David's 2023 Jeep JL Rubicon Diesel "Valkyrie"

The term "Rocklander" has recently been gaining popularity in the off-road community, but what does it mean? Put simply, a Rocklander is someone who builds their rig to tackle the most difficult rock-crawling trails around, while still being capable of going on long, self-sufficient overlanding adventures. This blend of rock crawling and overlanding may seem like an odd pairing to some, but in practice, these seemingly two separate types of adventures actually complement each other very well and make for truly legendary experiences. David Little, a Northridge4x4 customer, has built his 2023 Jeep JL Rubicon Diesel to be just that—a Rocklander.

Suspension & Steering Upgrades

David upgraded his Jeep (affectionately named Valkyrie) to be the ultimate adventure rig, capable of taking him wherever he wants to go with ease. To achieve this, he made sure his suspension was up to the task of achieving maximum flex on the rocks while still providing a comfortable ride on the pavement. David equipped his rig with Rock Krawler's 4.5-inch X Factor Mid Arm Lift Kit. While 4.5 inches of lift may sound like a lot for an overland rig, it's the perfect height for his Rocklanding setup. Not only does he have more than enough ground clearance and plenty of suspension flex to tackle the rocks, but this kit also utilizes triple-rate springs, which provide on- and off-road comfort that surpasses the linear springs on the factory suspension.   

After lifting your Jeep 3.5 inches or more, Rock Krawler recommends upgrading your front end to a High Steer system with a flipped drag link. As you lift your Jeep, the track bar and drag link become less parallel, which causes bump steer—unintended steering wheel movement when hitting road imperfections. High Steering, as the name implies, involves raising the track bar mounting point to be parallel with a flipped drag link. David's Jeep utilizes Rock Krawler's Weld-on High Steer Bracket for his track bar and Reid Racing's HD Flipped High Steer Replacement Knuckles, which utilize a flipped drag link mounting location to ensure his track bar and drag link are perfectly parallel. This combination ensures his lifted Jeep doesn't suffer from bump steer and drives down the road straight as an arrow!

The 2018-2023 Jeep JLs and JTs steering could use some help when equipped with larger tires and tall lifts. It has been well documented that the steering box pulls away from the frame rail while steering. This unintended movement contributes to sloppy steering and failures out on the trail. It's easy to see why Steer Smarts Yeti XD Sector Shaft Brace with Frame Side Track Bar Bracket is such a valuable upgrade for your Jeep JL. This kit not only reinforces the connection between the steering box sector shaft, eliminating movement at its mount, but also beefs up the track bar mount to ensure your Jeep has more than enough strength to hit the trails without worrying about breakage.

To ensure David can easily steer his Jeep both on and off the trail, he installed hydro steering on his JL Wrangler. As you increase the tire size on your Wrangler, you'll find it takes much more effort to turn the steering wheel, especially on the trail. This can make navigating rock obstacles frustrating at best; at worst, it can leave you completely unable to maneuver your Jeep at all. Hydro steering allows for effortless steering, even with giant tires. 

Wheels and Tires 

Tires are an incredibly important aspect of your Jeep Wrangler; they dictate how well it will perform off-road and handle long highway drives on the pavement. David picked out a great set of tires for both on- and off-road driving, delivering excellent traction on the rocks while also giving him a plush ride on the pavement. He opted for 37x12.5R17 Milestar Patagonia MT-02s, which are Milestar's updated and upgraded Patagonia MTs featuring massive improvements in sidewall strength, tread block design, and cut and chip resistance.

David uses the stylish factory wheels that came with his Rubicon. To accommodate the taller and wider tires, he uses wheel spacers to ensure proper clearance and to prevent rubbing the fenders and suspension components. Wheel spacers often get a bad rap in the off-road community; however, when properly installed and torqued regularly, they can be just as safe as a standard wheel without a spacer. Northridge4x4 offers high-quality wheel spacers to help you gain additional clearance for big tires.

