Help me slim down my gear. Jeep JL storage issues

[anotheraznguy]

So we are a family of 4 + dog. I am 6'3, wife is 5'9 and the kids are 4 and 6 years oid. Whenever we go camping for the weekend we end up having storage issues. Most of my gear came from when we had a full size truck so everything is oversized. I already gave up my 65 qt rtic cooler and i think i need to give up on some of the other stuff.

We primarily play in the rocks and on harder trails. So a roof rack / Trailer / Hitch rack / Drawer system are out of the question due to the extra weight.

This was from my recent trip. Carry on size luggage for all our clothes, Recovery gear and tools, Cooler for food/beer, 2 burner stove, 2 bottles of propane, shovel , tent, 4 sleeping bags, 4 sleeping pads, bag of towels and water stuff, tarp, pot n pan, shovel, foldable rollup table. That was all that we were carrying and as you can see the jeep was full. I stuffed as much sleeping pads and bags in all the nooks and crannies like behind the front seats and to the side of the roll bar. Any ideas or suggestions would be great.

Currently looking for:
Better water storage solutions. The current 7 gallon container i have is too bulky and i cant shove it in any crevice.
Possibly getting a smaller tarp that fold thinner.
Getting rid of the sleeping pads and getting an air mattress.
Possibly going to a 1 burner stove?

Things that i want to bring but no space:
Cleanwaste toilet / Wag Bags

 

[SubeeBen]

Wait I see some room on the left. Ha ha. Might want to look into backpacking gear as it is made to fit in a backpack. & other thoughts are dual purpose gear. I have personally incorporated my non used backpacking gear into my overland setup & has worked amazing for weight & space saving. Just my 2 cents, good luck.

 

[anotheraznguy]

Wait I see some room on the left. Ha ha. Might want to look into backpacking gear as it is made to fit in a backpack. & other thoughts are dual purpose gear. I have personally incorporated my non used backpacking gear into my overland setup & has worked amazing for weight & space saving. Just my 2 cents, good luck.

I am thinking of getting rid of all 4 sleeping pads and going down to 2 air mattresses. Also thinking of getting rid of the 4 sleeping bags and going down to two doubles. I dont know if my wife is willing to give up the coleman stove for a jetboil.

 

[OtherOrb]

Lay out everything you want to bring and take a picture of all of it. It's difficult to get an idea without a picture of everything.

In the meantime, consider each piece. Can you replace it with something smaller or remove it entirely? Can you replace two items with a single double-duty item?

I can see one option immediately: replace your shovel with a folding shovel, it can be picked up for low cost at a surplus store.

Sleeping bags: Do you need full-sized sleeping bags or can you do zippered sleeping bag liners? Example.
Or maybe stuff-sack sleeping bags?

Water: Consider a dromedary bag? They're less wieldy, but you could get several 10Liter bags and slip them into places a 7-gallon cube can't fit. This also puts your water in several separate containers, which means you're less likely to lose it all if it leaks.

Also, backpacking tarps can replace your existing tarp.

Look up flexible and folding cooking gear. Collapsible Cookware by Sea to Summit

Do you carry a Hi-Lift? Do you actually need it? Probably not. Leave it behind.

 

[tritonl]

Why do you think a roof rack would be too heavy? A small rack that fits two boxes with all the light weight gear would give you a lot more room. We have a Toyota FJ, two kids, two dogs, most of our gear goes on the roof. Lots of people with RTT’s which are a lot heavier are taking them all over. You can always upgrade your coils if the weight is causing suspension issues.

 

[titicaca]

I am thinking of getting rid of all 4 sleeping pads and going down to 2 air mattresses. Also thinking of getting rid of the 4 sleeping bags and going down to two doubles.

Don't do that. Air mattresses are notorious for making you cold because they allow the air to move around. Tossing and turning on double pad/bag means each other don't get a good nights sleep. Stick with backpacking ones.

 

[OtherOrb]

Don't do that. Air mattresses are notorious for making you cold because they allow the air to move around. Tossing and turning on double pad/bag means each other don't get a good nights sleep. Stick with backpacking ones.

Agreed. Air mattresses are the worst option, IMO. And one that's big enough for two is bulkier than two backpacking pads. Maybe look up minimalist backpacking sleeping pad.

 

[titicaca]

I strap waterproof duffel bags to the roll bars. They contain only light and bulky camping gear.

Alternative roof rack .. any thoughts ?

https://www.extremeterrain.com/rugged-ridge-roof-top-storage-system-8717-yj-tj-jk.html

www.overlandbound.com

 

[Brewbud]

You may want to look at getting some down sleeping bags or top quilts. They will compress down very small. Once compressed, 4 bags will take up less room than a single typical car camping bag. Look at mounting the shovel on the rear bumper of tire carrier. Is the tarp for the ground or shade? Shade tarps can be very lightweight and pack small. Ground tarps are usually thicker. Since you have a spare in the back of the Jeep look at getting a Trasharoo or something similar. It straps to the spare and very useful. Store the ground tarp in that.

