Annual event, right on the Wildwood, New Jersey beach, involved plenty of sun, games, products, fun and, yeah, Jeeps of all kinds.
by Matt Konkle
Torque Managing Editor
WILDWOOD, NJ — Nine-year-old Colton Harris perched attentively on the back of a two-seater bicycle Saturday morning, as his father Peter steered it up the East Bennett Street ramp and onto a sizzling and crowded Wildwood boardwalk.< /p>
And the first thing he saw was rows upon rows upon rows of Jeeps snuggled into the sand between that boardwalk and the hazy ocean off in the distance.
"Look," he said, pointing out at all of the vehicles as his father parked their rental bike against metal rails overlooking the beach. "Look at all the Jeeps. That one looks just like yours daddy."
He pointed into the maelstrom of vehicles, perhaps at a red one, or was it Green. Or Snazzberry. It was hard to tell because of the sheer volume stretched out across the sand.
"We heard about this event on social media and are staying nearby, so we decided to come over and check it out," Peter Harris said. "We have a 2020 four-door Wrangler and (Colton) loves riding in it when the top is off. It's probably the coolest truck I've ever owned and we are always looking for most stuff to do with it."
The Harris' were not the only ones gawking, either, as hundreds (if not more) of people stacked against the metal rails for a better look at the Jeep landscape laid out in front of them. Many soon descended the stairs and walked into the event to see what the whole thing was about. Perhaps they were Jeep owners themselves like Peter Harris. Perhaps they would soon be after strolling the event.
But one thing certainly was clear, the annual Jeep Beach Invasion once again proved to be an impressive draw right in the middle of an otherwise busy summer.
Thousands of Jeeps navigated that Wildwood beach during the three-day show from July 15-17, and were filled with people who set up tents, hammocks, cornhole tables and plenty of other games while enjoying the sizzling New Jersey sun.
This year's Jeep Beach Invasion event, now in its 10th iteration, continued some impressive growth way past its humble beginnings of a few hundred vehicles to something now pushing past 3,000 Jeeps. And it is not just newer vehicles rolling into the event either. Just take a walk through the vast parking area and you'll see pretty much everything Jeep has offered throughout its 80-plus years — Willys, CJs, J10s, Scramblers, Wagoneers, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, and all the Wranglers or Gladiators you can shake a tie rod at. Plus, it is the area's only show, and one of a handful across the country, where you can drive your Jeep right out on the beach to park.
While many were swarming with aftermarket modifications, it certainly was not required to attend and numerous stock vehicles filled the lots, including a few that looked right out of dealerships and still sporting temporary tags.
For show-goers, there is a beach-themed obstacle course, off-road recovery demonstrations, product walkthroughs, and all the Jeep models, designs and modifications you can imagine.
Additionally, dozens of the top aftermarket Jeep vendors around set up shop for the three show days. Besides Quadratec, the beach saw Teraflex, Bestop, Alpine, Truck HeroBody Armor, Kicker Speakers, Skyjacker, Fox Shocks, JKS Suspension, Hyline Offroad, Rockhard 4x4 River Raider and many local shops were in attendance for show-goers to meet, ask questions and talk about products.
A short walk over the beach sat the sandy obstacle course, manned by the great folks from Rausch Creek Off-Road Park in Tremont, Pa. It featured sand moguls, berms, water holes and dunes — not a hard-core off-road test, but driving in sand can be tricky at times and the staff pulled more than a few stuck Jeeps off obstacles on all three days.
To help educate show attendees, Off-Road Consulting and owner Kyle Buchter held recovery demonstrations throughout the show that included using traction boards to extricate a stuck Jeep, how to recover with an exhaust jack, utilizing a spare tire for recovery leverage and plenty of other recovery talk.
While the annual Jeep Beach Invasion event is mainly a homage to Jeep and its community, all New Jersey Jeep Invasion attendees were encouraged to bring some canned food and donate to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey's Southern Branch. Those who did received raffle tickets good towards potentially winning numerous top-end products or Quadratec Gift Cards.
The New Jersey Jeep Invasion will return for 2023 and event dates will be released later this year.
