OverviewCamp Jeep is a annual event sponsored by Chrysler Corporation and held at beautiful Camp Hale, Colorado. Once a training location for the US Army's 10th Mountain Division, Camp Hale is located along Hwy 25 between Vail and Leadville, Colorado. The area is rich in pioneer, outlaw, and gold rush history of the American West which adds to the excitement of Jeep explorations.
Registration in Vail, ColoradoCamp Jeep '97 was held 1-3 August and began with registration in Vail, Colorado's ice arena. Outstanding organization began here and continued throughout the weekend which is remarkable for a event servicing over 5000 Jeep enthusiasts. Welcome packages and bulging goodie bags were waiting on us at our the alphabetically segregated registration tables. I handled the registration, while Pattie ran to the trail ride sign-up table hoping we were not too late to join a tough trail ride. Since I figured Camp Jeep was mainly for stock vehicles, my only instructions to her were to sign up for the toughest trail. We joined back up at the refreshment tables where our sons were munching on fresh fruit and hot pop-corn. She said we were signed up for a trail called Holy Cross City and the guys at the registration desk wanted to talk to me. She said the trails were color coded based on difficulty as blue, green, or black and one, Holy Cross City, double black (the most difficult). I asked her what they wanted to talk to me about and she said something about our driving a Cherokee. I love it when this happens. After a brief description of the Avocado, they agreed I could go on the double black trail. With that priority settled, we moved from table to table scheduling every hour of the next two days. Camp Jeep provides a blank itinerary and you go from table to table signing up for events based on your priorities. In short, you tailor make your weekend what you like. White water rafting, fly fishing, engineering round tables, a 101 Jeep driving course, mountain bike trips, day hikes and many other events are available. I dare say someone could even elect not to do any trail rides. Since we blocked off two-thirds of the day Saturday with the Holy Cross City trail ride, we opted to participate in as many events as possible at Camp Jeep on Friday. No camping is available at Camp Jeep despite the name. So, we headed back to our campsite in the Crazy Horse Campground Resort in Buena Vista, Colorado. Crazy Horse is about 50 minutes from Camp Hale and one of the only full service RV facilities available (more on local attractions/accommodations later).Day OneWe arrived at Camp Jeep early Friday morning, but not early enough. All the T-shirts were sold in the first few hours which is really the only complaint I have about the entire event. The event circus tents cover a large area; but, they were dwarfed by the size of the valley and surrounding mountains. We strolled the boys in the main entrance and were immediately welcomed with a "good morning campers" from several staff members. Pattie took the kids to the crafts tent and I headed for the engineering displays. Pattie said the crafts were very organized and provided fun activities for even the youngest. Of course, free candy and toys plastered grins on their little faces for the whole day. I did a bit of grinning myself as I entered the engineering exhibits and saw all sort of component manufacturers with their displays. Dana engineers had a cutaway Dana 30 and a aluminum Dana 44 axle housing on display. I told the Dana representative that potential TJ owners were hesitant to order the Dana 44 because it was aluminum. He said only the Grand Cherokees get the C-clipped aluminum Dana 44. The TJs all get the cast, flanged axle Dana 44 and for 1998 3.73 gears are an option. This is good news for anyone considering a TJ. Next, I talked to the transfer case guys who told me how the Quadra Trac T-case worked. I still don't like it. I asked what damage occurs inside the NP231 T-case when it is driven on dry pavement since the manual advises against this practice. They said nothing will happen to the T-case, but more stress will be put on tires and front axle components. Next, I approached the brake component engineers and asked the Avocado does not stop very well. They said they do not design their brakes to stop tires three times the stock size on a vehicle that weighs 30% more than originally intended. Sounds reasonable to me. Goodyear was there with all types of tires that come on Jeep vehicles. I asked them when they were going to start making a off-road tire. They gagged and I related one incidence where I pulled a tooth pick size thorn from a Goodyear side wall and watched the tire go flat. They said they will have three plies in the side wall of the Wrangler MT this Fall. The engineering tent had a TJ with the body off and engineers standing around to answer questions. Unfortunately, I did not get a good answer why they still use that silly slip yoke on the rear of the transfer case. Their only comment on the availability of the 5.2 liter V8 in the TJ was "1998? No, it will not be offered in 1998". Over the course of the weekend, I heard Jeep owners explaining their desires to engineers in various forums. The V8 TJ combo and the fixed T-case yoke were high interest items. One of the most impressive displays was the air bag demonstration. Engineers described how the air bag is triggered to deploy and showed video of off-road test to try and deploy the air bag. These guys took loaded Grand Cherokees, Cherokees and Wranglers out on test tracks and trails and literally destroyed them in an attempt to make the air bag inflate. None did. I saw Grand Cherokees slam into rocks, bounce back and then jump over them. The rocker panels caved in, bumpers were dragging the ground and the Jeeps kept going with no pre-mature inflation. The engineers said that, with the exception of some early Grand Cherokees, no crush sensors are used. The air bags are triggered by a decelerometer which is triggered by forces that can only be achieved in a accident. The videos made a believer out of me. The electronics engineers were there with a see through display of early and late model Cherokee electric windows and door locks. I bemoaned the fact that the Avocado's 1988 vintage systems are failing. They said they wanted to improve the electric door lock and window design, but had to wait for the 1997 redesign to get things the way they wanted. The new wiring is higher quality, simpler, and less prone to breakage. After I finished grilling the engineers, I met with Pattie and the boys at the kids 101 course. The boys were having a great time driving 12 volt mini Jeeps around the obstacle course. We packed a picnic lunch and retired to the Avocado to enjoy it although food is available for purchase at Camp Jeep.
|
 |
Off-Road.com Newsletter Join our Weekly Newsletter to get the latest off-road news, reviews, events, and alerts! |
Follow @Off-Road
Your Privacy Choices