6K mile trip in new Mojave through western states - what worked well and what worked so so

[CokreeateJT]

Great info

Sponsored

 

[MartinIT]

Just outstanding desert Southwest pics! Exactly why I have lived in the middle of the Mojave since 1993.
Excellent write up and trip report. Kinda curious as to what the issue was with the wash crossing. Seems like 4low and aired down would have driven right through.

Thx everyone.
There was substantial mud at the bottom of the crossing and loose sand on the incline. Not enough traction but perhaps at 25 psi I still had too much pressure (I am totally new to this thing). Boards and lots of wood/brush debris plus removing the mud from the tire tread helped out. 2L was the gear.

 

[MartinIT]

Thanks for the ride along! Great Trip!! You keeping the JT? And , from left field, what your truck's name?

Thx much
Keeping it. Planning on ski bumming in the winter throughout western US and Canada and then exporting to Euro. The plan is to travel through Morocco, and some of the old Russian republics with the gravel bikes.
Since they don't sell Mojave in Europe the truck's name is simply Mojave.

 

[MartinIT]

great read.
what did you have to do to change out the hood, the oversized cowl?

Guys at the Texas Vehicle Exchange did it. I purchased the non-Mojave hood cowlings thinking the DV8 hood will need them but the TVE installed the hood right onto the original Mojave cowlings. ???

What exactly is the Kevlar coating. Is it something clear they spray on the original paint to harden or are you spraying over the factory paint with a totally new coating? Pics look like it has the finish of Line-X?

Totally new coating over the original paint. Similar to Line-X but supposedly tougher. Texas Vehicle Exchange does it on almost all vehicles they customize but they did just the coating for me. Being at their shop near Dallas was a drooler

 

[Tanners Owner]

Great trip and write up. I was at Arches and Canyonlands a few years ago- spectacular place. Zion was neat too, walking up the river.

i hope to redo some of the trips my wife and I did when we got To our first duty station (Ft Carson, CO). For an easterner, the National Parks in the Rockies were/ are truly majestic.

 

[Len]

Just a quick recap.

1. I planned this trip (including truck purchase) for 4 months from oversees
2. I flew in from Poland to US in early June
3. The new truck was picked up at Gupton near Nashville - great buying experience
4. Drove to Dallas leaving the truck at Texas Vehicle Exchange for kevlar coating - incredible service from these guys.
5. Flew to Mexico for 2 weeks with my GF.
6. Back to Dallas to pickup the freshly painted truck - WHOW
7. Drove to Laguna Niguel and dropped off the truck at Rebel Off Road for some customization - the guys messed up but later made everything well - at the end a top service.

The truck has:

• kevlar paint
• DV8 rails
• DV8 hood
• ADD bumpers
• APEX 1200 winch
• AWE exhaust
• S&B CAI
• Pedal commander
• ARB compressor
• Stinger infotainment
• ARB traction boards
• Coastway fridge
• axe
• shovel
• bed rack
• Roam Vagabond RTT
• bed tonneau
• sunrider soft top
• tire repair kit - never had to use it
• fool tool set - handy always

Ordered but missing:

• 35" wheels/tires
• water/gasoline Rotopax containers - got alternative canisters
• bed AC/DC outlet
• grab handles
• front bumper lights
• front skid plate was not trimmed and installed

The trip started and went through:

