Little Bo Jeep: This JKU Wrangler is One Girl's Pathway to Off-Road Adventure

• August 23, 2024
• Story By
  Mike Garrett

One of the great things about the 4x4 hobby and the Jeep community especially, is that it’s welcoming to people of all types and of all experience levels.

Head to your nearest Off Road expo or meetup, and you’ll find people who have been building and wheeling Jeeps for decades — from part time weekend hobbyists to newcomers who are being exposed to the hobby for the first time.

A Five-Year Journey

Back in 2020, Nitto Pit Crew member Breanna Landin was part of the latter group. She had just purchased her 2015 Wrangler Sport JKU a few months prior, drawn more to the Wrangler’s styling and personality than of any aspiration to go off-roading.

In fact, prior to picking up her Wrangler, she’d only owned normal commuter cars like her 2013 Nissan Altima. Not exactly an enthusiast-grade machine.

But thanks to the power of social media, she soon found herself often dipping her toes into the “Jeep Life,” eventually being invited by a friend to take the Wrangler to a local meet in Long Beach, California.

It was a small meet, but she soon found herself becoming part of the local Jeep community and eventually went to her first trail run in the SoCal desert. What was supposed to be a quick three-hour introduction ended up being an awesome ten-hour adventure. She was hooked.

The Bite of the 4x4 Bug

And in the five years since she bought it, Breanna’s Wrangler has slowly evolved into the rig you see here, which she’s affectionately dubbed “Little Bo Jeep.”

Her goal was to have something that would be fun and capable on weekend trail runs, but still be usable for the daily commute. Along the way she’s also added a lot of her own personality to the rig.

Among the long list of modifications she’s done to the Jeep, the Nitto Trail Grappler mud-terrain tire is one of the centerpieces.

You’ll see here that the 17”x9 Pro Comp wheels are mounted with a set of 35x12.50R17 Trail Grapplers, but she’s since upgraded.

As Jeep enthusiasts are apt to do, she decided to go even bigger — now running a set of 37-inch Trail Grappler tires.

Just Getting Started

While she’s done her fair share of rock crawling with the Jeep, Breanna says lately she’s been getting the most enjoyment from a more relaxed approach, one that involved just getting out in the wilds and exploring.

She’s also been leaning more into the “overlanding” side of the hobby, with plans to eventually add a rack and rooftop tent, along with a rear drawer solution to store camping gear.

Breanna is happy to admit that when she first attended that meetup almost five years ago that she was a complete newbie, not knowing the first thing about her Jeep or its capabilities, but that’s the beauty of this hobby.

And best of all, her story is not a rare one. It’s a journey that’s been traveled by Jeep owners all across the country and the world, encouraged and inspired by fellow hobbyists and building lifelong friendships.

And for Breanna and Little Bo Jeep, there’s a lot more adventures to come.

Hard Facts