Any tips, hints, secrets, or just a guide to getting naked?

[Alfonz]

I should probably post this in “Unpopular Opinions”, but -

Not sure it’s worth the hassle to remove the top and the rear doors when it’s only me and maybe my wife. It’s naked now and I’m procrastinating putting the top back on (can’t use a hoist). With just front doors off and SunRider open (or freedom panels stowed) you get 90% (?) of the feel while having instant sun and rain protection.

Disagree? Is this Jeep blasphemy? I may just be older and lazier.

That's how I ride. Fronts off and a bestop sunrider.

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[Blue Ridge]

I should probably post this in “Unpopular Opinions”, but -

Not sure it’s worth the hassle to remove the top and the rear doors when it’s only me and maybe my wife. It’s naked now and I’m procrastinating putting the top back on (can’t use a hoist). With just front doors off and SunRider open (or freedom panels stowed) you get 90% (?) of the feel while having instant sun and rain protection.

Disagree? Is this Jeep blasphemy? I may just be older and lazier.

I don't disagree at all, and it's usually just me or me and the wife. But I feel like at least once, I should strip the whole thing down, just because it's made to. Longer-term, just popping out the Freedom panels and maybe taking the front doors off would be plenty for enjoying the ride.

 

[MVJK2015]

I've got to at least try the Mopar cover since I own it but if I'm disappointed, I'll send it back and order a rain gear. I felt sure the Mopar wouldn't be a choice I could go wrong with but I should've asked here first. They look to fit pretty similarly but the Mopar lacks a cut out for mirrors. Now I'm looking into a portable garage type thing. I own an EZ Up but to memory I'm pretty sure it's not going to provide clearance. I feel like if I make a cart for storing the doors and top and a can properly cover the Jeep, I'll take the doors off more often. We have a lot of bears around here and they sometimes break in cars. I'll leave no traces of food in it, but that factor does worry me as do teenagers.

Trust me, send it back unopened. You need the mirror flaps that the rain gear has or it fits too tight...or you have to remove the mirrors to use it. I don't know where Jeep's head was at when they designed some of this stuff.

Also, I just found this from Bestop researching for my own use. They have a safari top similar to what my Trektop NX does on my JK. Sealed tight at the door frames for rain. Rain gear cover fits over this with mirrors on.

 

[danimal2000]

get a bestop sunrider. panels come off in april and are in the bag in the garage until november. easy flip open. with pins on the front doors, those come off super easy too then you have essentially the same feel for the front seats

if i see the week is gonna be nice, front doors and top comes off on sunday and stay off forecast changes. got rugged ridge storage bags for the doors and just lean them in the garage. put a unistrut track on the ceiling, got some trolley's for it and i use ratchet rope hooks (designed to secure kayaks to a roof) as a sort of hoist. top hangs there up and out of the way. have lange coyote mirros and rugged ridge eclipse shade is pretty easy on/off and stays pretty tight.

im parked in garage at home and parking garage at work so i haven't bought any sort of cover but i think i've been convinced enough that the Rain Gear one would be the only one worth buying. back doors have never come off because i never sit back there also have kids so need those monsters contained.

 

[BAT]

Be careful of putting doors back on, the front door harnesses are finicky and some have bent pins plugging them in by force. My mopar cover works with my mirror set up. Almost a CMM style arm and mirror but bolted into the grab bar trim with a jack nut. I completely remove the soft top by taking out the 4 bolts holding the cover on.

This right here is the worst part those damned door wiring harnesses.

 

[BAT]

I changed to a soft top not long after I got my Jeep and it has never come off regardless of the weather. Even when it was zero outside the truck still kept me very warm inside. Often when I take the doors off I keep the soft top locked into position and just drive it safari style for most of the time. If I feel like having top down just flip it back. I keep a rain gear cover on it at night and sometimes during the day when its not in use.
I got some soft doors but haven't really had the opportunity to use them yet.

 

[LowAltitude]

I have the Jeep tube doors

Send the Mopar cover back and get a rain gear cab cover. Top notch product that will fit down the road with whatever combo of tops/doors/mirrors you end up with. Nothing else made comes close to their fit and quality.

Forget the tube doors, they are a waste of money (and just plain ugly). They don't add any crash protection at all. They are useful for rock crawlers and that's all. Lots of mirror options that attach to the hinges on the body.

Tons of door hanger options on the web, even Amazon, mine hang on the garage wall.

Lastly, spend $150 on a safari or bikini top. Quadratec has quite a few that cover and seal out rain. They don't seal between the door and top, but will keep 99% of the rain out. Pull your drain plugs and leave them out. If your carpet gets wet, pull it out to dry.

