All Things Jeep Blog & Musings

Go Topless Day is a spring tradition when we celebrate the return of warm weather and sense of fun and adventure that comes along with owning a Jeep! Go Topless Day was started by All Things Jeep’s founders in 2008 after a particularly brutal New England Winter. The first event was a small meet up of Jeepers at a local farm and ice cream stand, but the event has since grown to include thousands of participants all around the world!

All Things Jeep works with off-road clubs and Jeep fans all over the globe to host events. Whether it’s a small group of Jeep-loving friends planning a scenic ride to a local watering hole, like the Red Line Jeeps in Maine, or a multi-club event drawing thousands of participants to an area, like Crystal Beach, Texas, all are supported by AllThingsJeep.com. Most events are open to the public to grow and strengthen the local off road community and unite Jeep owners. Activities range from coastline cruises to trail clean-ups, beach parties to backyard picnics, all in the name of fun and charity. 

As many Jeep owners will attest, removing the top from the Jeep Wrangler, or “going topless” is one of the most enjoyable aspects of ownership, especially so after months of cold weather. The annual kick-off celebration of the start of topless Jeep season is easy to join! Simply take your top off!

Jeeps may be the official vehicle of summer, but summer doesn't last. Every year the schools fill with children, nights start to get cooler, and autumn ushers itself in. For many of us, the warm breezes and open sunshine of topless driving fade into buttoned up Jeeps with cranking heaters. Luckily, Jeeps are also the perfect vehicle for fall! Get excited for the season with our list below.

Take a Scenic Drive - All across the country, the leaves are beginning to change and the roadsides will soon become canvases of color. Jeeps were made for adventure, so bundle up and take the top down for a tour of your local leaf show! The open top will give you a panorama view of the scenery and you'll be able to savor one last topless drive, even if it's a chilly one. Plan to stop and enjoy your area's local attractions as fall plays host to apple picking, pumpkin patches, Oktoberfests, family festivals and more. 

Get Closer to Nature with a Club - Another great way to enjoy fall's natural beauty is getting out into the wilderness and exploring your Jeep's off road capabilities! Look up a local 4x4 club and check out their trail ride calendar. Many clubs are excited for new members to join and have runs varying in difficulties from extreme fall crawler to stock leaf peeper. You'll be inspired by more than just the scenery as you admire the rigs of the other members on the trail. Think of how you'd like to personalize and build your own Jeep and take note for your Christmas wish list!

Camping - After a long day on the trail, nothing beats sitting around a campfire regaling the tales of the day. Of course, campfires go hand in hand with camping, and it's not too late to load of the Jeep with your tent and camping gear and take off on an outdoor retreat. The cooler weather will mean emptier campgrounds and there's plenty of creative ways to make more storage in your Jeep to pack the necessary extra layers.

Star Gazing - As the long days of summer fade, you gain extra hours to admire the night skies! The colder, drier air increases the clarity of the stars, making autumn a great time for casting your eyes upward. Check the weather and astronomy reports, find a remote spot as far away from light pollution as you're willing to travel, and park the Jeep. If you have a soft top, take the time to drop the top, turn up the heat, and recline the seats. We promise it's worth it! Hard top owners can pop out the freedom panels or climb up on top of the Jeep for an even better open view - try getting extra cozy with a special Jeep friendly air mattress! Layer up on the blankets, crack open your warm thermos, and enjoy a night you'll never forget. 

Top Decisions - If your hardtop has been hibernating, now's the time to drop it back on. Consider investing in a soft top storage system to keep your top neat and protected during the off season. Before you remove and store it, take the time to clean and protect the top, windows and zippers too! Same goes if you'll be keeping your soft top on year round. Soft top and window care products work best in a certain temperature range, usually between 50 and 75 degrees fahrenheit. The special formulas are designed to keep your top protected against winter's strong UV rays and the regular maintenance will keep it lasting for years to come.   

