Progress on the Jeep

[Jemma]

Hi everyone! Thought I'd post a couple of photos of my Jeep Cherokee that I've been working on. It's not really a build...just me working on a few things here and there. My original plans to head west have changed somewhat. My brother is currently fighting cancer so I will be spending my time on the east coast to stay at least somewhat close to him. I'm still planning to being on the road by the end of the year at the latest so I figured it was time to get started on a few things. I got my bed put together and it's very comfortable...three pieces of memory foam inserted into 2 layered sleeping bags. Extra blankets are stored flat beneath. (I'm only 5'2" so I don't have to remove the front passenger seat). I've used a heavy duty plastic footlocker next to the bed for storage as well as a table of sorts. Since it's plastic, I've been able to attach a few things to the outside/top...cup holder, a small wire rack, power strip, etc. As it's a small space and I didn't want to make it feel smaller with curtains, I made removable "panels" out of foam core board to fit inside the window frames. I used the material facing inside to make it a little more decorative and spray painted the side that faces out black. The windows in the Jeep have factory tint and with the black side facing out, it just looks like a darker tint. The foam core board can also double as memo board for photos and such. I have a room darkening curtain on a curtain rod behind the front seats and have regular black curtains for the rear window. There's a cargo net near the roof for additional storage of light-weight items. I also have a tiny flat TV/DVD player that I will be mounting somewhere. I won't be taking a lot of things with me anyway but I do a fair amount of freelance artwork and I need to be sure that I leave room for my art supplies.

I'm hoping to take it on a test run over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for looking...please be kind, I'm kinda new to all of this.

Jemma

 

[Rugster]

That looks neat and tidy, what/how are you planning on cooking?

 

[Jemma]

That looks neat and tidy, what/how are you planning on cooking?

Still working on that part. I have a couple of different camping stoves (propane) and a Firebox camping stove for outdoor use. I'm looking at some other options as well.  Any recommendations?

 

[Spirituallifetime]

That's nice, like window covers!

 

[masterplumber]

Nice! We gave one of our sons our '99 Cherokee. It was the second one we owned and they are great vehicles. I know many people who get over 300,000 miles out of them without a rebuild. Our son's has 175,000 on it with just normal maintenance, and is still running strong.

In a small set up I'd look at the Coleman dual fuel backpacking stoves. I have several different small stoves, and what I like about the Coleman is you don't have to buy special fuel canisters, and you don't have to attach and disconnect a fuel bottle every time you use it. The fuel tank is built in. I would get a couple of MSR or Primus type fuel bottles to carry your spare fuel in however - they don't leak and are safe to carry inside the vehicle. Use white gas if possible, as it burns much cleaner and doesn't clog things up like unleaded can. I made a small portable kitchen that we can throw in any of our vehicles out of a soft breif case that had water bottle pouches on the ends. The stove fits in one pouch and the spare fuel fits in another. Then all of your plates, pots, utensils, etc... fit in the middle. These brief cases are probably harder to find used, but there are many daypacks out there of a similar design that could be repurposed.

I hope that helps and you have a great journey. And I pray your brother is able to heal soon.

 

[Jemma]

Nice! We gave one of our sons our '99 Cherokee. It was the second one we owned and they are great vehicles. I know many people who get over 300,000 miles out of them without a rebuild. Our son's has 175,000 on it with just normal maintenance, and is still running strong.

In a small set up I'd look at the Coleman dual fuel backpacking stoves. I have several different small stoves, and what I like about the Coleman is you don't have to buy special fuel canisters, and you don't have to attach and disconnect a fuel bottle every time you use it. The fuel tank is built in. I would get a couple of MSR or Primus type fuel bottles to carry your spare fuel in however - they don't leak and are safe to carry inside the vehicle. Use white gas if possible, as it burns much cleaner and doesn't clog things up like unleaded can. I made a small portable kitchen that we can throw in any of our vehicles out of a soft breif case that had water bottle pouches on the ends. The stove fits in one pouch and the spare fuel fits in another. Then all of your plates, pots, utensils, etc... fit in the middle. These brief cases are probably harder to find used, but there are many daypacks out there of a similar design that could be repurposed.

I hope that helps and you have a great journey. And I pray your brother is able to heal soon.

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I'll definitely look into the Coleman stove and I really like your idea for a portable kitchen. I have a pile of daypacks and similar bags here at the house so I should be able to find something that would work. Also, thank you for the good thoughts for my brother...that means alot!

 

[WriterMs]

Most all of my "cooking" involves heating up prepared items or boiling water to add to packaged foods (plus I eat a lot of non-cook foods like fruits, veggies, cereal and the all-important cocoa bean food group).

Therefore, I have been considering switching to a simple alcohol stove. There has been a good deal of discussion on those in other threads some weeks ago. I like the idea of no hook ups to do (and test for possible propane leaks, etc.). I have a one-burner Coleman propane, but I don't think I used it last year more than a half dozen times in over 6 months. You could do a thread search and likely find those discussions.

About your Jeep -- I think it is fabulous! I like the look, the simplicity -- and the fact you already find it comfy.

 

[Queen]

Fantastic set up on that Jeep! Simple but elegant, very nice.

 

[Jemma]

Most all of my "cooking" involves heating up prepared items or boiling water to add to packaged foods (plus I eat a lot of non-cook foods like fruits, veggies, cereal and the all-important cocoa bean food group).

Therefore, I have been considering switching to a simple alcohol stove. There has been a good deal of discussion on those in other threads some weeks ago. I like the idea of no hook ups to do (and test for possible propane leaks, etc.). I have a one-burner Coleman propane, but I don't think I used it last year more than a half dozen times in over 6 months. You could do a thread search and likely find those discussions.

About your Jeep -- I think it is fabulous! I like the look, the simplicity -- and the fact you already find it comfy.

That is how I eat as well. Even here at the house, it's rare that I actually "cook" anything much. I've improved my diet quite a bit over the last year or so (I rarely eat fast-food now and have cut soft drinks down to one a day) and I'm hoping to really amp up the fruits and veggies once I'm on the road. I'll search through the other threads and check out the alcohol stoves as well.

Thank you for the kind words about my Jeep...it's been a bit of a challenge to keep things as simple as possible. Not having a lot of room has really helped me to keep to the necessities.

 

[Jemma]

Fantastic set up on that Jeep!  Simple but elegant, very nice.

Thank you! It's still a work in progress but I seem to get a little more figured out every day or so...

 

[sassypickins]

Jemma, your little mobile home looks very comfortable, and you have lots of play to add touches as you need or want! Floating out healing thoughts for your brother. Sassy

 

[Jemma]

Jemma, your little mobile home looks very comfortable, and you have lots of play to add touches as you need or want!  Floating out healing thoughts for your brother.  Sassy

Thank you Sassy...any and all healing thoughts are very much appreciated!