All Things Jeep Blog & Musings

This time of year we start scouring the warehouse for clearance merchandise, returns, items with weird defects that are still functional and end of life product, and we pile it all together in about 50 bins and shove it into our trailer and take it down to the ALL BREEDS JEEP SHOW in York, PA for our closeout section. This is a weekend affair and it's the biggest show we go to. There's over 500 registered Jeeps each year along with lots of others that don't register. There are vendors galore (like us), Jeep addicts galore (like us), lots of great raffle prizes and enough fast food to keep the lines to the bathroom constant.

But seriously, this is an awesome show. Even with gas prices the way they are, you are a Jeep guy or gal or Jeep family and you want a weekend event that will dazzle your Jeep senses, make the drive. You won't be disappointed.

We load this thing up with inventory:

Over the next two months, we are introducing a new line of Jeep apparel for guys and women. The designs really ROCK! So I've decided that each time we add a new design, I am going to offer our blog readers 50% off the shirt for a week's period. I figure this will be a good way to get the new designs out into the marketplace. And since I'm the boss, I don't have to ask permission from anyone!

Here's the first. It's a men's tee. I made up the name. We call it  Jeep 41 "Grey Forest" Men's Tee-Shirt. What would you call it?

If you like it, and would buy it for $18, but would rather pay $9 (and who wouldn't?), click on it below, add it to your shopping cart, and enter the coupon code: COOL-BLOG-READER at checkout and it will turn into a $9 tee. (And here in Taxachusetts, that is like 2 whole gallons of gasoline you've just earned!)

I'm sitting in the Chicago airport waiting to get home to Massachusetts. I've been away for a week. First at a 2-day Users Conference from the makers of the software we use to pack and ship your orders. Next, I was at Internet Retailer Conference for 3 days. That show is amazing. Here I am sitting in workshops next to the guys that run the websites for FTD Flowers, Lands End, Oriental Trading Company, Cabelas, etc. Boy, do I feel small. But everyone I spoke with was slightly in awe of the fact that a company could survive selling nothing but Jeep items. They all eyed me suspiciously and kept asking, "don't you sell anything else?". "Nope, I would reply, "just jeep stuff." And they would shake their heads in amazement. Obviously, they don't get it! There were plenty of other little guys too - one dude that sells just Mustang stuff, one guy that only sells light bulbs, and another one selling just Defibrillators. There's some cool stuff out there.

I sure learned a lot this past week. And I hope to implement some of the stuff I picked up on our website over the next few months. So hopefully you'll see a "tune-up" soon. Meanwhile, here I set, on the floor, back up against the wall, working away on my notebook PC and patiently waiting for the plane to show up.

Happy Father's Day to the Dads out there!   Jean

Quick lesson in summer tops for your Jeep 1995-2006.  (Lesson one is for those new to the idea. It's basic. Lesson two is for all Wrangler 95-06 owners.)

Lesson 1. You need attachment points up front to hold a summertime-type top in place. Whether it's  Bestop Bikini Top or a Rampage "Summer Brief" or "Island Topper", or another vendor's top, you need anchor points up front for the top. So you need a windshield channel. With older Jeeps, you end up having to drill these metal strips into the frame of your Jeep above your windshield. (You have an old Jeep, who cares if there's a few more holes in it!) For the medium-aged Jeeps, you often can choose between a drill-in windshield channel or a "header" windshield channel. The Header version "clamps" onto your frame so you don't have to drill any holes. It's bigger and bulkier because of the hardware used to hold your top in place, and more expensive. For the newest Jeeps, manufacturers just produceheader style channels. Guess they figure you don't want to go drilling any holes in your new Jeep.

But when you want to move back to your softop or hardtop, the windshield channel needs to be removed, which takes a few minutes (and longer in the rain) and stored and it just takes more time than I ever want to give it.

Lesson 2. If you are a lucky owner of a 85-06 Wrangler, you can run with a summer top and leave the windshield channels behind with this awesome product we just came across --- the SpiderWeb ShadeTop for Jeep Wrangler YJs, TJs, LJs, 1995-2006 Check out the attachment points - bungee-style connectors. No more windshield channel needed. We think this is a Very Clever Idea.

And it looks pretty darn cool too.

But the thing I like best about the Shadetop is this. If no one's in the backseat, you can drop the back of the top down to create a windbarrier. Cuts the wind and the noise from the wind. Makes for much quieter cabin.

