Colorado Checking in!

[FocoRusty]

You should probably put a disclaimer on Poughkeepsie and Black Bear for new Jeep'ers.

Poughkeepsie is the toughest trail in the area and while most of it is pretty easy, there is one spot that if you don't have the correct line, it can be quite tough:

Easy line and you drive right up.

Not so easy line and you have to climb up.

Black Bear is not a technical trail, but the it is a high risk trail if you screw it up. If you are at all uncomfortable on switch backs or shelf roads, I'd pass on it until you feel better about your skills.

Great pics and advice. Thanks!
We'll definitely work on improving skills and experience on some of the easier local trails before heading out there, but with views like that its going to be hard to wait!

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[FocoRusty]

Great pics, good info! I just rode through Phantom Canyon last weekend. Came up from the Canon City side. Real pretty, not challenging.

Perfect. I like the sound of that. Thanks!

 

[FocoRusty]

We Airbnb in town and go up during the day.

Nothing too difficult with these trails since they’re considered county roads by the state. That’s what makes them fun.

How did the Gladiator handle the passes? Wondering about tight switchbacks and any scraping on bottom. I have 2" Mopar lift and stock 33" tires.

 

[DawgBox]

How did the Gladiator handle the passes? Wondering about tight switchbacks and any scraping on bottom. I have 2" Mopar lift and stock 33" tires.

I'm waiting to hear also...though with my upgrades to 37"s and a 2.5 TeraFlex lift, I'm hoping that'll help...it's the tight switchbacks that give me just a little pause...

 

[Etoimos]

Great pics and advice. Thanks!
We'll definitely work on improving skills and experience on some of the easier local trails before heading out there, but with views like that its going to be hard to wait!

Thanks. The best time to go to Ouray is in mid to late July. Before that and you risk not all the trails being open, after that and you it gets raining in the afternoons. By mid Sept things are getting snowed in again already. So, it might be easier to wait than you think in today's settings.

So beautiful! Can't wait to move out to Nederland (above Boulder) in a couple months.

There are some great trails up in the Nederland area. I used to wheel up there several times a year, but we've not been up there in several now. Jenny Creek used to be one of my favorites. Some years back they rerouted it so you did not drive up the creek any more. I've not done it since they made that change.

Love seeing all those TJ's. My son has a '98 and my brother has a 2006 Rubi. Despite having a JK and now a JT the TJ's are one of my favorite platforms for wheeling. BTW I'm in Colorado which is why I'm posting here. I'm in South East Aurora.

TJ's are great for wheeling, but for an all around daily driver and wheeler, the JK (and I assume the JL) can't be beat I live down in Peyton, a small town just east of Colorado Springs. I don't have a JT yet as I've been waiting to see what the final specs on the diesel are. Then I'll have to decide between the gas Rubicon, diesel Rubicon or a Mojave. My rock crawling days are pretty much done and we do mainly overland trips now, so my main considerations for the JT are range and towing ability here in the mountains. My trailer is light like yours, but my JKUR hates towing it (to be fair, it is on 37s and re-geared to 5.18s).

This is the new overland trailer we picked up in Nov.

 

[FocoRusty]

I'm waiting to hear also...though with my upgrades to 37"s and a 2.5 TeraFlex lift, I'm hoping that'll help...it's the tight switchbacks that give me just a little pause...

Those 37's do look awesome. I've been waiting for AEV to release their lifts for the JT (and their front bumper). Will definitely upgrade to at least 2.5" and 35's when they do. I could be talked into 37's...

 

[FocoRusty]

Thanks. The best time to go to Ouray is in mid to late July. Before that and you risk not all the trails being open, after that and you it gets raining in the afternoons. By mid Sept things are getting snowed in again already. So, it might be easier to wait than you think in today's settings.



There are some great trails up in the Nederland area. I used to wheel up there several times a year, but we've not been up there in several now. Jenny Creek used to be one of my favorites. Some years back they rerouted it so you did not drive up the creek any more. I've not done it since they made that change.



