RETIREMENT PLAN

Chris Perron traded his sedan for off-road self-sufficiency and never looked back

- Jered Korfhage

Taking one last look at his Mercedes-Benz sedan, Chris Perron told the salesperson, "I won't need this once I retire." After 33 years in the military, Chris found himself at a Jeep dealership ready to trade the rigors of his career (and his sports car) for something geared for the dirt. To the bewilderment of the sales staff, he parted ways with the CLS 550, drove away from the dealership in an '18 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Recon Edition, and never looked back.

Although this was his first off-road vehicle, Chris knew he'd end up with a Jeep. He just couldn't beat the vehicle's ruggedness and the storage beneath the hardtop. Once the Wrangler was his, he methodically modified it to suit his specifications. Chris fine-tuned the Jeep's suspension setup, matched tires and wheels to his off-roading style, augmented nighttime visibility, and tailored the cargo area to fit his needs. Once complete, the Jeep was a carefully honed tool for exploring far away from civilization and it has allowed Chris to travel from coast to coast with confidence.

AEV Borah beadlocks keep Chris' 37-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrains seated no matter how low he chooses to drop his tire pressure.

Rhino-Rack's Pioneer Platform is a low-profile solution to storing cargo above the Jeep and it is paired with the company's Backbone system that reinforces the hardtop from the inside. Chris sleeps above the ground inside his James Baroud Explorer rooftop tent.

Under the hood, the 3.6L V-6 shares real estate with a dual battery system and an SPOD six-switch relay box.

SPOD's design requires only one wire to be run into the cab and the unit can control up to six circuits with rocker switches.

ARB Intensity driving lights sit low on the front bumper and LED pods from Rigid Industries are on the cowls packing forward-facing amber light.