 

[madcratebuilder]

A lightweight roof rack for sleeping gear would free up a lot of space and not add that much weight to the top of your rig.

 

[The other Sean]

Lay out everything you want to bring and take a picture of all of it. It's difficult to get an idea without a picture of everything.

In the meantime, consider each piece. Can you replace it with something smaller or remove it entirely? Can you replace two items with a single double-duty item?

I can see one option immediately: replace your shovel with a folding shovel, it can be picked up for low cost at a surplus store.

Sleeping bags: Do you need full-sized sleeping bags or can you do zippered sleeping bag liners? Example.
Or maybe stuff-sack sleeping bags?

Water: Consider a dromedary bag? They're less wieldy, but you could get several 10Liter bags and slip them into places a 7-gallon cube can't fit. This also puts your water in several separate containers, which means you're less likely to lose it all if it leaks.

Also, backpacking tarps can replace your existing tarp.

Look up flexible and folding cooking gear. Collapsible Cookware by Sea to Summit

Do you carry a Hi-Lift? Do you actually need it? Probably not. Leave it behind.

To piggy back on this, during and after each trip, think about what items never get used, which items are junk, which could use replacing and which items only carry along on certain trips. I've used this to really pair down gear.

Also, using compression sacks for your existing sleeping bags could save a fair bit of room depending on what they are made of.

 

[mep1811]

How about sending a picture of your rig?

Can you fit a spare tire mounted rack to it to put a box in your lightweight sleeping gear in there?

 

[Horse Soldier]

Roof rack will solve your lighter item problems by putting them in waterproof containers or bags, the other option is a small trailer. The drastic option is leave the kids at home with a microwave and bunch of frozen meals.

 

[anotheraznguy]

Thanks for all the suggestions i have been receiving so far. If you have any product recommendations for sleeping bags that would be great. Here is how my jeep currently is and will remain this way until the rainy season in northern california. I will need to take some pictures of the gear that i am bringing once i get a chance.

@OtherOrb -
Do you have any links to full size folding shovels. The ones that i am finding are tiny little trowels on amazon.
For sleeping bag's we do need full sized bags since we have been camping in sub freezing temperates lately just due to the high altitude of the sierras.
In terms of water storage, someone introduced me to the MSR dromedary and that is a viable solution that I might be going towards.
I am picking up a thinner tarp today.
I recently replaced my pots/pans with a GSI camping setup so I was able to slim down on that. I do need to look at getting a GSI or MSR cookware set for cooking.
I do not carry a hi-lift. I do carry a small bottle jack and metal plate

@tritonl -
I am attempting to keep as much weight down low as possible. I tend to do harder trails and have gotten into a few precarious situations where i am off camber about 30 degrees leaning towards the edge of the cliff. Most racks for the JL weigh in at 50-80 lbs. Then even adding a few sleeping bags + pads can easily add up to 20-30 lbs

@titicaca and @OtherOrb - Currently we have 4 sleeping pads Each one is 16x8 packed up. I was looking at two of these air beds and that is 18.5x8.5. Shoving 2 of those is going to be easier than trying to shove 4 of the sleeping pads. We were looking at camping air mattresses primarily due to comfort. We arent getting any younger and our backs hurt. We've tried a few other self inflating sleeping pads and we have returned many to REI since they didnt improve the sleeping.

@Brewbud -
I am looking into the down sleeping bags and doing research but i havent yet pulled the trigger on anything. Any recommendations?
In terms of a shovel mount i have to think of some options in regards to that to get it out of the way.
The tarp is for ground for the tent. I am picking up a smaller thinner one.
I already have a trasharoo but i didnt think of shoving the tarp in there. I mainly used the trasharoo solely for garbage.

@The other Sean - 3 of the 4 sleeping bags are already in compression sacks. I believe i need to just get different sleeping bags to suit my needs.

@mep1811 I am close to weight capacity on my spare tire carrier. Wheel/Tire combination weighs in at a little over 120 lbs. I was looking at getting a rotopax mount for the spare tire but the extra weight may have caused issues.

@Horse Soldier - Trailer is not an option sadly. Can't really leave the kids behind either cause they are only 4 and 6 years old.

 

[OtherOrb]

I'm a fan of sub-zero down bags in compression sacks. Much, much warmer and smaller than cotton/poly bags that I *think* I see in your kit. I've had ours for so long that their tags have worn off and I now have no idea of brand or even retailer.

We tried an air mattress exactly once while camping and never went back to it again. For us it wasn't comfortable and nobody got any sleep. We aired it down the second night and slept on the flat nylon for the rest of the trip.

