Aussie Adventurer Lives in 2011 Jeep Wrangler for 999 Days While Exploring Africa
And racked up a thrilling 53,726 miles along the way.
Despite what your local Jeep Wrangler owner with a 6-inch lift kit and angry-eye grille might lead you to believe, there's more to the iconic 4x4 platform than aesthetics. There's a reason millions of people—including, y'know, the military—have chosen Jeeps for all sorts of rough-and-tumble tasks. No-one's a better example of that than Dan Grec, who has all but literally driven the wheels off his 2011 Wrangler while circumnavigating the entire African continent.
Grec's known within the adventurer community for his on-a-whim overlanding journeys which have taken him through over 50 countries—17 while driving from Alaska to Argentina in a TJ-style Wrangler and another 35 on his route through Africa. The latter is his most recent expedition, in which he traveled 53,726 miles over nearly three years.
The native Aussie has fitted a plethora of modifications to his Wrangler Rubicon for said trips, although most of them are geared toward comfort and on-the-road living. As far as mechanicals go, the Jeep is mostly stock with a 3.8-liter Pentastar V6 and six-speed manual transmission. A Rugged Ridge underbody skidplate protects the powertrain from obstacles while a subtle AEV suspension lift gives 2.5 inches of additional clearance.
Rest assured, there's plenty of gear inside and out to make the Wrangler more livable. An Ursa Minor J30 pop-up roof allows for more overall space and can be easily folded down to keep the Jeep's already-iffy aerodynamics in check. Custom-built cabinets round out the vehicle's mini-kitchen, which also features a single-burner Coleman cooktop and 35-liter Dometic CFX-35 fridge. Finally, an ARB 1250 awning provides shelter outside where you'll also find an MSR Dromedary shower kit.
Collectively, Grec did a swell enough job outfitting his Jeep to live in it for 999 days—although not without a bit of drama here and there.
You can find the Jeep's extensive build sheet on Grec's website, theroadchoseme.com. He's also got a nearly endless amount of road-trip documentation there, including cost analysis and how long he spent in each nation. And if you're looking for an exceptionally well-put-together video detailing Grec and his travels, Outside Online has you covered.
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