Overlanding Equipment

Your camping experience shouldnt have to be as rugged as the terrain you are driving through on your adventure. With the right overlanding gear, you can enjoy a trip that’s both comfortable and convenient—because who doesn’t want to enjoy their time outdoors? Take, for example, a 12v fridge. It revolutionizes your time spent on the trail, and saves you from soggy food and melted ice in a cooler. David chose the ARB 101QT Zero Fridge Freezer for his Jeep Wrangler, complete with a freezer section. Just imagine packing icecream for those hot days spent at camp! Upgrading from an ice chest can truly unlock endless possibilities for your overlanding and camping adventures.

Anyone who's ever camped out of their off-road rig knows that flat table space comes at a premium. When your dispersed camping in the wilderness you dont have the luxury of campspots complete with picnic tables. Thats where a tailgate table comes in, providing a convienent table top that can be folded down from your tailgate at a moments notice. This is essential for cooking your meals at camp, brewing up a fresh cup of coffee, or just to eat a quick lunch while out adventuring, table space proves its worth every single time you go out camping. David's Jeep is equipped with the Rough Country Folding Tailgate Table, which installs easily with hand tools and is designed to be rattle free. 

Mileage is always a concern when on a long off-road adventure. Oftentimes, packing extra fuel is a necessity to keep your vehicle moving along the trail. Packing fuel inside the cargo area of your Jeep Wrangler is not advisable; fuel fumes can become an issue as fuel containers are designed to vent vapor when exposed to high heat. David packs his extra fuel with the LOD 5 Gallon Jerry Can Mounts, which allow him to carry up to 10 extra gallons of fuel. This greatly expands the mileage for his Jeep and allows him to explore further into the backcountry without worrying about running out of fuel. Additionally, I should mention that Jerry Cans also allow you to stock up at cheaper stations and avoid having to stop at expensive gas stations later on in the trip.

Overlanders are often joked about for packing everything and the kitchen sink, however, its often overlanders who have the right gear or tool for the job. On his quest to make an excellent Rocklander, David borrowed some Overlanding wisdom and equipped his Wrangler with a Trail Rack that attaches to his rear bumper. This Trail Rack by LOD Destroyer bolts to his existing LOD rear bumper and sits above his spare tire, this trail rack is perfect for just about anything you want to bring with you on your adventures. Dont be limited by your Jeeps relatively small cargo space, upgrade to LODs Trail Rack and expand your cargo carrying capacity!

Armor & Protection

Durable armor is the only thing standing between your Jeep Wrangler and considerable damage. We don't want to scare you or anything, but there are some particularly expensive components on your Jeep that are vulnerable to trail damage. David's Jeep JL is an excellent example of how to protect your Wrangler from dents, dings, gouges, scratches, scrapes, and every other wince-inducing kind of damage!

David equipped his Jeep with armor such as control arm skids, lower shock tower skids, front axle disconnect armor, and much more. We wanted to especially point out his Artec Full Belly Aluminum Skid Plate system. This skid system does exactly what the name implies: it covers essentially the entire belly of your Jeep with 1/4 inch thick aluminum. Diesel Wranglers especially need to ensure they have everything protected, as there are very expensive emission systems underneath your rig. With a skid system like this from Northridge4x4, you can ensure vulnerable components such as the transmission, oil pan, transfer case, gas tank, and more are shielded from harm. 

No one wants to dent up their Jeep’s body panels; it’s painful to see your beautifully pristine Jeep get beat up on the trail. While pinstripes from tree branches and bushes are largely unavoidable, most of us Jeepers draw the line at body damage! Upgrading to beefy rock sliders is the best body panel protection you can add to your Jeep. David chose LOD’s Signature Series Frame Mounted Rock Sliders to keep his Jeep protected while also providing an excellent step to get into his lifted rig. These rock sliders bolt onto the frame to provide maximum rigidity while slamming against rocks. Best of all, they are constructed from high-quality 2-inch tube steel, made in the good ol’ US of A.

