Compact trail gear

4Lo4Sho

4Lo4Sho

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I wanted to make a spot for compact trail gear (see my first couple of posts for a bunch of links) that makes the most of the space we have in these wee rigs. Especially with the rear seat in place like we usually run.


Realistically, we're not campers anymore due to some injuries my wife sustained a few years back in an accident. (a regular bed is just a requirement now) Though we love hiking/exploring and a good campfire.

We now rock Airbnb's or hotels in the area (Moab was awesome this way for us, for a week), but as soon as we can graduate and get all our of kiddo's out of the house, there are rustic cabins available in the mountains in certain area's where my wife and I want to go, We'd probably want to have a modest 1-2 night bit of gear/food/supplies on board in those cases.
  • Feel free to post the minimalist gear you like to use.
  • I'm seeing lots of great gear ideas already
  • LJ's are awesome with their behind the seat storage - Our TJ will be more of a challenge with it's minimal footprint AND the rear seat installed, but then again - we're not camping out of our rig. Just wheeling, crawling and exploring for the day, mostly.
 
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Trail seating. I don't like sitting in the dirt, and being able to stretch out and enjoy a sunset is a favorite pasttime, but a big comfy chair is usually too big.
  • Big Agnes Chair (link)
    • Compact and the 300lb weight rating is great for me (big boy) and more than enough for my much smaller gals.
    • They go on sale often - don't pay the full price if you don't have to. The REI outlet has them for like $90 bucks right now.
Water containers. We're in fairly dry areas most of the time. So, not only for our safety as spare water, but also as a possible refill for our radiator in a pinch, we like to carry some extra. I've been trying to find a good solution based on what we had already and what we've found lately at outdoor stores.
  • Scepter can (link)
    • This what we have used in the past on the trail:
    • Tough, easy to fill, but man 5 gallons of water weigh a ton, and while it's light when empty - it does take up a lot of space
  • Rotopax (link)
    • Picked up a RotoPax 2.5l Container to try out a couple months ago. Holds a good amount of water
    • Much smaller footprint, much easier to move around, and when it's empty it's pretty light and un-obtrusive.
    • Downside is that it has to live outside where I would think that it'd get pretty darned dirty like our Sceptor can did in Moab and Anza-Borrego.
  • Dromedary (link)
    • Been thinking about using our rotopax mount for a small fuel can instead of a water can, and moving our water storage inside using one of these soft-side dromedary bags:
  • 2.5l Scepter (link)
    • Really like how strong these are - might be a good fit in a smaller rig.
LIghting - I like to have at least a couple lights on me at all times. these are my go-to for compact lighting.
  • Streamlight AAA light (link)
    • For a pocket/hat-brim mountable light, this has become my favorite - easy to carry, long-lasting, and very bright in a pinch.
  • Coast Headlamp AAA (link)
    • We have 3-4 of these in our house and in our rig when we head offroad. Long-lasting, tough, and bright.
Cooking - Again, we don't camp anymore, but being able to heat up a hot cup of instant coffee, cocoa, or soup, and being able to prep a quick trail meal has come in handy.
  • JetBoil Flash (link)
    • Stove stores in the cannister and a base inside. Been using this for years for simple trail foods and It's still going strong.
  • GSI nesting kitchen kit (link)
    • We've used the heck out of this kit (or one close to it) from GSI - I forget where we got it, but they have it quite a few places. Great materials, very durable.
  • Compact Propane stove - we're actually looking for something smaller than our double burner classic coleman - Would definitely welcome some suggestions.
 
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Storage
  • Bestop Saddle bag (link)
    • I grabbed two of these when we got the jeep and they've been very handy. They'll easily carry tons of gear and if you fill them with soft/semi-soft items, they do a good job as an armrest or a place for a kiddo to lean over and snooze. Very rugged zippers and materials.
 
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Can do a lot of cooking on a $20 single burner green propane stove.

