Sleeping On The Roof For The First Time

Sam Warner October 5, 2020

Hey! You’re back! Good to see you!! I’m glad you decided to stop by to read the new post. And you’re in for a surprise, because this photography blog post actually contains some…photography, and even some film photography, at that!

When we last saw “Jeff” (aka Bonecrusher), he was still a bone (no pun intended) stock 2020 Jeep Rubicon Recon. While the new 4-door Jeeps are pretty roomy, it’s not big enough to sleep in, especially when carrying supplies and cameras (mostly cameras). This is a problem, but one that has multiple solutions. We could pull a trailer behind the Jeep, but that would limit our mobility. We could pack a tent inside the Jeep, but that means less room inside the vehicle for carrying other things (cameras), and I don’t really want to sleep on the ground. I turned 50 this year, and believe me when I tell you…I’m feeling it. But one solution I can get on board with is sleeping on top of the Jeep. In order to do that, I’ll need to get a roof rack that can carry the tent.

There are many different roof racks made for Jeep Wranglers. After some research, I settled on the Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform roof rack (I purchased ours from the good people at Northridge 4x4). The Pioneer Platforms come in multiple sizes. I chose a size that would be large enough to support a good size tent while still leaving the Freedom Panels clear so that they could be removed while the tent is on. This will allow us to still enjoy the open air capabilities of the Jeep while driving to our next destination. Since this rack is mounted to the top, and not the frame or windshield of the Jeep, it can be removed with the top, allowing us to easily install the soft top for those times when we want to go to totally topless.

With the roof rack ready to build and install, into the garage Bonecrusher goes! It just barely fit!

It took me the biggest part of a weekend to build and install the roof rack. The most unnerving part of the whole thing was drilling through the hard top of the brand new Jeep, which is required for installation. In the end, it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I love the finished result. The Rhino Rack weighs just 94 pounds and can support 138 pounds dynamic (moving) when traveling off-road (more when on paved roads) or 720 pounds static (when stationary). The size of the platform (56” x 72”) will be perfect for our tent.

Minolta X-370, Kodak Ektar 100 (Photo by Dawn Warner)

Next, it was time to install the tent. In a perfect world, we could have hoisted the tent up inside the garage and then lowered it onto the roof rack. However, our garage doors aren’t tall enough to allow the Jeep to dive out of the garage with the tent installed. We would have to find another way.

Luck would have it that there is a hill where our property joins our neighbors. Long story short, we backed the Jeep up to the hill and used our extension ladder as a ramp. Once we sat the tent on the “ramp” (ladder), we slid it up the ramp and onto the roof rack. It actually worked pretty well. Still, we’ll come up with a better method for future loadings and unloadings of the tent.

With the tent firmly attached to the roof rack, it was time to open it up and see how it looked.

Roof top tents are great for the type of traveling we want to do. They stay attached to the top of the vehicle, set up in minutes, and provide some benefits over sleeping on the ground.

The tent we bought is a Mt. Rainier tent from Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT). The Mt. Rainier is the third largest soft shell tent from CVT and is available in a standard fly or an extended fly. The extended fly adds the extra length to the tent which overhangs the entrance to the tent, providing additional protection from the elements when entering or leaving the tent.

Inside the Mt. Rainier, you’ll find a California king size 3” high-density memory foam mattress. The blankets and pillows can be folded up with the tent, saving even more room inside the Jeep and making it even more convenient to set up camp. The maximum height inside the tent is 50”, enough room to comfortably sit up.

The tent features windows on the other three sides if the tent as well as two skylights, which are even viewable through the rain cover.

The tent also comes with an annex that attaches on to the bottom of the tent, providing an extra 5’x8’ area, complete with a floor and doors on all sides (the door on the side nearest the vehicle opens to allow access to the Jeep from inside the annex.

It amazes me how compact the tent is when folded down. This is what the tent looks like before putting the travel cover on. The annex and awning rods can be placed on top of the folded tent before putting the travel cover on.

September also saw us becoming a member of Overland Bound, a worldwide network of Overlanders. Our member number is 25574. If you’re an Overland Bound member, look us up and reach out.

I also installed the tailgate shelf. Like other Jeep accessories, these are available from multiple manufacturers. I chose the one offered by Frontrunner. I liked the way it latches and it also comes with a cutting board that slides out from the bottom. It has a load rating of 82 pounds, which will be more than enough for what we’ll use it for. When closed, the table takes up just a couple of inches. When opened, it’s the perfect size for our Coleman camp stove. If we happen to be somewhere that has a table we can use for cooking, the tailgate table can be used for other tasks.

