I love the site, very informative, but the more I read the more unsure of how my build should go.

I lean more to getting to places and enjoying camping than finding challenges. In other words, I'm more interested in finding the easiest way up, than finding the most difficult way up. I'm more interested in carrying a grill and having a BBQ than eating MRE's in the desert.

The recent, interesting, and somewhat lively D30 myth busters thread makes me realize that my focus might be different than a lot of people here.

I have a Rubi. That means I already have D44's, electronic discos, lockers, etc. I want to run 35's and no higher. I think I need about a 3 inch lift to handle aftermarket bumpers, winch and roof rack. I'll be mostly traveling with gear for longer trips (food, water, etc. for a week or more). I want aftermarket high clearance fenders, but...

I would like to remain street legal in all lower 48 states as well as Canada, because we cross the country a lot, so I want my fenders covering my wheels so some small town cop doesn't view me as revenue.

My questions:
- Are gussets/reinforcements needed for a Rubi to run 35's?
- With my 4.10 diffs and auto transmission, how bad will 35's suck on the highway?
- I tend not to go jeeping in groups. I can't rely on someone else having onboard air, welder, etc.
- With a budget of 5k, how would you outfit a Rubi for exploring the continent, with wife and kids (Wife and kids who know how to survive in the rough).

 

*subscribed* One of my long-term goals as well. I really want to travel more in my Jeep. I hadn't heard the Expedition term before- very interesting

 

I bent my c's on my stock rubi axle with 35" km2's. Now i have a PR44. do the gussets before they bend for sure. I have pretty much the same thing as you in mind however i have a 2 door so i have less room than you.

 

Lefty, you're a man after my own heart. A couple related things, first:

1. Expedition travel is often referred to as overlanding. We have a nascent overlander group on the forum, and if we can get enough folks subscribed maybe we can get some lively threads going. You can join that group here:
2. There are a couple threads about expedition vehicles. One currently active is located here:
3. There is an excellent magazine for overlanders called Overland Journal. It's rather expensive for a quarterly, but the articles are top-notch and the magazine quality is first class. Highly recommended for ideas of places to travel (always has articles from around the world as well as the U.S.), and for the gear reviews. More info here:
While I do enjoy the rock crawling, I too would rather spend a few days traveling a hundred miles in the wilderness as opposed to a few hours in some highly bounded playground with rocks. There are certainly similarity in vehicle requirements--but there are also significant differences.

One immediate one is tire size. I had a great deal of angst about going to 35" tires. Yes, they look great and it's nice to have that 1" of clearance when I'm rock crawling, but the bulk of overlanding vehicles are running around on much smaller tires. Gas mileage is critical, and large tires dramatically affect that. I lost about 2 MPG moving from 33s to 35s. The jury is still out on whether I'll be happy with that. But, it does have me giving serious consideration to the NextGen extra fuel tank--something most rock crawlers could care less about.

Another thing that interests overlanders is a refrigerator/freezer. Yes, rock crawlers might like that accessory to keep their beer cold, but an ice chest suffices for them. However, in overlanding keeping food/medicine cold for several days or more is a real hassle if ice is needed.

Finally, overlanders need space. Overhead racks seem superfluous on rock crawlers, but are pretty much a necessity on overlanding vehicles.

There are many, many other issues. These might include overhead tents (I personally prefer to go light and use a backpacking tent and pad--I've spent plenty of time and miles hiking and am quite comfortable with that), awnings, trailers, etc. This thread should be interesting to watch develop.

BTW, answers to a couple of your questions: I don't think you'll be happy with the 35s and 4.10 gears. I certainly wasn't with the 33s and 4.10s (yes, my X had 4.10s, and I had a six speed). I've regeared to 4.88s and it helped a lot, but the JK still lacks power, espeically when you weigh it down with overlanding gear and supplies. And I have gusseted and sleeved and replaced my front axle shafts. Of course, I have a D30, but the sleeves and gussets provide identical support for the Rubi axle as for the other mdoels. Definitely do this!

 

Thanks for all the info. A roof rack is high on the list. I've also been looking at off-road trailers. SoCal Teardrops makes one called a Krawler that looks interesting.

Some of the rear tire carriers that carry the Rotopax seems ideal. Carrying enough water is another need.

I'll definitely check out those threads and groups.

 

Im looking at getting the Gobi roof rack on mine in the next coming months. Also or- fab is just coming out with their rear tire carrier that has roto-pax cans with it. I think bang for the buck that will be the way to go....

 

I live in Seattle also.....

so if you have any interest in the OME HD lift, height and/or ride.....or how she drives re geared to 5.13 w/ 35's, you're more then welcome to take my Jeep for a spin

 

Thanks! I'd love to just be able to park next to you to see the differences. I'm in Ballard (actually Whittier Heights, 73rd and Dibble). Let me know a time you're free. I can meet up, or your welcome to come over here for beer and BBQ.

 

I'm torn between the Gobi and the Wild Boar roof rack. I like the looks of the Gobi, but just wondering what it would be like having the top down and the roof rack full of gear with a downpour on the way.

 

Since mine is a daily driver, I've been searching for a tire carrier that swings with the tailgate. The AEV apparently doesn't work with the Gobi rack. The LoD Gen3 has this as an option, but you lose half of your roto-pax capacity.

Are there any others?

I see some overland outfitted Jeeps that put the spare on the roof. Seems it would be a pain to get down when you needed it. Suppose you could strap a snatch block to a tree limb and winch it down, assuming there was a big enough tree around.

I do always carry a tire repair kit, and have used it on occasion, but that is only good for simple punctures.