Glenn Bontly: We Be Jeepin' |
| Glenn Bontly | Thursday, 20 August, 2009 | |||||||||||||||
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Take a truck camper, add a Jeep, and where can you go? Darn near anywhere! Glenn Bontly takes us boldly over boulders and deep into BLM.  Strap in, hold on, and get ready to rock crawl. Glenn Bontly takes the "go anywhere" spirit of truck camping to the boulders, and beyond. Even if you're not into Jeepin', Glenn shares valuable, hard-learned lessons about towing and the versatility of a truck camper. Did we mention hard-earned lessons? Oh yeah. This is one story that leaves the pavement in the dust. Glenn Bontly: We Be Jeepin’ by Glenn Bontly My wife and I are members of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers Club, www.nm4w.org, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We currently have about ninety families. We host a variety of events, from day trips to weekend campouts to week long trips out of state with Colorado being a particular favorite destination. We usually trail ride in the National Forests or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. On overnight trips, we are normally far from the nearest hotel, so having a comfortable camper is our preferred choice of lodging.
Advantages of a Truck Camper The main advantage of a truck camper is how the whole system works together. Before I purchased my truck camper, I had a Class C motorhome. Well, Class Cs aren’t built that well to go “off the road”, and I was tearing up the Class C on the washboard Forest Service Roads. Most of the other guys in our club had truck campers. When I owned the motorhome, I had two vehicles to maintain; my motorhome and my daily driver. The motorhome was also only a two-wheel drive, and required me to flat-tow my Jeep because of the limited towing capacity. Another alternative would have been a fifth wheel, but that also has several disadvantages. In order for my wife and I to travel together in one vehicle, I would have to tow the fifth wheel behind the truck, and then flat-tow the Jeep behind the fifth wheel, which I don’t consider safe. With the truck camper, my daily driver, a 2003 Dodge 3500 Cummins dually, also doubles as our recreation vehicle when the camper is loaded. Hence, I only have one vehicle to maintain. It’s also four-wheel drive, and allows me to trailer my Jeep. My truck camper is a 2003 Lance 1121. It has everything that the Class C had, but in a smaller package. A truck camper is ideal for us. While camping, we normally keep the camper loaded on the truck bed. And the trailer usually stays connected as well. All we have to do upon arrival is to drive the Jeep off of the trailer and we’re ready for trail riding. After going out Jeepin’ for the day, we come back that evening and do the camping thing. Ninety-nine percent of the time, we are dry camping. Our truck camper came with only one battery, so I installed a second one in the truck bed with a heavy-duty connector to the camper battery. I also installed two seventy-five watt solar panels on the roof of the camper. With the two batteries and two solar panels, we can dry camp almost indefinitely. We are limited only by the amount of fresh water we can carry and the capacity of our holding tanks.
The Appeal of Jeepin’ There are many things that appeal about Jeepin’, including getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city, getting out into the backcountry that most other people don’t have access to, and the challenge of driving the trails. Most of the places we go are accessible only by horse, foot, or a four-wheel drive vehicle, the latter being our preferred method of travel. The best part, however, is sharing the experience with a group of people with a similar interest. I can go out by myself, which I do periodically, but it gets pretty boring. About seventy-five percent of the enjoyment I get out of Jeepin’ revolves around the people I go camping and trail riding with.
Culture of the Jeepin’ Community The people in our club come from all walks of life; single, married, with kids, white-collar, blue-collar, young, and old. But we all have one thing in common, the enjoyment of the great outdoors. Another thing we have in common is that most of us are capable of doing our own vehicle work. Jeepin’ people have to be pretty handy. If you have to bring your vehicle into the shop every time you have an issue, it can get expensive. With the type of riding we do, you have to know how to do your own repairs. Most people usually find our club via the Internet, at www.nm4w.org. They attend a few club meetings or events, and then they’re hooked. Seasoned drivers regularly help the novices, and we recommend new people start on the easier trails and work their way up. Periodically, there’s an open seat in someone else’s vehicle if people just want to ride along. The Jeep Although our club is open to all types of four-wheel drive vehicles, most of us have Jeep Wranglers. It has a short wheelbase, which makes if very maneuverable on the trail. And the doors and top are removable, so it really gets you out in the open air. Other popular off-road vehicles in our club include the Suzuki Samurai, Ford Bronco, and Toyota trucks, to name a few. In its stock format, the Jeep Wrangler is a fun vehicle to drive. My Jeep was a daily driver for five years. It’s also a very useful vehicle, depending on how you equip it. With an onboard air compressor, welder, and winch on mine, I regularly use it to do chores around my property. I use the air compressor, with pressure regulator, at the end of each season to blow out the water lines to winterize my camper.
