Jimmie Perkins
Adventurist
Awesome, can’t say enough about this great kit. Maybe @Dave can pull all these FPG posts into it’s own thread so we can share pics, tips and answer questions?
Dave's Jeep JT Gladiator: The 'Gator
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Just so you everyone knows… I agonized over this. For months after my Utah trip I was going round and round with “the options”.
I like hammocks. But it’s not always possible, and hanging one at a rest stop on I-20 in Texas was…. Not restful. But I was tired so I sucked it up so I could drive on
Swags. It’s cool. It’s comfortable. But there are situations (rain, snow and mud) where they suck. It’s a SOLID desert option. Thus the Aussie love of them. BUT, if you’re anywhere DUSTY, you and your gear are down on the ground getting caked in dust so think about that.
Shiftpod. Nothing beats it. When you have room (a 12+ ft circle of flat ground), and when it’s more than 1 person. For the 3 of us it rules. But when it’s just me… way overkill.
So I decided to go back to a RTT. I love the Leitner rack and didn’t want to “camperize” the truck at this point. Because I still like to use the bed to haul stuff. The gear pods come off in 5 minutes. 6 bolts per. So I started looking at what was available to ride on top.
Other brands wanted to play. I said no. Because China. iKamper too but I could not get past the name… lol. EaziAwn hard shells look like coffins. And you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an AluCab fanboi.
Anyway, I like the GFC and Terrapod. But wait times are LONG and that may be my end state. We’ll see. For today’s needs, Quick Pitch won the battle of “80% solutions” NOW so I went with them. They’re big in Australia and South Africa. So here I am.
Yes, 180lbs. But the bedding and ladder stays in there. No yard sale when it’s time to move. It’s quick. And If I need to crash in a rest stop anywhere well, no worries. And the built in gear deck with rails on top means kayaks or anything else I would carry with the rack are still in play. Boats up to 10ft can stay put when opened up for camping.
More to follow
I like hammocks. But it’s not always possible, and hanging one at a rest stop on I-20 in Texas was…. Not restful. But I was tired so I sucked it up so I could drive on
Swags. It’s cool. It’s comfortable. But there are situations (rain, snow and mud) where they suck. It’s a SOLID desert option. Thus the Aussie love of them. BUT, if you’re anywhere DUSTY, you and your gear are down on the ground getting caked in dust so think about that.
Shiftpod. Nothing beats it. When you have room (a 12+ ft circle of flat ground), and when it’s more than 1 person. For the 3 of us it rules. But when it’s just me… way overkill.
So I decided to go back to a RTT. I love the Leitner rack and didn’t want to “camperize” the truck at this point. Because I still like to use the bed to haul stuff. The gear pods come off in 5 minutes. 6 bolts per. So I started looking at what was available to ride on top.
Other brands wanted to play. I said no. Because China. iKamper too but I could not get past the name… lol. EaziAwn hard shells look like coffins. And you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting an AluCab fanboi.
Anyway, I like the GFC and Terrapod. But wait times are LONG and that may be my end state. We’ll see. For today’s needs, Quick Pitch won the battle of “80% solutions” NOW so I went with them. They’re big in Australia and South Africa. So here I am.
Yes, 180lbs. But the bedding and ladder stays in there. No yard sale when it’s time to move. It’s quick. And If I need to crash in a rest stop anywhere well, no worries. And the built in gear deck with rails on top means kayaks or anything else I would carry with the rack are still in play. Boats up to 10ft can stay put when opened up for camping.
More to follow
While my mind is on this, it just dawned on me how much ground this Gladiator has already covered, and how much more is in store. All the mods and crapola are pointless unless you actually TRAVEL, right?
To date: FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, OK, AR
I brought this truck home in March of 2020.
To date: FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, OK, AR
I brought this truck home in March of 2020.
WashingtonTaco
Adventurist
Wow! 180 lbs, have you weighed it or is that the manufacturer's weight?
