VagabondJeep.Com
O|||||O Bernie and Dave
Jeep, Jeep. Beep, beep.
Dave hasn’t bought any new gear lately. That’s not a bad thing. Not even door-mounted steps he wanted for Vardo, our Jeep® Wrangler, while we were at Overland Expo East 2023. But, while at Expo 2023, Dave bought two Mountain House® Pasta Primavera freeze-dried meals. He liked the one (single package, two servings) he tried. He ordered the Mountain House® Expedition Meal Assortment. “What’s the big deal?” I’m thinking, but here’s more on that.
Vardo, with her steel bumpers, roof rack, sleeping platform, gear, me, and Dave, weighs in close to her Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Dave tried to act surprised. We’re going on a diet. Paring weight is like Dave’s backpacking days.
The axiom of “Take care of the pennies, the pounds will take care of themselves” fits here. Those folks must have been British. They think pounds are money.
Take care of the ounces, the pounds will take care of themselves. Two fewer water jugs ought to take care of 640 ounces plus the weight of the jugs themselves. Two of the two-and-a-half gallon water jugs are plenty for most of our trips. Fewer if there is a water source nearby. Our desert trip to New Mexico required more. Four. (Eclipsed in New Mexico, Oct 23, 2023)
“Replace older gear with lighter gear.”
Earlier this year, we replaced our bulky and heavy Coleman® two-burner stove, 11.7 lbs, with a Jetboil™ Genesis Basecamp Camping Stove. It weighs 6.2 lbs. It is sturdy, and the valve delivers smooth flame control from “off" through “lift-off.” We would buy another if we didn’t have this one. This stove is a reliable, quality piece of gear. It stays.
Finally, finally though, Dave used the last of the one-pound propane cylinders. No more single-use propane cylinders in the landfill from us. The Ignik Refillable Gas Growler Deluxe 5-Pound Propane Tank is more efficient, cost-effective, and safer for the planet. Even at sixteen pounds, full, it stays.
{Amazon currently list these as unavailable. Soon, eh?}
Our Ignik Refillable Gas Growler Deluxe 5-Pound Propane Tank with a carry case needs a place. Where does this go? We haven’t found the final solution, so for now, it rides inside, strapped to the roll bar. Dave looked at the roof rack. An outside-mounted, five-pound propane tank bracket/mount got added to the necessities list.
Yes, that is a heavy Tire Table® strapped in and holding the propane tank. Two hundred and fifty-six ounces. That sounds like a lot. Without much detail and discussion, the Tire Table stays. Its purpose and use outweighs the weight. In the category of reliable, quality gear, this one get four paws and a wag from us.
The cast-iron skillet was the first item gone from the kitchen. It was great to have, but heavy. We went several rounds with our kitchen and pantry boxes. They were combined when Dave replaced a big portion of our pantry with Mountain House® Expedition Meal Assortment. Mountain House made meals for U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam Conflict and have been making meals since.
The Mountain House® Expedition Meal Assortment comes in a square bucket. There are thirty servings totaling six and one-half pounds with the two-pound bucket. Read that again. Light, but we’re leaving the bucket, ‘cause Dave has a plan.
A solution for stowing the bucket hadn’t come. Dave scratched his matted head. He stared at the bucket of freeze-dried food, then stared at the most recently liberated Front Runner Wolf Pack Pro storage box formerly known as the pantry. He stared at the bucket. He stared at the Front Runner box that weighs under seven pounds, without the food. Dave’s head is itched again.
16 Freeze-dried meals: 4.5 lbs.
Front Runner box: 7 lbs
Bread and cider: 2.7 lbs
The pantry weight: 14.2 lbs total.
We packed thirty-two freeze-dried meals in the Front Runner box. There was room for apple cider vinegar and a bread box. There is more room, but we do not have to fill it. “This will work,” Dave says. The closet, kitchen, and reappropriated pantry box will be stacked and securely strapped behind the driver’s seat. Safety, eh?
The Front Runner Wolf Pack Pro® storage boxes have been with us on a few trips and travels. They have worked well inside and outside. We haven’t been through anything extreme, but we expect these boxes to hold up well for a long time.
The decisions to cut weight are ruthless, tho’ Dave hasn’t drilled holes in his toothbrush yet. No Mrs. Butterworth’s® syrup because we cut the Krusteaz® pancake mix. No canned food. No more of Dave’s “What’s in Here Surprise” home-packaged stir-fry in the fridge. No soy sauce.
Dave asked, “Is there room for this (clock, hygrometer, thermometer)?” Then, he laughs and laughs. I turn my head and look at him sideways. That's all I can do. Something's wrong with the boy.
Three cameras, not five. No innards in the percolator. Instead, a jar of peanut butter. We only use the pot to boil water, and it’s a good place to stow things, like a jar of peanut butter. One pan, one pot. Two plates, two bowls, and napkins. Dave says, “In case company drops by. We are civilized, ya’ know.” 
“Oh wait, what? My peanut butter Kong® toy? Nope. No discussion,” I say. “It stays.”
My Jolly Ball™, stays. The fifty-foot play leash, stays. Full food box, cans of wet food, chewy bear, bowls, brushes, weather booties, and all the toys … all that stays. I'm also in charge of the Jeep® duckies in the box. They stay. My job is to help Dave and Vardo find what they can live without. We are still working on that. What about Dave’s French press? “Oh wait, what? Nope. No discussion,” he says. “It stays”. We're even.
We are working on a log from both ends. On one end, paring and trimming. On the other end, when I get a few dollars in dog money, Vardo will have a suspension upgrade. Vroom, vroom.
Next week, I’m taking Dave to the Tennessee Trail Jam, Fall 2023 Jeep Festival, November 9th until the 12th, at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Wednesday night we'll stay at Defeated Creek Campground, Thursday through Saturday night at Trail Jam. There will be vendors, along with other activities for the weekend. Dave is interested in door hinge-mounted steps, a new lightweight fire extinguisher, and very little of anything else. There is the need for a propane tank mount, though.
We'll walk around the campground and see what solution other Jeepers have come up with for their propane tanks. Dave is considering a tire mount. That would work.
Recovery boards that add fifteen pounds or more? Maybe, but after the suspension upgrade. Geez, a 270 degree awning? How much does that weigh? He’s kidding, for now.
Getting there is half the fun. Being there with the right stuff makes the other half even better. Thank you for riding with us. . o O ( Must I sit in the back, again? )
Road Trip!
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O|||||O Bernie and Dave
Jeep, Jeep. Beep, beep.