Tailgating - Fall means football season! Put on your face paint and take the Jeep to the big game! You'll be the talk of the tailgating party when your Jeep arrives sporting your team pride. Pee wee footballers would love a spirit boost from a custom tire cover with their team's name and logo while college and NFL fans can show their allegiance with officially licensed tire covers. For the ultimate fan, we have colorful and custom-fit collegiate Jeep seat covers that will put you in the lead for your school's spirit award!

Finish Up Mods - Haven't installed those fender flares yet? Side guards still sitting in a box on the floor? Before the holiday rush starts, set aside a day or two to finish up any lingering projects on your Jeep. You'll be thankful it's done when the days so cold it hurts to hold a wrench roll around. You can also take inventory on which tools and parts you'll be adding to the Christmas list.

Halloween - Jeepers Creepers! Halloween is just around the corner! It's time to start brainstorming pumpkin carving ideas for our annual Jeep-O-Lanetern contest. For those who prefer a set of installation instructions, we have pumpkin carving templates to inspire and guide you. Is your Jeep worthy of being an official zombie apocalypse response vehicle? Choose a theme for your Jeep and have fun dressing it up for the holiday! We love to see how creative Jeepers are when it comes to transforming their Jeeps for Halloween.

Winterize - Winter is coming…that's okay, you drive a Jeep! If your climate calls for it, prep yourself for the impending cold and snow with a pre-winter checkup on your Jeep. Check your tires to make sure there's enough tread to get you safely through the storms and top off the washer fluid so you're ready for the road treatment battle. Stash the hat, scarf, mittens and scraper in a convenient roll bar storage bag and you'll be happy to see those first flakes fly and shift into 4 wheel drive.

Now that you have a fun to do list for your Jeep, you'll have new ideas to enjoy the autumn season with! Remember to share your pictures and fun experiences with All Things Jeep! 

Hundreds of Jeep owners and off-road enthusiasts will join All Things Jeep and the Ocean State Jeepsters for the eighth annual Go Topless Day, a celebration of spring and the sense of fun that comes with owning a Jeep. The East Coast Flagship event will be held at the Quaboag Riders Motorcycle Club in Monson, Mass. on May 16^th, 2015 starting at 9am and will draw participants from all over the northeast US.

The event will feature more than 600 Jeeps on show, guided trail rides of different ratings, kid’s activities, a vendor midway, raffles, an RTI ramp to test a Jeep’s flex, and food for purchase. In honor of sharing the date with Armed Forces Day, All Things Jeep will be handing out military swag bags at their tent for those with a military ID and will have a pre-made cards for attendees to sign for deployed troops. There will also be men’s, women’s and youth event tees for purchase. Attendees are encouraged to bring their families and friendly, leashed dogs to enjoy the day.

AllThingsJeep.com, an online Jeep gift store, started small and grew fast - a trait that it shares with Go Topless Day. The company’s founders conceived the first Go Topless Day in 2008 after a particularly brutal New England Winter. As many Jeep owners will attest, removing the top from the Jeep Wrangler, or “going topless” is one of the most enjoyable aspects of ownership, especially so after months of cold weather.  AllThingsJeep.com started a kick-off celebration of the topless Jeep season for the local community that has since grown to include thousands of participants around the world.

For more information on the Flagship East Coast event, visit http://www.allthingsjeep.com/go-topless-day-2015-east-coast-event.html 

More details can be found online at http://www.allthingsjeep.com/go-topless-day.html. Go Topless Day events are held worldwide, so local events can be found for those not in the New England area as well.

 

 

 

AllThingsJeep.com, an online Jeep gift store, started small and grew fast - a trait that it shares with Go Topless Day. The company’s founders conceived the first Go Topless Day in 2008 after a particularly brutal New England Winter. As many Jeep owners will attest, removing the top from the Jeep Wrangler, or “going topless” is one of the most enjoyable aspects of ownership, especially so after months of cold weather.  AllThingsJeep.com started a kick-off celebration of the topless Jeep season for the local community that has since grown to include thousands of participants around the world.

