JT’s daily routine as a weekend warrior

[Exceed Fabrication]

Hi Kelvin here, I suddenly realized that if we went out with JT every weekend, maybe it would be interesting to have a thread documenting our daily life.
Although I haven't been abroad yet, I can feel the opinions of people in other parts of the world about Chinese people.
Are they good at math? (In fact, when I was studying, I often only got 25 points out of 150 in math... My teacher once doubted whether I was suitable for studying...)
Are they all good at martial arts? ?(Really not... I only know one friend who knows Wing Chun, and we don’t dare to mess with him)
And everyone often talks about 'Made in China', Yeah..I know... No need for me to comment on this, everyone knows what it means.
My U.S. visa appointment interview is next year. I hope everything goes well and allows me to visit the Overland Expo and Sema show, and maybe communicate face-to-face with more American JT owners.?

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The story begins with this blue 2022 Willys... This fall, when I was planning to start the EF brand, I realized I should be a JT owner first, otherwise I wouldn't know what products JT owners need.
So I bought this truck from a northern Jeep club for about $48,600, flying from the south to the north where the temperature is about 14℉.
I was wearing short sleeves when I got on the plane, and when I got off the plane I found I had to put on my thickest jacket
Walking on the street, the north wind made it difficult for me to breathe. I didn’t want to stay outside for a minute longer...
When I saw this JT , I felt like I had an indescribable connection with it, and it suddenly made me think a lot.
I will spend a lot of time in this truck in the future. I may laugh on it, have arguments, have life-threatening moments, and experience many things that I never imagined...
A local truck owner took me to a nearby desert to experience it. It was my first time in a real desert. At that time, I was not very good at driving this car and was not familiar with desert driving techniques.
I experienced my first stuck because I was on a soft sandy surface and hesitated when pressing the gas pedal... Fortunately, I didn't get stuck too deep, so we reversed out directly.
I transported it 1,400 miles back to Canton. During this period, I took a plane to Shanghai and visited the Frankfurt Auto Show. This was my first time in Shanghai. The scenery on the Bund impressed me deeply...
But what I'm looking forward to more is what kind of story will happen with this JT when I return to Guangzhou...

 

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After returning to Canton, I needed to go to the logistics center to pick up the JT. I met a YJ on the roadside, but it seemed to have been burned...?

 

[JTbuttcheeks]

Kelvin - thanks for sharing. Look forward to following your thread. I need more details on that pink bed.

 

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First night out camping...Although we have tested products before, we have never experienced overnighting on a JT
We found a river with a large beach and uneven roads, which was perfect for testing tube doors.
We had no stove or pot, no ax to chop wood...and no kettle to boil hot water. We only brought self-heating rice.?
I don’t know if you eat this kind of food in the United States. It comes with a lime heating pack. Pour water in to generate heat and cook rice. But I still miss the rice I eat at home...
We didn't even bring a table or chairs, and we had a molle panel installed on the tailgate. We were afraid it wouldn't be easy to clean, so we had to eat dinner on the fender flares...
At night, everything seemed to be in a hurry. We didn't set up the tent until 1 AM (I personally don't like this kind of tent because I need to clean everything on the bed before setting up the tent, and we are really not good at setting it up. The process is very long. It’s cumbersome, God, who knows how much I wished I had RTT at that time...)
We brought two types of tube doors this time. Due to forum rules, I can’t say what brand they are, but I know they can sell at least two to three thousand sets every summer.
I was afraid that the carton would be disturbed by others at night, so I had to put it under the truck while sleeping.
Due to lack of experience, the air mattress we brought was only big enough to sleep one person. My colleague Jamin slept in the tent and I slept in the cab. At two o'clock, I found mosquitoes, and then fought with them until four o'clock, and finally eliminated them...many times I thought about not sleeping at all tonight...
Although the first night was not comfortable, I was very happy because I gained a lot while installing and testing the tube doors.
In the past, I didn't quite understand why some customers on Amz would complain that these products were difficult to install and adjust. It took us two or three hours to install a set.
When we were driving on the beach, these tube doors kept making rattling noises, just like the ones I had seen on others online...?
But I do like this rearview mirror. It has a wide field of view and is larger than the original rearview mirror.

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Kelvin - thanks for sharing. Look forward to following your thread. I need more details on that pink bed.

Man... I was shocked when I got to the room. I booked the room online in advance. The pictures online showed a very cozy double bed room. When I arrived at the hotel, the administrator said that this type of room was the only one left...Fine...I was only worried that there would be a lot of hidden cameras in the room, so I didn't take off my clothes to sleep...I can't imagine what happened to this room...

 

[Stan H]

"Hidden Camera's" ?
??

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

"Hidden Camera's" ?
??

Yes... I haven't encountered it personally, but there are a lot of news circulating that some people will put hidden cameras in hotel rooms (especially rooms for couples)... and then make money through secretly filmed videos.
So when I stay in a hotel, I usually choose a twin room. Some people say that the probability of encountering a camera will be smaller, because candid photographers will be more willing to put the camera in a room where couples may stay.
Even though this may cause you to worry when visiting my place, I will not hide the fact that videos secretly filmed in hotels do circulate on the Internet.
I suggest that if you are coming, better to choose a twin room.
And check the charging ports, mirrors, flower pots, etc. near the bed before moving in.
Anyway...Due to the rules, I can't say too much about this issue here. I suggest you search to learn more about this

 

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The second night of the wild storm... This time, there were three of us – me, Jamin, and our photographer , Liam.
When we went back to the riverside, I assumed it would be like the first time. Even though it's winter, the temperatures here often reach a balmy 70-80°F. So, I didn't bother bringing a warm jacket. Just like the last time, we packed two sets of tube doors for a beach test. The testing process went relatively smoothly, and we gathered a lot of insights. I even brought mosquito repellent, thinking this time I could finally get a decent night's sleep.