I use the little "trowel" shovel. Well, let me rephrase. I *bring* the little trowel shovel but almost never use it for recovery, only for latrine use. Which is why I don't worry about it not being full-size. If you're using it a lot, then a full-size one makes sense, but if it's used so rarely that it's truly for emergencies, a smaller shovel is probably fine.

Honestly, it sounds like you need a bigger truck. Tell you what. I'll take that green gremlin off your hands so you have space in your driveway for a truck. ;)

 

[anotheraznguy]

Here is everything that i am carrying. I did forget the Tarp / shovel / recovery gear / tools in the first few pictures. The carry on suitcase is clothes for 4 people for a 3 day trip. 2 Camping chairs are not shown but already underneath the rear seat. Box in middle is toiletries / food / propane / Kichen supplies. In this picture i have used everything shown. Sometimes i do not bring the toilet but some locations do not allow you to just dig a hole.

I recently picked up some frontrunner wolf pack boxes and i was able to squeeze most of the sleeping stuff and camp into a few boxes The only odd sized things are the rollup table and 2 sleeping pads that sit between the front and rear seat.

Here is a picture of my tool bag / tool roll / recovery gear. I slimmed down the sockets and wrenches to the only sizes i need and special sizes for the axles / pinions. Recovery gear is also very limited. 20 Snatch Strap / 10 foot Tree saver / 4 D-rings / 1 Snatch Block / 1 Soft Shackle / 1 Winch blanket

 

[anotheraznguy]

I'm a fan of sub-zero down bags in compression sacks. Much, much warmer and smaller than cotton/poly bags that I *think* I see in your kit. I've had ours for so long that their tags have worn off and I now have no idea of brand or even retailer.

We tried an air mattress exactly once while camping and never went back to it again. For us it wasn't comfortable and nobody got any sleep. We aired it down the second night and slept on the flat nylon for the rest of the trip.

I use the little "trowel" shovel. Well, let me rephrase. I *bring* the little trowel shovel but almost never use it for recovery, only for latrine use. Which is why I don't worry about it not being full-size. If you're using it a lot, then a full-size one makes sense, but if it's used so rarely that it's truly for emergencies, a smaller shovel is probably fine.

Honestly, it sounds like you need a bigger truck. Tell you what. I'll take that green gremlin off your hands so you have space in your driveway for a truck. ;)

Sadly i use the shovel quite a bit for either trail cleanup or recovery. I have a small folding trowel shovel and had to use it in a recovery situation in the snow a few years back. It took us over three hours when we were solo to get out.

I used to own a full size truck as shown in my avatar. Which is why most of my gear is not ultralight / compact focused. We sold it and bought the jeep because we wanted to do the harder tighter trails.

 

[Brewbud]

@Brewbud -
I am looking into the down sleeping bags and doing research but i havent yet pulled the trigger on anything. Any recommendations?
In terms of a shovel mount i have to think of some options in regards to that to get it out of the way.
The tarp is for ground for the tent. I am picking up a smaller thinner one.
I already have a trasharoo but i didnt think of shoving the tarp in there. I mainly used the trasharoo solely for garbage.

[/QUOTE]

Great looking Jeep! I have owned bags from North Face, Marmot and Mountain Hardware over the years. They have all worked well. I have switched to down top quilts for both sleeping in my hammocks and sleeping on the ground pad. I have a 20 degree Enlightened Equipment Enigma Ultralight Down Quilts Sleeping Bags Backpacking Camping Bikepacking Paddling Hammock Under Quilts and 20 degree Underground Quilts UGQ Outdoor LLC › ugqoutdoor.com They work great and pack smaller than similar size sleeping bags. I will probably order a 0 degree this year from UGO. I wouldn't worry about getting expensive 900 down. It isn't any warmer - just lighter for backpacking.

My trasharoo gets used for hauling a lot of different things. I just make sure trash is in a good trash bag before going in the roo.

 

[Owasco]

I find that using a duffle bag for clothes works well for me because you can shove it in and it will conform to the shape, instead of a hard side that has little to no give. Also for cooking, unless you use both burners it may be better to go with a single burner or even just get a Jet boil or similar and stick to easy meals that just need hot water. Lots of camping recipes on the web or you can buy backpacking meals. I second the down top quilt idea. Also, there are a lot of camping pads that pack up smaller. Therma rest and other brands. I use a Glock shovel. Basically, just an entrenching tool, wife gave it to me as a gift. Big enough to use for recovery within reason, small and lightweight.

 

[Gpxl]

I’ll second the advice to look at backpacking gear. Helinox camp chairs will save a surprising amount of space. Jet boil makes a single burner stove but even the Genesis dual burner is about half the size of my old Coleman stove when packed up. None of this stuff is cheap but they are cleverly designed :)