2,000+ Mile road trip coming up in July - What are your favorite quality-of-life upgrades?

[thetruth1983]

Trips to California and Florida from Illinois last year. We found adding a Wifi hotspot was well worth it.

The built in hotspot?

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[Jimbos]

The built in hotspot?

Yes. $15/mo. Cheap support for streaming music and movies on my phone and 2-3 iPads.

 

[CJ5w4wdSmokyOnMyTail]

Hi Friends,

I've had my '21 Sport for about a year and a half, and we're planning to drive it from Louisiana to North Carolina in July for a vacation with my extended family. Now, usually my wife's Honda Pilot would be our road trip car (it's got a lot more creature comforts and gets better mileage on the long drives), but with the opportunity to drive on the beach in the Outer Banks, we couldn't pass up the choice to take the Jeep!

That said - it's about 2,000 miles round-trip (with two young kids in the backseat), so I'm curious - what are your favorite quality-of-life upgrades you've done to make your road trip a little more comfortable? For reference, I've got about as base of a Sport as it gets (three pedals, soft top, etc - only add on was the rear LSD) and the only real "upgrade" I've done so far is a bedliner and a Bulletpoint phone mount.

Looking forward to seeing what y'all suggest - appreciate ya!

Don't use highways. Add a day or two to the trip and use back roads. Way more interesting drive and more fun.

 

[Rocksalt]

dead pedal

 

[firemedic2714]

SiriusXM subscription, because mobile data dead zones. I agree with the console straddling holder and I'd like to recommend one that sits between the passenger grab handle and the dashboard. Make sure you get one that follows the airbag seam behind the handle. Finally, some temporary PPF for all the suicidal insects on the front end. I use Track Armour. It sticks where you put it, but it's easy to remove when you get back home.

TRACK ARMOUR TA3X100-3" x 100' - Temporary Track Day Paint Protection Clear Adhesive Film for Car https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F3CN5CY?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_dp_JRP4DQPJKWGE4W0JWQBR

 

[Shopshirt]

Seat jackers
A case of paper towels
A case of glass cleaner

If no one mentioned it I always keep a roll of TP in a Ziploc bag under the rear seat.

 

[Jeepsrnotcheep]

Hi Friends,

I've had my '21 Sport for about a year and a half, and we're planning to drive it from Louisiana to North Carolina in July for a vacation with my extended family. Now, usually my wife's Honda Pilot would be our road trip car (it's got a lot more creature comforts and gets better mileage on the long drives), but with the opportunity to drive on the beach in the Outer Banks, we couldn't pass up the choice to take the Jeep!

That said - it's about 2,000 miles round-trip (with two young kids in the backseat), so I'm curious - what are your favorite quality-of-life upgrades you've done to make your road trip a little more comfortable? For reference, I've got about as base of a Sport as it gets (three pedals, soft top, etc - only add on was the rear LSD) and the only real "upgrade" I've done so far is a bedliner and a Bulletpoint phone mount.

Looking forward to seeing what y'all suggest - appreciate ya!

I would definitely suggest a tonneau cover and possibly a hitch cargo carrier. You can keep all your luggage in the bed and the cooler on the hitch carrier.

 

[Lunentucker]

dead pedal

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...e-quality-of-life-upgrades.70349/post-1150938

 

[FloridaMan655321]

I did a trip from FL to MN and back recently. I would suggest getting a Mojave and stopping at all the Buc-ees
If you don't already have a yeti cooler, grab something like that to keep in the back, I have two that I brought (Bison if you want to get a 'Murican made cooler, Rtic for cheap but still good quality). Take lots of breaks, don't rush things, and try and find a few places on the way to stop, like some nice parks where you can really stretch your legs and walk around for a bit. The older I get, the more I try and stick to 8-12hrs/day driving before I stop overnight.

As for the kids, take away all electronics and let them ask you if you're there yet 3473459834 times.

 

[obrianmcc]

Dead Pedal (but won't work on a manual) ... and Desert Does It Seat Jackers to correct the seat pad angle (I would like to speak with the decision maker at Mopar who decided to not put angle adjustment on the seat pad)

 

[Blade1668]

I have a manual, I don't think a dead pedal will fit with the third pedal.

It's amazing how many people don't catch on that your JT is a manual transmission and already has a 3rd pedal.
Now I'll agree with others; take the scenic routes and add a few days to travel by adding some stops. Make the trip part of the vacation. I occasionally just take off and drive Natchez Trace route and camp out, hike a trail or another local one to me. 12 fridge freezer is "game changing" I bought a second one... one is full time in my JT running constantly for last few years. A roll(s) of paper towels, window cleaner, a box of H.D. gal zip lock bags to storewhatever and"good for sealing up" messy stuff too....

 

[TroutFishingInAmerica]

what are your favorite quality-of-life upgrades you've done to make your road trip a little more comfortable?

Damn I'm old. DEET used to be a quality of life upgrade on a road trip.

 

[Max-t]

I dunno. It was pretty great out of the box. But I have the headliner from dealer.

I couldn’t live without my dash mounted phone holder (NOT the bullet point one but the bullet point single is good.).

Elbow pad. Just a neoprene cover i got because my daughter puts her feet there. But it really helps when wearing a short sleeve shirt.

the Mopar mud trays work like a charm. Just unclip and dump all the sand and French fries out.

I find the seats to fit me better than anything else has, but my wife appreciates some cheapo neoprene covers I put on to avoid sun fading.

Second the tonneau cover. The Mopar soft tonneau is pretty trick and you can “lock it” with a tie down strap.

 

[Gajep71]

I drive back and forth from middle Georgia to Vermont several times a year. My total trip ends up around 3200-3600 each time because I do a lot of exploring along the way and spend a lot of time on the smaller roads. My ride was miserable until I installed seat jackers and a dead pedal. Now I tackle 10 hours a day in comfort. Swapping my speakers also made me much happier.

 

[TexRec]

Dead pedal won't fit.

Why not?

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