TJ's are great for wheeling, but for an all around daily driver and wheeler, the JK (and I assume the JL) can't be beat I live down in Peyton, a small town just east of Colorado Springs. I don't have a JT yet as I've been waiting to see what the final specs on the diesel are. Then I'll have to decide between the gas Rubicon, diesel Rubicon or a Mojave. My rock crawling days are pretty much done and we do mainly overland trips now, so my main considerations for the JT are range and towing ability here in the mountains. My trailer is light like yours, but my JKUR hates towing it (to be fair, it is on 37s and re-geared to 5.18s).

This is the new overland trailer we picked up in Nov.

Wow, that trailer is a thing of beauty. Love the setup. I'm definitely more interested in overlanding/camping than technical crawling and the like. Hoping the truck bed and maybe a bed rack combined with some efficient packing will avoid the need for a trailer, but that is an awesome overland trailer. Who made it?

Great pics again btw

 

[Etoimos]

Thanks. The trailer is an Off Grid Trailers Expedition 2.0. The frame is steel, but everything else is aluminum. I do a lot of 10 trips with my son and father, so having the extra space is necessary. We've yet to do a trip in the new trailer, but it can sleep two inside and two to three in the RTT when I have it on.

If you are going to do more overlanding and camping, my advice would be to stick with 35s. As I said, I've got 37s on the JKUR and for overlanding I really wish I had 35s instead. I love the looks of the 37s on the JT, but I'm going to force my self to stay with 35s.

 

[seesharp4me]

TJ's are great for wheeling, but for an all around daily driver and wheeler, the JK (and I assume the JL) can't be beat I live down in Peyton, a small town just east of Colorado Springs. I don't have a JT yet as I've been waiting to see what the final specs on the diesel are. Then I'll have to decide between the gas Rubicon, diesel Rubicon or a Mojave. My rock crawling days are pretty much done and we do mainly overland trips now, so my main considerations for the JT are range and towing ability here in the mountains. My trailer is light like yours, but my JKUR hates towing it (to be fair, it is on 37s and re-geared to 5.18s).

This is the new overland trailer we picked up in Nov.

No argument on the TJ not being a good daily driver. My son is actually going to save his for wheeling and my brother only uses his for wheeling. My 10th Anniversary Rubi Limited JK and JT are definitely better daily drivers. Love that set-up that you have.

 

[Sorbs]

How did the Gladiator handle the passes? Wondering about tight switchbacks and any scraping on bottom. I have 2" Mopar lift and stock 33" tires.

Great, no issues. Very comfortable ride. That is the same setup I had the last time we were there.

 

[Slapping_Rabbits]

Thanks. The trailer is an Off Grid Trailers Expedition 2.0. The frame is steel, but everything else is aluminum. I do a lot of 10 trips with my son and father, so having the extra space is necessary. We've yet to do a trip in the new trailer, but it can sleep two inside and two to three in the RTT when I have it on.

If you are going to do more overlanding and camping, my advice would be to stick with 35s. As I said, I've got 37s on the JKUR and for overlanding I really wish I had 35s instead. I love the looks of the 37s on the JT, but I'm going to force my self to stay with 35s.

Hey just curious why do you say 35s over 37s? I'm curious because when my stock 33's run out i was going to upsize. BTW I love the pics and hearing about CO. I lived in Estes and Boulder when i was younger and have a few friends from Golden and one who after finishing grad school got a job as a ski instructor in Aspen. I'd love to move back. I need to vacation out there to show my family how nice it is.

 

[Etoimos]

Hey just curious why do you say 35s over 37s? I'm curious because when my stock 33's run out i was going to upsize. BTW I love the pics and hearing about CO. I lived in Estes and Boulder when i was younger and have a few friends from Golden and one who after finishing grad school got a job as a ski instructor in Aspen. I'd love to move back. I need to vacation out there to show my family how nice it is.

I've traveled across most of the US and a dozen countries and I can honestly say that I like CO the best. It is just simply beautiful here.

As to the the tire sizes, in overlanding the name of the game is keeping it simple and keeping it common. If you are out in a remote area and have to replace a tire for some reason, it is much easier to find a 35 than it is a 37 from either a tire shop or another overlander/wheeler to get you out of the tight spot. 37s also necessitate other modifications to your Jeep that will add complexity/failure points to it. In the JK world in order to really run 37s off road you needed to beef up your axle, add C gussets, regear and you should really add hydro assist steering. I've not followed the JL and I think the JT is to new to really know which of those things we should be doing to run 37s off road. All those things add failure points, reduce ride quality and fuel range. Adding the bigger lift to fit the bigger tires does increase your approach/break over/departure angles, but it also raises your center of gravity and in overlanding, we tend to carry a lot more weight up higher. So those two compound the GC issue in tippy situations that we often find ourselves in.