This year Go Topless Day shares the date with Armed Forces Day. Community is one of the most powerful aspects of both Jeeps and Armed Forces support. With that in mind, AllThingsJeep.com is encouraging all clubs and organizations that host a Go Topless Day event to reach out to the local or national military support charity of their choice, through donations and inclusion in this special event. Thus far, more than 26 charitable organizations will be receiving donations from Go Topless Day events. AllThingsJeep.com will join by hosting a card-writing table to thank troops at their East Coast Event.

Go Topless Day is a worldwide phenomenon that is reflective of the Jeep community. The grassroots event is unique among the enormous expos and often ostentatious auto industry events in that it started local and has remained local even throughout its growth. Whether it’s a small group of Jeep loving friends planning a scenic ride to a local watering hole, like the Red Line Jeeps in Maine, or a multi-club event drawing thousands of participants to an area, like Crystal Beach, Texas, all are supported by AllThingsJeep.com. Most events are open to the public to grow and strengthen the local off road community and unite Jeep owners. Activities range from coastline cruises to trail clean-ups, beach parties to backyard picnics, all in the name of fun and charity.  

More information about Go Topless Day can be found online at http://www.allthingsjeep.com/go-topless-day.html

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One of our favorite features on the Wrangler is the ability to take the top off.  The sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and nothing above you but open sky; ­there’s nothing better. We love taking the top off so much, we even started an annual celebration over 7 years ago – Go Topless Day! Believe us when we say, topless Jeeps have more fun!

I want to go topless…but is it really okay for my Wrangler’s interior to get wet?

This is the question we hear most often when it comes to riding topless. In short, yes, it is okay for your Wrangler’s interior to get wet if you are driving or parked topless. There are special features on the Wrangler that help make it a rough and tumble kind of vehicle. Driving topless also tends to create the "speed effect" where, unless it's really pouring, rain will simply fly off the windshield and not end up soaking your Jeep. That being said, interior electronics can obviously still get damaged by water and your interior soft goods (think seats and carpet) will soak up water just as you would expect them to. You can protect your stereo with a boat-style radio cover, but the key to interior preservation is draining, drying, and ventilation after a topless soak.

Draining

Did you know that your Wrangler has drain plugs underneath the carpet of the front and rear passengers’ floor area? If you’re leaving any part of your Jeep open where water can get in, you’ll want to lift up the carpets and pull all of these rubber stoppers out of the floor. This will allow standing water in the tub of the Jeep to drain right out the bottom of the vehicle. The first time I forgot to do this and the clouds let loose, I jumped into my Jeep and my feet were submerged in ankle deep, dirty floor-debris and rain buildup! While the whirlpools of water swirling out of my TJ were a little bit satisfying to watch, it wasn’t much fun fishing around underwater for those drain plugs.

Drying

After your Jeep has gotten wet, there are a few things you can do to help it dry. For most, this is as simple as leaving the topless Jeep out in the sun the next day. For faster drying, you may want to remove portions or the entirety of your carpet – it’s not difficult and the whole thing comes out. If you have seat covers and there was enough water to soak through them, you’ll want to pull them off and let your seats and covers dry separately in the sun.

Ventilation

If your interior has gotten wet, the very last thing you want to do is seal the Jeep up. Ventilation is the name of the game! Putting your top or a completely waterproof (vs water resistant) cab or car cover on while the interior is wet will cause moisture to stay trapped inside the vehicle. Trapped moisture means your soft goods will mildew, leading to unpleasant odors. Tops and covers that seal are great for weather protection if they’re installed before precipitation starts, but will only exacerbate moisture build up once the interior gets wet. Wait out the rain, let your Jeep dry, and try to get it covered before the interior gets soaked next time. Alternatively, you can rip those carpets out for good and take a weekend to DIY spray liner the tub of your Jeep. If you’re not the handy type, there are professionals who can install bed liner so that you never have to worry about wet carpets again! This is also a great way to protect the interior of your Jeep from rust.

