Help me slim down my gear. Jeep JL storage issues

[OtherOrb]

With smaller bags and pads, you should be able to lose those two pads shown in the photo into the box. Go to a single burner. Get dromedary bags for water. Go to a compressible duffle for clothing?

Also, do you have a fire extinguisher?

 

[anotheraznguy]

@Brewbud - I am looking at the compact sizing and those down filled sleeping bags arent saving that much space over a double sleeping bag. What hurts even more is trying to get 4 250 dollar bags/quilts. At this point i don't think it is necessarily a game of inches. More of the less bulky items i carry the better.

@Owasco - Wife needs the two burner. I showed her the jetboil as well as the coleman propane one and she was worried about the kids knocking them over. We do utilize two burners primarily in breakfast and dinner. I did convince the wife to get the Jetboil Genesis basecamp system so we will be picking that one up before we hit the rubicon again this weekend.

Are the camping pads from thermarest that much more comfortable compared to lesser sleeping pads?

@Gpxl - i actually have 2 helinox chairs stuffed under the rear seat and 1 helinox high back. We are still using 1 classic folding camping chair but it is for small kids so it folds up to about the size of the helinox if not a little longer and thinner

 

[anotheraznguy]

With smaller bags and pads, you should be able to lose those two pads shown in the photo into the box. Go to a single burner. Get dromedary bags for water. Go to a compressible duffle for clothing?

Also, do you have a fire extinguisher?

Yeah, i think i am going to take it in stages. First i will be picking up the msr dual burner stove since it is compact and will replace quite a bit of my gear. I will most likely just camp with this for a few trips to see how well the jeep packs out.

Next will most likely be the MSR dromedary bags. With these bags, is it bad if it gets squished or is it relatively durable? Should i pack it last on top of all my gear?

I have 2 element 50 fire extinguishers. They are placed in each of the front doors.

 

[mep1811]

You can get rid of the huge old fashioned Wenzel bags and get bags that pack down smaller. Two bags can fit in the space of one.

A spare tire basket like this with a high quality dry bag could hold all the bulky soft items.

I'd ditch the hard sided suitcase for a duffle that is more adaptable to irregular storage area .

 

[anotheraznguy]

You can get rid of the huge old fashioned Wenzel bags and get bags that pack down smaller. Two bags can fit in the space of one.

A spare tire basket like this with a high quality dry bag could hold all the bulky soft items.

I'd ditch the hard sided suitcase for a duffle that is more adaptable to irregular storage area .

I'll try out the duffle bag vs hard sided suitcase. I mainly used the hard sided since it prevented us from overpacking. Forcing us to only pack what would fit in a carry on.

Here is the back side of the jeep. I can't really use any tire mounted cargo carrier mainly due to the license plate / backup camera / trasharoo.

 

[OtherOrb]

Next will most likely be the MSR dromedary bags. With these bags, is it bad if it gets squished or is it relatively durable? Should i pack it last on top of all my gear?

I have a set of 10-year-old bags, a 2 4L and a 10 6L (just double-checked their sizes). I never worry about them being damaged. I mean, I don't throw sharp, heavy objects on them, but they're durable. If you were worried, you could probably put it in a canvas bag or something, but I've never had an issue with mine. Maybe a bit of leakage if you don't get the lid on correctly.

I've filled mine and frozen them and used them for ice and then for cold water to drink on week-long way-out-there field campaigns. I've taken mine down the Grand Canyon. I've thrown them in the back of the truck. I'm pretty hard on gear and these things are still working perfectly after ten years.

MSR Dromedary bag...10-years on.

On another thread we got to talking about water bags instead of water jugs. I use both in my kit. I have several 6- or 7-gallon blue plastic jugs with the reversible spout. A lot of people use those. They crack easily, the lids crack if you look at them wrong, the breather hole lids get lost...

www.overlandbound.com

 

[mep1811]

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I'll try out the duffle bag vs hard sided suitcase. I mainly used the hard sided since it prevented us from overpacking. Forcing us to only pack what would fit in a carry on.

Here is the back side of the jeep. I can't really use any tire mounted cargo carrier mainly due to the license plate / backup camera / trasharoo.

You can easily You can relocate the licence plate and trasgaroo

 

[The other Sean]

Have you considered finding a duffle bag for each person? I've become a fan of the packing cube things. One main cube with a few smaller cubes inside, everything stays organized better. find ones the proper size and each person only gets to pack what fits? I can see 4 small duffle bags / packing cubes being easy to stuff in / between /under places better than 1 large square suitcase.

