1) Introduce yourself and your Jeep
My name is Jared and I drive Nacho. Like our fearless leader I’ve had an unhealthy number of cars, including 5 other Jeeps. This is the first one that I’ve built from the ground up and it’s really been a labor of love mixed with poor financial choices.
2) What do you love most about owning a Jeep?
Knowing that no matter where I go, I’ll be able to fully enjoy where I’m at. Cruise to the beach on a sunny day? Take the top/doors off and enjoy that free boost of Vitamin D. Snow storm with multiple feet of accumulation already on the ground? Throw the Jeep in 4WD and let’s go get some Starbucks.
3) What city or urban area are you closest to?
I live in Pensacola, FL, which is small compared to most cities but has plenty of great opportunities for urban exploration. Our area is full of talented artists that display their artwork on buildings throughout the city and we even have a place called the Graffiti Bridge (it’s a bridge, with graffiti) that anyone is free to exercise their creativity on.
4) Off roading isn’t for everyone, but at Urban Jeeping we believe Jeeps are for everyone. What’s your favorite thing about city crawling?
I may be the odd man out here, because I enjoy city crawling just as much as I do exploring all of the forests, WMAs and off-road parks this area has to offer. Being able to find a new spot in the city has definitely become my one of my favorite ways to explore though— I like to travel as much as possible but don’t always have time to find a trail to hit. Every city has something to offer within the confines of its concrete jungle, it’s just a matter of finding it.
5) What’s your least favorite thing about driving in a city?
The people— and not in an “angsty emo kid” way, either. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve almost been t-boned because someone wasn’t paying attention to what they were doing while driving around town. Stuff like that just doesn’t happen out in the forest. Also because let’s be honest… a lot of cool urban areas are in the parts of town your mom told you to stay away from, and it’s not because of the funky smell coming from the old paper mill.
6) What other urban dwelling Jeeps do you like to follow that you think we should feature next?
I’m mostly inspired by accounts that aren’t afraid to just be themselves. There’s a lot of pressure out there to conform to the algorithm and only post what people want to see and that’s just not fun. Urban exploration has really broadened my overall view of what makes a good spot for photography and helped me to further appreciate the various opportunities my city has to offer.