• Big Bear Lake -great illegal but locally approved small camping site near https://goo.gl/maps/4tNBjDWvowGDxBgaA
• Mojave National Preserve - fantastic 2 days with not a single vehicle around
• section of old route 66 - Oatman - Kingman - fantastic
• Lake Mojave - superb secluded camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/bvrbA3NRetaYFeUr7
• Lake Mead - survived the sand storm here
• Grand Canyon Point Sublime near North Rim - incredible camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/LeR1aM4SPSPbbNik7. The axe saved the day on the way back after the thunder storm of the century
• Lake Powell - great hike through Buckskin Gulch Canyon (better alternative to Antelope Canyon)
• Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell - great drive there but the bay is dried (huge surprised after getting there at 11 PM); incredible camping spat at Alstrom Point - https://goo.gl/maps/xm7T9YhMKFmPiy1V6
• Monument Valley - must see
• Grand Junction
• Cocopelli trail to Moab - no way to get through the upper section of the Top of The World on 33s (had to hike). Traction boards saved the day at Cisco Wash Crossing (tough moment for someone doing off-roading for the 1st time), 2nd section Dewey Bridge - Moab much more interesting than the 1st one. Chickened out at the Rock Garden Hill
• Moab - tourism killed the town but an incredible light show at the Grandstaff Canyon camping
• Arches National Park - long hikes (even in 110F) are well worth it
• Bryce Canyon at sunset
• Yosemite - nothing but whow!!!
• Big Sur - the road is great but the spot is killed by the tourists
• San Francisco - just a quick drive north through the Golden Gate
• Napa Valley - great camping at Putah Canyon - https://goo.gl/maps/WTFd7dB6aeJX9X5t9; super wine-tasting and atmosphere at Yountville
• Klammath Lake - not recommended camping at Rocky Point Resort - https://goo.gl/maps/Y6Nyhc5csV5VnTT6A; Odessa campground much better
• Crater Lake - Cleetwood cove trail with the swim at the lake was fantastic
• Bend, OR - love this town and the brewery atmosphere
• Seattle, WA - what a change during last 3 years of my absence (used to live there for 30 years)

What worked very well:

• Kevlar coating - the original paint would be all scratched up after few segments of this trip; no signs on Kevlar
• ARB compressor - i was deflating and inflating tires several times
• ARB traction boards - life savers at the Cisco Wash crossing
• the axe - life saver on the way back from the Sublime Point
• Roam Vagabond RTT - uber comfy and easy to use
• sunrider soft top - super handy and quiet
• Literider tonneau - protected the luggage well especially during the sand storm
• AWE exhaust + CAI + pedal commander - V6 was definitely more responsive and agile
• the Mojave itself - I am overall very pleased with the truck for both highway, road and off road. Good mph, comfy, quiet and can do it almost all
• GAIA GPS app - lifesaver in the terrain (no other maps have these details)
• coastway fridge - great capacity and getting to proper temp in a short time
• Mojave suspension - what a joy to smash gravel roads and trails at high speed
• lots of storage on the truck

What did not work very well:

• AWE + CAI is a bit too loud long term - below 2.5K rmp sweet but when punched or on inclines starts get annoying; the sound is great but not long term
• front lights misadjusted from the factory
• not having direct battery connected DC outlet in the bed (had to keep the fridge inside and could not run it when engine shut off)
• not having passenger side grab handle (off road hard to not get tossed all over the place)
• cruise control is badly calibrated
• windshield - it cracked in two spots
• some vehicle angles: you see your infotainment flashing in the rear view mirror, dashboard controls in the driver side mirror, water streaming onto driver and passenger windows badly when windshield is spray washed while driving

NOTES:

• anyone who wants to do some even lite rack crawling needs to get above factory tire size - nothing new here i guess
• anyone who does not care about more aggressive rock crawling - Mojave is the ticket IMHO - great on paved and superb on tracks/gravels
• I discovered i don't care about rock crawling at all - just not my thing
• desert driving, gravel roads, bumpy tracks - ohh yeahhh!!!!
• V6 gasoline is not bad at all
• mph in this vehicle is good but you need to control well your foot; my GF has not much feel in the foot and she was burning easily 2 mpg less than I did and I could hear in in engine revving. We averaged in this trip about 17 with 19 on paved and 15 off road. rack and RTT and smashing ~ 70 mph on highways

Few pictures from the trip:

Cocopelli

at Cisco Wash Crossing

Getting to Top of the World

On the way to Sublime Point

To Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell

Somewhere on the road

Bringing an axe was a top choice

Putah Canyon Camping

light show near Grandstaff Canyon camping

inside Mojave desert

just before the sand storm at Lake Mead

mudding through Buckskin Gulch Canyon

campsite at Mojave

somewhere along the route

Horseshoe Bay near Page

Arches National Park

Forest fires at Yosemite NP

Arches NP

Another day on the road

I just

Just a quick recap.

