Soft top vs hard top and why wouldn’t we all prefer to have just a soft top with metal doors?

[Capricorn]

Just get what you feel works best for your needs and taste. Don't go by anything on the forum cause 95% of all have major image issues regarding the soft top and man bun (LOL). I've had both tops and both are great. It really just comes down to how you feel you will use the truck, where you live, etc. Seems as if the Jeep community approach to the soft top on the JT is almost the same thought process regarding lifts. If you have the soft top your an outcast if you have not lifted your JT your an outcast (LOL). Its quite funny.

Strawman. I don't think anyone is saying that you are an outcast if you like the soft top.
It is a matter of personal taste. Everyone is giving an opinion. If you like the soft top look, more power to you.
The threads title is "Soft top vs hard top and why wouldn’t we all prefer to have just a soft top with metal doors?". So we are giving our preferences - and not judgements.

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[Kevin_D]

A) Already had a convertible.
2) Ragtop looks funny
III) I often park where stuff could fall from height, and didn’t want holes in the top.

Kevin

 

[gmcul8r]

I personally love the look of the soft top on, but IMO it looks ridiculous with it folded back. I also think it looks bad on the Wrangler. I guess I am jaded from my TJ's where you could fold it ALL the way back under a tonneau/dust cover.

Also, with a garage at home and at work, I was afraid of forgetting that it was folded back and ruining it upon entry. I have a hoist so the top can be taken off or put on in minutes. When the hard top is off I typically keep the Freedom Panels in the bed of the truck (under hard cover) just in case I get a little rain.

If I didn't have a garage at work, I most definitely would have gone soft top so it wasn't sitting out in the elements all day. Just my $.02

 

[BobcatBruno]

If you have a garage you can fit the Gladiator in then go with the hard top and take it off during Summer. That is what I did. Doors off as well. The down side is if it rains I’m stuck or have to take my wife’s car, ha ha.

 

[Mastermind]

Soft top for this guy - probably goes up and down 2-3 times a day. (daily driver/work truck) Takes 2 seconds to open from the driver seat and 10 seconds to close (I get out of the vehicle for that)
We are doors off and back window out every weekend now
"Safari" mode may be one of my favorites in the hot summer sun.

I'll put the hard top on Thanksgiving weekend for Michigan winters.

Plan "B" would be Sunrider - a few of my buddies have those and they're nice.

 

[Ogre_FL]

Prefer soft top on JL over hard top as the soft top goes down all the way.
On JT, prefer the hard top with the Sunrider to avoid the "man bun" look.
Also the weight - the soft top on JT is 40 lbs heavier than the hard top. The Sunrider does not add to the weight as it is equal or slightly lighter than the two Freedom panels it replaces. The weight factor may be important for Ecodiesel JTs.

I am the opposite. I prefer the hard top on the JL and soft on the JT.

The rear window gets covered in crap on the JL and I use the washer/wiper a lot.
The vinyl one on the JT stays pretty clean.

The soft top on the JL was notably louder than the hard top.
I did not find it as big a difference on the JT.

The rear hatch feature on the JL hard top is a real convenience over dealing with the window and we open/close it all the time loading stuff.
The tops makes no difference in convenience in loading stuff on the JT.

I personally find the freedom tops a bit of a pain, and don't remove them on the JL anywhere near as often as I open the JT (which is almost EVERY time its not raining). I also find the freedom tops removed on the JL a lot more noisy/blustery than the top back on the JT. One of a few reason I have been hesitant to spend for a sunrider.
The addition of the sunrider also adds another layer of stuff to deal with should you want to go completely topless.

I am surprised to hear the soft top weighs more on the JT, I would not have guessed that.

I do wish the JT top went all the way back down onto the bed, but I am not offended by it as others seem to be. If it didn't work as well as it does, guess it might bother me more.

Funny thing is I really dont care for the looks of the JL in "safari mode" with the long overhang "diving platform".
I think the JT looks really good in safari mode.

 

[Capricorn]

I am the opposite. I prefer the hard top on the JL and soft on the JT.

The rear window gets covered in crap on the JL and I use the washer/wiper a lot.
The vinyl one on the JT stays pretty clean.

The soft top on the JL was notably louder than the hard top.
I did not find it as big a difference on the JT.

The rear hatch feature on the JL hard top is a real convenience over dealing with the window and we open/close it all the time loading stuff.
The tops makes no difference in convenience in loading stuff on the JT.

I personally find the freedom tops a bit of a pain, and don't remove them on the JL anywhere near as often as I open the JT (which is almost EVERY time its not raining). I also find the freedom tops removed on the JL a lot more noisy/blustery than the top back on the JT. One of a few reason I have been hesitant to spend for a sunrider.
The addition of the sunrider also adds another layer of stuff to deal with should you want to go completely topless.

