It’s finally August and the most anticipated wheeling trip of the year is here. We are heading to Moab, Utah, the capital of off-roading in the United States for Jeepers for a very special occasion: a wedding!
Our friends Niko and Vicky with Karnage Motorsports are getting married in Moab–WOW, I know. This amazing Jeep couple (she has a JKU on 40s, and he has an XJ on 40s) is having a total Jeep goals wedding in the city of Moab. Many of the wedding guests are Jeep enthusiasts and will be traveling with their Jeeps or renting Wranglers in Moab.
I will be towing my Jeep with my boyfriend, Sami. His truck and trailer are well equipped for the long journey, and it will be a fast and quiet ride compared to driving my Jeep all the way.
Here’s how we prepared for the trip.
The Jeep
In preparation for this huge experience, I had to give Rajah some TLC over the past few weeks and make sure I had all my Moab essentials in order. First off, was my issue with the brakes.
Back in February during a local event in Florida, Jeeping with Judd, my brakes got air in the system. After bleeding the brake lines with no success, we finally discovered the issue was in the ABS pump and the ABS system is what had air in it. The ABS system has to be reprogrammed and bled by a program that is available at the dealership, so I had to take Rajah in for the work. We also replaced the brake lines since my original brake lines may have been letting air into the system that caused this to begin with. The old brake lines will be used as spares if needed.
The other minor issue Rajah had was a faulty rear wheel speed sensor. This is a super common issue, but a very easy fix. I bought a new sensor at the dealer and replaced it.
Also in preparation for Moab and constant wheeling and traveling, I bought an ARB on-board air compressor and mounted it under the hood. You can check out the full write up on the compressor, but it will be extremely handy for the trip so I can air up the tires without relying on someone else’s compressor all the time. Airing up allows for safer street driving at higher speeds. The ARB compressor is also more powerful than many gas station air compressors I’ve come across, since the 37 inch tires need a lot of air and power to fill up. A nice bonus perk is that you can also run air powered tools with this compressor if you need to!
The Truck
Sami is the best co-driver I could ever ask for. From Miami to Moab is an incredibly long trip, so he did a fresh oil change and tire rotation as well as balancing. He also topped off all the fluids and the truck was good to go. Boom, all ready for the 5,000 mile trek (round trip).
The Trailer
As far as the trailer goes, Sami made sure that all the tires were in good condition and at the correct air pressure. We are carrying two spare trailer tires, and a quality ARB tire repair kit with everything we would need to properly plug a tire if need be. The trailer was also greased and wheel bearings were serviced.
Other Essentials
Guide to Moab, Utah Backroads and 4WD Trails: This is the most highly recommended guidebook for Moab wheeling. It contains maps and difficulty designations and explanations. We are going in a big group, but it’s always good practice to carry your own maps and learn regardless of who is leading the pack. This book is a must-have while wheeling Moab.
Polaroid camera: Ok, so I had this super cute idea to make a Polaroid photo album of our Moab adventure so I bought a Polaroid camera, film, and a carrying case in this starter pack from Amazon. Can’t wait to put photos in a physical album in this digitally powered world.
Spare parts: I have packed up all the spare, sometimes stock, parts I could find. Rear axle shafts, brake lines, one front shaft (since the other broke at Jeeptoberfest 2017), rear drive shaft. Also carrying spare u-joints and extra brake fluid.
Radio: A CB radio or Baofeng radio is a MUST. You should always be in comms with your wheeling group, especially in a remote area like Moab where cell phone service could be scarce! Read more about CB radios and exactly what you need to set one up in your Jeep.
Cooler/Fridge: Utah and its surrounding areas is a desert and the dry heat WILL cause dehydration and exhaustion. The biggest thing on this whole trip is going to be water consumption. I have a soft Rtic cooler stocked in the Jeep that I love and will keep water cold all day. I also recommend a Camelbak for any hiking, since it’s a super easy and efficient way to carry a large amount of water. For the trek across the country, I actually went the extra mile and bought an “electric cooler” AKA mini fridge from Dometic. Dometic makes all sorts of cooling systems for RVs, trucks, boats, etc. This was a completely last minute purchase but Karnage Motorsports came through with my order after literally chasing the UPS truck for me! I picked up the fridge half an hour before getting on the road. More on this awesome Dometic fridge purchase later!
Among other items I’m bringing along for the trip include my Kindle for reading on the drive, my GoPro camera for filming, buffs for keeping dust out of your face and mouth. I’ll be starting fall semester at FIU while we are out, so I also have my laptop with me so I don’t fall too behind so fast in my classes.
Thanks for reading this post, and supporting my blog. Do you have any Moab recommendations? Have you ever been?