I haven't put the factory soft top on my Gladiator yet, so feel to take this all with a grain of salt (though I did have a hard top and aftermarket soft tops for my previous Wrangler).
I swap out the hardtop for the soft top during the warm months. It’s my first Jeep so I’m not an expert, but no regrets AT ALL. I always hated sun roofs. Never used them, but I can tell you that I love the soft top and I use it whenever possible. Easy to use, easy to install. Yes, it is louder but not obnoxious.
I second every single part of this. 1st Jeep, immediately bought the premium soft top and drove it 10 hours. Talking on the phone was difficult at 80mph with mud tires. Seriously though, that is my only rub. It isn’t so loud that it is disturbing otherwise. But being able to throw the top back in 15 seconds? Amazing. Man bun hasn’t been a thought since. I got a Jeep to do Jeep stuff. Top back is part of the Jeep stuff for me.
Didn’t know I liked Snazzberry. That is a good looking ride!I have to agree in that it definitely makes it easy to open up just for quick trips and running errands with the ease of locking up in an instant when you need to jump down for something. You couldn't have a better solution than a hard top for the winter/soft for summer. Once you pull the hardtop and run around, you have very little ways to secure the top area and are screwed if weather changes. With the soft top you never worry as you can close up and open up in seconds as mentioned. You obviously can't see the top folded up while driving so who cares. Yes, it would be awesome if it dropped all the way back, but it is what it is unless you want to drop $5-$6k on the full folding aftermarket one. I just can't justify that cost for a soft top to solve the "Look" problem.
**Pics of all the upgrades coming soon - Clayton Overland Plus 3.5 Kit with Falcon 3.3 Quick Adjusts on Icon Satin Bronze 17's wrapped in Yokahama 37's and a few other goodies. - All Stock Take off's will be for sale soon including bumpers, sliders, wheels/tires, Suspension, Lights, etc. **
JeeperPeeper - lol, me neither until I was searching online and found a pic of one in the sun! Lighting can change it completely too as you can see from the pic in the garage.
Well if you were closer to me over here in Katy, Tx I would let you get a feel for it. I sold my hard top but I wanted Soft Top just couldn't get one when I bought my truck. Been Soft Top every since then and don't see any way I am ever going back to Hard Top anytime in the near future. I could see if I was doing overlanding, etc and needed to put something up top but for me its mostly trailers, beach and daily driver. Comes with a little more noise than the hard top. Perhaps with sound suppression stuff the hard top could be even quieter. But I bought it to have the top off and with the crazy rain showers popping up at any time around here. I can drop it quick and have it back on just as quick. I just wish I could get the doors off that quick and easy (LOL).
I bought a soft top last spring and still have it on. I am dragging my feet on changing it out for the winter hard top, because I like it so much better. I will probably wait till we start getting snow. I've built a shelf in my garage that I can set the hardtop on upright against the wall and off the floor. The freedom panels go in their bag and inside the top. I had looked for other solutions for easy on/off and storage for the hardtop, but nothing seemed to work very well. That's when I bit the bullet for the soft top. It takes two people to get the hard top off, but the soft top install was a simple one person job.
