With the introduction of the 4 door Wrangler, we wanted to show how one could be set up for an overland expedition. This vehicle was used to showcase our new JK product launch including our new front bumper, rear corners, wheels, & hood. In addition, to make it really stand out, we designed and produced the rooftop tent. A few weeks before SEMA, the whole module was designed, including an ingenious electric raising and lowering system that can actually raise and lower the top with up to 250lbs of gear on the rack. The top is designed so that the entire unit can be removed in one piece so that it doesn't need to be on the vehicle permanently. We milled out one-time use molds and built the fiberglass upper and lower sections with only about a day to spare! The system has seen real world use on numerous occasions and with the interest we've seen from the public, it is definitely on our future product list.

AEV JK Outpost Camper at the Landing Strip

Original Concept Renderings

Original Sketch
Wow! Talk about a lot of work in a short period of time. We had about six weeks to design and manufacture all of our prototype JK parts including the dies...(after all, you can't fake a stamped part)...anyway, I just remember thinking, "we are going to need something more to show up with at SEMA".
The camper idea really only came into fruition about two weeks before the show. Check out the original renderings of the JK we did and how much it changed when it actually came into production. Sometimes it's easy to draw something on paper, but when you go to engineer it you find out quickly that some things just aren't going to work. Changes need to be made on the fly. -dh
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