As night fell, the wind intensified. Due to our lack of experience and neglecting to check the tent accessories before departure, we brought three tents, but only managed to set up one. The fierce winds by the river made breathing challenging. We tried placing JT sideways to block some of the wind, but unfortunately, it had minimal effect. This time, we also brought folding chairs and a table, intending to use an electric kettle to boil water for instant noodles. However, we had a 110v power source, and after a prolonged attempt, the water just wouldn't boil (our electrical appliances in China use 220v AC).

After having some food, we sat by JT, chatting. We were all clad in thin windbreaker jackets, and I believe the temperature had dropped to around 40°F. Ultimately, we decided to evacuate because the rain was getting heavier, and our tents were nearly taking off. Concerned about a potential rise in the river's water levels, we didn't even have time to pack up the tents and air mattresses. We secured them to JT, drove to a small store on higher ground, and stored them in the warehouse among their stacks of beverages. The plan was to retrieve them the next morning.

After getting all our clothes soaked, we eventually found a hotel for the night. When we arrived, it was already 3 am. (Don't worry... this time we opted for a real double-bed room!)
I think Liam won't be willing to join us next time... LOL, we just scared him away... He must think we're crazy...
Oh, btw, check out the Santana wagon we spotted at the hotel entrance. These cars are pretty rare around here, very cool... I love these vans with curtains. Unfortunately, it was too late, and we didn't get to meet the owner. Otherwise, I would've definitely wanted to chat with them about that car.

 

[ShaunTOR]

Keep those TR coming. Poor YJ

 

[Warped]

Great pictures, Kelvin. Appreciate the back story on your products.

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Keep those TR coming. Poor YJ

Sorry Shaun, what does 'TR' mean? I don't understand?

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Hey everyone, I'm back with another update on our adventure.

The weather was fantastic, with clear sky and gentle breeze. We decided to hit the beach, soak up some sun, and then head home. We captured lots of interesting videos with our action camera, including some moments of mud splattering.
I accidentally drove over cow dung, and it ended up all over us. Jamin jokingly declared he'd rather not ride in my car anymore, especially when I have the tube doors on.
Well... at least we got some great photos.
In the evening, we temporarily decided to explore a place we saw online. It was described as a cave deep in the mountains, and it looked intriguing. Maybe we could capture some more cool shots of the JT there.
Once in the woods, our phones quickly lost signal, and all around us was silent except for the radio keeping us company. We drove in 4H mode on rough trails for about an hour but still hadn't reached the cave. As it got later – past 10 PM – we felt it was hopeless to reach the destination and decided to turn back.
Then, the unexpected happened.
While descending the mountain, the front wheels got stuck in a deep groove, with rocks wedging the chassis. No matter how hard we pressed the gas, we couldn't move. Panic set in. Unlike the desert, we didn't have an experienced driver or any off-road gear. No recovery boards, winches, and our phones had no signal.
Even if we wanna call another truck for rescue, it would take an hour to navigate the mountain roads. I had no idea how long it would take to walk for help...Maybe we'd struggle there until dawn, and who knows if there are wild boars in the mountains.
We armed only with a shovel, we loaded rocks under the front wheels, switched to 4L mode, and after half an hour of effort, we finally got out. We were too nervous to take pictures, except for one right after we freed ourselves (I'll definitely remember to capture the stuck moment next time, Sometimes you need to relax to still get the photos when disaster strikes).
We were lucky, just stuck, no damage to the truck. If the engine or chassis had problems, we'd be in trouble, because we have no experience in repairing. Without signal, we couldn't even search online.
As I mentioned in the tube door thread, we're true off-road rookies...
We had snacks at a nearby store, the owner told us the cave had been closed off for safety reasons for a long time. Even if we reached it, we couldn't enter. Fine...We were stupid again.
But the process of trying various methods to get unstuck was fun, like solving a challenging math problem in different ways, there's a huge sense of accomplishment when you find the answer.
As someone said: "The happiest moment in life is a false alarm."
I plan to buy recovery boards when I get home. I'm not sure about a winch yet because our stock bumper doesn't support it. If we install one, we'd have to replace the bumper.
Any suggestions? Do you think it's necessary to have a winch on the truck??

 

[Warped]

If you are going off-road as the only vehicle, a winch could really be helpful. But you might be able to use a comealong manual winch, a highlift jack, or a few other options to save the cost of new bumper and winch. You should always carry recovery gear with you.

FWIW, I have a winch bumper with no winch on my JTM. My JLUR has the same bumper with a winch. It goes off-road where I may need it. Haven't used it yet, but it's not a year old. This year may be different.

 

[Exceed Fabrication]

Thanks for your suggestion, Tim.
I'm going to buy some recovery gear.

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