All Things Jeep Blog & Musings

A few weeks back we got a call from a gentleman who had written a book called Jeeps at War. Like so many Jeep enthusiasts, his love of Jeeps runs in the family. First his son caught the bug, then his grandson. And now he has 3 generations of Jeepers in his mist. So Mr. Fletcher and his family wrote a book. Bob is a veteran of WWII, where the Jeep legacy all began. And this is where his story starts.

With an eye towards detail, the illustrations in this hardcover book are extraordinary. And the history of the Jeep, from the very beginning through its use in the war is rich with detail. This book is aimed at the family market as it's written from a kid's point of view. But anyone interested in Jeeps and their history helping us in wartime will love this book.

Check out some inside pages of Jeeps at War here.

We've just run across a new website Off-Road Atlas, which is exactly what is says, an off-road atlas to public parks & trails across the country. If you know of public lands or parks open to off-road vehicles, post them up here. If you're a newbie, looking for a place to wheel, type in your zip code and you'll find out what's in your area (or plan a road trip). The site is still new so there's not a ton there yet, but if it becomes what it hopes to become, it will be a useful resource for all wheelin' fans. So add it to your favorites list and let's see if we can turn it into a great site.

By the way, they are running a contest now. Post a location and be entered into a drawing to win $100. The contest runs through mid-March.

Over the years we've got photos of our customers' Jeeps (thank you) but recently we got something so interesting, so different, so unique, so totally cool, that it deserves a post all its own.

Dana is a Jeeper. And a crafter. Put the combination together and look at what you get:

She started with a sketch of her Jeep

 Pulled together her materials

And here is Consuela doing some rock climbing.

ConsuelaConsuela with her matching big sister.

There's more photos. I've skipped a few and Dana tells us she's working on a Jeep scarf and more, but that is what I call "crafty". View more of Dana's creative work on her blog at Daner Designs.

Tell us about your Jeep creation.

We recently discovered a product line that we rate two big thumbs up. It's the Jeep SUV cargo liners from Canvasback.

Like the duck its named after, water and dirt just rolls right off the Canvasback cargo liners. That's what the company told us, anyways, and sure enough, after our test drive. we agree. Nothing sticks to these liners. We have one in the back of our Cherokee. So far we'd put a muddy dog back there, and soaking wet sledding equipment and we look forward to putting flats of flowers back there this spring to test "ground in dirt". And so far, so good. Just shake it out or hose it off and it looks like new again.

The thing I like most about these liners is that they cover the cargo area and also go all the way up the back of the rear seats of the Jeep. This means no more dog hair all over the back of the seat (hard to vacuum that spot). 

I've got one complaint though. These are Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Liberty and Commander cargo liners only. Nothing yet available for Wranglers. But we are talking with the company and they have one in the works for the JKs and will work backwards from there. Once those are available, we'll be keeping the JK cleaner too!

As a generic statement, women love shoes. Not all of us, but many of us.

And if you are reading this, and female, you probably love Jeeps.

So what do you think of the idea of "Jeep shoes"? We just looked at a great line of Jeep-inspired footwear called J-41. This season it's available for women and children (sorry guys!)

Here's a peak: http://www.j-41.com/

We are seriously considering picking these up because after seeing them in person, we were impressed (and also I've picked a few pair out I wouldn't mind owning.) Actually, I wouldn't buy them just because they are "Jeep shoes", but they are comfy, very well made and stylish. The summer sandals would look good on my feet as I swing my legs in and out of the Jeep.

Jeep Girls - please post a comment or email me and tell me what you think and which ones you like. It would be appreciated.  jean @ allthingsjeep.com

Thanks. Jean

Sierra here. Today at All Things Jeep a box arrived. And it squeaked. Turns out it was some yummy new Jeep squeaky toys for me, a dog. I was saddened to learn they weren't all for me. But I got one. This one.

Jeep Dog Bone Toy (this one doesn't squeak but it sure tastes good)

And when my owners weren't looking, I ripped a hole in one of these bags so they had no choice but to call it a loss and hand them over. Jeep Tennis Balls - Whee!

But forgive me for saying, but what the heck is this thing?!! And what fits in it, a "mini-dog"?  Jeep "Urban Traveler" Dog CarrierI'm concerned. Would a Jeep owner actually have a dog this size? Would Jeep owners actually carry their dog around in this pink thing? Call me crazy but I don't see it. I have a bet going with the humans at ATJ that this thing is going to dusty on the shelf. What do you think? Weigh in. I have a whole pound of bacon riding on my bet, so humans, don't let me down. Woof.

It was just a little bit over 4 years ago when Norman and I started this "little internet business" that friends told us "would be a hobby" and nothing more. And, with a glint of amusement in their eyes that they didn't even try and hide, they would laugh and say, "Don't quit your day jobs." Well, I'm happy to report, we quit our day jobs about a year after that and now we have a business we love, doing something we love, with products and people we love.

And I can't tell you how much it means when other industry veterans recognize us as leaders in the industry. Which is why I am so proud to say that we are one of the sponsors of the 2008 Jeep Jamborees this year. We are in the sponsor list along with industry leaders such as Ramsey Winches, Skyjacker and Teraflex. It's very cool.

As most of you probably know the Jamborees are weekend long events held all over the US where Jeepers come together to enjoy the great outdoors, crawl some trails and have a good time with other Jeepers, on and off the trails. This year there's over 30 events. We personally won't be at all of them, but we'll be showing up at a bunch of them. And as a sponsor, we'll be giving away a $100 Shopping Spree to All Things Jeep at each one of them.

Now everyone here is just trying to figure out how we could attend ALL of them, and still keep the business running. Anyone want to volunteer to come help us out so we can take some, I mean a lot, of time off?