Riley Kooh / October 26th, 2021

Best Camping Accessories

For a Jeep Gladiator

The Jeep Gladiator‘s hybrid SUV / pickup truck design makes it an excellent option for those who want to reap the benefits of both styles. With 4×4 coming standard, impressive torque, ample seating, and huge selection of customization options, the Gladiator is a fan favorite among off roaders. With just a few accessories, you can turn any Gladiator into an overlanding beast. Here are our top camping accessories for a Jeep Gladiator.

1. A Quality Tent

This is going to be your most foundational piece of gear. Finding a sleeping arrangement that fits your needs should always be step one for vehicle camping. As with most pickup trucks, you’ll be faced with two main options for sleeping – a rooftop tent or truck bed tent. Both come with their pros and cons, but generally speaking, we recommend starting with a bed tent.

Truck bed tents are going to be lower cost and require no roof rack/tools to install. This makes them an excellent option for anyone just getting started in overlanding. If you’ve got some experience under your belt, you may be more inclined to commit to a rooftop tent. These are typically higher cost and require after market cross bars. They’ll take some tools and time to initially setup, but once bolted down, the tent unfolds in seconds.

At the end of the day, it boils down to preference. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to fun, so be sure to evaluate your needs on a personal level and make the best decision for yourself. For a direct comparison, Napier offers a variety of Gladiator compatible truck bed tents and a rooftop tent. On top of images and features lists, our product videos are there to make deciding easy.

2. Somewhere to Eat

Since tables are usually pretty hard to find in the wild, it’s important to pre-plan a prep/dining area. This becomes increasingly important for longer trips where many meals will be prepared. Tailgater makes some excellent options for inexpensive and compact overlanding tables, compatible with any Jeep Gladiator. Since they set up off the tires, you never have to worry about interfering with your tent area. It may be tempting to save some money and have a makeshift cooking/eating area, but we highly recommend having a sturdy table handy. An elevated and flat surface will not only be a safer cutting area, but also save you a world of back pain from prepping on the ground.

3. Something to Sleep On

@robanzit

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can sleep on a bare truck bed. After a full night sleeping on cold, hard steel, it will be clear why. Mattresses and sleeping pads are going to be highly preferential, but it’s integral to make sure it fits. Jeep Gladiator beds are roughly 81″ long with the tailgate down, and 44.8″ wide between the wheel wells. At Napier, we make an air mattress that is designed specifically to fit compact trucks like the Gladiator. At 42″ wide and 75″ long, it ensures adequate space left in the bed to climb up the tailgate, as well as storing gear along the sides.

4. Extra Cargo

Storage is something you can never have enough of on longer trips. If you opt for a truck bed tent over a rooftop, you can utilize a cargo rack to seriously upgrade your gear storage. Thanks to their popularity, Gladiators have a wide variety of roof rack options to choose from. Our recommendation is the lightweight yet reliable Aluminum Roof Rack from Quadratec. Designed specifically for Gladiators or Wranglers, it’s a great option for anyone with multiple Jeep models in the family. Thanks to its aluminum construction, it weighs in at 37.5llbs, roughly half the weight of other steel options – making installation much easier for a solo setup. Cargo racks are a great option for extra gas, water, or anything weather resistant. To really keep things organized, you can add additional mounts for some common gear, like the Fuel Can Holder from BajaRack.

5. Food/Drink Storage

Depending on the length and frequency of your overlanding trips, there are two options for food storage. For occasional weekend trips, you’re more than fine to go with a rugged cooler. Pelican Products has a wide range of rugged coolers to choose from, which not only hold up to the elements, but boast 10 days of ice retention. For two people going away for a weekend, we recommend at least 50QT.

Image by Frank Woodzman

If extended trips are more your style, we definitely recommend upgrading to a portable fridge/freezer. The CFX3-35 by Dometic is a nifty 2-in-1 that runs off the power from your Jeep Gladiator to keep food cold/frozen for those longer trips where grocery trips aren’t an option.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Napier Nation or follow us on Instagram @napieroutdoors for more tips and tricks!

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