Passengers and Dogs and Gear, Oh My!

[Lead K9]

Hello,

I have a question for those of you that travel with passengers in the rear seat, dogs, and gear (including recovery equipment, tools, and/or camping gear). I have a wife, two kids, and two dogs. We usually travel with the wife and me in the front, the kids in the rear, and the dogs in the cargo area of my 2008 JKUR. This doesn't leave much space for camping or off-road gear. I already have stuff stashed in the center console, the cargo area "hidden" compartment, and beneath the rear seat. But this doesn't allow for big items, like the toolbox, cooler, water container, etc.

How do you guys transport all of this? I am thinking of buying a rack that attaches to the tire carrier as well as an overhead rack. For the overhead rack, I don't want to buy one that bolts into the body and extends above the roof. I would rather have one that attaches to the hardtop. However I am concerned with how much weight the hardtop can handle.

I have a 5' x 7' utility trailer, but it isn't ready for off-road use. It would require some type of lift and new tires, along with some enclosure for the gear. I really hate towing it though, so my first preference is to add racks to the Jeep.

Any suggestions on how to better organize things?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[Plasmajab]

With the JKUR, its kind of difficult to add roof rails to the removable roof- depending what variant of roof you have, and you may loose the ability to remove separate panels if you go with a full length option. This is part of why the body mount bar rails are the common style.

What I have seen done is TerraFlex and Garvin both make "half-rack" roof bins that bolt to the rear section of the hard top. TerraFlex also makes the "Alta" which is a small rack that sits over the rear tire carrier for a bit more space.

Rhino makes the SG 2 Vortex roof rails that looks like you could put those on, then put a basket on top.

So you could do a half-rack in the back, maybe a roof rail over the front part for lighting or support for long/awkward bits, and an alta to go over the spare tire carrier?

 

[TerryD]

How much gear are you talking about carrying? The higher up you put the weight, the more unstable your vehicle will become.

What kind of terrain are you wanting to go out into as well? A simple axle flip on your trailer with some good second-hand off-road tires to get it some extra clearance plus a couple dollars in decent totes from Wal-Mart (I like the Sterlite Stacker series) and straps would go a long ways toward having you set. Lowe's sells a 3.5x5 landscaping trailer that I've been looking at.

I have a Wife, three kids and one dog. The dog rides in the middle floor board now, but as my two younger kids get bigger, she'll have to make her way into the cargo area. At that point, it'll be upgrade rigs or build a trailer and I'd rather build a trailer. It'll work a lot better for the types of trips I like to take with the family but keep me in a small enough rig to hit the more challenging trails on my own.

 

[Lead K9]

I am considering something that attaches to the rails as it would be easier to take the rack on and off. Most of the time, I would like to keep the rack off of the Jeep and add it when we are headed out. I was thinking of complimenting this with a rack over the tire carrier down the road.

I am worried about the weight up top. With tools, camping gear, water, and a cooler, it will probably get pretty heavy quickly. I am not sure how much weight the stock hardtop can handle. I had originally considered Yakima towers clamped to the rain gutters as I have the bars from a previous vehicle. I could then add my cargo rack, storage box, canoe, or even the dog sled. While I am sure that setup can handle the canoe or dog sled, I am not sure how much weight in will support in the cargo rack or box.

The trailer might be the better option, but like I mentioned, it needs some TLC to follow the Rubi down the trail. I would love to upgrade it to accommodate the same tire size as the stock tires on the Rubi and add a clamp to the tongue to hold another spare tire. It is currently an open trailer, but at some point I would like to build a box for it to secure the gear inside and have a lid to which I can attach the above mentioned rack system.

Upgrading the trailer is probably the best idea, but it requires the most work but could turn into a fun project. However, it might be overkill for day trips where we want to bring the dogs. Of course, day trips won't require camping gear, just tools and a cooler. I would bet those could be handled by a rack on the hardtop.

All the decisions...

 

[Lead K9]

One other thing... If I want to lift the trailer, where would I go to find new leaf springs? Should I call around to the known companies and ask if they can make custom ones? Sounds like an expensive option, but not sure where to start with lifting something like that.

Thanks!

 

[TerryD]

Just move the axle from on top of the springs to under them. You'll have to weld on new spring pads to retain the "alignment" with the bend in the axle in the proper direction but that's not that hard to do. It'll net you the diameter of the axle plus the thickness of the springs in lift or there abouts.