Screenshot_2024-04-26-15-35-19-58_f9ee0578fe1cc94de7482bd41accb329.jpg



-Mac
 
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macleanflood said:
Yeah if it's just me I'll bring a tarp and a hammock. With the top off the Jeep you only need one tree.

-Mac
Click to expand...

I camp out of the Jeep at least once a month and backpack another one or two times a month. Ultra Lite back pack means all of my gear is super lite and small. When it's time to camp from the Jeep I take my complete backpacking kit, which includes a hammock and tarp, and add only a few items are added that I would not carry on the trail.

Jet Boil or propane burner, WinnerWell fire pit, Fishers hatchet, shovel, Kelty BackRoads shelter, RotoPax, Jackery.. Maybe a bottle of Bourbon instead a few ounces. I have a few camp chairs and tables that would never make it to my backpack but are great for car camping.

I often do what @macleanflood describes and hang the hammock from the roll bar if needed.

Everything packs easily in the back of the Jeep with the seat flipped forward though I do store a few things on the outside cargo basket.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/love-it-when-a-plan-comes-together.76645/#post-1524848

If there is a specific piece of kit you want to discuss I'm happy to share my thoughts and possible alternatives.
 
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bought all of my camping gear with two wheel traveling in mind. basically ultralight and compact backpacking gear. takes up minimal space even when out on the bike. there’s lots of quality minimalist gear out there to choose from.
 
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All of my gear fits behind the rear seat of my LJ. To maximize that space I drilled the factory rear seat rails to move the rear seat forward to the same relative position to the front seats as in a TJ (sacrificing a bit of legroom) and fabricated a shelf for two-level packing. I can use a backpacking tent to save space, but prefer my Kodiak Canvas swag tent or for long term camps, my Kodiak Canvas 6x9 springbar tent.

LJ Interior Cargo Rack installed view 1.jpg
Packed and ready to go 05 05 19.jpg
1714231208640.jpeg




Campsite at Hidden Pines RV Park.jpg
 
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Some nice gear setups so far. Added some content to my first couple posts. Threw some links up. No affiliation to any of them. That's just stuff we've gathered over the last few years and had pretty good luck with.
 
AndyG said:
When I was 20 we would have gone compact by not bringing beer and carrying a pint of liquor.

Not bragging - we were so stupid.
Click to expand...

Absolutely accurate.

And I had a blanket to lay on, and if it rained, I rolled under the CJ. East Texas was nice like that.

If I was 20 now, I’d have my ENO and straps.
 
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I have an assortment of burners to choose from. Other than the JetBoil, none of the backpacking stoves are suitable for camping from the Jeep.
I have one of the single burner duel fuel burners like the one above. I rarely use it. It's larger than I like to carry and butane performs horrible in winter temps. I use a Fire Maple Blade 2 burner which can be either IsoButane or with a simple adapter it can run on propane. That's my preferred burner for camping. Also have a classic Coleman double burner that I take with a Coleman propane lantern when I want to feel nostogic.

2024-02-03 Peconic Campgrounds ON 31.jpg
 
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The Bestop saddle bag is great for storing small loose items over the wheel wells while being mostly unobtrusive to any backseat passengers. It’s a great way to add a bit more storage space.
 
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I'll just leave it by saying when we go camping as a family, its a damn good thing I got the JT.

My core family camping gear (when wife goes), is a Gazelle T8 tent, 2 coleman white gas stoves, coleman kitchen, collapsable 5 gal water tanks, 300l DC cooler, Jackery 500, 120W solar panel... I invested in some semi-rugged (pelican?) plastic storage boxes to store it all... makes transport, and garage storage really easy.

For camping with the boy, we have a basic 2 person tent, 1 camp stove, hammock, the DC cooler, Jackery, solar panel... that will all fit in the TJ with the rear seat folded/flipped.
 
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4Lo4Sho said:
Can you post some info on the model you use? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

It's just a cheap Walmart singal burner green propane bottle stove.

I prefer this to my backpacking stove when car camping because the burner is bigger, the stove is more stable, the bottles last far longer and are cheaper and easier to find.

-Mac
 
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