There's a variety of options from full soft tops to summer tops that will allow you to choose the amount of weather protection you're comfortable with. Eventually you will find that you either prefer to keep your interior dry and will take the necessary steps to keep it that way or you don't mind letting it get wet. You can rest assured either way knowing that it really is okay for your Wrangler to get wet inside.   

 

Through the years, we’ve found that our customers often fall into one of two categories: the Jeepers and the non-Jeepers.  We love them both dearly, but there are vast differences between the two.  The first category ranges from those who eat, sleep, and breathe Jeep to those who just acquired their first 4 x 4.  Some know their Wrangler inside and out, from the tips of their front tow hooks to the bottom of their back bumper.  Others are just learning how to lower their soft top. Either way, it’s not long before they’ve got a folder of Jeep parts and accessories saved on their internet browser that only seems to grow.  It’s a Jeep thing, and they understand.  

The second category of customer is the non-Jeeper, bless their hearts. They may not own a Jeep themselves, but somebody that they love does! The non-Jeeper is clever enough to realize that this makes the perfect gift-giving opportunity.  They may have started small with a Jeep shirt, hat, or mug so that their Jeeper could showcase their pride.  This is wonderful!  Every Jeep owner appreciates Jeep themed gifts!  Eventually, the non-Jeeper may grow more ambitious, realizing that a Jeeper’s favorite thing to dress up is their vehicle itself. Often, this is where confusion sets in.  “What’s a YJ?  Jeep tires come in more than one size?  What do you mean 'the doors come off?'”  The non-Jeeper is so close to achieving Ultimate Gift Giver status, but their lack of Jeep knowledge threatens to send them high-tailing it back to the apparel section of the site.  After all, it’s far easier to guess a Jeeper’s shirt size than their tire size.  But, wait!  We can help!  Equipped with some basic knowledge, the non-Jeeper can buy even greater gifts that will not only delight a Jeeper, but also fit their vehicle perfectly!

1. What Year Is It?

The first, and possibly the easiest, piece of information to gather is what year the Jeep is.  Almost all accessories that are not universal fit are designed for a specific year range of Wrangler, referred to as YJ (years 1987-1995), TJ (years 1997-2006), and JK (2007-2014). We also have a variety of accessories for the classic Jeep CJ models.  Figuring out a Jeep’s year is most easily accomplished with a simple “What year is it?” directed towards the owner.  An innocent and convincing “Just wondering!” should divert any suspicions regarding the non-Jeeper’s intentions. 

2. How many doors?

For those Jeepers who have a 2007 or later Wrangler, another pivotal piece of information is how many doors the Jeep has.  Wranglers with 4 doors will, obviously, have a much longer overall vehicle length.  This affects the fit of tops, certain storage solutions, seat covers, floor liners, and other accessories.  Non-Jeepers will want to make sure they know how many doors their Jeeper's JK has before shopping for accessories. 

3. Top Set Up

Another easy to establish Jeep stat is what kind of top set up currently exists.  Hard tops and soft tops require different car and cab covers.  Jeeps with soft tops qualify for a variety of top specific accessories, including window storage solutions, noise reduction systems, and replacement windows.  Jeeps with hard tops can use noise deadening insulators, or storage carts.  The thing a Jeep with a hard top needs most though, is a soft top! 

4. Tire Size 

This is the information that is hardest to obtain while maintaining a covert gift-giver profile – enlisting the help of someone who often sees the Jeep in question may be necessary!  Our tire covers come in very specific sizes and in order to make sure that the cover fits perfectly, we need to match the cover size with the number found on the sidewall of the tire.  This number is usually in the format of P255/75R17.  Once a non-Jeeper has the tire number, the only other thing they need to get a great gift is an idea of the Jeeper’s taste for the cover itself!

With these pieces of information and the help of the gang at All Things Jeep, even the most auto-unaware of the non-Jeepers can find a wonderful gift for the Jeeper in their life! 