 

[anotheraznguy]

Have you considered finding a duffle bag for each person? I've become a fan of the packing cube things. One main cube with a few smaller cubes inside, everything stays organized better. find ones the proper size and each person only gets to pack what fits? I can see 4 small duffle bags / packing cubes being easy to stuff in / between /under places better than 1 large square suitcase.

Those duffel bags are the 4 sleeping bags and 4 sleeping pads. All the clothes for 4 people are within that hard-travel case. We are leaving for the weekend later today and have a new configuration we are testing with 1 plano box and 4 wolf pack boxes. We also got rid of our camp chef stove in favor of the MSR genesis stove. I will re-evaluate the priority once we get back. Since the MSR dromedary's are cheap compared to getting new sleeping gear we will go that route next to get rid of the 7 gallon bulky water container.

 

[OtherOrb]

Pics!

 

[anotheraznguy]

This’ll around without the big stove I was able to put more items in the trunk. The long brown thing up too is my roll up table. The Plano box and 2 front runner boxes are dedicated to just sleeping bags/pads/tent. The other two front runner boxes are for kitchen and dry goods

 

[Wolf427]

Time to switch over to ultralight gear. You will save the most space with ultralight sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents(we use tarps and hammocks), and switching from fresh food to freeze dried/dehydrated(ditching the cooler altogether). Its a lot more expensive, but its worth it. In reality the only thing you can't save weight/space on is water unless you have a filter/container to boil in and a water source. I have a 2 door so with my fiance and our husky there isn't much space. We backpack & bushcraft, so we are used to carrying everything we need in a 30L backpack(1 each).

 

[anotheraznguy]

Time to switch over to ultralight gear. You will save the most space with ultralight sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents(we use tarps and hammocks), and switching from fresh food to freeze dried/dehydrated(ditching the cooler altogether). Its a lot more expensive, but its worth it. In reality the only thing you can't save weight/space on is water unless you have a filter/container to boil in and a water source. I have a 2 door so with my fiance and our husky there isn't much space. We backpack & bushcraft, so we are used to carrying everything we need in a 30L backpack(1 each).

Yeah i am trying to avoid slimming down all my gear. that is what will be the most expensive. My tent packs up small enough, its just sleeping bags and pads. That could start ranging in the 1-2k range to replace everything.

 

[mep1811]

I'll try out the duffle bag vs hard sided suitcase. I mainly used the hard sided since it prevented us from overpacking. Forcing us to only pack what would fit in a carry on.

Here is the back side of the jeep. I can't really use any tire mounted cargo carrier mainly due to the license plate / backup camera / trasharoo.

Backup camera, license plate, and trasharoo can all be modified to accommodate a tire basket.

Or get a tire basket that mounts to the top of the tire.

I'll try out the duffle bag vs hard sided suitcase. I mainly used the hard sided since it prevented us from overpacking. Forcing us to only pack what would fit in a carry on.

Here is the back side of the jeep. I can't really use any tire mounted cargo carrier mainly due to the license plate / backup camera / trasharoo.

The backup camera, license plate and trasharoo could all be modified to accommodate the basket.

Why not just use a top mounted cargo basket?

 

[Mild Bill]

I would suggest revisiting the trailer idea...you could have everything you want in a deployable base camp setup..it would require a little more planning of trails but were you to drop it off..hit the trails..circle back...you could have every luxury waiting for you...camp kitchen...rooftop tent...full tool kit...spare fuel and water...your budget is your limit.
Good luck and happy trails

 

[Billiebob]

If you have any product recommendations for sleeping bags that would be great.

I would put the tent, sleeping bags etc, the bulky light items which you only access once a day setting up camp into a small thule on the roof or roll bar if the top is off. It could be detachable. Setup a kitchen across the back, accessible thru the tailgate, and a divider, shelving setup for clothing etc accessible thru the rear doors, by folding the rear seats down. Find an exterior mount for the shovel etc. White gas is way more compact than propane.... burns better at higher elevations too. Water, multiple smaller containers. 2L pop bottles are an excellent choice. And just carry drinking water. If you are going to boil it get it from a tap.... even a stream. I'd store the water in something fitted inside the rear triangle of the roll bar. Maybe a fabric bag or build a box? Cargo seat covers for toiletries, wipes, first aid, gloves, toques.... water bottles, books....

