Brainstorm for camping in the TJ

Pics dont load for me. Can you try again? Or explain your system? Please.
Sure, @Goatman.

I started with a 1999 SE, manual transmission, and put a few minor mods on it.

I added a CB radio because log trucks aren't your friends. I added a rear basket that sits just above the wheel wells to organize and add some security to my junk. It's a rear basket for an ATV. Mounted two Motobilt can carriers for gas and water to the rack. It's sometimes a long way to anywhere for supplies. Mounted an axe with quick fists on one side of the rack, and a fire extinguisher to the other. A first aid kit is going next to the fire extinguisher when I find the right bag / box.

Now for the gear setup. There are two water and dust resistant plastic boxes that fill up just under half the back on one side. The larger box holds foodstuffs and miscellaneous small items that shouldn't get wet or dusty. The smaller box holds cooking gear including backpacking stoves, fuel, spices, etc.

The rear footwell holds a shovel, two 100' hanks of 10mm line, two extendable tent poles and a roll of TP in a plastic zip lock.

Two tarps, one big and one smaller fit behind the driver's set. A tool kit fits behind the passenger seat.

Under the rack goes a bagged recover kit, a bagged air pump and miscellaneous tools and Jeep stuff. Two rolled wool blankets. Two small camp chairs. One tent and ground cover tarp. Two clothes bags. Two mummy bags in compression sacks with insulated inflatable sleeping pads and inflatable pillows. A range bag with cleaning gear and spare ammo. A hammock for the wife to lounge in. Two pairs of hiking boots, Danner lightweight type. There may be a few other small miscellaneous things in there as well.

On top of the rack goes a Stihl chainsaw, gas and oil for same. Two day packs. A soft side marine cooler. A reusable grocery bag for munchies. Two big bore lever action carbines. One side by side shotgun, broken down in a case. We wear our side arms, unless we're in town, then they go in a lock box under the drivers seat.

I feel like I'm forgetting some stuff, but it'll come to me.

We've been collecting gear for awhile. Keeping what works and swapping out what doesn't. Cabelas, Sportsman's Warehouse, and REI know us by first name, and we share tips and tricks with the sales people on occasion.
 
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When we get to a likely spot to camp, we set up a lean-to shelter between two trees with one of the 10mm lines and the long tent poles. Then we unload the gear under that. The medium tarp gets put up on which ever side of the lean-to the wind will blow from at night as a wind break. The tent gets set up in the back of the lean-to. The chairs and boxes in front. A well prepped small fire ring goes in front of the lean-to. The chairs and boxes go under the front. It takes about 30 minutes to fully set up camp, slightly longer to break it down and pack it up.

Once camp is set up it's time to collect firewood from downed trees. We stack enough for a day or two under the edge of the lean-to opposite the wind break side.

We use the boxes as tables and cooking surfaces. I've cut pieces of thin veneer that fit the tops to protect them from heat and spills. It also makes playing cards and dice easier.
 
Just a small trailer. Roof top tent. You don't need to break down camp to explore. If it's attached to your Jeep, you have to take it all down to just go out and look around. Come back to your base camp and have to set it all up again.View attachment 98818
Beautiful set up @lowranger! I'm typically anti-trailer myself, but the simplicity of this build has merit. Well done.
 
I posted this elsewhere. Here is my current setup. I agree with other comments that the TJ simply isn't the best "overland" platform, but as a single dude (for the time being) it's working well for me and keeps me nimble on the trail. Debating a rack/cargo basket system, but I also want to keep weight down and you really don't need that much for a couple nights out. So far it's worked beautifully. Table, tent and chair stack to the left of the cooler. Dry goods/camp box on the right. Left drawer is kitchen/camp box, right drawer is all tools, oil, repair, etc. Axe, shovel, fire poker and tree saw under the deck at left wheel well; spare hoses, belt and jumper cables under the deck at the right wheel well. Bottle jack, tire repair and recovery bag behind the passenger seat. Backpack, sleeping bag and bed roll on the right deck with the dry goods box. Cooler and 7 gallons of water on the slider. Will be adding an air compressor soon - probably behind passenger seat as well. Not a ton of room behind the driver's seat given where I like the seat. Lots of little molle bags for stashing stuff. The Trasheroo is also useful for a bunch of stuff too - not just trash, especially if you leave all the packaging and garbage at home there shouldn't be much to throw away (except beer cans ;) ). I put my stove and other odds and ends in there this last trip. Kitchen/camp drawer has a ton of stuff in there - way more than I actually needed.