Once you get to a certain age, you begin to understand that some birthdays are better than others by nature.  Years can pass with nothing more monumental than a cake and some candles to show for your most recent trip around the sun.  Then there are the big ones, the birthdays that really mean something.  Maybe it was your sweet sixteen, when you finally got to taste the freedom of the road (hopefully in a Jeep).  Perhaps it was your eighteenth, when you saw the infinite and overwhelming possibilities of your adult life spread before you, not realizing then just how young you really were.  Whether it’s five or fifty, some birthdays simply stay with you long afterward as more than just a day on the calendar.  We’re delighted to say that All Things Jeep has arrived at one of those birthdays. 

When the company began in 2003, we were small.  We’re talking out of a basement, owners wearing the Jack and Jill of all trades hats, answering the phones while cooking dinner for the family small.  Norman and Jean, the company’s founders, had a goal to create a place where Jeepers (and those who love them) could find truly unique gifts.  Over the years, the company outgrew the basement, the whole house, a barn built specially for holding all the Jeep goodies, and an east coast warehouse.  A decade later, our love for Jeep things now spans the country as we are a bicoastal operation!

We’ve been lucky enough to have ten incredible years of working with Jeepers from around the world.  We get to find the craziest gadgets, coolest apparel, toughest accessories, and best gifts.  Even better, we get to pass them on to our lovely customers!  We’ve been able to share our knowledge and learn just as much from this wild community.  And, of course, we throw the biggest topless Jeep party every year!  We’ve had an incredible adventure, and we can’t wait to see what’s on the trail ahead.

Of course, with every special birthday comes a celebration!  We’re inviting you to come celebrate ten years of All Things Jeep by shopping with us and enjoying 10% off site wide.  We’ve got $10.00 tees and $10.00 decals to boot!  All you have to do is enter the coupon code ATJ10ANN at checkout - see what we did there?  Even after all these years, nothing makes us happier than thanking you with a handwritten note for sharing your Jeep life with us. Here’s to another ten!   

We know, times are tough all over. Gone are the days of leaving the office every day for a grand lunch out at, say, Denny's or Jack in the Box. Back are the days of brown bagging it.

This wouldn't be so bad if all your friends at work didn't mercilessly mock that re-purposed Safeway bag you use to cart around your sandwich and chips.

It's another sad fact that there is a marked shortage of lunch boxes designed to appeal to the off-road enthusiast of the Jeep persuasion. Until now, that is. Enter: the All Things Jeep lunchbag.

Sleek black, featuring a Zippered closure, a front pocket (for your spoons, napkins, small pets, etc.), foil laminate PE foam insulation (to keep your lunch at the right temperature), this is the coolest way to cart your lunch around since that plaid thing with the Thermos in it. There won't be any question that you belong to the off-road elite, as "Off-road Academy" is screen-printed on the front.

Enough talk! How do I get one of these amazing lunch bags?

Funny you should ask, if you can manage to spend $75 or more on our site, the lunch box is free. The item may otherwise be purchased for $6.99.

What do you suppose the red object in the picture is? I know what you're thinking: Gascan. A good guess, but wrong. You've fallen for the ruse, dear Jeeper, for what appears to be a traditional five-gallon Jerry Can is actually a storage box in disguise — and what a storage box it is. Ideal for tools, there are more drawers and hinges than you could ever figure out what to do with, it locks tight and it even plops into the place your Jerry Can used to go before it became illegal.

This ingenious little Transformer was the star of the show when Dave Williams, of Rampage, brought a bag full of toys over for a visit to the California office of All Things Jeep. It locks too.

Dave showed off several other Rampage products as well.

Highlights:

Tops
Sad, but true: You need a top for your Jeep if you're going to drive it out any time other than, say, Summer, or select days in Spring. Their frameless top, as Dave put it, won't cost a fortune and will keep you safe from the elements.

The top is cool because it doesn't need any additional bows or support hardware, which then makes it even cooler by allowing for larger windows that minimize the threat of the ever-pesky soft-top blind spot. It installs snugly over the factory roll bar. Windows attach to the sides by way of heavy-toothed zippers, and may be removed and stashed in a pouch contained in the top itself.

It also has the distinction of being, essentially, two tops in one. When you need full enclosure, you can have it, but you can also convert to a Safari top. Good fun.

