This 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (JLU 4-door) came into our Wheat Ridge bay to level up its overland setup. It already ran a rooftop tent on an older rack, but the owner wanted a stronger, cleaner platform — so we pulled the existing Smittybilt rack, installed a Sherpa Equipment Co. QDHD roof rack, moved the rooftop tent over, and added fuel and gear storage.
The build sheet
- Removed the old Smittybilt rack and rooftop tent
- Installed and assembled the Sherpa QDHD roof rack for the Wrangler JLU
- Reinstalled the rooftop tent on short tent mounts to keep the height down
- Added RotoPax fuel and MOLLE side panels for gear
Why the Sherpa QDHD
The best part of the Sherpa QDHD is right in the name — Quick-Detach Heavy-Duty. The whole rack, tent and all, comes off the Jeep without cutting, drilling, or a shop visit, so when camping season is over you can pull it, take the top off, and drive the JLU like a Jeep again. It's a stout flat platform that carries a rooftop tent plus gear, and it mounts to the factory hard-top points, so nothing about the tub or roofline gets butchered to run it.
Tent, fuel, and storage — mounted low and clean
We moved the owner's rooftop tent onto the new platform using short tent mounts, which keep the tent tucked close to the rack instead of stacked up on tall feet. That lowers the overall height for garage and trail clearance and keeps the weight as low as a roof setup can be. Down the sides we added MOLLE panels with a RotoPax fuel can, so extra fuel and gear ride on the rack instead of eating up cargo space inside the Jeep.
Roof weight and the rest of the rig
Anything up on the roof — a rack, a tent, fuel — raises the center of gravity, so mounting it low and secure matters, and a Jeep that carries a rooftop tent is happiest with the suspension set up to match. If you're building toward a rooftop tent, it's worth pairing the rack with the right lift and suspension so the Jeep rides level and planted with the weight up top.
Building your Jeep for overlanding? See our roof rack and overland outfitting pages, and get a quote from our Wheat Ridge shop.
We serve Denver, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Arvada, Lakewood, and the Front Range. Call (970) 341-4221 to talk through your build, or see our install services.