1. I planned this trip (including truck purchase) for 4 months from oversees
2. I flew in from Poland to US in early June
3. The new truck was picked up at Gupton near Nashville - great buying experience
4. Drove to Dallas leaving the truck at Texas Vehicle Exchange for kevlar coating - incredible service from these guys.
5. Flew to Mexico for 2 weeks with my GF.
6. Back to Dallas to pickup the freshly painted truck - WHOW
7. Drove to Laguna Niguel and dropped off the truck at Rebel Off Road for some customization - the guys messed up but later made everything well - at the end a top service.

The truck has:

• kevlar paint
• DV8 rails
• DV8 hood
• ADD bumpers
• APEX 1200 winch
• AWE exhaust
• S&B CAI
• Pedal commander
• ARB compressor
• Stinger infotainment
• ARB traction boards
• Coastway fridge
• axe
• shovel
• bed rack
• Roam Vagabond RTT
• bed tonneau
• sunrider soft top
• tire repair kit - never had to use it
• fool tool set - handy always

Ordered but missing:

• 35" wheels/tires
• water/gasoline Rotopax containers - got alternative canisters
• bed AC/DC outlet
• grab handles
• front bumper lights
• front skid plate was not trimmed and installed

The trip started and went through:

• Big Bear Lake -great illegal but locally approved small camping site near https://goo.gl/maps/4tNBjDWvowGDxBgaA
• Mojave National Preserve - fantastic 2 days with not a single vehicle around
• section of old route 66 - Oatman - Kingman - fantastic
• Lake Mojave - superb secluded camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/bvrbA3NRetaYFeUr7
• Lake Mead - survived the sand storm here
• Grand Canyon Point Sublime near North Rim - incredible camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/LeR1aM4SPSPbbNik7. The axe saved the day on the way back after the thunder storm of the century
• Lake Powell - great hike through Buckskin Gulch Canyon (better alternative to Antelope Canyon)
• Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell - great drive there but the bay is dried (huge surprised after getting there at 11 PM); incredible camping spat at Alstrom Point - https://goo.gl/maps/xm7T9YhMKFmPiy1V6
• Monument Valley - must see
• Grand Junction
• Cocopelli trail to Moab - no way to get through the upper section of the Top of The World on 33s (had to hike). Traction boards saved the day at Cisco Wash Crossing (tough moment for someone doing off-roading for the 1st time), 2nd section Dewey Bridge - Moab much more interesting than the 1st one. Chickened out at the Rock Garden Hill
• Moab - tourism killed the town but an incredible light show at the Grandstaff Canyon camping
• Arches National Park - long hikes (even in 110F) are well worth it
• Bryce Canyon at sunset
• Yosemite - nothing but whow!!!
• Big Sur - the road is great but the spot is killed by the tourists
• San Francisco - just a quick drive north through the Golden Gate
• Napa Valley - great camping at Putah Canyon - https://goo.gl/maps/WTFd7dB6aeJX9X5t9; super wine-tasting and atmosphere at Yountville
• Klammath Lake - not recommended camping at Rocky Point Resort - https://goo.gl/maps/Y6Nyhc5csV5VnTT6A; Odessa campground much better
• Crater Lake - Cleetwood cove trail with the swim at the lake was fantastic
• Bend, OR - love this town and the brewery atmosphere
• Seattle, WA - what a change during last 3 years of my absence (used to live there for 30 years)

What worked very well:

• Kevlar coating - the original paint would be all scratched up after few segments of this trip; no signs on Kevlar
• ARB compressor - i was deflating and inflating tires several times
• ARB traction boards - life savers at the Cisco Wash crossing
• the axe - life saver on the way back from the Sublime Point
• Roam Vagabond RTT - uber comfy and easy to use
• sunrider soft top - super handy and quiet
• Literider tonneau - protected the luggage well especially during the sand storm
• AWE exhaust + CAI + pedal commander - V6 was definitely more responsive and agile
• the Mojave itself - I am overall very pleased with the truck for both highway, road and off road. Good mph, comfy, quiet and can do it almost all
• GAIA GPS app - lifesaver in the terrain (no other maps have these details)
• coastway fridge - great capacity and getting to proper temp in a short time
• Mojave suspension - what a joy to smash gravel roads and trails at high speed
• lots of storage on the truck

