Okay, so here’s the situation. I have always wanted a Jeep (wrangler, not any other jeep) and finally the JK is one that might almost fit the bill. I am leaning towards a 4 door manual Sahara. So since you people are all jeep JK owners, I have some questions for you. I currently own a Chevy Trailblazer and it has been great in retro-spect of what I use it for. Now here comes the comparison. I regularly ride mountain bikes (as in 3-6 times a week) and like to leave my bike in the backseat of the vehicle so it’s ready to go after work and not left outside in the elements. I also enjoy kayaking and do that during the summer. And then there’s the camping on the weekends. Oh yea, and the hiking with the dog and girlfriend. So when I decide to combine all of these interests into a weekend I have seriously a lot of gear. My TB currently has a large Yakima rack with the two kayak mounts and two bike mounts, and is filled to the brim on the interior with enough space for the dog and a hitch rack to carry some bins in the back of the vehicle outside the car. My question for you guys is, do you people regulary pack your JK up like this? How does it work? I noticed by going through the forums that it is not recommended to put a Yakima gutter rack system directly on the hardtop but to get a kongo cage type of deal that goes to the light mounts in the front and back of the vehicle. Does this then void putting a mirror on the mount incase I take my doors off? What kind of gas mileage are you people getting (truthfully between the two axle ratios the 3.73 and I think the 3.21 or something like that)? How is loading up the JK? In the back do you have to swing the door open, and then lift the glass, and you can’t do it separately? Also, the dilemma is if I do get the kongo cage thing whatever on the JK how difficult is it to take off the top? I want the Jeep to have doors off and top down some days but I can’t be like that all the time. I am just interested in some real life people like yourselves and letting me know how it works for you. With gas being 4 bucks a gallon the JK is quite the sacrifice even if the initial MSRP price isn’t too terrible. I would like the jeep to go two-trackin’ and offroading and it would have to be my daily driver as well. Thanks for whoever replies!

 

Well I can answer a few of your questions, I am also an avid outdoorsman and cant wait to start camping with the JK. On my soft top unlimited (4 door) I can open the rear swing without removing the top. There is alot of room when the seats are down i'm sure a mountain bike would fit. The gas mileage is better than my Chevrolet v6 S10, I recently drove into the city and on the highway I did about 200 miles and was still a little over 1/2 tank. Which puts me somewhere between 19-21mpg. Go for 3.73 axle thats what I have but there is no choice on the automatic. I'm sure others will chime in on the other factors.

 

I can't say for sure, but I would expect the mpg to be as good or better than the trailblazer. If you like that bowtie thing, you will like the JK about 15x more. You would have to get different racks for your Kayaks. Hitch type bike mounts and some spare tire bike mounts would work. Space for the dog shouldn't be a prob. Go to the dealership and check one out and test drive it.

 

I only have the 2 door but I have packed it up pretty heavy for camping trips and visits to family in Vermont, myself, my wife and 2 boys along with all the camping and fishing equipment. I have the Warrior Safari rack and Mirror location brackets and they can both be bolted on to the windshield hinges at the same time. To take the back part of the hardtop off I slide it back until it clears the rear rack member then lift it off, it is not that bad, the freedom panels are able to be taken off with the rack in place. With the hardtop the tailgate swings out then the back window flips up, you can not open the window if the tailgate is closed. I get 15-16 mpg with the 6-speed, 4.10 gears and 33"x11.5" tires.


Rack and mirror relocation bracket (Don't mind the broken mirror, thats just some trail damage)


Rack on with top and doors off, I am like this as often as possible


Loaded up for camping/fishing trip.

 

Is the body above the driver-side rear fender warping with the weight of the roof rack?

 

I'll keep the hijack short-that rack
almost looks like it is for the narrower TJ.

 

I pack mine for camping all of the time. My son and I are visiting all of the U.S. national parks as a hobby (39 of 58 visited), and last year we put nearly 6K miles on the Jeep over three weeks, carrying all of our camping and backpacking gear and provisions. I have the spare tire bike mount, which sounds like it wouldn't do for you. I don't have a top rack, but if I wanted to haul kayaks I think I've seen some racks that are little more than bars front and back. I know that most racks (maybe even all) allow use of the windshield mounted lights, if you think you need them.

 

Look into the Kargomaster rack for the JK...no drilling on your body and you can let you top down and mount your mirrors...

http://www.kargomaster.com/item.asp?id=62

Good luck...your gonna love your JK!

 

I can add some input first hand! I own a 4 door JK and my wife has a Trail Blazer! I've only had my JK for about a month now but I have gone on a camping trip already. I can say without a doubt, the JK packs the gear much better. There is something to be said about the squareness of the vechicle. When I would pack the Chevy, it seems like everytime I open a door something falls out. The JK has more interior height. My fishing poles can be strapped to the roll bars and not get damaged. : ) I have more ground clearance in the Jeep. I could go on and on about the JK but I think you get the point. Get the JK! You won't be disappointed.

 

Dented the side in when I over torqued the bolts, not from the weight of the rack.