With the tent on top of the Jeep, and the cooking surface folded, the storage space in the back of the Jeep is available for our food, clothing and cooking supplies…and cameras. Lots of cameras.

All packed up and ready to go! The following weekend, we set out for an overnight test. Is Bonecrusher ready? We shall see! We were able to fit all of our lanterns and cooking supplies in one travel tote. We also brought along one cooler and one bag of food that didn’t need to stay cool.

We arrived at Kiser Lake State Park around 3:00 PM. Kiser Lake State Park is located in St. Paris, Ohio, about an hour north of where we live.

Park Map courtesy of the www.ohiodnr.gov

After checking in at the marina, we headed to our home for the night, site #14. It was a primitive camping spot under a canopy of walnut trees at the end of the deadend road. This would definitely work for us.

Campground Map courtesy of the www.ohiodnr.gov

We used a couple of pieces of firewood as leveling blocks for the Jeep. No one wants to sleep in a slanted bed. Once the Jeep was parked, it took us about an hour to unpack our supplies, set up the tent, start a fire and pour a drink. Not bad. Not bad at all!

Kodak Duaflex IV, Kodak Portra 400 (Photo by Dawn Warner)

I brought three cameras on the overnight trip; a Minolta X-370 loaded with Kodak Ultramax 400, a Kodak Brownie No 2 (Model F) loaded with Kodak Extar 100, and a Kodak Duaflex IV loaded with Kodak Portra 400. I had started documenting the Jeep build on the Minolta X-370 and intended to finish the roll on this overnight trip. The Kodak Brownie was brought along so that I could shoot photos for a couple of photography projects I’m involved in. I brought the Duaflex for Dawn to shoot. I had owned it for a decade or more, but have never shot it.

After setting up camp and relaxing with some of Kentucky’s finest bourbon, we decided it was time for dinner. We used a cast iron skillet on the Coleman cook stove it sauté thinly sliced onions, peppers, and steak. Toss these into a tortilla with some cheese and hot sauce, and you have a great one-skillet dinner. Perfect for camping.

We had the good fortune of having great neighbors for our overnight camping trip, and the roof top tent got its fair share of attention from all of them. There was a great group of students from the University of Dayton who came over to say hi and investigate the rig. There was also a solo camper who rode in on a motorcycle cruiser, tent and bag strapped to the back. An older woman traveling with her husband in a long travel trailer visited to ask if we were traveling from out west, stating they had only seen roof top tents out west, and though perhaps we were from the West traveling through Ohio. “Nope. We actually live about an hour away and are testing the tent close to home before going on a longer trip.”

Kodak Brownie No. 2, Model F, Kodak Ektar 100 (converted to black & white)

The next morning, we warmed up some breakfast, then grabbed the cameras and left camp to explore the lake.

Not only did we survive the first overnight stay in Bonecrusher, but I’d go so far as to say the test was an overwhelming success. The tent performed beautifully. Setup and takedown were pretty easy and something we’ll get better at the more we do it. The mattress was a little firm, but that can be remedied with a mattress topper. We also acknowledged the need for a way to carry more water. Again, something easily remedied and something we knew before the overnight stay.

We already have our next trip planned. The weekend of October 9th, we’ll be spending two nights in another local campground. Stay tuned for a trip report and of course more photos.

New Vehicle, New Adventures, And…Jeff

Sam Warner September 13, 2020

Meet our new Jeep Wrangler. If you know anyone who owns a Jeep Wrangler, you probably also know their Jeep by its name. People who own Jeep Wranglers name them. It’s a thing. Some might even say it’s a requirement of ownership. Ours doesn’t have a name, at least not a permanent one. Not yet. Its temporary name is “Jeff”. Why Jeff? Well, as it turns out, the state of Ohio thought the first three letters of our license plate should start with JEF. Perhaps the person who assigns such things has an affinity for the name. Perhaps it was just dumb luck. Or maybe it was written in the stars eons ago and is part of a larger plan. Be that as it may, it’s a temporary name. It’s not that I have anything against the name Jeff, or people named Jeff, but it just doesn’t seem adventurous enough, and this Jeep was purchased with adventure in mind (and by saying this, I honestly mean no offense to the Jeffs of the world). Bonecrusher has a nice ring to it, but that might be a bit TOO adventurous. Its permanent name will come in time. For now, we’ll settle for Jeff.