This baby also can sit under any other top you want to put on your Jeep. So you don't have to deal with removing it every time. I like that. A lot.

http://www.allthingsjeep.com/spiderweb-shadetop.html  $60

It's supposed to be a lovely 92 degrees this weekend here in town (luckily I'll be in an air conditioned building all weekend in lovely Chicago learning more about running an online business.) But for you poor souls who will be baking, may I suggest you hit the beach with one of these! Big enough to cover you up. Fluffy enough to dry you off. And you can't miss the Jeep logo. Who knows, you may meet some new Jeep-loving hottie just by using this towel.

Jeep Beach Towels  (I like the green best)

We have a new employee. His name is Mike. He's owned Jeeps for a real long time and he spends his weekends wheelin' and cleaning trails and working with JonFund. He owns a Cherokee and seems to know them inside and out. So I'm signing him up to answer some questions here. You have a Jeep Cherokee question that you haven't figured out, ask it here. I told him that besides picking and packing orders, I've signed him up to be the XJ expert. He rolled his eyes a bit but I know he'll make us proud!

My daily driver is a 2007 4 door Jeep Wrangler JK and I've looked at a LOT of JK products over the last year. Because of the popularity of the new Jeeps, vendors are coming out with new product right and left. There's a lot of "Bling" but I prefer function. So for all the new Jeep owners who are driving their first Jeep with the JKs, I thought I'd put together my list of suggested products for the 2-door and 4-door Jeep Wranglers 07-08. It's a small list, but personally, these were the first accessories I purchased (alright, I actually swiped them out of inventory) and use regularly. When the question arises, "What accessories do I need first?", my answer is these ones.  (I've posted links to the 4-door version of these products, but there are also 2-door versions available.)

Here is my list of 3 FUNCTIONAL JEEP WRANGLER JK ACCESSORIES for daily drivers. I love them all.

1.  The Jeep Wrangler Cloverpatch Window Roll - There's one for the 2 door and one for the 4 door and one for all Wranglers that came before the JKs. This product is indispensible. I can take my windows out of the softop, roll them in this simple bag (with felt pieces sandwiching the windows) and store them compactly and well protected. This allows two things. First, when it gets cold, or starts to rain, my windows are with me and can be re-inserted. Second, the kids, dog and assorted other stuff fit alongside the WindowRoll. Everything fits! Bob at Cloverpatch invented a good product with this one. Thanks Bob. ($78.99 and worth it!)

(the windows are in that little bag on top of the softop in the photo below)

2. You may have heard - kids and dog. This means that the inside of my Jeep gets wrecked quickly. So I got a set of Jeep Wrangler JK Neoprene Seat Covers right from the get-go. They look good. They are waterproof so my cushioned seats stay dry and they can be cleaned. I try and just vacuum them and not deal with taking them on and off. But after a particular wet-dog-fur-filled weekend I tossed them in the wash and they came out like new. (I got solid black to hide as much black dog fur as possible.) These will set you back $300 for a whole set but I think they are worth it. And these ones come with a Lifetime Warranty so seriously, the company will replace them if you any problems with them.

3. Ready to Go Topless? Then you need a summer top to keep the sun from turning you beet red. It's great to ride in an open air Jeep but I prefer not getting burned along the way. So I like the Rampage Products Combo Brief/Topper with Pocket for Wrangler JK 07/08 4 Door Unlimited

($59.99 for Mesh. $99 for Solid Black) OK, here's the scoop on this product. First, the price is fantastic compared to other vendor's products. Second, it zips across the middle of it (kinda like those cargo pants that were popular with kids a few years back). Zipped up, it is a full-length top, covering the front and back seats. Unzipped, it covers the front seats only. Third, (I love this one), there's built-in mesh zippered pockets in the two front corners. They are decent size, too, fitting your camera, cell phone, water bottle, wallet, small windbreaker, maps, etc. So you and your passenger can easily grab these items when you need them and they won't be flying around the backseat. Let's face it, Jeeps aren't known for built-in storage!

I'm in the process of "evaluating" two other product lines which are, again, functional. I'm looking at netting solutions for the cargo area so Sierra (aformentioned black lab pup) can hang back there and not jump out. We carry a line of Jeep Nets from Raingler which are super rugged and great for the trail. I don't know that I need something as performance-driven as these so I am looking for alternatives and will report back. (But if you want the best out there, check these out.)

