OK, time to talk Jeep stuff! We purchased a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited in the spring of 2012. Since we like to go to very remote places and we do a lot of camping, we viewed this as an essential purchase as an aide to our lifestyle. This was also part of our plan regarding our big trip to Alaska. As such, we have made several modifications to enhance our ability to do these things. Aside from aesthetics, each item has a practical function. I’ll try to list these in the order they were added.
Here's what it looked like before anything was done.
Dual batteries and isolator switch; power inverter: (2) Optima 12 Volt Yellow Top Deep Cycle Batteries; (1) M.O.R.E. Dual Battery Tray; (1) Dual Battery Isolation Kit with 140A Smart Battery Isolator; Powerbright Power Inverter. The primary battery will see normal usage; the secondary battery will be used to power accessories, preserving the charge on the primary battery. Such accessories will include the winch, the lights on the light bar, and anything we need to plug into the inverter. The inverter will allow us to power items which require the type of electrical current that you get from a wall socket (including our electric bear fence – more on that in a later post). The isolator switch does what it sounds like – it isolates the batteries so that we may draw power from one or the other or both, with the same options for recharging them while operating the vehicle.
Seat covers: (2) Smittybilt Front G.E.A.R. Seat Covers in black. These are more than just seat covers. They come with several varied MOLLE pouches which attach on the back, allowing organized storage and quick access to frequently used items.
Roof-top gear rack: (1) YAKIMA Hard Top Roof Track Rack; (1) YAKIMA MegaWarrior Gear Basket; (2) sets of Yakima Axe Shovel Brackets. With the amount of gear we carry, we need all the space we can get, and this delivers!
Light bar & lights: (1) Rugged Ridge Windshield Mount Light Bar; KC HiLiTES Apollo Pro Series Lights 151 (we have 5 lights). These are off-road auxiliary lights which can be tilted up or down a bit depending on what we need. They also light up a campsite quite nicely, which could come in handy if we run out of daylight while setting up camp.
Winch: (1) WARN VR8000 Winch with 100' Spydura Synthetic Rope and Hawse Fairlead. If we get stuck in the middle of nowhere, this should help us get out.
Recovery kit: Smittybilt Vehicle Recovery & Winch Accessory Kit. These are accessories to be used in conjunction with the winch to pull ourselves out of a mess.
Air compressor & tire repair kit: Smittybilt 5.65 CFM Air Compressor; Powertank Tire Repair Kit with Roll-Up Bag. Our primary purpose for the air compressor is re-inflating the tires after an off-roading excursion. (Tires are usually deflated a bit when going off-road, which decreases the risk of puncturing a tire.) Also, due to the remoteness of some of the places we go, we need to be able to repair a flat tire ourselves, especially if we’re going off-road.
Wheels, tires, and lift kit: (5) PRO COMP Series 7069 1-Piece Flat Black Finish Alloy Wheel with 5x5 Bolt Pattern in 17x9 Size & 4.75" Backspacing; (5) Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac LT315/70R17 121Q Tires; (1) Rusty's JK Wrangler 3.25" Advanced Lift Kit. These are 17-inch wheels and 35-inch tires with a 3 ¼ inch lift kit, providing excellent clearance. We stay in shape now just by climbing in and out of the vehicle.
Re-gearing: Gears changed from stock 3.21 to 4.88 front and rear axles.
CB radio & antenna: Uniden BEARCAT CB Radio with Sideband and WeatherBand (980SSB); 48-inch antenna. This CB radio includes NOAA Weather Radio, allowing us to easily keep track of weather conditions. CB radio is a great tool for communication while driving, and is another option for emergency communication. The truckers also keep each other (and anyone who’s listening) informed of traffic conditions.
Rear bumper & tire mount: (1) Rock Hard 4x4 Parts Rear Bumper /Tire Carrier in Black; (1) Rock Hard 4x4 Parts Rock Rack; (2) Rock Hard 4x4 Parts Jerry Can Mounts - driver's side and passenger side. Due to the weight of the larger spare tire, we felt we needed a heftier tire mount. This includes a new rear bumper which is also much heavier and stronger. If anyone rear-ends us, they’ll be sorry! It’s literally made of steel, which won’t buckle in like a regular bumper. While we were at it, we figured we’d go ahead and add the second gear basket which sits over the spare tire. Trust me, we need the space! We also added the jerry can mounts and red jerry cans to carry extra gas. Ours are Wavian cans, which at the time of writing are priced at $79.99, and I don't think that is what we paid - there's a much less expensive option here. We also got a pair of green jerry cans to have as spares. We’ll need these when we drive up the Dalton Highway in Alaska, and probably some other places as well.
Hi-lift jack: 60" Hi-Lift Jack. This is an essential item to have with a lifted vehicle and for use off-road.
I think that pretty much sums it up. It kind of looks like a safari vehicle now, and definitely turns a lot of heads! We get a fair number of comments and questions from other Jeep drivers, people who’ve had Jeeps or people who are thinking of getting one. I have to admit, I scope out other Jeeps too, all the time. Seeing an extensively modified Jeep always puts a smile on my face, especially if it’s dirty! I just know they were out having fun somewhere, and I think of them as kindred spirits… rugged, adventurous souls like us!
Edit: There have been a few additions to the Jeep since this post was written. After driving through grueling winds in Kansas, we decided we needed more secure hood latches: Black Aluminum Hood Catch Set. We also switched out the front bumper for the Rock Hard 4x4™ Patriot Series Full Width Front Bumper w/ Lowered Winch Mount for Jeep Wrangler JK 2/4DR 2007 - 2017 [RH-5005], and put two Smittybilt 13047B 3/4" Black D-Rings on it. We already had two D-rings on the back bumper. I also added links above for the jerry cans and axe/shovel brackets.
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