By now you’re probably thinking to yourself “I thought this was a photography blog??”, and may have even double checked the URL to confirm you’re in the right place. Well, it is, and you are. So why are we talking about Jeeps named Jeff? To put it simply…because I’m complex (insert single raised eyebrow or confused face emoji here).

I have a lot of interests. The problem is, I don’t have a lot of free time to devote to them. I have a hard-enough time keeping up with my photography projects, so if I want to explore other interests, it’s helpful if they overlap with my photography. While the subjects of my photography cover a broad spectrum, ranging from studio portraits to landscape photography and even more recently, astrophotography, most of my photos could probably be categorized as Travel Photography.

Wikipedia defines Travel Photography as “a genre of photography that may involve the documentation of an area's landscape, people, cultures, customs and history.” Now, I understand most scholars don’t hold a high regard for references from Wikipedia, but I like this definition, so I’m going with it.

Until now, most of my travel photography has been a byproduct of vacations or the occasional local photowalk with some fellow photographers who live nearby. I’ve always wanted to travel to other locations with the specific goal of photographing them, but travel accommodations limited what and when (and sometimes even where) I could photograph. It’s always been a major creative constraint and really hit home with me during our last vacation to the Outer Banks.

Cape Lookout National Seashore - Minolta X-370 - Lomography Metropolis

During the Summer of 2020, we were fortunate enough to vacation in Sealevel, North Carolina. Sealevel is a small community location on Nelson Bay, a bay on the mainland side of the Core sound, the body of water between the mainland and the Outer Banks. During our stay, we spent an afternoon at Cape Lookout and rented a Kubota side-by-side so we could drive to Cape Point. I had explored this location on Google Maps, but I wanted to see it in person.

That’s when I saw it, or I really should say, saw THEM! Campers. On Cape Point. I had always known tent camping was allowed on the beach, and I had also known capable 4x4s were allowed to drive certain portions of the beach. I guess it had never really occurred to me, until I experienced the location in person, just how awesome it would be to spend the night on the beach. And just how beautiful the sunrise and sunset photos must be. I got a lot of great photos during our time on the beach, but I can’t help but think about the photos we could have gotten if we could have spent the night.

There was just one problem. The AWD SUV I owned, a 2017 Dodge Durango RT, while comfortable and capable, just wasn’t meant for off-road driving. It handled the Ohio winters beautifully, and barely flinched while climbing the paved roads of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, but it wasn’t built to handle the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks. It was too big and heavy, and lacked the proper ground clearance. Any attempt to reach this location in our current vehicle would have spelled trouble, and would have ended with a call for help. For this trip, we were limited to the 4-hour window of our Kubota rental. And while this was a fantastic experience, I wanted more. Enter Jeff.

My research for a vehicle to use for vehicle exploring coincided with the announcement of the new Ford Bronco. After watching a few videos from Ford, I promptly put down the $100 reservation fee to secure my place in line and began fantasizing about the places this new glorious steed would take us. Every day, I was searching for new information on the Bronco, deciding on how I would order my custom-built version, making it mine. I also spent a lot of time researching the similarities and differences between the new Bronco and its rival counterpart, the Jeep Wrangler. It’s clear the designers for the new Bronco had the Wrangler in its sights during the entire design process. And I didn’t do this research alone. I was joined by a frequent companion of mine, Impatience.

Impatience and I go back a long way. I dare say we’ve known each other since birth. It’s the only explanation for my tendency to have a difficult time waiting…for anything. And as it would happen, it was Impatience who reminded me that while it was now July 2020, it would be December 2020 before I could even place my order for the Bronco, and would likely be July of 2021 (and possibly January 2022) before I could take delivery of said Bronco. That’s a long time; and neither Impatience nor I were willing to wait that long. Think of all of the exploring we would be missing out on during that time! I decided to forego the Bronco, for now, anyway, and look for an alternative. I reasoned I could always test drive a Bronco when they actually hit the dealer showrooms sometime in 2022 and if I was smitten by one then, I could trade in what I could be driving in the meantime. “Google? Show me the 2020 Jeep Rubicons available in my area.” I’ve always liked Jeeps. I’ve owned a few in the past; one YJ Wrangler, an XY Cherokee, and a Grand Cherokee. Their “go anywhere” attitude just always appealed to me. Three days later, I found myself pulling into a Jeep dealership in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. A few hours after that, I was pulling out of the same dealership with…Jeff; a 2020 Bright White Jeep Unlimited Rubicon Recon, complete with both a hard top and soft top, 33 inch tires, and enough ground clearance and gumption to tackle any deep sandy beach. I could already picture us (me, my wife..and Jeff) cruising down the beach of the Outer Banks.