I have a client that purchased the carbon fiber Columbus by Autohome, he weighed it and it was substantially heavier than advertised without the mattress, ladder and mounting hardware. I believe it came in around 105 lbs.
My Front Runner was advertised at 93 lbs but in reality 104 lbs mattress and ladder included, mounting hardware was another 6 lbs.
I have a client that purchased the carbon fiber Columbus by Autohome, he weighed it and it was substantially heavier than advertised without the mattress, ladder and mounting hardware. I believe it came in around 105 lbs.
My Front Runner was advertised at 93 lbs but in reality 104 lbs mattress and ladder included, mounting hardware was another 6 lbs.
Road
Adventurist
.While my mind is on this, it just dawned on me how much ground this Gladiator has already covered, and how much more is in store. All the mods and crapola are pointless unless you actually TRAVEL, right?
To date: FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT, CO, OK, AR
I brought this truck home in March of 2020.
Exactly right. It doesn't have to be new or tricked out. If you have it for adventuring, all the mods and crapola don't mean shit unless you're actually getting out there and wander. I've put well over 210,000 miles on my current van adventuring around North America; from the northern reaches of Quebec and the Maritimes to San Diego, with no expensive mods or crapola. Traveling and exploring is the point for me, not the bling or having the newest mod.
Like was said in some song or another, and is the way I feel about my rig when I'm on the road: "It's not a house, it's a home."
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That’s a big bonus, enough to compensate for the weight. Having to leave the ‘yaks behind on trips is one of the main reasons we are switching up our travel set up.
Until you decide to make the Gator a full time RV, this is probably your best solution for both life and travel.
Yeah, no full time RV plans for this ride. Even if I did a GFC it would be pretty spartan so that I could still use the bed.
Gallowbraid
Adventurist
The struggle is real. Every time I think about going full RV my wife decides we need to go to Home Depot, or Pike Nursery or the local landscape supply place. The only way I could go full RV is if I also bought a 5x8 landscape trailer. Then I'd be just like @Scott B.
There is something fun about the challenge of walking that line between the utility of a daily driven truck and the convenience of a full time adventure toy though.
Jimmie Perkins
Adventurist
The struggle is real. I gave up on the RTT because I wanted to park in the garage.
Love the luxury of space from the Gazelle ground tent(a poor man's Shiftpod) , but yeah it is a bit much for one person.
Haven't tried a swag yet, and live around so much desert, maybe that is next.
I've seen quite a few AluCab Canopy campers here in SoCal lately (thanks to Tiny Rig Co.) and they are sooo nice, but major $$$ and a full commit, no more using it as a truck. If I had the luxury of a dedicated rig, this is the way I would go, though maybe on something with a higher payload.
Did you use the Leitner RTT mounts? I found that to be the easiest tent install ever. Are you doing anything for suspension changes? Hellwig sway bar?
No. I used the Quick Pitch brackets. 3 cross bars and 6 brackets. I’ll lose the whole rack before the RTT detaches…
I’ll wait and see on suspension. As is, it’s driving pretty good and I don’t even know it’s back there.
Manufacturers weight. It’s all a compromise, and I save weight in other areas as is by using lightweight gear, or just not bringing superfluous crapola.
Example: Rather than carry a massive, heavy, drag inducing 270 awning, my shade setup (FPG) weighs less than 15 lbs.
So I’m choosing to invest some of the available payload in my sleep quality. Four season capable, nice mattress, bed ready to climb into and up high for safety and security. And fun.
Best part is, if I change my mind, or expect a super technical trail, I can leave it at home and use one of my other options
So here's the breakdown for weight in the bed.
Note: Payload for the JTR is +/- 1,200 lbs.