What did not work very well:

• AWE + CAI is a bit too loud long term - below 2.5K rmp sweet but when punched or on inclines starts get annoying; the sound is great but not long term
• front lights misadjusted from the factory
• not having direct battery connected DC outlet in the bed (had to keep the fridge inside and could not run it when engine shut off)
• not having passenger side grab handle (off road hard to not get tossed all over the place)
• cruise control is badly calibrated
• windshield - it cracked in two spots
• some vehicle angles: you see your infotainment flashing in the rear view mirror, dashboard controls in the driver side mirror, water streaming onto driver and passenger windows badly when windshield is spray washed while driving

NOTES:

• anyone who wants to do some even lite rack crawling needs to get above factory tire size - nothing new here i guess
• anyone who does not care about more aggressive rock crawling - Mojave is the ticket IMHO - great on paved and superb on tracks/gravels
• I discovered i don't care about rock crawling at all - just not my thing
• desert driving, gravel roads, bumpy tracks - ohh yeahhh!!!!
• V6 gasoline is not bad at all
• mph in this vehicle is good but you need to control well your foot; my GF has not much feel in the foot and she was burning easily 2 mpg less than I did and I could hear in in engine revving. We averaged in this trip about 17 with 19 on paved and 15 off road. rack and RTT and smashing ~ 70 mph on highways

Few pictures from the trip:

Cocopelli

at Cisco Wash Crossing

Getting to Top of the World

On the way to Sublime Point

To Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell

Somewhere on the road

Bringing an axe was a top choice

Putah Canyon Camping

light show near Grandstaff Canyon camping

inside Mojave desert

just before the sand storm at Lake Mead

mudding through Buckskin Gulch Canyon

campsite at Mojave

somewhere along the route

Horseshoe Bay near Page

Arches National Park

Forest fires at Yosemite NP

Arches NP

Another day on the road

I just completed the Trans American Trail (east to west). Put on over 11,000 miles total trip. Completely stock JT gasser and I must say, I am amazed at what I was able to do stock. I did hit Moab and completed Fin and Things and Hells Revenge. I also did Black Bear Pass and several other lesser known trails across the country. I do know what extras I want now, and 37 with a 2 in lift will fit the bill for most everything, IMO.
Great post and looks like a great trip.

 

[tumbes2000]

Just a quick recap.

1. I planned this trip (including truck purchase) for 4 months from oversees
2. I flew in from Poland to US in early June
3. The new truck was picked up at Gupton near Nashville - great buying experience
4. Drove to Dallas leaving the truck at Texas Vehicle Exchange for kevlar coating - incredible service from these guys.
5. Flew to Mexico for 2 weeks with my GF.
6. Back to Dallas to pickup the freshly painted truck - WHOW
7. Drove to Laguna Niguel and dropped off the truck at Rebel Off Road for some customization - the guys messed up but later made everything well - at the end a top service.

The truck has:

• kevlar paint
• DV8 rails
• DV8 hood
• ADD bumpers
• APEX 1200 winch
• AWE exhaust
• S&B CAI
• Pedal commander
• ARB compressor
• Stinger infotainment
• ARB traction boards
• Coastway fridge
• axe
• shovel
• bed rack
• Roam Vagabond RTT
• bed tonneau
• sunrider soft top
• tire repair kit - never had to use it
• fool tool set - handy always

Ordered but missing:

• 35" wheels/tires
• water/gasoline Rotopax containers - got alternative canisters
• bed AC/DC outlet
• grab handles
• front bumper lights
• front skid plate was not trimmed and installed

The trip started and went through:

