Trail Chat: Ursa Minor J30 1-Year Field Test Review. Is it Good for Overlanding?

When it comes to camping out of a Jeep, there are a ton of options. One option that offers a unique camping experience is the Ursa Minor, a full replacement top for your JK or JL. Join us for a trail chat as we discuss what owning an Ursa Minor has been like, some of the pros, cons, and information you may want to know about before purchasing one. Hey guys, this is John with Trails Off-Road. Today we're out at Big Bend Ranch State Park. I've owned this Ursa Minor for about a year now, and I thought I'd give you some of my impressions of how it's been so far. And we got Todd here also who has an Ursa Minor. Today is just going to be a chat about some of the things we've enjoyed, and maybe some of the things that could be improved. So we're going to ask each other a couple questions. I'm going to ask John. The first question here is kind of talk, tell me about what you did before Ursa Minor, pre-Ursa Minor life. Yeah, so pre-Ursa Minor, I was in a Toyota Tacoma, which was an awesome truck, and just a standard ground tent. And I did that for about five years, and that was a great solution, but it left a little bit to be desired. So I was a backpacker way before all this overlanding stuff, and I'm pretty comfortable in a tent, but the tent has some drawbacks. Like what were some of your big drawbacks using a tent going from spot to spot like we have these past couple days? Yeah, so the moment I actually got into maybe true overlanding, which is multi-day car camping, different locations, I noticed the takedown time and the setup time of the ground tent with all the sleeping gear inside started to become more of a chore. So in reality, it's probably about 15-20 minutes of setup and takedown time, but you multiply that twice a day over a three to four day period, it really starts to kind of eat into your time. So that was one of the things about the ground tent that started becoming disadvantageous when getting out and doing these multi-day trips. And you've had some great success with ground tents in terms of wind and rain. Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, good times in Utah. We went out, explored an awesome part of Utah, came back, tent was completely poles broken, the sharp poles ripped right through the tent, and yeah, that was a fun night on the woods. And you can check out that video link above there. The one question though is, I don't recall, was your Ursa Minor on order at that time or was that the deciding factor? What did you think an Ursa Minor was going to do for you versus ground tent life? Yeah, so I thought the Ursa Minor would essentially allow me to have a really comfortable solution, but still a really capable solution. So I actually ended up buying the Jeep because I saw the Ursa Minor. It's the only product on the market that allows you to have a self-contained micro camper with the vehicle and the sleeping solution as one unit. Since you unlock the hatch panels on the inside that go up and in it, this allows you to have a fully self-contained micro camper essentially where you can stand up inside of your vehicle, maybe get some work done, change your clothes on a rainy day, kind of whatever you need to do to get up. You know, I'm about six foot tall and I can get up there and stretch. So even just that flexibility to allow myself to stand up, it kind of opens a lot of doors on the days that aren't really ideal for being outside in. Yeah, I'm gonna have to totally agree with you on that because when I first saw the Ursa Minor, it was 2016 or 17 maybe, I don't know how long he was in business at that point, but when I saw it I was like this is the most logical thing that I've seen in the marketplace where you just take the Jeep top off, you put this top on, it's a lot more aerodynamic than a regular roof top tent. Someone like me, if you can't tell I'm not very tall, you know I don't really need a step stool to set it up or anything like that, it's great for a short person, but I just thought, you know, being more symbiotic with the Jeep it would respond a lot better on the road and so I coveted the Ursa Minor for a long time and then you jumped the gun way before I did to go out and buy one. Oh yeah, no I was chomping at the bit to check it out. I just thought it was a really clever and unique situation and what's really cool, I mean yeah if you've got someone you know sleeping above you, you can hang out down below them or if in the middle of the night you need to grab something out of your fridge, you just pop hatch panel, you never have to get out of your vehicle, it's not cold, so there's a lot of really, there's a lot of advantages to this particular setup and you know I can say with certainty I've really enjoyed it so far. Having said that, now you've had it now for, you bought it in November of 2020, so just a little over a year, year and a quarter, what do you think your top three, like what are your three favorites and I'll tell you my three favorite things of it. For sure, so one of my favorite things is it's really reduced anxiety being out here with such a compact unit, so when I go out four-wheeling I'm not trying to go conquer the biggest obstacles, I'm just trying to safely and comfortably explore the backcountry, so to have kind of a streamlined form factor when you're out wheeling, you know you didn't just put a bunch of, you know a brick on top of your vehicle with a roof rack and all that stuff, it's a lot more streamlined, so the form factor is one of my favorite parts about it. I think it only adds 11 inches up top. 11 inches and then it adds about 150 pounds, which you notice that weight on some of