I thought I'd put this out there, once again, after another weekend in the woods.
It's good to pause and reflect on the utility of and the enjoyment you can get out of a basically stock TJ. Spent the weekend running the Barlow Trail. My basically stock SE did just fine. Dirt, mud, rocks, sand...whatever the trail had to offer it was a strictly point and shoot afair. No drama or breakages.
I know this is a builder's forum, and I've got nothing against that. In fact, I love to read about and see what everyone's doing with their TJ's. But I think that we all need to pause on occasion and reflect on what can be done with a pretty much stock rig.
It's easy to get caught up in the build cycle, especially when it seems that everyone is doing it. Sometimes I think that if we put the time and effort into learning how to really wheel our kinda stock rigs, we'd be money ahead. Note that I'm not talking about places like Johnson Valley or the local off road park. Just general "I want to go there" wheeling.
The money I've spent on gas and food instead of the latest and greatest upgrade has made me a much more competent off road driver. The little SE takes me places folks in built Jeeps won't go. Not because of the Jeep and it's modifications, but because I know my TJ and how to get it from point A to point B.
Just some thoughts.
It's good to pause and reflect on the utility of and the enjoyment you can get out of a basically stock TJ. Spent the weekend running the Barlow Trail. My basically stock SE did just fine. Dirt, mud, rocks, sand...whatever the trail had to offer it was a strictly point and shoot afair. No drama or breakages.
I know this is a builder's forum, and I've got nothing against that. In fact, I love to read about and see what everyone's doing with their TJ's. But I think that we all need to pause on occasion and reflect on what can be done with a pretty much stock rig.
It's easy to get caught up in the build cycle, especially when it seems that everyone is doing it. Sometimes I think that if we put the time and effort into learning how to really wheel our kinda stock rigs, we'd be money ahead. Note that I'm not talking about places like Johnson Valley or the local off road park. Just general "I want to go there" wheeling.
The money I've spent on gas and food instead of the latest and greatest upgrade has made me a much more competent off road driver. The little SE takes me places folks in built Jeeps won't go. Not because of the Jeep and it's modifications, but because I know my TJ and how to get it from point A to point B.
Just some thoughts.