thank you. Very helpful.
 

WhereRU_A-A-Ron

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Thank you. Very helpful.
Anytime. I'm happy to get some more pictures for you next time we head out. Forgot to mention that our philosophy is keeping everything as light as possible. We used to take dutch ovens and cast iron skillets and didn't care about weight; not anymore. Even with all of this stuff packed and everyone in the Jeep it doesn't really care. The last time we went camping we had to park and hike to our campsite so everything being nice and light was VERY helpful.
 

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We tent camp - have done it for many years and all our gear easily fits in the Gladiator. I could never fit everything I "needed" in our JKU Rubicon - the firewood and water can and gasoline was always a challenge.

I built a rack that carries our folding chairs, camping table, fire poker, lantern stand and any other long items including a shovel, etc.

The bed is loaded with Rubbermaid Action Packer cases which fit perfectly under the factory tonneau cover. Inside them are camping gear like flashlights, lanterns (I use Milwaukee cordless lights), PT, TP, Eureka Sunrise 9 tent, queen size air mattress, inflator, sleeping bags, camping pillows and blankets. We also carry a Coleman dual fuel stove, dual fuel lantern and a home made DIY camp kitchen box which is the same size as one of the Rubbermaid Action Packer boxes. And we can fit a 5-gallon water container and firewood and there's room for gas (I'll attach it to the rack).

Inside the cab on the platform (where the back seat used to be) is our 12v Whynter fridge/freezer, food and clothes/jackets, etc., and our dog.

loaded-3-jpeg-jpg.jpg


loaded-12-jpeg-jpg.jpg


You can see more pics here:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jtr-le-build-up-with-no-letdown.25457/post-450658
 
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SteveSh

SteveSh

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We tent camp - have done it for many years and all our gear easily fits in the Gladiator. I could never fit everything I "needed" in our JKU Rubicon - the firewood and water can and gasoline was always a challenge.

I built a rack that carries our folding chairs, camping table, fire poker, lantern stand and any other long items including a shovel, etc.

The bed is loaded with Rubbermaid Action Packer cases which fit perfectly under the factory tonneau cover. Inside them are camping gear like flashlights, lanterns (I use Milwaukee cordless lights), PT, TP, Eureka Sunrise 9 tent, queen size air mattress, inflator, sleeping bags, camping pillows and blankets. We also carry a Coleman dual fuel stove, dual fuel lantern and a home made DIY camp kitchen box which is the same size as one of the Rubbermaid Action Packer boxes. And we can fit a 5-gallon water container and firewood and there's room for gas (I'll attach it to the rack).

Inside the cab on the platform (where the back seat used to be) is our 12v Whynter fridge/freezer, food and clothes/jackets, etc., and our dog.

Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) loaded-12-jpeg-


Jeep Wrangler JL Camping setup (don’t want a rooftop tent) loaded-12-jpeg-


You can see more pics here:
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/jtr-le-build-up-with-no-letdown.25457/post-450658
Awesome setup and good info, but alas I have a JLUR
 

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Love to see what and how you pack it. What would you consider essential?
Depends where I am going. But I usually double check my fly rods and gear before leaving.

I backpack, so whatever I take camping is usually in my pack(s) Where I am going when, my pack might look very different. I have a 5 gallon bucket with a screw top lid for my dry food. I pull what I need from it. Sometimes I don't carry a cooler, sometimes I do, sometimes two. Sometimes water like 15g (ugh), it just depends.

a weekend at a state park is very different than sw colorado this time of year. How far away you are from support is also a thought.

Gearwise, I have tents, hammocks, prob about 4 different bags for me.

The where, how long, when aspects also dictate what recovery gear is with me.

I spent 10 days outside in colorado in a hammock with a wool blanket this summer.....not a chance now. Backpacking I usually roll up in my bad on a tarp on the ground. It depends on what I want/need to carry.

FWIW, I don't care for the tent on top option. Sometimes camping areas are miles from parking areas, a basic REI half dome for 2 ppl is like 2 pounds and goes up in 20 if your slow. AND you don't have to break it down if your camping in one spot for x days but chasing fish elsewhere.
 

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I have a camp kitchen storage tub and a camp equipment storage tub always ready in the garage. Toss in a Thermarest pad, sleeping bag, two 1 gallon jugs of water and duffel with clothes. Stove fuel. Throw in the fishing gear storage tub and the fishing rods and I’m ready to go. If it is a short trip I skip the camp kitchen tub and just eat fast food on the road, accumulate sandwiches from the gas station deli. Whiskey, cigar, Clif bars and beef jerky are the meals for the hours when I am on the trail or in the river. If I bring the kitchen tub then I bring along freeze dried meals or small icebox if I want and indulgence like bacon for breakfast or steak for dinner.

If the family is coming along throw in the camp chairs, everyone’s sleeping pads and bags, a 4 person tent for mom & daughter, a 2 person tent for dad and son. Large blue Aquatainer of water. Cooler filled with all the perishables and a tote bag with dry goods.

For a vacation where we might be combining camping and hotels, oceans and mountains, throw the Yakima Skybox 21 on the roof to accommodate the clothing and equipment appropriate for the different weather zones and mix of civilization and backcountry.
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