the off camber, but you kind of get used to it pretty quickly, but so that's one of my favorite things right, is it is it has allowed for more difficult remote backcountry travel, but with a really kind of slim form factor, it's not you know it's not an obtrusive blob on top of your vehicle. The second thing about it I already kind of touched on is the convenience, I mean you can pop the tent in 30 seconds, takedown time is maybe 45, you know you multiply that over all the days you're out traveling, and you've just saved an immense amount of time versus a traditional ground tent solution. The third thing I've really enjoyed about the Ursa Minor is the fact that it's so airtight up in the sleeping area. I love wheeling with the windows open, and the bottom of my jeep is just beyond dusty, there's dust in every single crevice you could possibly imagine, but the top is kind of your sacred space, your sleeping area, and it's so airtight from the hatch because it's so airtight, so it keeps your upstairs your sleeping area just just very clean, tidy, organized, and I know my wife especially loves that because she's a much cleaner person than I am. I'm gonna just kind of go in this the little opposite order of view, but I'm gonna say the fact that I am not really tracking dust and dirt up there because I'm taking my shoes off below, you know or any clothes for that matter and climbing up through the hatch, I'm not bringing a lot of dirt, but I was really worried about the amount of dust seeping through the seams, you know driving, especially when you're not the lead vehicle and you're just in this cloud of dust. I mean there's been no dust up there whatsoever for me, so I would definitely put dust free at the top of my list. I would also definitely say that the amount of put up time and take down time is pretty minimal anymore compared to dealing with that Oztent that I used to try to you know fit into the back of a jeep and stuff like that. It's just pretty much instantaneous, and I think we pulled in this camp, we both parked and were set up all with under 90 seconds and maybe a little bit different of a take on it. I was very worried about feeling top heavy, and I don't know if I've noticed it that much with the top heaviness, so I think that going back to that really being symbiotic with the body of the vehicle really makes a good thing in there. So I know you and I've spoken on the radio a bunch of times about things that we might change on the Ursa Minor if we could, what would your number one be? I would say the thing that I would change about the Ursa Minor is kind of the window flap systems. The way that it's constructed, I mean so they give you the option to have full canvas, that's how it becomes you know default, and then you can unzip to expose the mesh, and then you can unzip everything to expose the clear outside. So if you're into photography and you want to get a you know a top, a more elevated advantage point, you can go do that. But the one thing I've noticed is I just don't know where to put the flaps really, because they flap like downward. You're almost laying on top of you if they're halfway. So yeah, so when you have got the screen exposed, you just have these flaps, and I just haven't figured out what to do with them. I almost think like maybe if they reversed it so the flaps zip the opposite way, maybe you could like kind of scrunch it up and roll it up, so that way when you're you know you're not sleeping on the flaps, the flaps are above you, you can like pin them to the top of the roof. That's really the only thing that I've found about the actual tent, but about the process itself, the one thing, I don't have a ladder. So when nature calls at night, when you're all warm and tucked in up there, the last thing you want to do is you know, especially the partner up there, you need to take off all your blankets, your sleeping bag, and then kind of shimmy around. You're going to disturb your partner, and then you go down through the hatch, perform your business, and then you need to come back up. But I think maybe every rooftop tent probably has that issue. Yeah, you got to get down. You got to get down, and I just, that's the last thing I want to do is just think about you know, popping down this you know, it's almost like a gymnastic move with another person in the vehicle, where you're kind of tucking your knees up like that, and then letting people in and out. So that's kind of one, those are a few more of the drawbacks, but nothing to really make me go, hey this isn't working out for me as a whole. Let's talk real quick, because I know one of the surprises that I had when I bought it, was how well this thing is constructed. Yes. When I first saw it there at their shop, I was like, wow this thing's really well built. But then it wasn't until I got up in it, and you know, bouncing around, getting changed and whatnot, that I saw the construction quality of this top, I mean totally surpassed all my expectations. Besides there's some iron, yeah they're scratched, but I mean it's that the exterior finish on that is just super top-notch. And then moving on to the actual construction, I've hit some really big branches on this thing. I've broken off branches on this thing, and it's just held up flawlessly. I mean there's videos online where you can see of guys dumping them on their sides, straight on the top, and there's really no evidence of issue whatsoever. So construction wise, I mean 10 out of 10, this thing is absolutely bulletproof. Yeah, I would say it's much better constructed than even some of the best rooftop tents out there with big names. Yep, no it is, it is an absolutely, you know, that was one of my