• Big Bear Lake -great illegal but locally approved small camping site near https://goo.gl/maps/4tNBjDWvowGDxBgaA
• Mojave National Preserve - fantastic 2 days with not a single vehicle around
• section of old route 66 - Oatman - Kingman - fantastic
• Lake Mojave - superb secluded camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/bvrbA3NRetaYFeUr7
• Lake Mead - survived the sand storm here
• Grand Canyon Point Sublime near North Rim - incredible camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/LeR1aM4SPSPbbNik7. The axe saved the day on the way back after the thunder storm of the century
• Lake Powell - great hike through Buckskin Gulch Canyon (better alternative to Antelope Canyon)
• Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell - great drive there but the bay is dried (huge surprised after getting there at 11 PM); incredible camping spat at Alstrom Point - https://goo.gl/maps/xm7T9YhMKFmPiy1V6
• Monument Valley - must see
• Grand Junction
• Cocopelli trail to Moab - no way to get through the upper section of the Top of The World on 33s (had to hike). Traction boards saved the day at Cisco Wash Crossing (tough moment for someone doing off-roading for the 1st time), 2nd section Dewey Bridge - Moab much more interesting than the 1st one. Chickened out at the Rock Garden Hill
• Moab - tourism killed the town but an incredible light show at the Grandstaff Canyon camping
• Arches National Park - long hikes (even in 110F) are well worth it
• Bryce Canyon at sunset
• Yosemite - nothing but whow!!!
• Big Sur - the road is great but the spot is killed by the tourists
• San Francisco - just a quick drive north through the Golden Gate
• Napa Valley - great camping at Putah Canyon - https://goo.gl/maps/WTFd7dB6aeJX9X5t9; super wine-tasting and atmosphere at Yountville
• Klammath Lake - not recommended camping at Rocky Point Resort - https://goo.gl/maps/Y6Nyhc5csV5VnTT6A; Odessa campground much better
• Crater Lake - Cleetwood cove trail with the swim at the lake was fantastic
• Bend, OR - love this town and the brewery atmosphere
• Seattle, WA - what a change during last 3 years of my absence (used to live there for 30 years)

What worked very well:

• Kevlar coating - the original paint would be all scratched up after few segments of this trip; no signs on Kevlar
• ARB compressor - i was deflating and inflating tires several times
• ARB traction boards - life savers at the Cisco Wash crossing
• the axe - life saver on the way back from the Sublime Point
• Roam Vagabond RTT - uber comfy and easy to use
• sunrider soft top - super handy and quiet
• Literider tonneau - protected the luggage well especially during the sand storm
• AWE exhaust + CAI + pedal commander - V6 was definitely more responsive and agile
• the Mojave itself - I am overall very pleased with the truck for both highway, road and off road. Good mph, comfy, quiet and can do it almost all
• GAIA GPS app - lifesaver in the terrain (no other maps have these details)
• coastway fridge - great capacity and getting to proper temp in a short time
• Mojave suspension - what a joy to smash gravel roads and trails at high speed
• lots of storage on the truck

What did not work very well:

• AWE + CAI is a bit too loud long term - below 2.5K rmp sweet but when punched or on inclines starts get annoying; the sound is great but not long term
• front lights misadjusted from the factory
• not having direct battery connected DC outlet in the bed (had to keep the fridge inside and could not run it when engine shut off)
• not having passenger side grab handle (off road hard to not get tossed all over the place)
• cruise control is badly calibrated
• windshield - it cracked in two spots
• some vehicle angles: you see your infotainment flashing in the rear view mirror, dashboard controls in the driver side mirror, water streaming onto driver and passenger windows badly when windshield is spray washed while driving

NOTES:

• anyone who wants to do some even lite rack crawling needs to get above factory tire size - nothing new here i guess
• anyone who does not care about more aggressive rock crawling - Mojave is the ticket IMHO - great on paved and superb on tracks/gravels
• I discovered i don't care about rock crawling at all - just not my thing
• desert driving, gravel roads, bumpy tracks - ohh yeahhh!!!!
• V6 gasoline is not bad at all
• mph in this vehicle is good but you need to control well your foot; my GF has not much feel in the foot and she was burning easily 2 mpg less than I did and I could hear in in engine revving. We averaged in this trip about 17 with 19 on paved and 15 off road. rack and RTT and smashing ~ 70 mph on highways