Consider building a thin drawer set for the back of the Jeep that your dogs could ride on top of as well to help keep that weight low. Even a 6" depth drawer can hold a lot of tools.

 

[justinbretclark]

I was in a similar pinch, though no kiddos - but we sometimes need 3 weeks worth of gear/supplies for our trips. Two adults, and two large dogs - have you thought about a tow hitch mounted cargo carrier/basket? I'm personally exploring that option now for our rig.

 

[Lead K9]

I was in a similar pinch, though no kiddos - but we sometimes need 3 weeks worth of gear/supplies for our trips. Two adults, and two large dogs - have you thought about a tow hitch mounted cargo carrier/basket? I'm personally exploring that option now for our rig.

That is a good idea. Though I would need one that extends past the rear tire (probably not a problem) and one that swings out. There will be some rides where I need to get the dogs out while the Jeep is still loaded with gear, like a long highway ride where they need a break. I have a grate in the back to keep the younger dog in the cargo area, so I cannot get them out except through the tailgate.

 

[TerryD]

This is the little trailer I'm talking about.

https://m.lowes.com/pd/Carry-On-Trailer-3-5-ft-x-5-ft-Wire-Mesh-Utility-Trailer/3680952

 

[Lead K9]

This is the little trailer I'm talking about.

https://m.lowes.com/pd/Carry-On-Trailer-3-5-ft-x-5-ft-Wire-Mesh-Utility-Trailer/3680952

That is similar to mine but mine has wood sides that slide off and is 5' x 7'. I have thought about building a box for it that slides into the same points as the current sides.

 

[TerryD]

That is similar to mine but mine has wood sides that slide off and is 5' x 7'. I have thought about building a box for it that slides into the same points as the current sides.

You need to keep in mind that the towing capacity of the JKUR is relatively limited. The newer ones are just 3500lb even though they have the class III receiver. I'm not sure what the older ones are. The wood floored 5x7 with gear may get you close to the max and without brakes off-road, that could be touchy. Plus, you'll be amazed how big that trailer will feel off-road. It's not hard to flip back should you want to though and set it back to original. Just moving the springs back down. I actually have my 5.5x10 lifted so it runs level behind both my Xterra and my pickup and have no complaints so you may find you like it better that way anyways.

 

[kiloxraysierra]

Hello,
I have a question for those of you that travel with passengers in the rear seat, dogs, and gear (including recovery equipment, tools, and/or camping gear). I have a wife, two kids, and two dogs. We usually travel with the wife and me in the front, the kids in the rear, and the dogs in the cargo area of my 2008 JKUR. This doesn't leave much space for camping or off-road gear. I already have stuff stashed in the center console, the cargo area "hidden" compartment, and beneath the rear seat. But this doesn't allow for big items, like the toolbox, cooler, water container, etc.

How much headroom do the dogs have now? You could build a platform in the back with storage/drawers under it. Toolbox & maybe water container would fit there. Depending on the size of the kids & the cooler, it could perhaps be strapped to the middle position of the rear seat...

 

[Lead K9]

How much headroom do the dogs have now? You could build a platform in the back with storage/drawers under it. Toolbox & maybe water container would fit there. Depending on the size of the kids & the cooler, it could perhaps be strapped to the middle position of the rear seat...

There is some headroom to play with, though my older dog doesn't like the height of the cargo area. If I raise it, I might have to help him in the back. He is 12 and definitely a grumpy old man.

The kids are bigger and usually store their own gear in the middle with them, so a cooler there is out of the question.

I am thinking day trips with a cooler and tools up top on the Yakima rack should be a good solution. Anything more and I can get some Pelican-type boxes for the trailer and load all the gear in there.

 

[Lead K9]

I forgot to ask, do any of you with racks on top have lights on them? Are you able to unplug them when removing the rack? There are times I will need to remove the roof rack (to enjoy the sun, to park in the garage downtown, etc.). But I like the idea of extra lighting up there for late night arrivals to campsites for driving in serious dark and camp setups.

 

[rzims]

The GF and I have a medium sized dog and I put a roof rack on the WK2 for a lot of the stuff. It works well and allows us room in the back area in case we arrive somewhere late and want to just crash inside instead of setting up camp.
I looked at the receiver baskets, but often have out mt bikes on a hitch rack so that wouldn't work for us.