VagabondJeep.Com
O|||||O Bernie and Dave
Jeep, Jeep. Beep, beep.
This is Vardo, our Jeep™ gypsy wagon. We are Bernie and Dave and this is Vagabond Jeep dot Com. Thank you for riding with us.
Vardo is a 2023 Jeep™ Wrangler JL. We started Jeep™ camping this spring, with a trip to Joshua Tree, California. We camped in National Forest, National Parks, State Parks of several sorts, and Wal~Mart, of course. It turned out to be a rushed return trip to our home in Mars Hill, N.C. because Bernie developed a bowel obstruction requiring surgery. Bernie said to me, “The next time you’re sick and dying, I’ll drive you across the United States and back. It’s the least I could do.”
Here's Bernie! We’ve been together for about a year and a half. After several months of training, she became my service dog. I am a U.S. Army Gulf War Veteran. Bernie helps me with my PTSD disability. Isn't she adorable with her post-surgery cone?
Roll the dice, Baby (Vardo) needs a (two) new pair of shoes. That’s what we’ve done. The stock tires with highway tread offered little off-road traction or clearance. We have those stock tires for sale, and Vardo is now shod with BF Goodrich All-Terrain 285/70R/17’s. That's what Jeepers call 33's. The extra 1" of ground clearance helps. As soon as po$$ible we will upgrade with modest looking offset wheels.
Our Jeep® Wrangler JL is like a big rolling four-wheel drive backpack. I have been a backpacker. Everything is about weight, size, and function. Costs, too. Don’t forget costs. Weight, size, function, and cost. That is why we’re here. Let’s look inside our big rolling four-wheel drive Jeep® Wrangler JL backpack: bedroom, kitchen, den, and closet.
{Comedic Interlude. Insert Monty Python sketch}
Enter Bernie and Dave stage left, dressed as cardinals, Catholic, not the bird.
{Spoken in an highly exaggerated British accent, after mumbling something about the Spanish Inquisition}
“Our chief objective is to go, … to go and enjoy. Enjoy and go. Our two objectives are to go, and enjoy, … and save money. Our three objectives are to go, enjoy, and save money … and meet new friends. Okay, among our many objectives are …” Isn’t there supposed to be something about ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devotion to the pope?
Enough Monty Python, eh? {Exit Bernie and Dave stage left.}
This is my old setup which looks a lot like my new setup, but you will be able to see the difference.
Here’s a dilemma. We can go for mega broke by getting a roof rack and a rooftop tent and moving the bedroom upstairs. Then we would have tons of extra space in the back of Vardo. There would be all kinds of gadgets and gear to buy to fill that space. Do you see how expensive all this could be?
There is no need for a trailer or rooftop tent. So far, there is no need for rooftop anything. Everything is inside the Jeep™. I could figure out what to do with some outside storage, though. I eventually want a roof rack at some point, but there isn't a need yet. The water jugs now have a place instead of being strapped inside the Jeep™. Yes, a rack on the spare tire for water cans and … maybe a propane tank!
I am just past sixty years old. Up and down with five-gallon water jugs is not for old fools. The five-gallon jug will be retired. Three two-and-a-half-gallon jugs on the spare tire-mounted rack are a practical solution. Good place, eh? Otherwise, let’s keep everything contained.
The sleeping platform is the base for everything. A YouTube channel, Cheaper Jeeper TV, had a design that used a single sheet of plywood to build the entire platform. Pretty cool, but it left gaps along the edges. Also, nothing was bolted, fastened, or secured. Moving sections of plywood to access the storage space was awkward. I totally appreciate the design of that platform, and the storage underneath, but the cons weigh more than the pros.
There was room for improvement and someone found some of it. Car to Camp has a product that almost fit our need. We ordered and installed the sleeping platform. It’s sturdy, but there are gaps along the sides. That may be from the “one size fits a few dozen or so” design. The wide gaps do make it easier to reach all the stuff that falls into the wide gaps. I had to fabricate the two front legs. The ones included with the kit would have worked had I not taken the back seats out. Also, the front of the platform does not come past the console. That is pillow space, but I have a plan for that. It'll work.
While everything was out of the Vardo, I ran the antenna cable and power for a CB radio. A radio is important for any kind of emergency, especially if there is no cell service. There is an entertainment value also, 10-4? 
The radio is mounted on an Overhead Molle Rack. It rattles. The front part is against the roof and rattles while I'm driving. Note the use of a pool noodle to quiet the sound. The roof latches are unreasonably difficult to access, though.
Don't let me talk you into this rack. There are too many downsides, but for now, we're making it work. "No paws up", says Bernie. Remember Bernie, my service dog?
Wayalife CB bar looks to have been a better option. I really dig what they are doing. Their video for installing the CB and the CB Bar is clear, concise, and worthy of superlative adjectives. 
Let’s look under here. There is hinged access to storage underneath. All the boards interlock, making sure nothing is sliding around. The sliding happened often with my old build. If you call it a “build,” people think you know what you’re talking about.
