A seat back storage idea borrowed from the YJ

[jscherb]

The other day Overland Outfitters sent me a couple of new bags to play with. These bags are part of their upcoming "Gladiator Storage System", but I tried them out in the LJ.

I added the patches, they're not part of the production bag design.

These bags work very well with the seat bands I sewed a while back. I've already sent Overland Outfitters the patterns and design details for the seat bands (these are late model seats, there's also a version for early models) and they haven't committed to producing the bands yet, but since their Sherpa Messenger bag and now these bags work well with the bands, maybe I can convince them to release the bands along with these bags for the TJ.

The Gladiator Storage System is designed to hang on the rear wall of the Gladiator cab behind the back seat but since I don't have a Gladiator, I put the panel in my Wrangler pickup .

 

[jscherb]

Since my last post I've talked to Overland Outfitters and I got them to agree to make samples of the late model TJ Molle/Zip&Go seat bands for testing. (Zip&Go is the name they're now using for their bags that attach with a zipper, like the bags in my last post). They said they probably wouldn't get to them for about a month but they'll send me some for testing when they're available. Once I get their samples and verify the fit they'll be able to offer seat-back bag products for the TJ if they see some demand. They're not convinced there's much demand for the TJ anymore, but I told them that since their existing bags for other models will work with these TJ seat bands, it wasn't much effort or investment for them to support the TJ/LJ.

I've actually done two Molle/Zip&Go bands for the late model TJ, they're doing samples of the lower one, in this photo I've got a Zip&Go bag on the lower band and a Molle pouch on the upper band. Both bands slip onto the seat and remove in seconds so they can be used just for an expedition or left on all the time; I leave mine on all the time.

I'll keep trying to get the companies I'm in contact with to offer new products for the TJ/LJ .

Also in my last post I showed the bags they sent me with patches I added; in my JKU I have the same bags without the patches.

 

[jscherb]

This isn't an idea borrowed from a YJ, but it uses the same attachment to the TJ seats that I made earlier in this thread, the same that the bags above do.

There are a number of seat-back MOLLE panels on the market but I don't really like the way most of them look. I thought something could be designed that would look nicer so I designed and sewed one.

It's made from heavy canvas and leather. At the top it attaches to the zipper mount that I made for the bags earlier and at the bottom there are straps that hook under the seat. It's got a large pocket, and two zippers for attaching Zip & Go bags. The leather PALS grid is standard size so it supports MOLLE gear.

Here are a few examples. Left: to Grab & Go bags. Because they clip onto the PALS grid, when I need one I can grab it by the handle and pull it off the grid, no messing with undoing MOLLE straps. Right: One of the Zip & Go bags that Overland Outfitters sent me recently.

It fits nicely on my JKU seats too.

I'm pretty happy with how the panel turned out.

 

[jscherb]

In the Indian desert state of Rajasthan there are lots of goats and camels; the camels are beasts of burden and are commonly seen on the rural roads and the goats are a source of milk, meat and income. I snapped this photo in the town of Sawai Madhopur, which just outside the Ranthambore National Park tiger reserve, camels with carts like this are common all over Rajasthan.

The camels and goats are also sources of leather and there are lots of small shops that make bags and other things out of that leather. When I was in Udaipur last year I was admiring the camel leather bags in a shop in the market there, the color, texture and patina of those bags is very cool. Remember the Lake Palace in the James Bond movie Octopussy? That's actually a hotel in Lake Pichola in Udaipur.

The bag in these photos is a goat leather bag from Udaipur, I picked up a pair of them because I thought they would look cool in a Jeep. I modified one of the bags to have a Zip & Go zipper on the back so it can zip to my seat backs.

In the LJ:

In the JKU:

It wouldn't be hard to get one of the shops there to make custom bags for Jeeps and send them to the U.S. for sale here; these shops are generally very friendly and enterprising so any sort of custom leather bag could be made and the prices are pretty reasonable.

 

[jscherb]

The bags in most of the LJ photos in this thread are hanging on a band that goes around the seat; the band has a provision for Molle gear and also a zipper for "Zip & Go" bags that Overland Outfitters makes. In my last post the leather bag in the LJ is hanging on a gray prototype band I made; I sewed a zipper on the back of the bag to turn it into a "Zip & Go" bag.

I've been trying to get Overland Outfitters to make these bands so TJ/LJ folks can hang either Molle or Zip & Go bags on their seats - most companies these days focus first on JL and JK Jeeps because that's where the market is but I've been telling OO that as long as they've already got some great Zip & Go bags for the JK they might as well offer this simple band and expand the applicability of those bags to the TJ/LJ.

Friday they emailed me these images, it's a prototype band they made in leather. There's one minor adjustment I suggested to them and once they make that adjustment they'll make some available for testing. This was made from leather they had on hand, I don't know if they should use this color or perhaps black for production.

The first prototype I made was tan because that's the color of the original YJ band. The tan isn't too far from the color of this leather so here are a few photos of that first prototype to show the color on the gray LJ seat. Do you think these should be made in tan/brown leather or black leather? If anyone has thoughts on the color I'll pass your comments along to them.

My prototype tan band:

Or, if you guys think this is a dumb idea, let me know and I'll tell Overland Outfitters not to bother, they can just make a few nice leather ones for me and then forget the whole thing.