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How much does your cabinetry weigh?

A lot! It's 3/4" plywood. I didn't weigh it. Bomber, but heavy indeed. Hence, my concern about weight presently. There is, of course, a full suspension upgrade/lift coming somewhere down the line and I will go with a heavy-duty springs when the time comes. Currently sitting on stock 18-year-old springs with new Bilstein 5100s and 2" pucks. You can definitely feel the weight and see the sag when fully loaded for camp . . . Certainly, there are lighter materials and I probably could've gotten away with 1/2" plywood, but I didn't trust my rudimentary carpentry skills so I wanted room for error and went with the 3/4". Nonetheless, a full cooler, 7 gallons of water and 10 gallons of gas in metal jerry cans are heavy no matter what.
 
Here's my solution.

I managed to fit everything needed for two people and a dog while still preserving the backseat. It can be done.

This includes a full size camp stove and cookware, shovel and axe, 5 gallons of water, 40 qt cooler, 3 chairs, food, plenty of beer (necessities), tent, two gigantic sleeping bags and pads, lights, etc.

Bag on the face of the tire is the Ghostland Truck Ruck.
Bag on the top is my own home brewed concoction. Thinking of doing a write up for it in the near future (the bag and also packing for an extended weekend in a TJ).

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Here's my solution.

I managed to fit everything needed for two people and a dog while still preserving the backseat. It can be done.

This includes a full size camp stove and cookware, shovel and axe, 5 gallons of water, 40 qt cooler, 3 chairs, food, plenty of beer (necessities), tent, two gigantic sleeping bags and pads, lights, etc.

Bag on the face of the tire is the Ghostland Truck Ruck.
Bag on the top is my own home brewed concoction. Thinking of doing a write up for it in the near future (the bag and also packing for an extended weekend in a TJ).

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3 chairs.....2 people and a dog. Does the dog get his own chair?
 
You guys pack light! I usually tow a trailer with my GMC Sierra for camping. We are in State Parks in FL where you can't collect fire wood so we bring it and usually bring bikes for the kids. And a LOT of beer.
 
Sure, @Goatman.

I started with a 1999 SE, manual transmission, and put a few minor mods on it.

I added a CB radio because log trucks aren't your friends.

Working for the forest service here in Oregon has taught me to always have my CB....a quick call up the road makes it a way easier day than a full truck pulling a mule LOL! Also pulled one of those trucks out in my work truck (30,000lb winch) and they are not easy to move.
 
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It was a spare. We were meeting people and there's always someone that forgets one. Our pup ended up using it ha!

Funny that you say that. I'm heading out early tomorrow morning for our annual trip to the VARAC (Vintage Auto Racing Association of Canada) Festival at Mosport. Last year "the guy" who forgot his chair destroyed 2 of the coolers he sat on … and they were other people's coolers. I'm told that he wasn't invited this year.

This will be a group of about 15 guys. I often go on my own for other races and it generally looks like this ...

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It will be a bit different this weekend as I'll be taking my new trailer on its maiden voyage. It'll be the first time since the early '70's that I've camped off the ground.

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This marks the 50th anniversary of when I first trailered on my own to Mosport for the 1969 CanAm. I was 16 and only had my licence for 2 months. In 1 and a half months I trailered to the CanAm races at Mosport, Mt, Tremblant & Watkins Glen. Man I miss those days. I still can't believe my Dad let me take his beloved Nomad. For years I was the only guy at a race track with a boat and no water.

