HOT TAKE: Roof Top Tents are Lame and "Overlanding" is a Fad

[American Adventurist]

I've always felt it's best to simply mind one's own f**king business and not worry about what other people spend their time and money doing.

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[fat_head]

One more thing on this subject. I think some are intimidated or think they are doing it wrong if they DONT get a Rubicon, roof rack, RTT, 40's and 4 light bars. It seems to me in some circles (most certainly on some youtube channels) it's a unspoken, see and be seen best rig contest.

Take your stock Jeep, fill it full of camping stuff and head for the trail. It's what your Jeep is for, and you'll have a blast.

 

[NFRs2000NYC]

The cost of rock crawling is in the body damage. Treating your $50k Jeep like a toy vs living in it for weeks at a time. That’s the difference.

Wut? Not all rock crawling results in body damage. Lots of overlanding can result in body damage. Remember the thread with the smashed front axle? That happened on a road where he was able to get some speed, and slammed a tree stump he couldn't see. Ever see an overlanding rig? Covered in pinstripes. Curious where some of you guys have wheeled with the statements you're making. An "overland" rig would probably tip over in half the trails in Moab or some of the nice ones in Colorado.

Again, if one of you said "offroad parks like Rousch Creek in PA" are stupid, and is a "rich man's game" I would be more on your side, as I agree, putting your vehicle through abuse for absolutely no reason, IMHO, is pretty out there, but to claim that rockcrawling equipped rigs are somehow inferior to overland equipped rigs is just nonsense. The only thing that makes a rockcrawling rig is basically more reliable components, simple as that. Larger tires allow you to access trails and terrain you wouldn't otherwise be able to get to, ergo, they expand your ability to "overland"....but they come at a price, and the price is reliability. The only thing rock crawlers (stupid term but I use it because the OP said it) do is simply beef up the components so they can withstand the added stress of having those larger tires. The "overland" equipment is nothing but stuff that either makes life more comfortable, something that helps you recover, and/or carry more cargo. Many "rock crawlers" have plenty of overland stuff, including extra fuel, fridges, etc. They don't however, travel with extremely heavy RTTs and racks because they cause lots of issues out on north american trails, and we're not in australia where rigs like that are REALLY necessary because you can end up 1000 miles from the nearest human.

 

[mwilk012]

Wut? Not all rock crawling results in body damage. Lots of overlanding can result in body damage. Remember the thread with the smashed front axle? That happened on a road where he was able to get some speed, and slammed a tree stump he couldn't see. Ever see an overlanding rig? Covered in pinstripes. Curious where some of you guys have wheeled with the statements you're making. An "overland" rig would probably tip over in half the trails in Moab or some of the nice ones in Colorado.

Again, if one of you said "offroad parks like Rousch Creek in PA" are stupid, and is a "rich man's game" I would be more on your side, as I agree, putting your vehicle through abuse for absolutely no reason, IMHO, is pretty out there, but to claim that rockcrawling equipped rigs are somehow inferior to overland equipped rigs is just nonsense. The only thing that makes a rockcrawling rig is basically more reliable components, simple as that. Larger tires allow you to access trails and terrain you wouldn't otherwise be able to get to, ergo, they expand your ability to "overland"....but they come at a price, and the price is reliability. The only thing rock crawlers (stupid term but I use it because the OP said it) do is simply beef up the components so they can withstand the added stress of having those larger tires. The "overland" equipment is nothing but stuff that either makes life more comfortable, something that helps you recover, and/or carry more cargo. Many "rock crawlers" have plenty of overland stuff, including extra fuel, fridges, etc. They don't however, travel with extremely heavy RTTs and racks because they cause lots of issues out on north american trails, and we're not in australia where rigs like that are REALLY necessary because you can end up 1000 miles from the nearest human.

Of course not all rock crawling results in body damage. The potential is very high however. As with anything, you have to be careful, and what most people see from rock crawling is sponsored drivers that are far from it, playing like it’s a hot wheel. Pinstripes from branches are not nearly the same as punching a hole in the sheet metal from a big ass rock. Rock crawlers don’t add weight on top for a tent but they’ll bolt a hundred pounds of steel underneath for protection.