How about coolers? No matter how optimistic I am, the cooler is only half full. The other half is ice that melts and must be replenished every day or so. Half the capacity is lost for ice. Things get soggy. You break camp, venture into civilization, and pay an unreal price. Since half the cooler’s capacity is taken by ice, food resupply trips are twice as frequent. I’ll call a refrigerator a necessity. 
BougeRV 12 Volt Car Refrigerator (Amazon) will probably be with us for a long time. It feels sturdy. The controls are easy to access, even with the BougeRV Insulating Cover in place. It fits nicely behind the driver's seat. I have it secured with a couple of eye bolts and turnbuckles attached to the handles. That used to be Bernie's bed area. Now, I have to share mine.
Is an external battery system with a solar charger necessary. Almost. Close enough. I went for total overkill and bought a Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro Portable Power Station and a Jackery SolarSaga 100W Portable Solar Panel This will power the fridge, charge phones and my iPad. Everything. Bernie's opinion: Four Paws Up.
One of my inconvenient ailments is sleep apnea, so I have a CPAP machine that I use while sleeping. A CPAP machine has a need for electricity. There was a deep cycle house battery in my Ram Promaster. That setup left me up a creek in the Wilson Creek Wilderness Area of Western North Carolina on the side of the road with a dead battery. I wasn’t a cussing man at the time, so I didn’t know what to say. Poor planning on my part.
It is a tradeoff. In exchange for a king’s ransom, we have no electricity worries and we have charging and power for everything. Is it worth it? It depends on who the king or queen may be. Bernie says that she is the Queen and she gets top billing. That’s settled.
We have two Plano 68-quart plastic boxes from Bass Pro Shop. They were $40 each or so. These are not for outside as they are not waterproof or dust proof, so they remain in the Jeep™. One is my closet. The other is the pantry.
This is our new hooch, a small protective shelter. That is what we called them in the Army. Ours is over the rear kitchen area of Vardo. There was a hooch with our old rig, but winds and wear and lots of tear left it useless, filling a garbage bin in southern California. Our new one stows nicely away under the platform behind the passenger seat.
We replaced the old one with a Teardrop Awning by Hasika. There was a brief time with a Wal~Mart tarpaulin. Like I said, it was brief. Our Hasika came from Amazon. There is almost 170 sq. ft. of shade and weather protection. We hope it stands up to the wind.
There are necessities. We will see what is a necessity and what isn’t. Vardo is still a great big, rolling, four-wheel drive backpack. Necessity and space are factors in deciding how to equip her. Is a table a necessity? I need a table, don't I? Yes, I need a table. A place for cooking, a place for eating, and a place for working. More than one function, right? I suppose I could drive a tent stake with it if I needed to. Tire-Mounted Steel Table Would you believe that the table folds up and fits into one of those wide gaps in the platform?
One goal is seeing what gadgets we can live without. So far, quite a few, though I do have plenty. Ha, let's all have a good laugh. Picture me, on an adventure trail, with a coffee grinder. {Hearty chuckle} Let's all have another good laugh. Picture me, on an adventure trail without a French press. {Chortle} I wonder how rare it is to have the opportunity to use that word. Yes, that's my Stanley® French press on the table.
Have we talked about cooking? I used a Coleman two-burner stove while traveling around the southeast and Texas and back to North Carolina over the years in the Ram Promaster. The Coleman stove recently went with us to Joshua Tree. Always worked. It has been great, but it is large and cumbersome, taking up too much space under the platform. Plus, it does weigh a lot. 
We hope that a Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Camping Stove will be as reliable as the Coleman has been. It takes up less space. Don’t get all teary-eyed. It’s only a camp stove, and the same propane bottles work for both. We would like to mount a five-pound propane tank outside, maybe on that basket on the spare tire. It would save lots o' dollars over buying these one-pound canisters and free up space in landfills.
I anticipated having to use earth magnets to keep the stove from sliding on the tailgate table. I needed that for the Coleman. Now I don't need magnets; rubber feet keep the Jetboil stove from sliding. It also leaves room for two fair sized pots or pans.
The setup was easy: zero to flame in 2:40 minutes. Flame to boil in less than 4:00 minutes. The flame adjustment works smoothly through four complete turns, allowing for fine adjustments. That's enough, I say. Everybody will want one. The Genesis Jetboil works. “Four paws up,” says Bernie.
Vardo is packed and ready for our next Appalachian adventure. Go with us, or read about our adventures. Bookmark our page, join our mailing list and check back with us often. I bet that if you look carefully at the photo, you'll find a place for my guitar. My guitar is definitely a necessity.
Oh, let me clear this up.
Appalachian [ ap'-uh-lach'-uhn ] (period)
[ap'-uh-lay'-chun] ? Never been there. I have heard a lot about it, mostly from folk that drive a long ways to visit.
Bernie has reminded me not to “how-to” anything, so I won’t. This is what we have. This is what is working, what we are making work, and some of what isn't working. That is why we welcome your suggestions and pictures. What you have might work well for us. We will give it a try if we can.
We'd like to hear from you, and please tell someone about us.
VagabondJeep.Com
O|||||O Bernie and Dave
Jeep, Jeep. Beep, beep.