A word of warning, straight from Dave: These windows, transparent and sturdy thought they are starting out, can be discolored over time, if you use brushless car washes. The PH level of the soap involved is apparently off-the-charts acidic. So if you want clear windows, just say no to brushless car washes.

Guess what you're gonna need to make this click onto El Jeep? Quick hint: Rhymes with windshield channel.

Windshield Channels
If you're going to put a top on your jeep, you're going to need one — unless, of course, it's a YJ, in which case you're in luck and can use the factory channel.

The Rampage header channel is actually something of a picnic to adhere to the ol' Jeep. You need not drill, nor even have any tools, it just sort of clamps into place and you tighten the handles.

Double-bladed Windshield Wipers
Yes, you love getting dirty, but your windshield wipers would tell a different story if they could, y'know, talk. They'd probably complain about all the hard work they have to do while you're stomping in mud puddles. Time to put those whiny old things to rest and pick up a set of double-bladed windshield wipers. The patented Double-Blade Technology causes these babies to wipe and scrub simultaneously, a double-action wiper blade.

Each assembly includes the dual blade, frame and universal adapters so you can snap it onto your Jeep no matter what. A pretty cool invention, you ask us. We all like getting dirty, but we still like to see where we're going, right?

Hood Locks

No one likes to return to the parked JK to discover that some dip has helped himself to a free battery. The most obvious reason to have a hood lock is to prevent this. It's also nice, though, that they cut down on the flutter that occurs when you start to pick up speed. The one Dave showed us was die cast, not stamped, metal, which is a plus when you consider how much you'll probably beat it up, the latch being the only protection the stuff under your hood has from the outside world.

Headlight Guards

These headlight guards snap in place. Isn't that cool? After all, in Dave's own words, "Usually, you have to knock the damn grille off." And who wants to go around knocking the damn grille off?

Other stuff

Generally, we had a blast scoping out all the cool Jeep stuff from Dave's bag of tricks. Pizza and a good time was had by all. Party down with Dave Williams if you see him walking down the street. Just don't ask him to navigate out of the wacky maze that is San Jose Mineta airport.

See? It opens.

"Shouldn't have taken that left at Albuquerque." The All Things Jeep engineers decode the Jerry Can Tool Box.

Spiderweb Jeep Girl Amanda says, "Get a SpiderWeb Top."

It’s mid-Summer, and we’re all driving around topless. Ah, the open air, the open view, the wind ruffling your hair ... Ah, the sunburn, the wind-blasted ears ... That's life, baby. The good goes with the bad.

Yup, too much of this good thing can make you rue the day you dropped your top, as red skin peels and the UV has its way with vulnerable interiors. Baking in the sun gets pretty old, too. And don't you wish there was just a little less wind whistling past your ears?

Sure, you're a moth to the topless flame, but what if there was a way to combine the freedom of going topless with the shade a top affords?

Enter: The SpiderWeb summer tops, which answer the Jeepster-specific Summer conundrum. The see-through mesh blocks 90% of the sun's harmful UV rays, but allows enough light in so that you still feel great and topless, not to mention see the summer sky.

Speaking of fastening, you've never attached a top that goes on as easily as the SpiderWeb Mesh tops. A system of special bungees (spider balls), included, quickly and easily strap the top on. They don’t even require the installation of windshield channels.

 In all it's glory: a Spiderball

Naturally, removing the top is a breeze, too.

Speaking of breeze, the SpiderWeb Mesh Top cuts down on enough wind that you can, say, speak and hear during fast Jeeping — E.g. You can hear a phone while driving 70mph.

It doesn't replace going topless, but its damn close, and when you're done jeeping, none of your so-called friends will have cause to slap you on the back and laugh as you writhe on the floor in blister-popped pain.

No matter what sort of Jeep you’re in, we have a top that fits. Any doubts about how easily they are installed may be curbed by watching the lovely Amanda set up one of the two-piece SW2 models here. The Jeep guys may enjoy watching this more than the Jeep girls will.