[wagster11]

the vanco thing to me seems to be for those of us... prolly a good chunk of the jeep community... who's jeeps came disc front (small ones at that) only ....

as for the OP ... i think that if you listen to a lot of what the guys on here say you will be alright, but i am 20 and there is no way i could afford even 1/3 of the stuff you are listing within the next year let a lone a few months and i work in an office for 40 hrs a week... so unless you have hidden money or you cut golden lawns and get paid super well... i think you should listen to some of these suggestions of upgrades that are budget friendly and will get you more places... like lockers, gearing, realiability stuff and leave the other stuff for when you find out while wheeling that you need it...

anyone can buy a huge jeep load it with parts and say its wheeled but the smart guy usually wheels a lot first... finds out what he needs, by breaking something etc... then asks for advice on what could help...

other than that cool thread looking forward to anywhere this one goes... good luck...

[Elwood]

With all that "stuff" bolted on, your Jeep will weigh 10,000 lbs.

I agree with 33" tires. A jeep that can flex well will do very well on 33's for the type of off road adventures you are looking at. Also, carrying everything except the kitchen sink is a good idea until you start considering space and weight. There was an article in one of the mags. a while back about carrying smaller and lighter stuff to save weight and space. A roof rack loaded down will greatly offset your center of gravity and I would pack as little or as light as possible on the roof.

I do like the idea of raised vents. I think every Jeep should come with very high vents.

Get your Jeep mechanically bullet proof, then add what you feel is needed next. What you want and what you really need on the trail next for YOUR type of wheeling is the path you should follow.

[Terrible2]

well if youre 22 with no debt and in the military. You can make a chunk of change, heck get deployed and you'll have all the money youll need. Add in the bonuses. Atleast 60k net for the year.

[GMC7000]

stop trying to kill the dream

the guy has a dream

[IH8ROADZ]

hahaha thank you GMC7000 nobody understands lol

[JeffB]

I just got back from a 10-day expedition in Southern Utah around Escanlante/Grand Staircase National Monument. My BIG problem was being loaded down with 10 days worth of hiking/backpacking/camping gear/tools / water/ extra fuel etc. My '04 TJ with a 2.5 BB and OME Nitrocharger shocks would bottom out easily off-road due to the excess weight in the rear.

We had a great time after we found a base camp and unloaded tons of gear to get my rig riding well on the ultra-harsh trails.

In retrospect I recommend some stiff springs and shocks for all the extra weight of an expedition.

3,800 miles total and the Jeep did great except too heavy and bottomed out easily in the rear. And it threw mud all inside the cab in the Canyon bottoms of Glen Canyon area. Need wider flares.