5 weeks offroad and overland with the 2021 JLUR Diesel (w/ AEV 370 package)

[Litfury]

Excellent write up. Not gonna lie I am super jealous. What an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing with everyone.

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[Jungle31]

The Stinger was something I installed. Not part of the AEV package. Realtively easy install. Good videos online.

 

[SH556JL]

I am really interested in the Vantop rearview mirror/cameras/recorder. How well does it work, do you have some pictures and footage?

 

[Jungle31]

Nice! That last pic is amazing, lightning bolt & rainbow in that setting. Simply beautiful.

I hope the I40 bridge being closed didn't ruin your trip to Memphis. Traffic has been terrible because of it. Hopefully you had some good local BBQ.

Have any other pics?
That Jeep on Beale Street would be a great pic.

Traffic wasn't too bad. Enjoyed some great food, drink, and music as always.
Wish I had done the Beale St pic, but didn't want to drive that night.
I have tons and tons of pics. This one on the streets of Durango:

 

[Jungle31]

I am really interested in the Vantop rearview mirror/cameras/recorder. How well does it work, do you have some pictures and footage?

It works very well. I bought and installed the hardwire kit. It's not perfect though. It has developed a tendancy to turn off the screen on it's own. It still records and works normally. I just tap it to bring it back on. Haven't called the company yet to troubleshoot or replace, but they are reportedly pretty good at customer service.
I'll gather some pics and vids for you and link a little later. I have that stuff on a seperate laptop. You can choose 2k front and 2k rear or 4k front and 1080 rear. Both look amazing.

 

[SH556JL]

It works very well. I bought and installed the hardwire kit. It's not perfect though. It has developed a tendancy to turn off the screen on it's own. It still records and works normally. I just tap it to bring it back on. Haven't called the company yet to troubleshoot or replace, but they are reportedly pretty good at customer service.
I'll gather some pics and vids for you and link a little later. I have that stuff on a seperate laptop. You can choose 2k front and 2k rear or 4k front and 1080 rear. Both look amazing.

I didn’t know these existed, but look pretty sweet and they make a package for the JL that looks pretty factory. I am looking to do the front and rear AEV bumpers soon. So having a useable rear mirror would be nice and the added dah cams seem sweet.

 

[KNN]

The Stinger was something I installed. Not part of the AEV package. Realtively easy install. Good videos online.

How well does everything integrate/compare to Uconnect now? Fantastic pics and post

 

[Chief_Dan]

Traffic wasn't too bad. Enjoyed some great food, drink, and music as always.
Wish I had done the Beale St pic, but didn't want to drive that night.
I have tons and tons of pics. This one on the streets of Durango:

Glad to hear you had a good time in Memphis. Your Jeep would have looked good in front of Bass Pro too. The Pyramid makes for some good photos. I can't wait to do some trips like this.

That pic makes it look like that cougar mount is lying across your front bumper.

 

[Jungle31]

How well does everything integrate/compare to Uconnect now? Fantastic pics and post

It's a 10" touchscreen, so I liked the bigger screen than the uconnect 8.4".
It completely ties in to the Jeep exactly the same way the unconnect does.
There are a couple of pages that I really like that aren't available on Unconnect, like I can have any trail camera up with the offroad page overlaid, and there is a single page that displays every piece of data the Jeep has. It is also much more sound oriented for the audiophiles. Tons of options and the ability to expand.
I have not integrated the XM yet. I don't know if that is easy or hard. Just didn't really want it.
Carplay or the Android equivalent works relatively well, but must be physically connected. I look forward to bluetooth carplay.
Overall, it's pretty good. Its not perfect, but neither is uconnect. I'm happy with it and would do the swap again over the 7". If my jeep had come with the 8.4", I probably never would have looked.

 

[Bluesharp]

Nice write up. I love see ing people out Jeep traveling. As I always say, "don't just go somewhere, take an adventure."

Re: occupation- I work in corrections.... I know your stories

 

[Bluesharp]

Excellent write up. Trip of a lifetime. Fantastic pictures! The for sharing

 

[rosenbluu]

Wow stunning pics! I’m fairly new to the whole overland world but I’m going to plan a trip to travel across the US (from CA to Miami) looking for the next place to call home. Did you have any issues finding campsites or finding a place to set camp? Also, any upgrades you suggest might be needed while doing such a trip? The only thing I’ve done so far is add the Dynatrac Enduro suspension lift kit.

 

[Jungle31]

Wow stunning pics! I’m fairly new to the whole overland world but I’m going to plan a trip to travel across the US (from CA to Miami) looking for the next place to call home. Did you have any issues finding campsites or finding a place to set camp? Also, any upgrades you suggest might be needed while doing such a trip? The only thing I’ve done so far is add the Dynatrac Enduro suspension lift kit.

We didn't have any problems finding places to camp. Over 35 days and 18 locations, only 3 were actual campgrounds. The rest was wilderness.

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to be self-sufficient, you'll likely need or want a fridge, batteries and solar panels to run it, a bed, a way to cook without a camp fire, a shower and a way to poop. All of those except the fridge can be very rustic and cheap all the way to tens of thousands of dollars.

The next question is whether you want to go wheeling with you rig or not. If it is a true overland build where everything is mounted to your vehicle instead of a trailer, you can take everything with you everywhere you go, but you also have to take everything with you everywhere you go, if you catch my drift. It's great if you want to camp on top of a mountain pass somewhere, but actually wheeling with all that weight mounted up high can be very hard on everything. That's why I built that trailer. I can leave everything at the camp site, go wheel, and come back without dragging all that stuff with me. If I have to, I can take that trailer over some pretty rough stuff too.

So... determine what you want to do with your vehicle. Upgrade tire size, lifts and lockers if you want to wheel. A winch and proper recovery gear is probably next. If you are truly overland and traveling at night, you'll need some lights too. Most of all, don't go alone. Bring friends. Get into local clubs. Learn from others and have fun!

 

[Ratbert]

Exceptional writeup that's making my Jeep withdrawal kick in severely. Unfortunately my JL370 JLURD won't arrive until April-ish.

I hadn't heard of the VanTop mirror. Excellent idea.

 

[Ratbert]

It works very well. I bought and installed the hardwire kit. It's not perfect though. It has developed a tendancy to turn off the screen on it's own. It still records and works normally. I just tap it to bring it back on. Haven't called the company yet to troubleshoot or replace, but they are reportedly pretty good at customer service.
I'll gather some pics and vids for you and link a little later. I have that stuff on a seperate laptop. You can choose 2k front and 2k rear or 4k front and 1080 rear. Both look amazing.

Is that the Vantop H612T? Thoughts on if the camera can see around the adaptive cruise control box?

My JLURD JL370 is still being built so I can't measure it myself. Ideally I'll have lots of things to install whenever we pick it up.

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