apprehensions going in, is like how strong is going to be a hinged folding, you know, canvas system on top of the vehicle, but I have zero issues whatsoever. And you know, you can even get accessories for roof racks and stuff, and I'd have no hesitation strapping a kayak onto that, or whatever you're trying to get into. I mean it is, they're bomb-proof. And I think that's a good thing to talk about, because yours, luckily you got yours first, so I didn't want to do a couple things you did, so there are some differences between the two of ours. With any of the accessories or accessory options that you could get, would you have done anything different? I know you went without the windows, you just went plain Jane the whole way. Yep. I went the side windows, and then the little mat pocket was a little bit different than yours. Yep. What would you do differently, or would you totally keep doing the same thing? One plus to yours, which has the windows, is you got some cross flow, which I think is important on a hot day, and also you get some light, which is important on a, you know, dark situation, whether you're at night. The lights that they do provide are phenomenal. You got the power package up there, right? Yep, I did. So I've got a 12 volt power and USB power up upstairs, so you can charge your phone and all that stuff. I would highly recommend that. And then the lighting below it, there's the light in the rear cargo area. I mean it is, when you're cooking back there, your tailgate, it is phenomenal to have all the light back there. And it's LED, it's drawing no power. Yep. Like almost no power. Yep. But for like the windows, I'm actually happy without them, but it's an option that I actually could do further on in the future. If I want to go to Ursa Minor, they could cut out those windows and add them for me. Yeah, I think that's important to point out, that a lot of these options you can do well after. You can do after the fact, yep. I actually just stuff a bunch of stuff behind the roll bar and the rear kind of window area. Like I stuff coats back there, I stuff my laptop back there, so it stays really protected and really isolated. For me, the window, I don't know if I would get one, but I also like the fact that you've got so much more natural light that can come back through yours. Would you think, you know, just certain people like certain things, do you see anybody that would not want to Ursa Minor? I would say the people that may not gravitate towards Ursa Minor would be if you are a large human being, and I mean height wise, because you know, when I'm up there, I'm 6'1 for reference, and me and my wife, we sleep up there together, and I would say we have just enough room to be comfortable. It's not like sardine can, but it's not like, you know, spread out. So I think size wise. Also again, back to the getting in and out, if you aren't a very flexible person, or maybe you have some health complications that don't allow you to kind of get in and out of a ladder, or get in through a hatch panel, that might be the person that I wouldn't recommend Ursa Minor for. So can I elaborate on that? Yeah. So what was it, six or seven days ago, I broke my hand, and I've been able to get up there. It's obviously a little awkward, kind of one-handed getting up there, but for the most part, it's pretty easy to get up there, I think, if you have the back seats. You don't have the back seats in your vehicle. No, I don't have the back seats. I have a full-on seat delete, which allows me, which, but that provides a lot of cargo, and then if you're traveling with kids or something, you can actually have it, so if you've got a rear seat delete, you can have people or dogs sleeping below you, and then you and whoever else sleeping above you. So, I mean, you could really, depending on how much removable stuff you have on the bottom of your vehicle, you could sleep four people in there. Yeah. It's kind of a unique setup. I mean, there's no other, I mean, there's really no other camper that allows you, in this form factor, this size, that allows you to do that, so it's pretty unique in that sense. Now that we've talked about our Ursa Minors, are you happy with your purchase? Oh yeah, 100%. I mean, it is one of the more expensive options out there, but I truly believe, for me, and just this is my setup, it's perfect for me, because I'm out here mostly by myself. It's like a castle up there, and it's so easy to put up and down. Without a doubt, it was worth every buck that I spent on it, and I actually bought the Ursa Minor before I bought the new JL. So, I told you, I've wanted one for a long time, so I'm finally glad I got it. But I got one last question for you. Where's the next place you want to go with your Ursa Minor? You know what? There's one state on my radar that I've never been to that looks absolutely epic, and that's Montana. I cannot wait to go explore Montana. It looks absolutely phenomenal. Big sky country. And so, that's definitely on my 2022 plans. What about you? You know what? I'd just throw a dart at the map anymore. I'm happy to be there, but I'd totally check out Montana. But the dream that I've had since I've had the Ursa Minor is I really want to pop that top on a beach and hear the ocean crash all night long. So, for me, a beach trail is going to be up on the list. And luckily for you, the Ursa Minor kind of gives you that flexibility to kind of throw a dart on the map, go anywhere, be set up instantaneously, pack back up, and head to the next adventure. That's it. If you like this video, be sure to hit like, ask us a bunch of questions. We love talking about these Ursa Minors. And most importantly, we hope to see you out on the trail.