Who Has Just The Soft Top????

[Jeeperjamie]

I have the ST only as well and i proudly flaunt that JT manbun most of the time . My old TJ has HT and it was PITA removing it. Being in Southern CA and my JTM gets garaged everyday, I have no use for a HT.

Ordered my Gladiator with the soft top only (and a manual transmission). I have a 2007 JK and own three tops for it. However, since I've built it for overlanding, removing the top is more difficult--takes four folks and a good hour to remove other gear so I can install the soft top. In the thirteen years I've owned the JK, I've never once just put the top down. I always remove it. Entirely. I wanted a rig that I could easily remove the top (I still have the JK). And it's the same with the JT: I remove the top entirely. It isn't that difficult, even by myself. And the JT premium soft top is way better than the one I have for the JK.

I agree I remove my top completely as well. But on the JT it's like a 5 minute job with the hardtop, not like the JKU and JKs were. I never weighed it but it feels less than 50lbs and you can jump on the bed, lift it and have it off in less than 5 minutes with 1 person. I went through 4 soft tops on my JKU and although I never replaced the top on the TJ I had, every one of them leaked water in after a short period of time. I had hard and soft top on that JKU but gave the Hardtop to my buddy and I immediately regretted that after the first year of ownership. When buying the JT I was looking for the Hardtop only, what sold me was removing it at the dealership and how easy it was. Only a plus I guess to get home and find out a soft top is in a box in the bed of the truck that will probably never get used but I guess if I decide to sell it I can make a little more on it.

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[iadslgladiator]

I've had both. Premium soft top on my first one, started out absolutely loving the soft top. The man bun look didnt bother me and judging by all the thumbs up and compliments i got, a lot of other folks felt the same.. i Was happy with it till the vibrating/flapping started. Lengthy struggle with dealer ensued and i Finally traded it. my new diesel rube has a hard top.
As expected hard top is better for noise, warmth, creature comforts especially in the winter months.

One point to make, I enjoy having the doors off as much or more than having the top off, especially when its hot and sunny. for this reason I anticipate being fine leaving the hard top in place most of the time......personally I'd like to see jeep make the full back window power operable (verticle) and just have removable/stowable roof panels.

time will tell but at the present time I'm finding myself more satisfied with the hard top than the soft top. If that changes I figure I can find a cheap soft top to put on for a few months of the year.

 

[danielspivey]

So it seems like the main reason people don’t have a soft top is because they are self conscious of the way it looks, LOL.

If you are more worried about the way you look to people, versus the experience you get from having the Jeep.... where you can easily (and do) take the top off, you aren’t really a Jeep lover.

I have the Jeep because I loved the experience when I was younger of having the top completely off. I still love that- driving with the top off with a jacket on when it’s cold...... Driving in the summer with the doors and sides off with the top folded forward while it’s hot out, then in the evening being able to within a minute completely fold the top back with nothing to store.

That’s truly why I have the Jeep. Not to look cool to people, it’s about me. The comments about the self conscious man bun, freaking hilarious. You sound like the kids in high school who wore Abercrombie and fitch and talk about the unfortunate kids who didn’t. JEEP IS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE NOT YOUR IMAGE. If so, your really missing out on being a Jeep owner.

 

[Bull Islander]

you have to take the plastic rails off after the softop comes off b4 you can install the hard top then out them back on again b4 re installing soft top

So in real time working alone, its what? A half hour each way? Less or more?? I'm trying to get a feel for just how much effort it takes. Kind of like boating. Cleaning and covering boats is great but if every trip requires and extra hour of putting it to bed, you'll find reasons not to use the boat.

 

[1OffCraz]

Base soft top here. Wouldn't change a thing.
I had hard top on my JK, and was not even considering it when I bought the JT.

I found the Freedom panels to be a pain in the ass, and no place to store them easily.
The soft top takes a couple seconds to throw back.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

So it seems like the main reason people don’t have a soft top is because they are self conscious of the way it looks, LOL.

If you are more worried about the way you look to people, versus the experience you get from having the Jeep.... where you can easily (and do) take the top off, you aren’t really a Jeep lover.

I have the Jeep because I loved the experience when I was younger of having the top completely off. I still love that- driving with the top off with a jacket on when it’s cold...... Driving in the summer with the doors and sides off with the top folded forward while it’s hot out, then in the evening being able to within a minute completely fold the top back with nothing to store.

That’s truly why I have the Jeep. Not to look cool to people, it’s about me. The comments about the self conscious man bun, freaking hilarious. You sound like the kids in high school who wore Abercrombie and fitch and talk about the unfortunate kids who didn’t. JEEP IS ABOUT THR EXPERIENCE NOT YOUR IMAGE. If so, your really missing out on being a Jeep owner.

First off I could care less what anyone thinks of me or how the Jeep looks. The man bun comment is just a reference for how I and others think it looks. I personally think they look stupid on the JT so that's why I got a Hardtop and from my past experience with the soft tops on other Jeep's, they don't last or leak. Plus when I removed the Hard or soft top off my other Jeep's they came completely off not just thrown back. When they come off they stay off for a while, that's how I do it and that's my jeep experience with it. If you like your soft top that's cool but I guess on the flip side of it I could say if your a real jeep lover or Jeeper then you could care less about how much rain or elements get inside your jeep, you would just remove the top, doors completely and if a rain storm come along while you are out a about then oh well all part of the jeep experience. I got caught in more than my fair share of monsoons in the JKU and TJ. Two hours to ocean isle in can't see a foot in front of me pouring down rain with no top or doors, luckily the wife went before me. I left the top and doors at the house.

