of TJ's, roof racks, and trailers
The trailer has a 12v deep cycle battery and 2hr charger, in case I'm in desperate need of a quick charge before heading out, or a gas station road-side charge. There's also a 15W solar panel on top which I think helps keep the battery charged, but I may need more panels. Nevertheless, it will provide power for my 12v colman fridge for 4 days of continuous running, which keeps the meat/beer/cheese 20 degrees less than ambient....so in other words about 85 degrees in the southwest US. Don't buy a colman unless you're on your way to a picnic. Get an Engel, ARB, or at least a Yetti brand cooler and 2 blocks of ice, never bagged ice, ever! There's a 20 gallon water tank/agricultural type sprayer tank with pressure shut off type pump. I don't drink the water from it, but use it for bathing, teeth hygiene, and dishes. The origional wand sprayer was impractical, so I stepped up the tubing size to garden hoze size and attached a garden style nozzle, which worked real great in the driveway. On the way to our first "running water" rugged campsite and through the lens of hindsite, I realize that the pressure, through the principal of hydrolics, was increased in terms of pounds per square inch, and blew off the hose clamps, and pumped water at the advertised 3 ga/min into the trailer where it was promptly soaked up by the sleeping bags, toilet paper, napkins, charcoal, matches, and spare clothes. Now, we just turn it on via a switch on the trailer lid when we want fresh water. The jeep has a 750w inverter that will run a blender, small electric chain saw, or charge a computer. I don't dare use my computer when the jeeps running because the inverter isn't a sine wave. But so far, I haven't had any problems charging digital cameras or my off-powered laptop. The trailer's tongue carries fire wood and a 20lb (?) propane tank, all held on by aluminum slide and lock type rails and a few ratchet straps. All the gear goes into rolling tuff boxes inside the trailer, and they make convenient camp benches when removed. I have a 16"x3.5'x1" linseed oil soaked pine plank that I c-clamp to the fender to use as a cutting board, food preparation platform. On one end of it is a rectangular hole which perfectly fits a rubbermaid container (otherwise used for silver ware, salt shakers, matches, etc) that functions as a drop in sink. Previously, I've used coleman camp fuel and the old standbye lantern and stove that my dad used as a kid 50 years ago. He never killed himself and I never killed myself, and hey, small burns are part of camping, right? But my mother in law, last summer, tried to wake up early to make coffee one morning, and in pumping the tank with pressure dislodged the distal end, thus spraying gas everywhere and almost burning the campsite down. I awoke to her screaming something in her native Polish and had to put out the fire before everything was consumed. She wouldn't talk to me all day, which begs the question of why I got rid of that most awesome stove! We've since switched to propane, to prevent marital discord...grill, lantern, and soon to be hot water system. There's a Thule rack on top with two to three cross members. Someday, possibly a roof top tent will reside there, but in the meantime, it carries mountain bikes or the boats. The trailer, loaded, is heavey. Not too heavy, but heavy enough that I get passed by geo metros going up steep highway grades. It pulls like a dream with its swivel pintel hitch when off road and because it is exactly the same width as the jeep, and with exactly the same wheels and tires, it tracks perfectly and can use the Jeep's spare tire. The brakes stop it adequately, but it would be better if I'd have added electric trailer brakes (hopefully comming next summer). I wish it didn't weigh as much, and I've been toying with a different style of trailer with exactly the same dimensions as mine and with either the same axle or a torsion style (more ground clearance). I'm not a believer in the Adventure Built's independent suspension because hey, if you drive over a rock with one tire of the trailer, the trailer just rotates around the pintle, so why would you invest so much time and money in linkages and airbags which have the capicity to fail. And when things have the capacity to fail....they fail. Thanks for this great website and the outlet it provides in the evenings. Of note, there are no jeeps here but plenty of toyota hilux trucks, landcruisers, and surfs (four runners). And I've never, ever, ever seen a mile marker on a military platform, despite constantly looking for them, despite the one on my rubicon. Please forgive any sarcasm which has poured forth in these postings and keep the Marines of Helmand Province in your thoughts and prayers!