Few pictures from the trip:

Cocopelli

at Cisco Wash Crossing

Getting to Top of the World

On the way to Sublime Point

To Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell

Somewhere on the road

Bringing an axe was a top choice

Putah Canyon Camping

light show near Grandstaff Canyon camping

inside Mojave desert

just before the sand storm at Lake Mead

mudding through Buckskin Gulch Canyon

campsite at Mojave

somewhere along the route

Horseshoe Bay near Page

Arches National Park

Forest fires at Yosemite NP

Arches NP

Another day on the road

Awesome trip. Thanks for sharing the photos. I also am rocking the Mojave so glad it went well with the truck

 

[Orange01z28]

Just a quick recap.

1. I planned this trip (including truck purchase) for 4 months from oversees
2. I flew in from Poland to US in early June
3. The new truck was picked up at Gupton near Nashville - great buying experience
4. Drove to Dallas leaving the truck at Texas Vehicle Exchange for kevlar coating - incredible service from these guys.
5. Flew to Mexico for 2 weeks with my GF.
6. Back to Dallas to pickup the freshly painted truck - WHOW
7. Drove to Laguna Niguel and dropped off the truck at Rebel Off Road for some customization - the guys messed up but later made everything well - at the end a top service.

The truck has:

• kevlar paint
• DV8 rails
• DV8 hood
• ADD bumpers
• APEX 1200 winch
• AWE exhaust
• S&B CAI
• Pedal commander
• ARB compressor
• Stinger infotainment
• ARB traction boards
• Coastway fridge
• axe
• shovel
• bed rack
• Roam Vagabond RTT
• bed tonneau
• sunrider soft top
• tire repair kit - never had to use it
• fool tool set - handy always

Ordered but missing:

• 35" wheels/tires
• water/gasoline Rotopax containers - got alternative canisters
• bed AC/DC outlet
• grab handles
• front bumper lights
• front skid plate was not trimmed and installed

The trip started and went through:

• Big Bear Lake -great illegal but locally approved small camping site near https://goo.gl/maps/4tNBjDWvowGDxBgaA
• Mojave National Preserve - fantastic 2 days with not a single vehicle around
• section of old route 66 - Oatman - Kingman - fantastic
• Lake Mojave - superb secluded camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/bvrbA3NRetaYFeUr7
• Lake Mead - survived the sand storm here
• Grand Canyon Point Sublime near North Rim - incredible camping spot - https://goo.gl/maps/LeR1aM4SPSPbbNik7. The axe saved the day on the way back after the thunder storm of the century
• Lake Powell - great hike through Buckskin Gulch Canyon (better alternative to Antelope Canyon)
• Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell - great drive there but the bay is dried (huge surprised after getting there at 11 PM); incredible camping spat at Alstrom Point - https://goo.gl/maps/xm7T9YhMKFmPiy1V6
• Monument Valley - must see
• Grand Junction
• Cocopelli trail to Moab - no way to get through the upper section of the Top of The World on 33s (had to hike). Traction boards saved the day at Cisco Wash Crossing (tough moment for someone doing off-roading for the 1st time), 2nd section Dewey Bridge - Moab much more interesting than the 1st one. Chickened out at the Rock Garden Hill
• Moab - tourism killed the town but an incredible light show at the Grandstaff Canyon camping
• Arches National Park - long hikes (even in 110F) are well worth it
• Bryce Canyon at sunset
• Yosemite - nothing but whow!!!
• Big Sur - the road is great but the spot is killed by the tourists
• San Francisco - just a quick drive north through the Golden Gate
• Napa Valley - great camping at Putah Canyon - https://goo.gl/maps/WTFd7dB6aeJX9X5t9; super wine-tasting and atmosphere at Yountville
• Klammath Lake - not recommended camping at Rocky Point Resort - https://goo.gl/maps/Y6Nyhc5csV5VnTT6A; Odessa campground much better
• Crater Lake - Cleetwood cove trail with the swim at the lake was fantastic
• Bend, OR - love this town and the brewery atmosphere
• Seattle, WA - what a change during last 3 years of my absence (used to live there for 30 years)