 

[Rocksalt]

So in real time working alone, its what? A half hour each way? Less or more?? I'm trying to get a feel for just how much effort it takes. Kind of like boating. Cleaning and covering boats is great but if every trip requires and extra hour of putting it to bed, you'll find reasons not to use the boat.

I only have the premium soft top, so I have not taken off the rail hardware. For me, taking my time... I can remove the soft top in 15 minutes.
I will let others with both tops chime in about the time it takes to swap out.

 

[Ogre_FL]

Ours is just the soft top.
I was happy to find the Gladiator I wanted on the lot with the soft top.
Yea, there did seem to be more with hard tops on the lots.
When I was looking I figured if I could not find one how I wanted with the soft top, I would have likely sold off or traded the hard top.

We have the hard top on our Wrangler JL 2 door and this time I really wanted to go with the soft top as we just don't open the Wrangler up as much as I would like to. I am also considering buying a soft top for it, but still waiting for the prices to get a bit more reasonable.

FWIW I also don't find the Freedom panels off is open enough, it is better than nothing though.
I do feel that they take up a lot of space too, particularly in the smaller 2 door, and this stops us from removing them if we are going shopping or traveling with a lot of stuff. That could be less of an issue with a Gladiator if you are OK with them being in the bed.

 

[Indavis01]

I only have the premium soft top, so I have not taken off the rail hardware. For me, taking my time... I can remove the soft top in 15 minutes.
I will let others with both tops chime in about the time it takes to swap out.

It takes about 20 minutes to totally swap the tops out. Easy as pie, a dozen bolts and its off- I do the whole thing by myself, but I have a Lange hoist in my garage. Honestly I took off the hard top 3 weeks after I got the truck in April and just put it back on after Christmas, I''l take it off at the end of March and then back in the rafters. I love the soft top. Its quieter in the rain, that is for sure. I have the Premium and I haven't had any leaks and that is with driving outside in rain that got us 3 inches in 24 hours. Pull the back window out and its a safari top, Opening and closing the top can be done at a red light with one arm while seated- (I'm 6'5, so that may be a height thing). I like having both, but if i could only have one- I'd take the soft top. Totally worth the money for the soft top.

 

[BAT]

First off I could care less what anyone thinks of me or how the Jeep looks. The man bun comment is just a reference for how I and others think it looks. I personally think they look stupid on the JT so that's why I got a Hardtop and from my past experience with the soft tops on other Jeep's, they don't last or leak. Plus when I removed the Hard or soft top off my other Jeep's they came completely off not just thrown back. When they come off they stay off for a while, that's how I do it and that's my jeep experience with it. If you like your soft top that's cool but I guess on the flip side of it I could say if your a real jeep lover or Jeeper then you could care less about how much rain or elements get inside your jeep, you would just remove the top, doors completely and if a rain storm come along while you are out a about then oh well all part of the jeep experience. I got caught in more than my fair share of monsoons in the JKU and TJ. Two hours to ocean isle in can't see a foot in front of me pouring down rain with no top or doors, luckily the wife went before me. I left the top and doors at the house.

You are probably in the minority cause I have had many people come up to me and tell me they could not deal or don't like the look of the top folded back. I just tell them ok well it doesn't bother me and suggest if it bothers you that much don't get a soft top or get a jeep that can offer you top coming all the way back and not an JT. Out of all the jeeps I have seen around me and places where I drive I am the only soft top JT I have run across so far and most of the regular jeeps have hard tops. That changes when I go down to Galveston as I will see more jeeps with tops off but here its mostly all hard top all the time. That is fine but its nice to be able to just throw the thing up or down in seconds and not have to get wet if you don't have to and still be able to get roof off. In the summer when its 115 and I have the top back my wife and daughter won't ride with me cause they are vampires and then I have piece and quiet and just blast the music.

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

All I heard was that is not fair you get the top off and we get stuck in the back here. Now with the soft top everyone gets open air

I asked my wife's opinion before I ordered, and her's was just the opposite. She reminded me when we had a Chrysler Sebring convertible that the rear seat was uncomfortable for riders when top was down. Too much wind.

So I got HT with Sunrider.

This may be apples & oranges, I know. But the Sebring was 20 years ago and nowadays is it usually just me only or me and wife in the JT.

 

[Fawkes]

I had to have mine shipped in from Virginia, I have a manual with the premium soft top. Firecracker red with the safety group. Absolutely LOVE it.

 

[BAT]

I asked my wife's opinion before I ordered, and her's was just the opposite. She reminded me when we had a Chrysler Sebring convertible that the rear seat was uncomfortable for riders when top was down. Too much wind.

So I got HT with Sunrider.

This may be apples & oranges, I know. But the Sebring was 20 years ago and nowadays is it usually just me only or me and wife in the JT.

So far I have had no complaints from back seat riders they all seem to be loving it

 

[PicklesJ]

So on my JKU, the hard top has been stored 4 counties west in a drive-in shed for several years; use soft top year-round. Lately, I've gotten lazy and leave soft top up and remove side and back pieces and take the doors off during the summer.

Can you do the same with the JT soft top - take off the sides and rear and leave the top on? I'd appreciate a picture to see what that would look like.

 

[PicklesJ]

Love it ! the rear 2 quarter panels pop off in seconds and can stored under the back seat and the rear window can lay flat on the back seat.

Could you post a pic with the panels & window off and the top still on?

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