’10 JKU Turns into an Adventure Dream Rig

TEXT BY KELLY NOMURA | IMAGES BY MALCOLM TWEED

Imagine you had the chance to build the ultimate rig. One that has the capabilities to go wherever you wanted, features to accommodate all of your gear, and a look to make heads turn. What would it look like? What platform would you base it off of? What features would you incorporate? Not many of us have the expertise, knowledge, nor opportunity to build something almost from scratch, but if you did, you know you’d jump at the chance. And that’s exactly what Jonathan “Yeti” Norvell did. The foundation he built from fabricating vehicles, customizing cars, and building epic off-road rigs all led him down the unimaginable path to eventually build his ultimate vehicle: the Adventure Dream Rig, affectionately called ADR. It made its debut at Overland Expo West 2019 and has continued to turn heads ever since. This one-off dialed-in machine turned up the power, increased the capabilities, and opened up the possibilities of what it could hold and where it could go.

Ideas Come to Life

Already well versed in living life on the road full time, Yeti came up with the idea for this build from a conversation he had with Pete Brownell. After spending some time together in Iowa, currently where Yeti has his shop set up, Brownell asked Yeti what he would build if he could build anything he wanted. What would be his tool for adventure? The wheels turned and the thoughts and ideas spilled out as Yeti reflected on his years living off the grid with his girlfriend and adventure partner, Holly “Yolo” Freeman. The things he discussed weren’t the typical cool gadgets and products we all love, although those are also a necessary addition, but rather he focused more on the things he needed when he was in the middle of nowhere—the features that held importance with extended long-term use of a vehicle. Thus came the birth of ADR.

Flexing is easy with the Terraflex 4-inch long arm suspension paired with Walker Evans 2.5 Piggyback adjustable shocks.

Discovering impressive views to set up camp for the night is easy with the ADR.

Even from behind, the ADR looks menacing and ready for anything.

The uniqueness of the custom paintjob makes the ADR look like no other Jeep out there.

Brownell partnered up with Yeti for the build and dreams became reality. After deciding which model to use, JKU or JLU (which was just coming out), he opted for the JKU. The simple-yet-rugged platform allowed him to do the most he could with what was available at the time. He mentioned the search for a JKU on his Instagram account and the DMs flooded his inbox with people offering up their Jeeps. After searching from east to west on one of their many trips, Yeti finally found a clean ‘10 Jeep JKU in Southern California for $20,000. It already had a following on social media and was recognizable in the overland space with a small lift, roof rack, and light pods. What it transformed into is much, much more.