Look at all the built in cargo bag gear. ie Smittybilt.

Tools, spare parts, recovery gear?
What do you really need?
If you have a winch all you need is a tree saver strap.
Parts? It is a brand new JL. Get AAA & use VISA. There is no excuse if you break something.
Tools? All you should need are the tools which came with the Jeep. Maybe a few basic things to adjust any storage systems you add or to fix some camping gear. But a brand new JL..... nothing should need fixing with responsible family based wheeling.

Lots of my comments are generic, not necessarily aimed at your questions.

 

[rho]

The jeeps can be tricky. I'm 5'10" and my wife is 6'2", our kid is tall as well, however you have underseat storage. I'd suggest to start keeping a list of what you use/don't use each trip and start actively looking at solutions each time you go out, a lot of others mentioned backpacking gear which is almost a must with the jeeps as they just don't have a lot of cargo space.
For us we'll stuff 3x camp chairs and table in the space between the rearseat and the rest of the cargo area (running from side to side of the jeep). We use two large totes that we use for most of our gear. kitchen stuff and general camp stuff goes in one large tote then the other has the camping gear, each person has a backpack that goes on top of all of that, shovel gets bogo tied to the roll bar in the back, water container goes on one side, large yeti soft side cooler goes on the other, Air compressor/tools/recovery gear is stowed between the roll bar and the soft top or under the rear seat in bags and secured. Water bottles and drinks and maps and stuff just sort of get stowed wherever but in a secure place.

We tend to do longer, higher speed desert trips so everything has to be fairly secure and easy to get out and set up camp at the end of the day.

Something else for our situation is everything we do has to be able to come out so no hard mounted interior racks or anything that keeps me from being able to have a open cargo area as either sleep in the back of my jeep on solo trips or haul my mountain bike in the back. I found interior racks can work out when everything has its place in a box and the boxes just go in but they dont' work as well with loose things in my experience because of how much stuff can change from trip to trip.

I'm with you on not wanting to go with a roof rack or rack hanging off of the back of the jeep. It tends to add additional issues when you're crawling or doing anything with major dynamic events.

 

[Billiebob]

found this...

Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco Integrated Storage by XG Cargo

Integrated Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco storage including cargo management; Jeep Wrangler accessories, Ford Bronco accessories, Jeep Wrangler storage, Ford Bronco storage, all with a high quality build by XG Cargo.

xgcargo.com

 

[Billiebob]

I'll try out the duffle bag vs hard sided suitcase. I mainly used the hard sided since it prevented us from overpacking. Forcing us to only pack what would fit in a carry on.

Here is the back side of the jeep. I can't really use any tire mounted cargo carrier mainly due to the license plate / backup camera / trasharoo.

Series 1 Bromco vs JL....
I'll take the Bronco !!

But I like the way you have loaded the JL.


Room to add storage boxes outside the roll bar too.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

I would assess what is used and not used on each trip. Also, what was needed but not brought along. You might find that you're over-packing in some cases and under-packing elsewhere. This might free up space if you over-pack. Backpacking gear for sure would be a place to look to reduce the weight and bulk. I have limited everyone riding in my rig to a 20L drybag for all their clothes and such, and maybe a backpack in the seat with them. This is with 5 total people and 2 dogs. I would highly suggest condensing your tools if you have not already. I would also look at upgrading the tire carrier to either a swingout style off the bumper or a reinforced one off the body. That will help when you strap a trasharoo to it and anything else. The storage shelf is a good idea for inside the rig! Might look into an attic net for easily pack-able items. If none of this resolves your issues, as well as the rotopax, I would strongly consider options for mounting gear on the outside of the rig. While I hate having gear outside, it has become a must with the amount of people I carry and all of the gear needed. You will find that your kit will vary based on many different variable, so that's something to keep in mind. I found that even though I was on a 10 day trip, I was able to travel like I would for a weekend if I did things just right. Temps also play a major factor. Warmer temps tend to reduce what I carry aside from water, colder temps I don't have to pack so many extra changes of clothes, but varying temps seem to be the worst to keep everyone comfortable. I have found that my setup is also forever changing as I go on more trips, pack more or different gear, and as we strip down our kit to what is and isn't needed.