Cjh1, I can totally understand your desire to get rid of that (largely useless) back seat.

In fact, removing the back seat is going to be the very FIRST modification of my upcoming new Jeep --- but I have zero desire to keep the seat around, and will be getting rid of it ASAP. I would never, ever have any use for it. All my vehicles have either been two-seaters, or effectively so, so it seems very natural to me to have only one passenger seat (the one to the right of me as a the driver) in the first place. And, as you say, it will open up the back for cargo.

 

You might consider hanging onto that rear seat. It will probably be very hard to find a buyer some day/year whenever you want to sell the Jeep if the rear seat is missing. Find a storage area in someone's basement and cover it in plastic. We did this when we had a JK. The rear seat stayed in our basement for 7.5 years until we traded the JK in on our current JLU.

 

took mine out at the 500 mile marlk. i will keep it in case i need it,,,,,maybe i'm a hoarder
invest in some all weather mats for your new "cargo area" rugged ridge makes one (f got mine at quadratec). it fits the back perfectly and gives me no worries about what i toss in the back.....welcome to the two seater club!!

 

My Jeep has over 195,000 miles on it. The back seat has 11.5...

 

Took mine out too and have no current desire to put it back in it's spot. Might need to consider a new place for it to be stored for transport. It's hanging in my motorcycle garage right now. Maybe I can build a frame and use it for extra seating in my home on wheels.

Rod

 

You might consider hanging onto that rear seat. It will probably be very hard to find a buyer some day/year whenever you want to sell the Jeep if the rear seat is missing.

+1
We removed ours this past summer with no intention of returning it any time soon. Kids are grown up and it's just my wife and I. Purchased a full sized cargo mat from Quadratec. Enjoying the extra cargo space.

 

Don’t have a JL, yet…
Currently drive a YJ with no back seat 9 months out of the year.
When cold weather hits I put it back in because of snow. Probably a different situation than the OP but I have to worry about getting the wife and kid home if it snows while we’re at school; hate having it in though. Also, there have been a few times where I’ve given rides to people that were stuck because of weather.
I’ve found the backseat pretty comfortable to use around the campfire too; easier than packing around lawn chairs.


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If you can afford to drive around with only 2 front seats I'd remove the rear seat as well.

I used to remove the rear seat from my 2013 JK Rubicon whenever I went camping. The space left was perfect for carrying all my camping gear, recovery gear, and 5 gallons of water --whenever we went to Death Valley.

I do miss my 2-door Wrangler.

 

@40 Caliber and @T.G. great suggestion to get the cargo mat, I ordered the Rugged Ridge one from Amazon. So cool that they make one especially for the 2 door Wrangler with back seat removed, love it! In addition to protecting the cargo area it may also help to keep things from sliding around like they do on the carpet when you make turns.

 

I pulled the backseat out of my 2020 when I went out to Colorado and have never had a reason to put it back in so it sits in my basement. It is just the wife and I so no need for the back seat. We do have two dogs but not having the back seat gives them extra room so that works too. I do have the weather tech mat they make for the back to help keep it protected too but I enjoy having the extra room whether I am running to Ace or going on a camping trip.

 

Something I am wondering though, does removing that weight impact the traction or stability in 2WD, driving on roads?

 

It might affect how soon you will need to engage the front drive in the snow, not sure about the stability, but that certainly is a valid question. There have been multiple discussions regarding removing weight blocks added by manufactures to aid in ride comfort or stability. The jeep seat is not all that heavy, but a pound is a pound.

Rod

 

I wieghed a JKs once and it was 65 pounds.

 

i'll just bring my 70lb .... 10 year old pit bull and call it even !

actually a gallon of gas weighs about 6lbs... the seat is almost like the difference of a 1/2 tank of gas and a full one.
suprisinglly at 3900-4200lbs for a jeep the seat is 1.5% of total weight.

I am in New England, i can't imagine it would have a serious effect but I haven't ridden through a winter yet.

 

Thanks everyone, that all makes sense about impact of removing the back seat on snowy driving. It's helpful to know the weight of back seat, and that it's only 1% of the total weight. Puts it in perspective and sounds like not a concern at all. In fact we had snow here yesterday, not a ton but the roads were covered. The Jeep slipped a little here and there, but nothing unexpected really. The ESC kicked in a few times when going around curves or up a slippery hill. I was being cautious, we are still getting to know eachother. I did have to put it in 4WD to back into my garage, which is an uphill. I had to do that once already, before removing the back seat, so it was really no different. But I didn't have a 70 lb pitbull in the back

 

careful storing your seat where mice visit. they seemed to like the seat and built a nice size castle in mine. I would have thought eating the foam would kill them, but didnt seem to slow them down at all.

 

So far with my Home on Wheels I have not had an issue with the little furry creatures. In North Dakota in the late summer I did have an encounter with some larger ones. Red Squirrel's apparently start gathering Pine Cones in the late summer early fall and put them in places where they will have access to them during the long cold snowy winter. My big truck turned into one of those storage areas. Apparently they didn't get the memo that when the RV park closes I move.

I found that putting come gatherings from my cat's litter box in and around the truck seemed to dissuade them from packing them back in after I removed all of that that I could find.

If I ever find Mice, I will try the same trick. The items were placed in disposable containers which were properly disposed of before the move.

Rod

 

a year after getting rid of the backseat, the mice made it into the fuse box of the suburban.... of course it didnt start on the coldest day of the year, the little critter only blew some fuses

 

Yeah I hear you on that @Chugiakguy , we do have critters in the garage. For now I have it zipped up in a huge storage bag, up off the floor in the garage. Am trying to find a spot for it in the basement. It actually doesn't take up too much room, folded, sitting on its end.

 

It's great to see I'm not the only one that pulls the back seat out right away! I need the space for EMS gear and it also leaves more room for my 2 Catahoulas. I've never I store my seat up on a shelf in the garage, and so far no problem with critters getting at it. I like the idea of a large tote for it though, gonna add that to the buy list...

 

I'm all set now. Got my seat folded up and protected in an oversized vinyl zip bag from Amazon (fyi folded size is 40x25x16). Found a corner of my basement to tuck it in to. I do have the occasional mouse in the house, so put bounce sheets around it. Got the Rugged Ridge cargo liner, that baby fits perfectly!! I can't see ever putting the back seat back in, unless I decide to sell it. Which I don't see, I keep my cars forever.

 

The JL is quite awesome with the back seat removed. I, too, pulled mine the week I bought it in 2020. Short wheelbase, great storage in the back, better rear visibility, can't lose! As most have said, get a full size cargo mat.