What worked very well:

• Kevlar coating - the original paint would be all scratched up after few segments of this trip; no signs on Kevlar
• ARB compressor - i was deflating and inflating tires several times
• ARB traction boards - life savers at the Cisco Wash crossing
• the axe - life saver on the way back from the Sublime Point
• Roam Vagabond RTT - uber comfy and easy to use
• sunrider soft top - super handy and quiet
• Literider tonneau - protected the luggage well especially during the sand storm
• AWE exhaust + CAI + pedal commander - V6 was definitely more responsive and agile
• the Mojave itself - I am overall very pleased with the truck for both highway, road and off road. Good mph, comfy, quiet and can do it almost all
• GAIA GPS app - lifesaver in the terrain (no other maps have these details)
• coastway fridge - great capacity and getting to proper temp in a short time
• Mojave suspension - what a joy to smash gravel roads and trails at high speed
• lots of storage on the truck

What did not work very well:

• AWE + CAI is a bit too loud long term - below 2.5K rmp sweet but when punched or on inclines starts get annoying; the sound is great but not long term
• front lights misadjusted from the factory
• not having direct battery connected DC outlet in the bed (had to keep the fridge inside and could not run it when engine shut off)
• not having passenger side grab handle (off road hard to not get tossed all over the place)
• cruise control is badly calibrated
• windshield - it cracked in two spots
• some vehicle angles: you see your infotainment flashing in the rear view mirror, dashboard controls in the driver side mirror, water streaming onto driver and passenger windows badly when windshield is spray washed while driving

NOTES:

• anyone who wants to do some even lite rack crawling needs to get above factory tire size - nothing new here i guess
• anyone who does not care about more aggressive rock crawling - Mojave is the ticket IMHO - great on paved and superb on tracks/gravels
• I discovered i don't care about rock crawling at all - just not my thing
• desert driving, gravel roads, bumpy tracks - ohh yeahhh!!!!
• V6 gasoline is not bad at all
• mph in this vehicle is good but you need to control well your foot; my GF has not much feel in the foot and she was burning easily 2 mpg less than I did and I could hear in in engine revving. We averaged in this trip about 17 with 19 on paved and 15 off road. rack and RTT and smashing ~ 70 mph on highways

Few pictures from the trip:

Cocopelli

at Cisco Wash Crossing

Getting to Top of the World

On the way to Sublime Point

To Warm Creek Bay at Lake Powell

Somewhere on the road

Bringing an axe was a top choice

Putah Canyon Camping

light show near Grandstaff Canyon camping

inside Mojave desert

just before the sand storm at Lake Mead

mudding through Buckskin Gulch Canyon

campsite at Mojave

somewhere along the route

Horseshoe Bay near Page

Arches National Park

Forest fires at Yosemite NP

Arches NP

Another day on the road

Gotta buy a chainsaw!

 

[yoda13]

Thanks for sharing!! I really enjoyed this write up!!!

 

[Bacon]

really great photos. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Fizzy Logic]

For some reason, I noticed y’all don’t tie your shoe laces. What a weird thing to notice.

Anyway, this is was a helpful trip report, thanks.

 

[WhippetTaxi]

Beautiful photos!! Thanks for putting this together. Jeep looks great as well!

 

[AUAlum2000]

Dziekuje bardzo!

That looks like a great trip. I am hoping to do the same next summer with my [Polish] wife and two kids. Unfortunately, though, we'll be in a long-ass RV. So, no off-roading -- at least, not intentionally.

 

[rmerkushen]

Nice write up, and awesome pics. I have rubicon and planning on similar trip from NJ (not Poland).. Did you end up shipping the gladiator to Poland?

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Very awesome.
Was there a reason you swapped the hood? Just preference or was it a calculation in your trip?

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