In overlanding you will not typically need better approach/break over/departure angles than what the JT has stock. Just look at how many Toyota and Range Rover rigs are out there doing this for decades with less capable specs. So over sizing by two sizes adds more cons then pros (theoretically at least).

All that said, some things just look damn good, and as guys that's all that matters really

 

[Slapping_Rabbits]

I've traveled across most of the US and a dozen countries and I can honestly say that I like CO the best. It is just simply beautiful here.

As to the the tire sizes, in overlanding the name of the game is keeping it simple and keeping it common. If you are out in a remote area and have to replace a tire for some reason, it is much easier to find a 35 than it is a 37 from either a tire shop or another overlander/wheeler to get you out of the tight spot. 37s also necessitate other modifications to your Jeep that will add complexity/failure points to it. In the JK world in order to really run 37s off road you needed to beef up your axle, add C gussets, regear and you should really add hydro assist steering. I've not followed the JL and I think the JT is to new to really know which of those things we should be doing to run 37s off road. All those things add failure points, reduce ride quality and fuel range. Adding the bigger lift to fit the bigger tires does increase your approach/break over/departure angles, but it also raises your center of gravity and in overlanding, we tend to carry a lot more weight up higher. So those two compound the GC issue in tippy situations that we often find ourselves in.

In overlanding you will not typically need better approach/break over/departure angles than what the JT has stock. Just look at how many Toyota and Range Rover rigs are out there doing this for decades with less capable specs. So over sizing by two sizes adds more cons then pros (theoretically at least).

All that said, some things just look damn good, and as guys that's all that matters really

Thanks for this. Yeah, I need to check out the rest of CO. My sister was born in grand junction and my dad went to school in fort collins. I need to check out those places. Also, colorado springs and steamboat springs. I gotta say, living in MD for a few years now, I really miss mountains and all the fun winter activities associated with mountains. Like a lot. Winters here are pretty depressing once you've gotten used to a rockies winter.
BTW I know the gladiator can take 35s with no modifications, but would you lift it with 35s, even if its just a couple inches?

 

[Etoimos]

Thanks for this. Yeah, I need to check out the rest of CO. My sister was born in grand junction and my dad went to school in fort collins. I need to check out those places. Also, colorado springs and steamboat springs. I gotta say, living in MD for a few years now, I really miss mountains and all the fun winter activities associated with mountains. Like a lot. Winters here are pretty depressing once you've gotten used to a rockies winter.
BTW I know the gladiator can take 35s with no modifications, but would you lift it with 35s, even if its just a couple inches?

I personally hate being cold, but the CO winters are so nice you hardly know it is cold out most of the time. There are tons of places I still need to explore in this state.

Right now my current plans are to put a 2"-2.5" lift and 35s on it once I get it. The 35s will give me just a little bit more ground clearance and the small lift will mostly cancel out all the extra weight and might yield a true lift of 1.5" to 2". Modest gains that does not upset the pro/con relationship too much. Besides, the JT needs bigger tires and a little lift to even look good. lol All of this is of course my own opinion and others will have different views.

One of the things that kind of annoys me is all the overland builds we are starting to see companies make. They all go straight to to 37s and big lifts because they have an image to market. Lots of folks out there see those rigs and think that is the best way to do it. Even Expedition Overland did this. If you watch their JT build videos they say they are going to stick with 35s and see if they need to go to 37s. Then in like the next video they say, oh we just jumped to 37s. Don't get me wrong, I totally get the appeal of 37s on the JT. It looks damn sexy with that tire size on it. And....

 

[Sorbs]

One of the things that kind of annoys me is all the overland builds we are starting to see companies make. They all go straight to to 37s and big lifts because they have an image to market. Lots of folks out there see those rigs and think that is the best way to do it.

37’s are easy to find and fit the JTR on the Mopar 2” lift perfectly. Here in Colorado, at 6,500 ft elevation, performance and fuel mileage are also very good. No reason not to get proper “augmentation or enhancement” done.

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