Also want to get myself a car cover so when the top is down and I'm leaving the Jeep outside overnight, I can throw a simple cloth cover on the cab area to keep out the pollen, dew (and spiders.) We have a few vendors. I'm going to see which one I like and let you know.

You've never done this in your Jeep. Completely un-Jeep related but someone passed it to me today and I had to pass it on.

WOW.

By far the post on this blog with the most comments was the very first one I posted about the "Jeep Wave" and Jeep JKs. Still getting comments 6 months later. For those who missed it, you can read it here:

The Jeep Wave Debate Continues...

I simply asked why no one was showing me the love when I was in a 4 door Jeep JK? I get plenty of waves in the old CJ-8.

Yesterday we got this post and I couldn't agree more. So I had to post it here. Plus Colin epitomizes the Jeep lifestyle. Now all I want to know is if he'd take me with him. Colin?

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Normally, I tried to avoid religious discussions -- Canon vs Nikon, Apple vs Microsoft, Krystal vs White Castle -- but I can't help but comment on this thread.
I am a new Jeep owner, having waited over ten years to put my first Jeep under my backside. I have owned my new Jeep Wrangler for just about five days. And yes, I chose an Unlimited.
Based on the comments above, either I'm a woman on a cell phone, someone who doesn't "get it", or someone who shoulda bought a Hummer. You couldn't be more wrong. (And for those of you keeping score at home: not a woman, not on a cell phone, I *do* "get it", and I don't think I could swallow driving a Hummer day-in and day-out -- nothing wrong with any of that, but that sweeping generalization doesn't fit me.)
I have gotten waves when driving my Jeep, and I've waved back. Where I grew up in the rural parts of this great country, that was fairly common, no matter what kind of vehicle was carrying you and your gear/family/life, and it was common courtesy to wave back.
So, just to answer the critics that Unlimited owners are just enslaving their Jeeps in a morass of dull tedium, I thought I'd tell you about what my Jeep was purchased for, and what it'll spend its first month doing.
I'm a photographer, and I wanted a vehicle that I could carry my cameras, lenses, tripods, telescopes, and camping gear, and that would allow me to access places that simply weren't doable in my TrailBlazer. It's not an issue of cupholders or cell phones or power windows (although there might be a touch of mid-life crisis in there) -- it's a simple math problem involving cubic feet of stowage, and protection of that gear.
That's the "why" an Unlimited was right for me. Now let's examine whether I "get it".
In eight days, I leave from Missouri, driving to San Francisco, returning up the Pacific coast to Portland, through the Columbia River gorge area, on to Spokane, Coeur D'Alene, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Badlands, Minnesota, and south again to Missouri. This is a three-week trek, with man, wife, 14-year old daughter, and enough gear to cripple a mule, covering between 5000 and 6000 miles over three weeks of journey.
Like others have said, I have a ton of respect for folks jacking their Jeeps up, modding the heck out of them, making their Jeep reflect their own personality. That's just plain cool, and at a gradual pace, I'll probably be doing some of that too.
For me though, it's not the destination of how modded I can make my Jeep, it's the journey I plan to take in it. Roughly translated: my Jeep journey may be different than yours, but it's still my journey, and just as valid as yours.
And to that I add, one size of Wrangler does not fit all. I happen to like my Wrangler in the XL format.
Wave or don't wave -- that's your call. My parents raised me to be courteous, and I'll be waving.
Hope you'll wave back. Sorry for the rant.

posted @ Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:06 PM by Colin W.

We started this blog a few months back and I'm really wondering who is reading it. Are you? Are you a shopper on our website www.allthingsjeep.com too? It's fun to look at the stats .... "372 visitors to your blog today", but I don't really know if this is just Mom and Dad and all my relatives reading this (hi Mom and Dad) or if it is really some of our beloved customers from our website. No one says much of anything here, so if you shop us, let me know by saving some $ on your next order.

We've just added a few dozen items to our ATJ Outlet Store and the prices on many items are 50% off the regular price. But here's a chance to save more. 

When you check out, enter the discount code " BLOG5 " in the coupon code box and save yourself an additional $5.00 off any $50 purchase. That's another 10% off your order. Go wild.

(This offer is for blog readers and your friends, so you may pass it along. It expires June 15th and can't be combined with other offers.) Use the code and you'll be able to buy 1 more gallon of gas for your Jeep. Whee.