The argument against a refrigerator and gas cans confuses me quite a bit. These are things that will allow you to stay out camping longer, not make life easier. A moderate lift and tire upgrade will get you anywhere that you need to go in most regions. Dedicated rock crawlers are chopping up fenders, Shoving the tallest tires in that will fit, and losing on road performance. Overlanders are adding weight, external materials reducing aerodynamics, and therefore losing performance in the same ways. It’s a pick your poison kind of situation, but this is America last I checked and you can do whatever you like with your own time, property, and money.

 

[palmor]

Wow, strange thread. Being new to the Wrangler community I’m surprised by tightness of the community but also the number of threads (like this) that seem to bash different ways people use their Jeeps. I think it’s great that the Wrangler is versital enough that it can fit so many different lifestyles.

As far as overlanding I look at it this way... it’s people who like to do multi-day offroading with their rigs off the beaten path with some toys specific to the job. Nothing wrong with that at all, and who cares how much they spend on those toys.

Although, since I have a Moab that has no purpose maybe I don’t get it

 

[Jondrew]

Wow, strange thread. Being new to the Wrangler community I’m surprised by tightness of the community but also the number of threads (like this) that seem to bash different ways people use their Jeeps. I think it’s great that the Wrangler is versital enough that it can fit so many different lifestyles.

As far as overlanding I look at it this way... it’s people who like to do multi-day offroading with their rigs off the beaten path with some toys specific to the job. Nothing wrong with that at all, and who cares how much they spend on those toys.

Although, since I have a Moab that has no purpose maybe I don’t get it

We have a separate thread to abuse you with

 

[palmor]

We have a separate thread to abuse you with

I’ve seen (more then one thread to) LOL. It’s a good thing I don’t get complexes or I’d be running out and trading it in for a Rubicon... but then I’d get a complex that real jeeps are barebones with no tech so I’d be trading it in for a sport. Hell, I guess I just need one of every trim :cwl:

 

[NFRs2000NYC]

Of course not all rock crawling results in body damage. The potential is very high however. As with anything, you have to be careful, and what most people see from rock crawling is sponsored drivers that are far from it, playing like it’s a hot wheel. Pinstripes from branches are not nearly the same as punching a hole in the sheet metal from a big ass rock. Rock crawlers don’t add weight on top for a tent but they’ll bolt a hundred pounds of steel underneath for protection.

The argument against a refrigerator and gas cans confuses me quite a bit. These are things that will allow you to stay out camping longer, not make life easier. A moderate lift and tire upgrade will get you anywhere that you need to go in most regions. Dedicated rock crawlers are chopping up fenders, Shoving the tallest tires in that will fit, and losing on road performance. Overlanders are adding weight, external materials reducing aerodynamics, and therefore losing performance in the same ways. It’s a pick your poison kind of situation, but this is America last I checked and you can do whatever you like with your own time, property, and money.

What do you define as a rock crawler? Are you talking about the near buggy exoskeleton builds or are you talking about guys with 37-40" tires, with upgraded axles, and some extra skids? Hell, technically, a stock rubicon can be considered a rock crawler. As for your last point, I don't think anyone is telling anyone else how to spend their money, we're just having a discussion.

 

[The_Phew]

My only issue is with the word 'Overlanding'. It's just a dumb, non-descriptive word. Maybe if some folks 'Underlanded' in that big drill thing from the old Ninja Turtles cartoon, the word would make sense:

As it stands, I'd prefer people just keep calling it 'truck camping' like it had been called for 50+ years.

 

[Covfefe]

Rock crawling by itself is already an unnecessary very high risk thing to do where you're putting your entire vehicle on the line for practically no reason at all. Majority of off-road scenarios are more suited for Overland equipped vehicles. You claim overlanders are adding weight, and reducing aerodynamics, but what's the point of even bringing that up in a Wrangler? Wranglers already weigh a ton, and the larger tires, and lifts from rock crawling equipped vehicles come out worse than Overlanders if you want to compare weight and aerodynamics. Unless you're always going highway speeds, aerodynamics don't even come into play yet.

First you say rock crawlers don't add weight ot the top for tents and such, so what? Most off-road situations you don't need to climb a near vertical cliff, so you're not worried about being top heavy, and carrying extra fuel allows you to stay out longer, but that doesn't make life easier? That alone is making life easier. Do you have no idea how useful fuel is?