In addition to his Jeep’s side body panels being protected, David also added heavy-duty front and rear bumpers for complete protection. His choice of front bumper is the LOD Signature Series Short Front Bumper, a great choice for durable front-end protection thanks to its 3/16-inch and 1/4-inch thick steel construction. It’s safe to say nothing is going to damage his Jeep’s front end. LOD’s Shorty Front Bumper also features a built-in winch mounting plate. His rear bumper is LOD’s Full Width Rear Bumper w/ Tire Carrier, providing massive rear-end armor while adding utility. Not only does his bumper carry the spare tire, taking the burden off the factory tailgate hinges, but it also allows him to mount his Trail Rack and Jerry Can.

Recovery Gear 

Equipping your rig with dependable recovery equipment truly can make the difference between making it home in one piece and needing a tow truck. Rocklanders face extreme terrain such as large boulders, deep snow, sand, slick rock, thick mud, and more, so it's important to be equipped with gear that can assist your vehicle and your adventure buddies' rigs out of sticky situations.

David equipped his rig with a powerful Rough Country 12,000lb Pro Series Winch w/ Synthetic Rope. The 12,000lb pulling capacity ensures that no matter how much heavy armor or gear he throws in his Jeep, his winch easily has the power to recover his Jeep JL. We personally love the fact this winch comes with synthetic rope. While steel winch cable is tried and true, synthetic rope proves to be a safer, lighter-weight, and easier-to-use option that is excellent for vehicle recoveries.

To allow for even safer operation of his winch, David equipped his winch rope with a Factor 55 ProLink Shackle Mount. This provides a fully enclosed winching system, which offers extra security compared to traditional winch hooks. As a bonus, the ProLink stows away securely to the face of your winch's hawse fairlead, adding to your Jeep's rugged style.

Electronics and Accessories

The new Jeep Wranglers offer far greater electronic customization than years past. David fully unlocks his Jeeps potential with the Z Automotive Tazer Mini Programmer. This programmer offers so many settings to adjust that enhance your vehicles convienence, performance and everyday usability. There are so many options it would be impossible to include every setting here, but a few standouts include recalibrating your Jeep for larger tire sizes and different gear ratios, disable auto stop start, automatic back up camera when using the turn signal and many, many more. 

The Jeep Wrangler, like many 4x4s, utilize prop rods to hold the hood open. This can be inconvinient to set up everytime you want to open your hood, and the prop rod can get in the way while you are servicing the engine. David added the Rough Country Hydraulic Hood Assist to make opening his hood a quick and painless process. The hydraulic struts help to automatically open and hold the hood in place. Add-ons such as these may seem minor, but they truly are appreciated every single time you need to open your hood. 

Build the Ultimate Rocklander at Northridge4x4

Rocklanding adventures are rising in popularity in the off-road community, blending the best of rockcrawling and overlanding for an ultimate adventure. Upgrading your Jeep or 4x4 to adventure in all types of terrain allows you to explore farther out than ever before. David Little's 2023 Jeep JL Unlimited Wrangler Diesel is the perfect example of what a rocklanding rig is. He built his Jeep to tackle some of the toughest rock crawling trails in the US, while still allowing him to live comfortably out of his rig while on the trail. From adding a lift kit, big 37 inch tires, durable armor to keep his Jeep safe, overland gear such as fridges and racks, recovery gear to give him the confidence to explore and an electronic programmer to fine tune his Jeeps computer, his Jeep is ready for a rocklanding adventure. 

No matter what kind of adventure you hope to tackle in your Jeep or 4x4, from long overlanding journeys, hardcore rock crawling, easy trail riding through forest roads, or to get to and from campsites, Northridge4x4 has what you need to get the most from your 4x4. We offer a curated selection of industry leading brands to help take the guesswork out of buying new parts and accessories for your 4x4. 

We'd love to hear from you in the comments below! What kind of Jeep or 4x4 are you currently building? What kind of adventures do you love going on? 

The Adventure Begins Where the Road Ends