Clyde gets organized with A.R.E. topper and Decked system

[zprovo]

Well done sir!

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[Donkey Fluffer]

I see that you are in VA as am I. I would really like to see your rig in person if possible please pm me if you’re up for a visit. I am struggling about where and how to mount my future charge controller, battery etc.
I'm near Roanoke but travel quite a bit and could work to your schedule.

BTW, my older son is a Calvary Scout now...

Thanks.

I'm quite a bit east of you. Between Williamsburg and Richmond. But I visit my daughters in Knoxville fairly frequently (just did last week) and will pass thru Roanoke Thanksgiving week again. I always fuel up at exit 150.

I enjoyed my career as a Cav Scout. Every assignment was different, from Jeeps, to tracks, to on foot in Panama, Blues platoon helicopter mobile at Fort Riley to Airborne with Sheridan tanks in the 82nd, Bradley's in Desert Storm, Hummers after that, I had a lot of variety that I truly enjoyed

 

[Donkey Fluffer]

Could you do me a favor and get a measurement on the inside of your ARE topper? Ive been trying to find one forever to measure and haven't been able to.

Im looking for the inside length of the topper at the top part of it, from the front edge (above the slider) to the back edge (by the 3rd brake light) . Im trying to see if a Cap Pack will fit or if I should look elsewhere.

Thanks!

Sorry, read this the other day when I was in one of my other cars and ended up forgetting about it.

I dint know what a Cap Pack is but the measurement you seek is 57"

 

[Terry]

With the A.R.E. topper and Decked system I was finally able to organize Clyde the way I do all my Jeeps and trucks. I like having a load plan not unlike that of a military vehicle.

My comms are installed. I'm running a mobile dual band 2m/70m with a handheld Baofeng as backup and a Midland 25 watt mobile GMRS with two Midland 5 watt handheld as backups. I even have a handheld CB for the dinosaurs I might encounter. I'm licensed for ham and GMRS. Bonnie, my wife's JL Sahara, also has mounted and handheld GMRS radios.

There a thread on here loving on the Walmart tailgate seat and I got me one. It even solved a dilemma I hadn't started working on yet. With the 5' bed and my 5'8" ass, I can fit diagonally with the tailgate and lift gate closed, but had planned to make a wood and memory foam insert to fit into the open Decked drawers to allow me to fully stretch out, albeit with the tailgate open, when camping in the boonies. The Walmart tailgate seat fits on the open Decked drawers perfectly and allows a full 90" from head to toe. Problem solved with no effort on my part.

The Renogy 50 amp DC to DC charger syncs the two 100 watt Renogy panels I have mounted on top of the A.R.E. Rack, thru it's built-in MPPT charge controller and my alternator takes care of the rest, keeping the 100 amp AGM auxiliary battery topped off nicely. A nice feature is that it also flows excess solar to the primary (chassis) battery. The battery has a Renogy monitor that gives me State of Charge. I'm also monitoring it thru the Renogy Bluetooth appointment my phone. The Alpicool 12V refrigerator also has Bluetooth.

I installed a camera that records front and rear, added the GPS feature to that., and it seems to be working ok.

I'll show the exterior enhancements tomorrow. Too dark right now.

Updated with exterior photos:

Some pics of the topper and roof rack. Also added some lights to the rear of the rack. Both antennas are mounted to the light pillars.

We are waiting for our ARE Topper (color matched). It's in transit and should be here in the next week or two. We got one because our Giant Schnauzer is too large for the cab. Added 12v power to the bed area much like your system, and installed a locking compartment (mo-power) under the rear seat for our guns. Front bumper (Poison Spyder) and winch in January, Rock Hard rear bumper on order. Have you noticed better gas mileage after install of the topper?

 

[Terry]

the jeep is cool...but i would rather get the chopper running!

Nothing like a slick in your back yard to keep the terrorists away......

 

[Donkey Fluffer]

We are waiting for our ARE Topper (color matched). It's in transit and should be here in the next week or two. We got one because our Giant Schnauzer is too large for the cab. Added 12v power to the bed area much like your system, and installed a locking compartment (mo-power) under the rear seat for our guns. Front bumper (Poison Spyder) and winch in January, Rock Hard rear bumper on order. Have you noticed better gas mileage after install of the topper?

My mileage dropped about 1 mpg BUT I also added a lot of weight (dual battery system, survival/camping gear, lights, comm gear, solar, etc)

 

[Donkey Fluffer]

Nothing like a slick in your back yard to keep the terrorists away......

Living in the country helps

 

[Donkey Fluffer]

We are waiting for our ARE Topper (color matched). It's in transit and should be here in the next week or two. We got one because our Giant Schnauzer is too large for the cab. Added 12v power to the bed area much like your system, and installed a locking compartment (mo-power) under the rear seat for our guns. Front bumper (Poison Spyder) and winch in January, Rock Hard rear bumper on order. Have you noticed better gas mileage after install of the topper?

My German Shepherd loves it back there. Hops in every time I open it. The underseat storage is perfect for guns

 

[Terry]

My German Shepherd loves it back there. Hops in every time I open it. The underseat storage is perfect for guns

Benelli Super Nova fits just fine.

 

[Terry]

Benelli Super Nova fits just fine.

I picked up a Black Armour Bed Mat to flatten out the natural contours of the bed to make the surface better for him to ride on. It is made of recycled tires and for the first day it had a tire odor which went away. Really recommend this bed mat it is tough and never slides or blows around.

 

[Bradt530]

GREAT looking rig very well thought out. I really like how your winch looks. Gave me some ideas now. Although I won't go into it as you did. I really like the organization. I already carry to much in my bed now. I can only imagine what my wife would say if I went half of what you did. You are prepared for any situation you find yourself in.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful CLYDE.

 

[Donkey Fluffer]

GREAT looking rig very well thought out. I really like how your winch looks. Gave me some ideas now. Although I won't go into it as you did. I really like the organization. I already carry to much in my bed now. I can only imagine what my wife would say if I went half of what you did. You are prepared for any situation you find yourself in.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful CLYDE.

I really appreciate the comments. The reason my wife doesn't complain is because her Jeep JL, BONNIE, gets equal attention.

 

[Bradt530]

I see you have a BADLAND winch. Did you use a Winch Mounting kit for your factory steel bumper ? If so which one? I've been looking at the Badland winches as I don't off road and into many situations that require ones. I just plain what one. If you have a jeep I you should have a winch on it.

 

[smlobx]

I'm quite a bit east of you. Between Williamsburg and Richmond. But I visit my daughters in Knoxville fairly frequently (just did last week) and will pass thru Roanoke Thanksgiving week again. I always fuel up at exit 150.

I enjoyed my career as a Cav Scout. Every assignment was different, from Jeeps, to tracks, to on foot in Panama, Blues platoon helicopter mobile at Fort Riley to Airborne with Sheridan tanks in the 82nd, Bradley's in Desert Storm, Hummers after that, I had a lot of variety that I truly enjoyed

I’m sending you a PM...

 

[shrinkhead]

excellent build. thank you for sharing. looking into the topper right now...

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