Leitner ACS forged rack w/extra cross bar: 90 lbs
Leitner XL Gear Pods x2: 100lbs (50 lbs each)
Quick Pitch RTT: 180 lbs
(Total rack, pods and RTT: 370 lbs)
Maxtrax bracket w/pins: 5 lbs
Maxtrax Xtreme: 20 lbs
HiLift bracket: 3 lbs
HiLift Extreme: 31 lbs
Total load in the bed: 429 lbs
I feel pretty good about the current layout and here's why.
Wheels and suspension upgrade is a wash IMO. Tires are heavier than OEM (285/70R17 versus 315/70R17) at 14 lbs per tire x5 for a net gain of 70 lbs.
Front bumper upgrade is lighter than OEM. The Warn Zeon 10-S is 80 lbs. Safe Xtract S-20000 recovery kit is 35 lbs. So a net gain of 115 lbs for the winch & gear.
The removal of the OEM 40% rear seat for the addition of the Goose Gear seat delete and Engel Fridge (66 lbs) might have gained me 30 lbs.
So all told, with the 429 lbs in the bed, the 70 extra lbs in tires, about 30 lbs for the fridge and 115 lbs worth of winch utilizes about half my payload at 644 lbs.
This leaves room for people and provisions and keeps me under GVWR. But I still intend on adding some White Knuckle rock sliders so we'll revisit this number once I'm done.
Note: Payload for the JTR is +/- 1,200 lbs.
Leitner ACS forged rack w/extra cross bar: 90 lbs
Leitner XL Gear Pods x2: 100lbs (50 lbs each)
Quick Pitch RTT: 180 lbs
(Total rack, pods and RTT: 370 lbs)
Maxtrax bracket w/pins: 5 lbs
Maxtrax Xtreme: 20 lbs
HiLift bracket: 3 lbs
HiLift Extreme: 31 lbs
Total load in the bed: 429 lbs
I feel pretty good about the current layout and here's why.
Wheels and suspension upgrade is a wash IMO. Tires are heavier than OEM (285/70R17 versus 315/70R17) at 14 lbs per tire x5 for a net gain of 70 lbs.
Front bumper upgrade is lighter than OEM. The Warn Zeon 10-S is 80 lbs. Safe Xtract S-20000 recovery kit is 35 lbs. So a net gain of 115 lbs for the winch & gear.
The removal of the OEM 40% rear seat for the addition of the Goose Gear seat delete and Engel Fridge (66 lbs) might have gained me 30 lbs.
So all told, with the 429 lbs in the bed, the 70 extra lbs in tires, about 30 lbs for the fridge and 115 lbs worth of winch utilizes about half my payload at 644 lbs.
This leaves room for people and provisions and keeps me under GVWR. But I still intend on adding some White Knuckle rock sliders so we'll revisit this number once I'm done.
And while I'm on this topic of weight, here's a breakdown of other available options (with weights and added costs) for the Jeep Gladiator bed that I would consider:
GFC: 300 lbs, $6,950 base price
Vagabond Drifter: 315 lbs, $7,750 base price
AT Habitat: 340 lbs, $10,000 base price
AT Summit: 340 lbs, $10,200 base price
AluCab camper: 463 lbs (!), $10,000 base price
By comparison, my entire setup with the Leitner rack and weatherproof boxes, Maxtrax, HiLift and the Quick Pitch RTT weighs LESS than a bone stock, empty AluCab camper.
GFC: 300 lbs, $6,950 base price
Vagabond Drifter: 315 lbs, $7,750 base price
AT Habitat: 340 lbs, $10,000 base price
AT Summit: 340 lbs, $10,200 base price
AluCab camper: 463 lbs (!), $10,000 base price
By comparison, my entire setup with the Leitner rack and weatherproof boxes, Maxtrax, HiLift and the Quick Pitch RTT weighs LESS than a bone stock, empty AluCab camper.
Not yet. I’ll likely hit a CAT scale at a truck stop when I head out on a real trip with a “real world” load out.
Absolutely NOT running a dual battery. I don’t need one running down the road, and I don’t need one in camp with my solar setup.