The Part of Camping Nobody Photographs: Setting Up Your Bronco After Dark

[BA OffRoad]

Can this be installed with the Hardtop in place?

Where does the power for the light and accessory plugs come from?

Thanks

Yes — the system can be installed with the hard top in place, so you do not need to remove the hard top just to complete the installation. It is designed to work with both hard-top and soft-top 4-door Broncos, while still allowing normal roof removal afterward.

For power, there is a factory power connection/wire located behind the plastic trim panel. Once the trim cover is removed, you’ll be able to see the connection point used for the integrated LED light and USB/USB-C ports.

The full wiring route and connection steps are also shown in the installation instructions/video so you don’t have to go exploring behind the trim with a multimeter and optimism.

Thanks for asking!

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[BA OffRoad]

Long winded but really great points here. I surged up and down with the class of gear I was buying as I was getting influence by the Youtuber reviews. You can carry ONE Exped MegaMat or EIGHT Nemo Eclipse air pads. Huge difference in packout when you start standardizing on flat pack/backpacking gear. Certainly a tradeoff there, my Exped mats are WAY more comfortable then my air filled ones. If you're overlanding/camping in a Bronco with just two people, you can get away with a handful of bulky things. If you're doing it with a family of four its all backpacking gear or you're just out of room in seconds.

That’s a really good distinction. Once you start camping with a family of four, pack size becomes just as important as what the gear actually does. One bulky comfort item may be fine, but a whole cargo area full of them adds up fast.

And we agree with the bigger point here: the goal shouldn’t be to use a MOLLE panel as an excuse to bring more stuff. For us, the useful part is giving the smaller things you already carry—flashlights, first-aid gear, radios, charging cables, etc.—a consistent place so they aren’t consuming floor space or disappearing under the larger gear.

With two people, you can get away with a few luxuries. With four, every cubic inch starts negotiating for its life.

Really appreciate the perspective.

 

[DaddyO]

I thought I’d already resolved these issues. I have 3- flat lights that magnetically attach to my overhead molle panels. They have a switch to either turn on or flip the switch a different direction and make them turn on by detecting your movement. You can adjust their intensity or color by touching the light and it will get brighter or dimmer. You can then remove them and carry them around with you, or attach them to something metal like the body of your Bronco to illuminate what you’re working on. And as far as your sunglasses, done. I have a slip in case with a pocket clip that I have attached to my overhead molle panel and I just slip them in or out as needed.

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