Our Jeep Gladiator overland build is done! After four cities, four shops, and seven weeks, we’re ready to live and travel in our Jeep full-time as a family, as we drive around the world for the next 10 to 15 years.
Every single day the Jeep was in the shop, Eric was there, too. He was working through supply chain delays, missing components, installation hiccups, AND filming the whole time. Because of his dedication, we have video of our entire build on YouTube.
These are the topics we cover in the series:
- Alu-Cab Canopy Camper (habitat that sits on the back of the Gladiator)
- Goose Gear interior storage solution
- Other modifications to help with organization (this tiny thing is our family’s home!)
- Electrical system
- Auxiliary fuel tank
- Suspension
- Recovery
- Mechanical upgrades
And more!
If you want to start at the beginning with a big picture overview of our plan for the build, then watch this video first:
You can continue down our Jeep Gladiator Overland Build playlist to see all the videos in this series.
Of course, no build is ever really done. I’m sure there will be changes we make in the future. But the important part is we could cross the border right now, and we’d have everything we need.
We haven’t done a complete walk-around tour yet, but it’s coming. Once we’ve been living in the rig for a while and have everything situated, we’ll do a video that shows not only the build, but also the gear we use for everyday living on the road.
What’s Next for Us?
So what’s next? We are entering our shakedown phase and doing some public speaking. We’ll leave my parents’ house in Texas around August 15, heading for Overland Expo Mountain West in Colorado. After about a month in Colorado, we’ll head down to Flagstaff for Overland Expo West. (Details on all our 2021 events here.)
Then it’ll be time to swing through south Texas one more time, say goodbye to Caspian’s grandparents, and cross the border into Mexico in early October. These next two months are going to fly by.
On YouTube, we’ll be launching our next series in August. We’re calling it Overlanding 101, but it won’t be a regurgitation of everything you’ve heard before. Though we will share our experience when it comes to the basics of overlanding, we’ll also cover topics we’re uniquely suited to talk about, like full-time overlanding, overlanding with kids, and working on the road.
Thank you to all of the companies that have made our build possible. Juniper Overland (Denver), Sonoran Expedition Collective (Tucson), Just Jeeps (Austin), and our secret expert friend in Albuquerque put in tireless work at a high level, bringing together a million details. Our gear sponsor support has been incredible, especially during a year when they are plagued by low product supply and transportation issues. We are so grateful.
-B
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