Every Jeep has a story.
For someone out there it may be the result of a long-held promise to graduate college. For another, it might be Saturday nights delivering meals to the less fortunate. Maybe your story is something you’ve experienced with your Jeep club or a cross-country trip with friends.
All these stories bind us. Captivate us. They prove to us that these iconic vehicles are something more than just hunks of metal clogging our driveways or invading our garages. In the process, they generate memories that last forever.
At The Quadratec Channel, we are all about the story. And we realize these great products we send out everyday to Jeep owners around the world can help make every story better – one shipment at a time.
Welcome to Tuesday's Tale - a Quadratec Channel Exclusive. On select Tuesdays in 2017, we will share someone's personal and passionate Jeep story in their own words. So come along for the ride and read all about what makes these vehicles so great for other Jeep enthusiasts. Or, even better, tell us your story: [email protected].
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For this week, we are bringing you the story of two gentlemen, Mike Kelly and Ryan Revilla, who bonded over a shared love of Jeep and the outdoors. Over the years, they took classes to grow their skills, and eventually realized they could spread their love of Overlanding to others who were interested in the topic, but may not know enough to give it a try. So born was Wheelers, LLC, a company Kelly and Revilla set up to promote and organize safe off-road events and activities for all platforms and skill levels utilizing purpose built, expedition ready vehicles.
Their stories:
Mike Kelly - 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
March 8, 2006 - Cold, dreary, its been raining for days and currently has become a torrential downpour. We had talked about off-roading now that I had my 2001 4x4 Dodge Dakota and my buddy had his 1998 AWD Ford Explorer (Eddie Bauer Edition...wooo hooo); today would be the perfect day!
“Meet me at Home Depot so we can get a chain.”
Yes, this is how inexperienced I was on my first trip, my buddy can attest to his experience as we drain his hydro-locked motor a few days later….”Good thing they put the motor in upside down.”, he says as we remove the spark plugs from under the truck and water immediately pours from the block.
This was the day I realized a need for the proper rig and equipment, as well as the knowledge of how to use both without damaging either, was paramount. Through forums, we found groups of experienced people who were happy to help us along the way and, within a few years, I was driving a '94 YJ.
This vehicle went from stock to beast over a period of about five years and each time an upgrade went into place, it was thought out and functional. By then I had found spending my days in the woods of New Jersey had graduated to trips to Rausch Creek in Tremont, Pennsylvania. The principles of off-road driving, recovery, and passing along this knowledge had sunk in, but the next level was still to come.
October 10-13 2013: Vermont Overland Rally (VOR2013). This event is what changed the game for me, personally. There were actually classes for this stuff: recovery, off-roading 101, 201!!! I had no idea.
Classes in the morning, trails in the afternoon, several routes, local points of interest. Drive down some blacktop, head up a hill to a dirt road for the most beautiful views you can see. Then make a right to a nasty little trail! Overlanding is a very different style. The people are knowledgeable, safe (who wants to break a rig 800 miles from home), and have stories of far-off places! My off road roots will never die, but to drive vast distances is going to require one thing I don’t have.
October 31, 2013: I purchased a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Since this point, I have attended too many classes and overland events to list and this will continue, but now I want to start to share it all with you. My highlights since VOR2013:
- Moose on the Loose 2014
- Vermont Overland Rally 2014
- Moose on the Loose 2015
- Vermont Overland Trophy 2015
- Vermont Overland Rally 2015
- Moose on the Loose 2016
- Mid Atlantic Overland Festival 2016
- Vermont Overland Rally 2016
Ryan Revilla - 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
Living and working in New York City, with the hustle and bustle of a city that never sleeps, I’ve always longed to escape into the peace and beauty of nature and the great outdoors. Early on I found peace in fishing.
As an avid surf fisherman, equipped only with my gear and a 4WD vehicle, my very first experience “off-roading” was on the shores of Long Island. As a bachelor, I’ve explored and fished almost every accessible - and most times non-accessible - areas of Long Island from Breezy Point to Montauk. All the while utilizing my beloved third owner five-speed manual, red '91 Jeep XJ sport dubbed “The Red Baron”.
Regardless of the fact that it had over 200,000 miles logged with “Yaba Daba Doo” drive in full effect (as you can see the road from the driver's floorboard) I truly cherished and loved my rig.
When I got married, my wife decided it was time to upgrade our vehicle to something more appropriate for a couple interested in starting a family. And not something that “smelled of cigars, automotive fluids and fish.” Naturally, I gravitated towards owning another Jeep while my wife just wanted a family four door. Enter our current vehicle, the minivan-powered six speed 2011 JKU Sport.
For almost four years I drove this bone stock vehicle, with the only modifications being car mats and velcro grab bars. As seductive and sexy as a Jeep with big tires and huge lifts looked, I wanted to be educated about what I did - and justified in the money I invested in the vehicle, if I ever were going to build "my dream rig". It was (and is) our daily driver / family 'car' after all.
So for some time, in the quiet recesses of my mind, I dreamt about a day I would drive our purpose built vehicle, with my wife, across the country to trace the footsteps of the wheeling Gods somewhere in Moab, Utah. But then I had to ask myself:
- How do I actually achieve this?
- Is my vehicle even capable of traversing such terrain?
- Am I (as a driver) capable?
More importantly, will my wife let me do THIS to our new Jeep, let alone be my passenger?! After careful research and consideration what I realized were two very important truths:
1) A stock JK on 35’s and a puck lift, skids and high clearance fenders/bumpers is far more capable than I am.
2) The most important upgrade you can make to your vehicle is the driver's ability to drive off road.
So I invested in an Off Road 101 class from a certified off-road driving instructor and brought my wife along, with her riding shotgun.
Enter, the Wheeler.
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Wheelers, LLC is hosting the first annual Wheelers Overland Adventure May 18-21 at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area. This event, sponsored in part by Quadratec and Off-Road Consulting, offers trail riding, vehicle dependent camping, off-road instruction / seminars, scavenger hunt, vendor displays, and more. All of which take place in a safe designated off-road environment with trained professionals and the off-road aftermarket industry. This unique overland expedition style experience is open to participants of ALL levels and vehicle platforms or builds.
