Yes, it is a tent. More picts here pre-lift.

07Rubi's Album: Maggiolina Install on Gobi Ranger Rack JKU

That photo essay is outdated now though because I had all kinds of problems with it after mounting it that way. American Overland Expedition fabricated some new mounting cross bars for me that have greatly improved it and they are offering them for sale if anyone else is looking for a more 'Thule' like cross bar to put on top of the Gobi.



Thanks for the compliments dudes.

Oh and if you go to American Overland Expedition's FB page, and look in the photo albums under Scott's JK, you will see some shots of the tailgate rear setup, although you probably won't notice it much due to the sunlight in the lens.


Again, pre-lift shots. Oh and the axle reinforcement. Replaced shafts with RCV Chromoly ones.

Scott

 

Does the soft top flap against the rack? And if so, how did you fix it?

 

Yes, it is a tent. More picts here pre-lift.

Thanks nice looking roof top tent.

 

yeah those hard cased roof tents are as good as it gets, just awesome

 

Seen a lot of great pictures of everyone's roof racks. Anyone got pictures of them all loaded with gear ready to hit the trail. I installed mine a few months back but waiting on a cross bar so I can put my Thule box on. Still have not gone camping with it to see how it works for all the gear.

 

Um yeah, prior to the tent, it flapped like crazy. Plus I had a great deal of wind noise. I had the Gobi wind deflector up there, which is a bear to install, and it didn't seem to make much difference so I took it off. One of the things that was generating a lot of noise was the rock guards on my lights on the rack. When I took them off, things got quieter.

But still, prior to the tent, the top flapped like crazy in the back 3rd. I was about to experiment with some kind of bows to put in there, kind of like a batten you would put in a small sail. I thought that would help, but I never got to it before I put the tent on, which I leave on full time so I can't help you with a solution. I have a hard top too, and I suppose I might put it back on, but in the summer in town I love being able to pull the doors and zip all of the windows out for cruising around. But the hard top is so much quieter I'm sure. The Gobi rendered my hard top crane in my garage useless. It will be a multi-man operation now. I used to trade tops winter/summer, but lately I'm pretty much soft top only. As for cabin noise, I guess I've just gotten used to it.

One super nice unforseen benefit of the tent, a much, much cooler cabin. Parking in the hot sun and coming back to the Jeep, things are pretty cool. Of course the tent is literally taking all that heat, but it's fiberglass and it can handle it.

The other thing I thought you might be able to do is fabricate or bolt something to the rack that actually pushed down on the soft top in the back so it doesn't have the freedom to flap. Oh and also if you have the windows up and you turn on the fan and create positive pressure in the cabin, the flapping subsides significantly.

 

I was gonna post it myself, but it's already been posted by Chris at Offroad Evolution. We need lots of signatures out here in Southern Cali so please hit this one up if you're a US resident.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-t...tition-260731/

Scott

 

Hmmm. Good data point. I just installed the MBRP roof rack extension and moved my overhead lights up front with that. And, as I expected, there's a lot more noise up there. Doesn't really bother me (it's a Jeep thing, LOL), but still wouldn't mind if I could make it more quiet. I've been thinking of replacing the rock guards with the KC polycarbonate (clear) guards, anyway, because I really don't care for the giant "KC" on the new rock guards. I think I'll pull them off and go for a run at highway speeds and see what happens!

Oh, BTW, for those who think they don't do much: Mine are all beat up from being hit with branches on the trails I run. One of them even has small sections missing where it's been cracked. Not too noticeable, but a lot better than a cracked glass lens.

Here's a recent pic since extending the MBRP rack (I was playing with my new camera's HDR effects) ...

 

Pretty sure these are buried in this thread somewhere, so apologies to those who may be getting tired of seeing them, LOL.

Medano Pass



Imogene Pass


Ozark Overland Trail


Mojave Trail


Canyon de Chelly



Lost somehwere in eastern Tennessee


Having that weight and bulk up there is really problematic. It impacts gas mileage, and when you run into windy conditions (as we did on the way to Canyon de Chelly when we hit a very serious sandstorm on I-40), the Jeep becomes quite the rollicking thrill ride. More recently I'm doing my best to avoid using it as much as possible, but that's a problem because when I go I haul a ton of camera gear. So, I depend as much as possible on others to haul certain common gear, such as a galley/kitchen box (which is what one of those totes up top has). Bottom line: It's very nice to have the room up there, and every overlanding rig should have an overhead rack even if it's not normally used (can be used to carry the gear of a crew from a broken down vehicle that's being abandoned). But, just as trailers do, it does come with penalties.

 

Oh, if you notice that ladder in that bottom picture, I much prefer that to a ladder mounted on the Jeep itself. It allows me quick access to the contents of the overhead rack from either side, it makes it easier to load and unload because I can rest heavy totes on the handle briefly as I'm climbing up and down, it was cheap (Wal-Mart cheap), and it's very light. I strap it with the MaxTrax on top of the spare tire trail rack. And, the nice thing for me, it is another photography tool, allowing me a slightly different perspective when shooting pictures. You might not think 2-1/2 feet higher is much of a change, but sometimes it really is.