Have
you ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go right?
Well this tech article and write-up is one of "those days"...
doubled!
I was out
wheeling in one of our spots where most of the trails are really
tight and tree lined, when I jumped out of my skin because my
daughter let out a blood-curdling yelp from the back seat. I stopped
the Jeep and turned around to see her holding her cheek where
she has a big red mark from a tree branch or a limb that popped
off the roll bar and smacked her. She wasn't hurt and was more
mad than anything, but like any good father I decided it wouldn't
happen to my baby again - or I hoped so, at least.
I knew that
for me the answer was not to wheel with the top on. Here in Texas
and the surrounding states there are just too many beautiful days
to run around enclosed inside a Jeep - heck that's almost as bad
as your cubicle at work! Plus, in my mind, my soft top was too
expensive to take a chance at ripping it. I can do body work but
the thought of crushing or cracking the fiberglass hardtop was
not appealing, either.
Having all
those limitations, I decided to start looking around on the web.
I came across a number of sites that had web bed material and
thought seriously about buying some material and making some nets
for protecting the back seat passengers. Then I came across a
website for Raingler
and I liked what I saw; 10 year UV resistance (black nets only),
saltwater grade material, including the stitching, and military
grade hardware (which should mean no rust).
I emailed
Eddie Cline at Raingler and after verifying some of the information
and deciding on what it was I was looking for, I ordered a set
of Raingler Side Nets. Eddie also talked to me about a new item
they have called the Mini Net, which has many universal uses so
I thought I would check that out, as well.
The thing
I noticed when I got the nets was the quality with which they
were made and the obvious attention to detail. The seams are high
quality and everything is double-sewn with the right kinds of
material and thread. The rings are heavy-guage metal and the clasps
are also metal (as opposed to plastic that so many are using these
days) and very easy to use. I couldn't wait to put them on and
try them out. The only problem was that I was at least a couple
of weeks from going on any runs - especially anything I could
do to take my daughter with me.
|
|
Well-stitched
seams |
Metal
clasps and rings |
The first
chance I had to get out with the nets came during the Jeeps Of
North Texas Lone Star Trail Fest event, which Raingler happened
to be a sponsor of. The timing couldn't be better. I installed
the Side Nets and I really liked the protection they afforded
both my daughter and Kanga, our trail mutt. I was, however, in
quandary as to how to use the Mini Net so I shot and email off
to Eddie, who replied;
"I
honestly like seeing what people come up with sometimes. The nets
we keep remodeling over time to fill customer requests. We find
that some things we make could meet their request with a slight
revision... and so on. I had a customer with an old military '47
using the side nets as a safari door type device. The Mini's I
have seen as a small over front area, over rear passenger area
for carrying bags, soft windows in bags or even in blankets rolled
up. I used mine the other day to carry some 35" tires from
the tire store. The front partition actually led us to make another
variation lately; the Wrangler Barrier Net. It is the same as
yours but adds another cross row to block the area where the console
lid is for smaller dogs. Hmmnnn, what else? How about a soft tire
hold-down for folks with interior tire carries. (Steel U bolts
and backing plates/hardware store 3$?) A tailgate net for Jeeps?
By the way, these are about 10X stronger than the pickup truck
tailgate nets I have seen here. Use it with a hardtop to carry
stuff up inside for winter (tow strap, blanket, rain jacket, etc.)"
Once I unpacked
everything I headed out to the garage and began to put the Side
Nets on. Since the nets are shaped to fit the opening next to
the rear seat on a Jeep TJ and they have a logo on them it's pretty
easy to see how they are supposed to mount. I found that just
starting the upper straps and then tightening the bottom ones
and then going back to the top ones worked best to get that uniform
"NASCAR" safety net look to them.
So I went
ahead and installed the net behind the rear seat as (perhaps)
added protection from branches and leave on the back plus it would
probably keep the spare tie rod and collapsible chairs together
and from falling thru on the dog or daughter in case something
went dreadfully wrong. When installing the net on the rear I used
the same approach as the side; start at the top, connecting it
loosely and then tightening the bottom first. It made for a great
fit.
In fact, with
the two extra tie downs that come with the Mini Net I was actually
able to tie the chairs in place so they didn't move around at
all.
Now before
all you nay-sayers make comments about the opening in the nets
not really providing any protection let me assure you that both
the dog and the daughter can stick their hands, paws and arms
out the net's openings, however ,when combined with a properly
working restraint (seatbelts for the daughter and a doggy tie
down for Kanga) they work quite well. In fact, the only negative
to the nets was that to get in the back seat one had to actually
fold the front seat and climb in as opposed to just climbing over
the side.
ON
TO MORE TESTING ==>