I need Gladiator recommendations from owners in rainy climates

[cfischer83]

Thanks for letting me join. I've gone through just about every possible combination of configurations on jeep.com, but now I need real-world testimonials.

I live in the Seattle area and I've owned two convertible soft-top sports cars in the past, and while they're fun 6 months out of the year, I've always had trouble with the soft tops leaking in the colder half of the year. Whether it's holes from wear, or water seeping through the seals around the doors, it's been a bit of a pain. I understand this is part-and-parcel of living in a rainy climate, and I might be willing to live with it, but I'd like to know a few things from those in rainy climates.

1. Have you had trouble with leaks? If so, do you have soft or hard top? Would you recommend soft or hard in rainy climates?
2. Do the standard offerings for tonneau covers provide enough seal to protect, say, a suite case from getting wet? If not, what cheap recommendations would you have for after market tonneau covers that seal the water away?

Note: I'll keep mine in a garage at home and over night, but it will sit outside in the parking lot during the week while I'm at work. The suite case example is for traveling as the back seats will be filled with three kids.

Thanks!

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[LaterGator]

1. It's a jeep. It's going to get wet inside. Soft tops leak. Get a hard top and never remove it, or it could also leak. And when you open the door water is going to drip from the roof onto the floor. If these things bother you, you should rethink getting a jeep.

2. No. It's a pick-up truck. the bed is not water tight even with a tonneau cover, just look at the gap around the tailgate.

3. The backseat is small, especially for 3 kids with all their junk on a trip.


Now, none of these issues actually bother me. I don't mind a few drips, or muddy dog prints and slobber on my fine, new, leather rubicon seats. My luggage is mostly weather-proof. Because, well jeeps leak. And I am driving, so the size of the backseat is not an issue other than I can't fit all my guns under the rear seat.

Good luck on your purchase.

 

[Factoid]

Hard top and the slush mats - good to go!

 

[Rav34653]

I have the premium twill soft top and so far no leaks and I like it a lot. If I knew best top made this option for the hard top I think I would have went with this, It replaces the two hard panels with a sunrider soft top over the front seat area, and you can go back and forth between to the 2 hard panels and the sunrider top,

 

[JP1]

I have the premium twill soft top and so far no leaks and I like it a lot. If I knew best top made this option for the hard top I think I would have went with this, It replaces the two hard panels with a sunrider soft top over the front seat area, and you can go back and forth between to the 2 hard panels and the sunrider top,

This is EXACTLY what I'm doing, and would be my suggestion.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Funny thing - I've taken my JT through the car wash several times (I do the manual, wash it yourself at the car wash) and have washed the crud, sand and stuff off the tonneau cover, washed the sides of the box, the tail gate, the whole truck - no problem with water in the back.
My silverado with the Access tonneau cover got more water in the back than this cover.
I have driven this truck through very heavy rain, too - heavy enough I had wipers on high and slowed to see the road (slowed to 60) and when I got it home - there was not water in the bed of the truck.
Can I guarantee it won't ever get wet, ever? No. If I were to put a suite case back there I'd likely put it in a large garbage bag to be certain, but I'm less worried about this truck in that way than I was my Chevy.
The thing I like about this cover compared to my Chevy - the sides angle down. It would take water shooting UPWARD to get in under it. The Chevy Access tonneau cover velcro'd to rails and those rails didn't seal perfectly against the tops of the box sides.
The JT cover is almost like how your house siding might work - it's not sealed and yet water doesn't get up under it because water flows down - it would have to shoot or spray up to get up under the edges of this cover which slant downward and have a couple of lips up under there.
It's not "water tight" but mine has stayed dry in the box - I've so far not had anything wet back there.

 

[GlacierGladiator]

Another PNW JT owner here and I can feel your pain about the wet climate here.
I got the factory trifold soft tonneau cover and no water in the bed as of yet. I've sprayed it in the car wash and no water. I've hauled luggage 3 hours in the rain, in the bed and all was dry when I got to my destination.
I can only tell you what I did and you need to make your own decision.
I got a factory hard top with freedom panels cause it it wet here more months than dry. I have had wranglers with soft tops and in general they are noisier than I prefer but they never leaked.
In the summer dry months I plan to run just a bikini top (covers just the top portion) in case it rains and will carry a mopar cover that covers the entire cab just in case of torrential down pours. I dont want a soft top for summer cause I hate how the soft top folds onto the roof but that's just my opinion.
Here are the tops I'm going to use
https://www.mymoparparts.com/oem-parts/mopar-sun-bonnet-82215620?c=Zz1leHRlcmlvciZzPWNvbnZlcnRpYmxlJmw9NCZuPVNlYXJjaCBSZXN1bHRzJmE9amVlcCZvPWdsYWRpYXRvciZ5PTIwMjAmdD1ydWJpY29uJmU9My02bC12Ni1nYXM=

https://www.quadratec.com/p/mopar/cab-cover-gladiator-jt-82215600

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Proximo]

Michigan here, unpredictable weather. I have premium soft top, no leaks (only when I open the door). I've been soft top ever since I got a Bestop on the JK. No real summer in Michigan, cold on the way to work, hot on the way home. 10% chance of rain, turned into 5" of water in the JK after work. Since then, the soft top goes on while I work 10hrs, then off for the ride home or to restaurant. EZ PZ

 

[Texops]

My 2014 JK hard top didn’t leak & i took the top off all the time i always clean the seals. My Gladiator never leaked ever & replaced the freedom panels with a premium sunrider again no leaks, we have a lot of rain in Houston i mean a lot. My 2011 Rubicon leaked sometimes only a little between the freedom panels. 1983 softop CJ-7 leaked bad, 1997 TJ leaked, & 2005 LJ leaked with hard & soft tops.

 

[Bjeepz]

My hard tops have had occasional leaks but that was only due to the way I put them on apparently imperfectly on occasionally.

My factory bed cover that I bought off someone who took it off to install a hard cover has been just as good as any other tonneau cover, no leak concerns.

I think the beat bet is hard top then replace the front panels with the best top front soft section for that easy open setup!

 

[WXman]

The new Jeeps are more water tight. My JL and my JT both were/are bone dry. I'm running the Bestop Sunrider for hardtop year-round and have zero leaks. It has rained hard enough to drown a fish here for a year or two now and it's dry inside the Jeep. Not even a drop.

I have the $150 MaxMate roll up bed cover from Amazon and it's also dry. If I power wash the truck, it'll drip a little inside the bed around the edges, which is to be expected. But I wouldn't hesitate to carry a suitcase or anything else back there in a rain storm.

 

[scotticus]

i run my finger along the gutter before i open the door, otherwise all the drops fall off and land on the seat.

 

[Texops]

i run my finger along the gutter before i open the door, otherwise all the drops fall off and land on the seat.

Yeah and then there’s that lol all JL/JT’s

 

[BrianPNW]

The new Jeeps are more water tight. My JL and my JT both were/are bone dry. I'm running the Bestop Sunrider for hardtop year-round and have zero leaks. It has rained hard enough to drown a fish here for a year or two now and it's dry inside the Jeep. Not even a drop.

I have the $150 MaxMate roll up bed cover from Amazon and it's also dry. If I power wash the truck, it'll drip a little inside the bed around the edges, which is to be expected. But I wouldn't hesitate to carry a suitcase or anything else back there in a rain storm.

Which MaxMate? When I look on Amazon I don’t see a JT option

 

[WXman]

Which MaxMate? When I look on Amazon I don’t see a JT option

It's actually the one for Chevy Colorado. 15-18 models I think.

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