Also, not having doors and getting a little damp once in a while is just part of Jeep ownership. I haven't had my top or doors on once in the last 5 years. I daily drive my Jeep 7 days a week living in SW Florida.

Agree to disagree

I have the tube doors and love them, they look great on my truck, so seems like a personal issue. Also, I take the wife and kids and they like the tube doors an arm rest.

I also have the MOPAR rain cover and it works just fine

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[LowAltitude]

I also like to reinstall the sunrider after taking the hard top off, so I can put it down when stopped in the sun

 

[dmwphoto]

I actually bought a spide shade when I first got the Jeep. I'm ashamed to admit that it's never come out of the box. Do you guys drive around with no doors at all? Guessing the wife will be nervous about that even though tube doors won't help much in the event of an accident. Any tube doors you'd recommend?

For the short periods that you will have it naked the tube doors are probably not worth the money. My wife doesn’t really like the doors off but she will ride in it

 

[CFLgladiator]

Trust me, send it back unopened. You need the mirror flaps that the rain gear has or it fits too tight...or you have to remove the mirrors to use it. I don't know where Jeep's head was at when they designed some of this stuff.

I have the Mopar cover and it fits over the full size mirrors on my Mopar tube doors just fine. I just fold them in

 

[Blade1668]

I'll second the safari top. Pull drain plugs, know that roll bar padding will fade out quickly.
Leaving top on JT. Damned if I can pull doors n top off my Wrangler and not have rain storm within a few hours even not a cloud to be seen. It wasn't a big deal when I lived in S.E. GA, but not as fond of it when driving for few hours in cold rain. I guess I'm getting old ?

 

[Gvsukids]

Pull drain plugs, know that roll bar padding will fade out quickly.

The Gladiator doesn't have roll bar padding, it's plastic

 

[keithcroshaw]

Soft top... I take what I can get. The doors are too much work. It rains too much here. The Gladiator's top is so easy to open. If it's hot and the sun's not going to cook me (evening) throw 'er open. Closes in a second or two.

 

[Blue Ridge]

Update, it worked out pretty well. I don’t mind the cover at all, though wish it went out a little farther on the front. The Coyote Lange mirrors also do a good job. Not factory good, but you can see around the vehicle well enough.

The ride experience is fantastic up until around 40 mph when the noise cranks up. And it’s a great way to vacuum your Jeep for free. I kid but if there is so much as a paper receipt under your seats, there won’t be after driving with no windows or doors. Hats need a strap, everything needs to be secured. You will get a spray if you clean the windshield.

Another thing is the attention. Some will like that, others won’t but almost everyone you drive past looks. I got questioned by 2 different people while gassing up.

 

[Max-t]

you can get it down to no time flat.

I currently live in so cal and am not about to leave the top and doors on. At the same time, I’m not going to go to the desert in 110 degrees 4 hours down the highway naked…. So I’m constantly on and off. I can do it in about 10 minutes now. First step. Beg borrow steal a soft top. I got mine for $500. Missing door surrounds are a deal breaker. Bestop doesn’t sell them so it’s only the ones made of platinum sold from mopar.

get the SS door pins and throw away the bolts. Get the rolling door caddy. You’d be hard pressed to spend 10 minutes it using a manual screwdriver. Impossible to spend that long with power. 4 bolts 4 plugs.
Oh and 2 more nuts for mirrors.

hardtop is light and durable.
If you have a tonneau use that, if not make one out of 2x4s or something.

Open the rear window, unbolt top and roll it onto its roof. Slide it to the back or side and flip it onto your head. Lean it against a wall. The rubber feet in the freedom top bag are to protect it from the ground and slipping. I use a concrete wall so I also stand a couple boards to protect the bottom edge. They go on the freedom top side tabs. Rear window up.
Cover it with a tarp. Protecting the edges and let it sit till winter.
the soft top on the gladiator is pretty awesome. No side wondows to deal with. 4 bolts to get it all the the way off. Pain to store. Easy to install and remove.
The Jeep comes alive with the doors and top off. Huge reduction in center of gravity height and reasonable overall weight reduction.

in Hawaii I didn’t even own doors or a top on any of my Jeeps and only had half doors on my rover. I did use a bikini. We did t have south east style thunderstorms, but it rained every day and I never had electrical problems in my jk.

in Maryland I would just put a weighted plastic sheet over my dash on my jk in the summer. Had the cab cover for overnight and thunderstorms while at work.

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