All this shouldn't be confusing at all. The OP wanted to talk about how Overlanding setup is an expensive fad, while others are arguing the point that you can say the exact same, if not worse about rock crawling equipped vehicles, because if you weigh all the pro's and con's realistically, an overland vehicle would make more sense, while a rock crawling vehicle is very niche, and would be considered more of a fancy pants fad for rich folks.

Hope this explains it

 

[roaniecowpony]

Is it just me or has overlanding become an excuse for people to justify spending thousands of dollars on gear they don't truly need?

I just call it car camping and have done it all my life with multi-week trips ranging from the deserts of Utah/Arizona, the remote inland lakes of Ontario, the Tetons in the winter months, and all throughout Colorado.

At no point did I say to myself, "Wow, I really needed this $1,000 fridge in my car." Ever heard of dry ice?

I would say 10/10 times I go car camping, I would never choose to set up my tent where I park my car. Sure some RTTs set and pack up faster than my ground tent but it never takes me more than 5 minutes to do either so save that argument.

Storage systems I get, there's true utility there.

Yes there are use cases for all of these products, yes they are cool, and yes they make life easier, and some people truly may need them but what happened to camping for the sake of roughing it? Am I the only one that thinks this?

It's you.

How much money or what people spend on their discretionary activities is their decision. All of us have discretionary spending, some more than others. If you have a net worth of $500k and I have a net worth of $3M, would you not expect the person with more money to spend more on discretionary things? I see people buy 650 hp supercharged cars, capable of 200 mph that never exceed the speed limit (by much). I've seen coin collections worth big $ that got put in a drawer. The point is: your comments are from the perspective of looking through your knothole, created by your wants and needs and your financial situation. There's a broad spectrum of people out there. And why begrudge someone that has more money than you that spends it on things you wouldn't or couldn't buy? It's their money and spending it helps us all by boosting the economy.

 

[PowerGuy]

Is it just me or has overlanding become an excuse for people to justify spending thousands of dollars on gear they don't truly need?

I just call it car camping and have done it all my life with multi-week trips ranging from the deserts of Utah/Arizona, the remote inland lakes of Ontario, the Tetons in the winter months, and all throughout Colorado.

At no point did I say to myself, "Wow, I really needed this $1,000 fridge in my car." Ever heard of dry ice?

I would say 10/10 times I go car camping, I would never choose to set up my tent where I park my car. Sure some RTTs set and pack up faster than my ground tent but it never takes me more than 5 minutes to do either so save that argument.

Storage systems I get, there's true utility there.

Yes there are use cases for all of these products, yes they are cool, and yes they make life easier, and some people truly may need them but what happened to camping for the sake of roughing it? Am I the only one that thinks this?

Why are you concerned, I'm sure the people doing it are not concerned about what you're doing. Heck, I cant even keep track of what I'm doing half the time. If it ain't my snake, I'm not worrying about it.

 

[KDB]

I am inclined to agree with you, but I'm also interested in what counter-arguments there might be. I car camp only rarely, preferring to backpack in to places, and while Jeep camping won't replace backpacking for me, it will make us more inclined to do roadtrips with our backpacking gear instead of hoteling it.

I "overland" or "car camped" (pick one as to me they are synonymous) in my 2 door and have lived out of my jeep for 5-7 days at a time in the back country of AZ and/or Utah. I carry extra gas and use an ARB 37 fridge in addition to all my backpacking gear which can be hammock or backpacking tent or simply a tarp.

The 2 door is perfect for 2 people with the right gear. That said, I do dream of a RTT at times but the gas mileage and practicality of use on a soft top are the biggest reasons I have not gone that route. The fridge is a no brainer, always have cold dry food without compromising interior space for ice just makes sense. With my fridge hard wired to battery I have left it on for two days and jeep starts no worries. In addition you can also have a popsicle in the middle of the desert if you want

 

[Tex117]

Good grief. Who cares?

They like, it’s fine. Glad you are concerning yourself with other people’s business OP.

 

[punknking]

I've camped my entire life. Its much easier to put down a ground tarp, pitch a quick tent and have a small cot then climbing up ontop of my jeep ever would be... but hey many different strokes for different folks I guess.

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