 

[jscherb]

Now I can say why I got interested in the YJ seat-back bag idea...

Last year a company asked Overland Outfitters and me to do a custom design for their Anniversary Jeep. They had originally planned to unveil the Jeep at SEMA, but SEMA was cancelled so they didn't do the debut until now. The company is Quadratec, and for their 30th Anniversary they customized a 2dr LJ to pay tribune to the YJ Sahara their founder had 30 years ago when he founded the company.

The YJ Sahara had map pockets on the back of the seats and they wanted an updated version of the pockets for their Anniversary Jeep. I had just finished designing bags for the Gladiator Storage System I did for Overland Outfitters so I pitched those bags to Quadratec. They loved the bags but since they were doing custom Corbeau seats in the Jeep they needed a custom attachment designed, so I studied the Corbeau seats and came up with a zipper mount that could be installed without modifying the seats.

The entire Quadratec video is worth watching, but if you can't wait to see the seat-back bags, they're at about 7:30 in.

A couple of stills from the video:

In addition to those bags being available as part of the Gladiator Storage System, OO has made them available for the seat backs of other Jeeps, including the JK and the JL.

Here's one in my JKU:

I've also used them in my LJ. One is on the passenger seat in this photo; an OO Saddlebag is at the inner fender and their new matching gear bag is on the floor. They plan to offer the zipper attachments for the LJ/TJ seats very soon, the bag is hanging on a prototype I sewed in this photo.

I was playing with custom patches on the bags in this photo:

 

[Fonz54]

Now I can say why I got interested in the YJ seat-back bag idea...

Last year a company asked Overland Outfitters and me to do a custom design for their Anniversary Jeep. They had originally planned to unveil the Jeep at SEMA, but SEMA was cancelled so they didn't do the debut until now. The company is Quadratec, and for their 30th Anniversary they customized a 2dr LJ to pay tribune to the YJ Sahara their founder had 30 years ago when he founded the company.

The YJ Sahara had map pockets on the back of the seats and they wanted an updated version of the pockets for their Anniversary Jeep. I had just finished designing bags for the Gladiator Storage System I did for Overland Outfitters so I pitched those bags to Quadratec. They loved the bags but since they were doing custom Corbeau seats in the Jeep they needed a custom attachment designed, so I studied the Corbeau seats and came up with a zipper mount that could be installed without modifying the seats.

The entire Quadratec video is worth watching, but if you can't wait to see the seat-back bags, they're at about 7:30 in.

A couple of stills from the video:

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In addition to those bags being available as part of the Gladiator Storage System, OO has made them available for the seat backs of other Jeeps, including the JK and the JL.

Here's one in my JKU:

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I've also used them in my LJ. One is on the passenger seat in this photo; an OO Saddlebag is at the inner fender and their new matching gear bag is on the floor. They plan to offer the zipper attachments for the LJ/TJ seats very soon, the bag is hanging on a prototype I sewed in this photo.

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I was playing with custom patches on the bags in this photo:

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These are awesome. Kudos to you!

 

[Head Lice]

Going to make up a pair of trays similar to yours. You do nice work. Thanks for sharing.

 

[jscherb]

Fedex just dropped this off:

It's from Quadratec, a thank you present from them for me helping them with their 30th Anniversary YLJ project. I've posted this photo before, I designed the seat-back bags for them:

The bags are not just for the Anniversary Jeep, they're also in the Quadtratec catalog for JK/JL/Gladiator, and soon for the TL/LJ. Overland Outfitters is readying an attachment for TJ/LJ seats, I posted a photo of a pair in my LJ when OO sent me preproduction samples a few weeks ago.

 

[jscherb]

For pandemic reasons I didn't go to Easter Jeep Safari this year, but it would be fun to be there to see the Quadratec YJL in person. The only part of the YJL I've seen in person is the seats - when I went to Quadratec last fall to test-fit the custom Zip & Go bag attachment to their Corbeau seats they weren't allowing anyone inside their buildings so they put the seat outside the door to their studio and I did the test fit outside. A couple of photos from that session:

The Quadratec YJL is at Moab now, with the bags in it (they're visible in this next photo they posted on Instagram). Sure would be fun to see it in person...

 

[jscherb]

I was talking with Overland Outfitters the other day and in addition to them telling me they plan to release an HD MOLLE tailgate panel for the TJ, they are looking for other TJ/LJ product ideas. They tell me they've done very well with their JK/JL seat-back bags, and Quadratec liked the idea enough to include them in their anniversary build so I suggested they do the TJ/LJ seat back MOLLE/Zip & Go idea that's the subject of this thread and it sounds like they might do it.

I've prototyped three versions of band, two of which are in the photo below. At left, the Zip & Go leather bag is hanging on the "YJ replica" version of the band in gray, and on the right the Cool Bag cooler/picnic bag prototype is hanging on the "headrest version" of the band. Those two versions are for the later model TJ/LJ ('03-'06) and the third version is for the early TJ ('97-'02), the early model one is a lot like the headrest version but shaped for the early TJ seats.

They tell me they do want to do the Cool Bag that's in the photo above; I'm also working on a few other ideas that can hang there.

A few things I've hung on my LJ seat back using this attachment...

If you've got any thoughts or suggestions for improvements on this idea please post them or let me know so I can pass the ideas on to Overland Outfitters.