Now that I had a vehicle for exploring, I started researching exactly what the vehicle would need in order to go where I wanted to go, and to be able to spend the night wherever our explorations take us comfortably. This is when I discovered Overlanding. See? I told you I was complex.

Overlanding is a term you won’t find in a proper dictionary. You’ll find Overland, but not overlanding. And while they’re similar, they’re also very different. By the way, stay away from any Urban Dictionary during your research. I quickly learned, for instance, what an “Overland Squat Blossom” was. Do yourself a favor and don’t search that term. Your life will proceed much more happily without that little bit of knowledge. But the fine folks over at Overland Journal (https://overlandjournal.com) describe overlanding as such:

iPhone Photo - One of the many “Easter Eggs” found on the Jeep

“Overlanding describes self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal. Typically, but not exclusively, accommodated by mechanized off-highway capable transport (from bicycles to trucks) where the principal form of lodging is camping; often lasting for extended lengths of time (months to years) and often spanning international boundaries. While expedition is defined as a journey with a purpose, overlanding sees the journey as the purpose.

Overlanding is about exploration, rather than conquering obstacles. While the roads and trails we travel might be rough or technically challenging, they are the means to an end, not the goal itself. The goal is to see and learn about our world, whether on a weekend trip 100 miles from home or a 10,000-mile expedition across another continent. The vehicle and equipment can be simple or extravagant - they, too, are simply means to an end. History, wildlife, culture, scenery, self-sufficiency - these are the rewards of overlanding.”

I rather like that definition.

iPhone Photo - I chose the Rocon edition of the Rubicon.

Still wondering how photography ties in with all this? Well, the plan is to document our explorations in words, and in photos. In short, I want to be able to travel to places where the roads are much less defined…and sometimes nonexistent. I want to be able to camp wherever we decide to park the Jeep and call home for the evening. I want to be able to capture images of our journeys and share them with you fine folks. But before we can do that, there’s some work to do.

iPhone Photo and Editing - Jeff is an artistic SOB.

Work?!?! Well, that certainly doesn’t sound like fun! Or does it? This is the kind of work I don’t mind doing. This work entails researching what we’ll need in order to (briefly) live in the Jeep…whether the trip be a single overnight stay, or a week-long journey. And the Jeep needs to be able to carry itself, and us, along with all of our supplies, to whatever near or faraway location we decide to visit. Initially, I thought I would just document this “journey to the beginning” for my own enjoyment. Then it occurred to me that it might be fun to document it in photos. Finally, I decided I would just use venues already available to me and share it here, on my blog and other various social media outlets.

All of this brings us back to Jeff (aka Bonecrusher). I’m going to start at the beginning, document any and all changes made to the Jeep to make it exploration worthy, document the gear we’ll be using while overlanding, and share the photos taken along the way.

I’ve already taken the first steps by securing us a place to sleep, which will be a tent perched securely on a roof rack on the top of the Jeep. I’ve also started researching what we’ll need for food and water, heating/cooling, sleeping, and relaxing after a hard day of exploring. One of the goals is to be able to carry only what we really need, ensuring we stay below a certain weight limit so we don’t put any unnecessary strain on Jeff (still leaning towards Bonecrusher). The Jeep isn’t a large vehicle, and our “roads” may sometimes be…challenging. While I don’t see us doing any serious rock crawling or mud bogging, we’re bound to come across some obstacles we’ll have to go over versus around.

And there’s got to be room for the cameras. See? I told you this was related to photography. I’ve been shooting mostly medium format film these days, and those cameras are seldom small. I’ll also be carrying my drone, digital gear, and GoPro with us. All of this, in addition to food, water and personal items, must fit into the storage space allotted by the Jeep and within the Jeep’s payload capacity. Like I said…the fun kind of work. I’ll detail the items we use and will share links on where you can get them. I’ll also share any information resources related to photography or overlanding I think you might find helpful

iPhone Photo - The LED light package delivers!

So, stay tuned. I hope you don’t mind the integration of the Jeep overland build blog post in with my normal photography blog posts. I’ve even been thinking about adding some YouTube content.

If you’re interested in learning more about overlanding, here are a couple of great YouTube channels to start with: Epic Family Road Trip and Lifestyle Overland.

Safe travels!

Sleeping On The Roof For The First Time

New Vehicle, New Adventures, And…Jeff

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