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Funny that you say that. I'm heading out early tomorrow morning for our annual trip to the VARAC (Vintage Auto Racing Association of Canada) Festival at Mosport. Last year "the guy" who forgot his chair destroyed 2 of the coolers he sat on … and they were other people's coolers. I'm told that he wasn't invited this year.

This will be a group of about 15 guys. I often go on my own for other races and it generally looks like this ...

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It will be a bit different this weekend as I'll be taking my new trailer on its maiden voyage. It'll be the first time since the early '70's that I've camped off the ground.

View attachment 99225

This marks the 50th anniversary of when I first trailered on my own to Mosport for the 1969 CanAm. I was 16 and only had my licence for 2 months. In 1 and a half months I trailered to the CanAm races at Mosport, Mt, Tremblant & Watkins Glen. Man I miss those days. I still can't believe my Dad let me take his beloved Nomad. For years I was the only guy at a race track with a boat and no water.

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Ive never seen a Nomad before (apart from a Chevy one) love the idea...being off the ground it'll feel like the Hilton..;)
 
I'm going to place a vote against an off-road trailer as a possible solution. I like trailers, but the main problem with an off-road trailer is simply going in reverse when you find that you cannot continue to go forwards. I've been pulling trailers for many years - did it as a job for awhile, as a matter of fact - and hardly a trip goes by where I find myself in comparatively mild off-road terrain, realizing that there would be no easy way to extract myself with a trailer should I need to simply back down the road that I just traveled. Trailers are fine for those that are simply pulling up to camp by way of the highway or improved roads because the trailer is never going to be pulled anywhere that would get you in trouble (which also sort of negates the "off-road" thing, but whatever)...but if you're camping further afield, I say to keep it all in one vehicle.

As far as the netting idea goes...

If I was doing a drape-over netting, I would find some heavy-duty screening - like the stuff they use on campers and boats - and I would have someone sew up a Jeep cover that's made from screening and that fits the exact same way as a conventional cover, using the same attachments and tension points. In fact, finding a cheap Jeep cover to use as a pattern would probably save you money in the long run, because the person doing the sewing wouldn't have to do all of the laborious patterning and fitting and testing, which is what costs so much when you have custom canvas/material sewn up: you would already know that it would fit when it was done, so they could just go right to work. I would sew a nice reinforced seam along the bottom edge, and I would pocket in some decently-strong magnets to help keep the seam tight against the body of the Jeep, as you suggested; either that, or I would look into some additional tension/adjustment straps that will help you pull it as tight to the body as is possible to keep out the really small bugs. I think it could work; that said...

The most elegant solution would be something that actually clips into your door/tub surrounds and that allows you to keep your doors in place for easy entry. It will essentially fit like a frameless top, but it's gonna cost you: you'll need said frameless top to salvage parts from, and you'll have to find someone that's good with canvas in order to make the necessary seams. Expect it to cost several hundred dollars plus whatever you spend on the top for the pattern, unless someone owes you a serious-duty favor. So yeah...very pricey (Edit: but less than the cost of a trailer and a rooftop tent) but that's true of most things that are made well.


One of these would be a good start:

https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/bestop/product-line/bestop-trail-cover-jeep-covers
There are cheaper ones that you could use. You could still use your half doors and use a sash type weight like water bottles to hold it down but still allow you to climb underneath. I have given this some thought as well. Conventional thinking has everyone trying to make a bed going from dash to tailgate, but years ago I was involved with search and rescue doing a body recovery on the Rubicon river, I secured a Stoke’s litter across the wheel wells it was secured between the main hoop and the bars in the back. If you are modifying a cover here you could make pop-up flaps to cover the ends of a cot that would stick out beyond the wheel wells like a pop out on a tent trailer.
 
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Do you guys have swags over there? They are bulky rolled up but it is your tent, mattress and bedding in one roll. I can throw one in the back of the Jeep with a fridge, backpack and chair and I'm good for the weekend. Really nice to sleep in too.

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If you break into "Waltzing Matilda" im outta here !! haha