Jeep Modifications Some people don’t make any modifications to their Jeeps. That pretty much limits them to the easiest trails. On the harder trails, you’ll want a lift kit, larger tires, and some protection underneath. Stronger axles, lower gearing, locking differentials, a winch, and an air compressor are also nice to have. The lift kit allows you to fit larger tires, which gives you more clearance. Lower gearing makes the vehicle go slower, giving you better control over the tougher obstacles on the trail. Locking differentials significantly aid in traction. However, all of these things put additional stress on other driveline components, which is why many people decide to install stronger axles. The winch is used for both self-recovery, and to help others get unstuck. We usually air-down our tires when trail riding, which helps with traction and softens the ride. An on-board air compressor allows us to air back up after the ride and it also runs a variety of air tools. An on-board welder is handy for major repairs. I’ve used mine on a few occasions. Finally, as space allows, we carry lots tools, fluids, and spare parts. All of these things make our vehicles more capable off road. Blacktop vs. Trails There normally isn’t a highway all the way to the camping area in the places we go camping. For example, we go up into the Jemez Mountains regularly, off forest service roads, which are rough, dirt roads. My Lance camper is built like a rock. I’ve owned it for nearly six years now and have never damaged it, despite the abuse I’ve put it through. The truck’s four-wheel drive also allows us to get deeper in the backcountry, closer to the trailhead. From there, we transition to the Jeep and onto the trails, which range from easy and flat scenic roads, to challenging and extreme rock crawling over boulders through canyons.  Flat Towing vs. Trailer Towing Flat towing is where all four wheels of the vehicle being towed are flat on the ground and are connected to the tow vehicle via a tow bar. The primary advantage to flat towing is that you don’t have the cost or storage requirements for a trailer. On the down side, this causes a lot of wear and tear on the drive train of the towed vehicle, especially the expensive tires we run on our Jeeps. In addition, if you break something on the trail, you may not be able to flat tow the vehicle to get it back home! While the vehicle is in tow, you can’t back up, so you have to plan carefully. And unless you install a breaking system in the vehicle being towed, your tow vehicle brakes have to stop the entire load. Trailer towing is where your Jeep is riding on a trailer. I have a simple sixteen-foot flat bed trailer, which I purchased used for about 1,500 dollars. When you’re trailer towing, there’s no wear and tear on the towed vehicle. If something breaks on the trail, you can usually manage to get the Jeep back on the trailer to get it home. You can also back up the rig with a trailer. And there are brakes on the trailer for better braking capability. In addition to transporting my Jeep, I use my trailer for a lot of other things. I use it to haul my motorcycle back and forth to the shop for periodic maintenance, to haul materials for home improvement projects, and to help a friend move if needed. Most of the time I’m towing, I don’t even know the trailer’s back there. I drive slower with the camper loaded and the trailer and Jeep in tow, because with the heavy load, it takes longer to accelerate and longer to stop. Also, when turning, you need to make your turns wide. A trailer goes inside the turn slightly. Tongue Weight When towing a trailer, the tongue weight needs to be approximately ten percent of the trailer load. Tongue weight is the downward force the trailer tongue puts on the tow ball. My trailer and Jeep weigh about 6,000 pounds, so I set the tongue weight around 600 pounds. I can adjust the tongue weight simply by moving the Jeep forward or aft on the trailer. My truck has a Class-5 hitch, which can easily handle this load. However, with the camper loaded, I needed an extension to clear the rear of the camper. With the Lance 1121, that’s over three feet. There are aftermarket extensions available, but most are much shorter than I required, and were not able to handle the required tongue weight. So, I fabricated and welded my own extension. It’s been in use for almost six years and it’s held up very well.
Good Places to go Jeepin’ The southwest is a great place to go four-wheeling. There’s lots of public land out here. Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico all have numerous trails, with a good variety of terrain. Moab, Utah is a very popular place, with its slick rock. And the history and scenery of Colorado are like no other place in the world. The Silverton, Ouray, Salida and Buena Vista areas are very popular destinations for our club. New Mexico and Arizona are great in the winter because it doesn’t get terribly cold here. Las Cruces has some great canyons and the trails that area range from easy to stupid extreme. Newbies to Jeepin’ For people wanting to get into Jeepin’, I recommend they do a Google search for clubs in their area. It’s extremely hard to find trails on your own. Most of the trails I’ve been on over the past ten plus years were introduced to me by fellow club members. To learn more about driving off road, there are several books available, and I have a section on my website for beginners at http://www.webejeepin.com/For_Beginners/Beginners-1.htm. But ninety-percent of the learning is going out and doing it. We go extremely slow on the trail. You can easily walk faster than we drive. We help each other over the various obstacles by using spotters to help with tire placement. And we plan a variety of difficulty levels for our rides so everyone has an opportunity to participate. For safety sake, especially as a novice, don’t go out alone, which I have to admit, I’ve done often, and I usually get myself into trouble. It’s good to have a group of people with you to help. Also, never do anything past the ability of yourself or your vehicle. For more information about Jeepin’, check out Glenn’s website, www.webejeepin.com. |
