I've been very pleased with my JKUR, but one reasonable gripe is the lack of interior cargo room......at least compared with other full size vehicles.
Last week I took my three kids camping at Monache meadows. This is our favorite spot. It is located up on the Kern plateau and accessible via a moderate but long 4x4 trail that effectively filters out the crowds. One Wed night we had the entire place to ourselves.
Because of some narrow spots on the trail, I decided to take the JKUR. But with four passengers, I knew that cargo room would be a problem even if I tried to be a minimalist in terms of packing. Even with a strong effort to keep the weight down, I'm sure that I was at max weight capacity, or perhaps a bit above.
Some research turned up these rooftop cargo bags from Rightline.
http://www.rightlinegear.com/4x4-duffle-bag.html
I'd never heard of this product and there weren't many reviews, but I was in a pinch and lacking other options, so I bought two of their 4x4 rooftop cargo bags.
These cargo bags are very well made and they proved to be an excellent way to carry bulky but relatively light items like sleeping bags, sleeping pads, clothes and tents. The attachment points are very secure and they didn't budge after 4 hours of highway driving and two hours of getting tossed around on the trail. Both bags were filled to max capacity.
Rightline makes a big deal about these bage being waterproof, which I didn't think would matter during July in So Cal. But while packing and during our drive out, we got hit with very heavy thundershowers. The waterproof claims are legit.
I think that others might find these roof bags an inexpensive (vs. most other options like roof racks) and effective way to increase a JK's cargo capacity.
All that said, I really felt the JKUR's weight capacity limitations on this trip. I see a trailer in my future at some point.
R
Last week I took my three kids camping at Monache meadows. This is our favorite spot. It is located up on the Kern plateau and accessible via a moderate but long 4x4 trail that effectively filters out the crowds. One Wed night we had the entire place to ourselves.
Because of some narrow spots on the trail, I decided to take the JKUR. But with four passengers, I knew that cargo room would be a problem even if I tried to be a minimalist in terms of packing. Even with a strong effort to keep the weight down, I'm sure that I was at max weight capacity, or perhaps a bit above.
Some research turned up these rooftop cargo bags from Rightline.
http://www.rightlinegear.com/4x4-duffle-bag.html
I'd never heard of this product and there weren't many reviews, but I was in a pinch and lacking other options, so I bought two of their 4x4 rooftop cargo bags.
These cargo bags are very well made and they proved to be an excellent way to carry bulky but relatively light items like sleeping bags, sleeping pads, clothes and tents. The attachment points are very secure and they didn't budge after 4 hours of highway driving and two hours of getting tossed around on the trail. Both bags were filled to max capacity.
Rightline makes a big deal about these bage being waterproof, which I didn't think would matter during July in So Cal. But while packing and during our drive out, we got hit with very heavy thundershowers. The waterproof claims are legit.
I think that others might find these roof bags an inexpensive (vs. most other options like roof racks) and effective way to increase a JK's cargo capacity.
All that said, I really felt the JKUR's weight capacity limitations on this trip. I see a trailer in my future at some point.
R