I am surprised to hear the soft top weighs more on the JT, I would not have guessed that.

I do wish the JT top went all the way back down onto the bed, but I am not offended by it as others seem to be. If it didn't work as well as it does, guess it might bother me more.

Funny thing is I really dont care for the looks of the JL in "safari mode" with the long overhang "diving platform".
I think the JT looks really good in safari mode.

I was also surprised - there are some heavy bars and some metal in soft top. But the full hardtop kit weighs 85lb whereas the soft top kit weighs 124lb.

https://www.quadratec.com/p/mopar/soft-top-gladiator-jt-sailcoth-twill/Sailcloth

https://www.quadratec.com/p/mopar/hardtop-kit-gladiator-jt/textured-black

 

[booneja]

For being on Vancouver Island I learned all too well what being in a very wet climate does with the soft tops. Our temperatures don't normally go below -15 degrees celcius and with the frost on the inside of the soft top on my old JL we were constantly getting wet when we jumped into the JL after it "thawed", the frost melt from the inside of the soft top got our cloth seats wet, so when we got the two JT's it was only hard top for us, likely get the half soft top for both, but right now can't justify the cost when there are so many other things to get, lol

 

[Ohio JKU]

I'll settle this..... both! Lol.

my first jeep jku was a dual top, here in Ohio I really like that for winter. To be honest I've never gone into winter in a soft top...but I'm glad I don't have to either. On my Gladiator, it came with a hardtop and I broke down and got a soft top as soon as the weather turned. I put the top down/back very often and it's just not the same as the freedom panels,which are a great thing, just not the same as softtop.

if I had to pick on the third jeep and only go with only one top, I'd go with the soft top. My .02. Having both I do think the main pros/cons discussed here are spot on, it just comes down to what you want /use. The convertible aspect is more of the reason I have jeeps than rock crawling...

"safari" is great on sunny hot days!

 

[Happycoop]

Love my soft top. So quick to toss it open and enjoy the open air, and I can close it while sitting at a red light easily enough. I never remove the back window, but I run the Bestop Supertop over the bed so there’s not a lot of room between the two tops. Perfect setup for my uses.

 

[eaglerugby04]

I want soft top and soft doors! I hate those metal doors that came with my JT. Such a PIA to store for most of the year. lol

 

[BAT]

Strawman. I don't think anyone is saying that you are an outcast if you like the soft top.
It is a matter of personal taste. Everyone is giving an opinion. If you like the soft top look, more power to you.
The thread's title is "Soft top vs hardtop and why wouldn’t we all prefer to have just a soft top with metal doors?". So we are giving our preferences - and not judgments.

This is why I advised them to not listen to anything anyone has to say. Get what they feel is right for them in how they will use the truck. I've had both and think both are great tops each with their own +/-. My preference is the soft top but I'm not going to say go get a soft top. I look at it like as my daughter who is 16 and her world is driven by image is everything. She said "You bought a jeep cool who cares about the top"

 

[dcmdon]

I'm a soft top guy. It provides so many more options when I'm out. I like being able to take out the back window for fresh air while having the option to flip the top off and on with ease at a moments notice.

I had hardtops on some older Wranglers and one the hard top came off at home that was it you had no top till you got back home and taking it off and on was such a pita that I stopped bothering.

Im sure the panel system helps with that to a point but you don't get the fully open experience.

There lots of good reasons to do either but for me soft top rules right now.

I'm reading your post and thinking "Ahh, this guy must be in CA. Then I see CT. Right near me. How does it do in wintertime?"

 

[MPMB]

For being on Vancouver Island I learned all too well what being in a very wet climate does with the soft tops. Our temperatures don't normally go below -15 degrees celcius and with the frost on the inside of the soft top on my old JL we were constantly getting wet when we jumped into the JL after it "thawed", the frost melt from the inside of the soft top got our cloth seats wet, so when we got the two JT's it was only hard top for us, likely get the half soft top for both, but right now can't justify the cost when there are so many other things to get, lol

I'm in the area as well. This summer, despite the heat, I got in the JT when we had the doors off and there was dew inside. I can only imagine the moisture that would remain if I ran it like that in late September onward. Lots of water that never fully dries. Winter time with open tops/doors/soft tops? Not for me. If I lived in a more drier climate, then sure.

 

[jwilson2899]

I have had the dual top on every Jeep I've ever had and it's honestly the way to go. You get all the benefits of both in their respective seasons without having to worry about the downsides of them the other times. I love my soft top in summer and how it opens in 30 seconds, and still lets me carry stuff in the bed. I also love my hardtop with defroster in the winter and how it keeps it warmer inside and is easier to remove snow from.

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