All Things Jeep Blog & Musings

So you want to go topless…

One of our favorite features on the Wrangler is the ability to take the top off.  The sun on your face, the wind in your hair, and nothing above you but open sky; ­there’s nothing better. We love taking the top off so much, we even started an annual celebration over 7 years ago – Go Topless Day! What’s that, you say?  You only have a hardtop?  Your freedom panels aren’t giving you the open air ride you desire?  We understand, and believe us when we say, topless Jeeps have more fun! Here we'll explore the different options available for your first summer or soft top.

Soft Top Style - the Best of Both Worlds

A complete soft top kit is the best choice for Jeepers who want the topless ride and 100% waterproof protection.  Complete soft tops come in two styles – full frame and frameless.  Both full frame and frameless complete soft tops will include everything you need to switch to a soft top setup, including the door surrounds, tailgate bar, windshield channel, soft top, windows, and any other hardware necessary for installation. Read on to find out the difference between the two styles of complete soft top.

Full frame soft tops are most similar to the factory soft tops and feature metal bows to support the top’s fabric, removable side and rear windows, and a sunroof on certain models.  The advantage to a framed top is that the bows stay attached to the roll bars at all times.  This means that you can easily undo the top from the windshield and flip it all the way back for the topless experience.  The bows lay flat along the sides of the cargo area while the fabric of the top folds behind the rear seat.  If the clouds roll in, it’s just as simple to pull the top back up and reattach it.  Even with windows, it takes less than 5 minutes to fold down or put up a fully framed soft top once you've gotten the routine down. The versatility and weather protection offered by a complete framed soft top is unbeatable.  

The other option for a complete soft top kit is a frameless soft top. As the name implies, these tops do not use a metal bow system to support the fabric, but rather your Wrangler’s roll bars. This means that the top will follow the contours of your roll bars in the cargo area. For 4 door Wranglers, this does lead to a slight decrease in overhead cargo space when the rear windows are installed.  This decrease in overhead cargo space is not as noticable on the 2 door models.  On frameless tops that feature removable side and rear windows (hint, some models only have a removable rear window), the style is extremely similar to that classic bikini top look.  At the same time, complete frameless soft top kits will include door surrounds, which allow you to seal the top to the Jeep and keep water from coming into the passenger area.  When the windows are installed, a frameless soft top will be 100% waterproof. The disadvantage to a frameless top is that it does not have the capability to fold all the way back as a full framed soft top does. Some models have a sunroof feature so that the top can flip or roll back over the front driver and passenger seats. For many owners, having the sunroof back and the rear windows removed creates enough of an open air ride, while other owners find this set up doesn’t feel truly topless as the rear seats are covered. A frameless soft top does have to be completely uninstalled from the Jeep in order to go fully topless, and there is no built in storage mechanism as with the framed soft tops.

Summer Tops

Bikini top, safari top, brief top, Bimini top, combo top, island top – whatever you call it, the summer top is a staple of Wrangler culture.  Summer tops are the closest you can come to riding topless while still having a bit of weather protection overhead. All summer tops require a windshield channel in order to attach to the windshield area of the Jeep and use straps to attach to your roll bars. They come in a variety of styles, including brief, which covers only the two front seats, or extended, which covers front and rear seats. Summer tops are available in mesh and solid fabrics of varying colors.  While a summer top will keep precipitation from coming straight down into the Jeep, they do not seal to the Jeep the way that a full soft top does, and as such, are not waterproof.  Certain models have the plastic belt rail built into the sides of the top so that they can seal with factory door surrounds, but this varies widely by manufacturer and year. 
The best friend of a Jeep owner that loves that bikini style look, but doesn’t want wet seats is a Cab Cover. These covers can be thrown on over the summer top when a storm rolls in to keep your interior dry. Be forewarned though, if the clouds let loose while you’re on the move, there’s not much you can do.

Shade Tops

The Spiderweb Shadetop is a mesh top which attaches to your Wrangler’s roll bars using Spiderballs – bungee and ball cords that slip through the grommet holes on the top for easy installation.  This is a truly ingenious product that can be configured in a variety of ways.  The Shadetop is unique among summer tops in that it can be used tandem with other bikini tops, soft tops, and hard tops.  Another bonus, no windshield channel required!  Once the Shadetop is installed, you won’t have to remove it to use your other tops.  While the mesh material won’t provide much in the way of water protection, it will cut down on wind noise and buffeting while driving, as well as keep you from roasting at red lights on those hot and sunny days.  The brief-style JKini is a great option for those looking for a bit of protection while their freedom panels are out of the hardtop – birds overhead, anyone?  Shadetops come in multiple lengths, colors, and pieces to outfit your Wrangler with complete sun protection. 

Soft Top Accessories

As a Jeep Wrangler 4 door owner, there are lots of new Jeep Wrangler JK Accessories available for my Jeep. But there hasn't been the one I've really wanted until now. I am happy to report that the  Spiderweb Shadetop for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2007, 2008, 2009 4 Door JK is Now Available.

There's also one for the 2 door JK. --> Spiderweb Shadetop for Jeep 2007 2008 2009 2 Door Wrangler

As a recap to an earlier post I made about Jeep Windshield Channels when these first came out, the shadetop is

1. Super easy to install.

2. Does not require a windshield channel.

3. Can be installed and left on under a Jeep soft top or hard top.

The thing I always find annoying about Jeep bikini tops is that damn windshield channel. If you use a summer top, you need a windshield channel. And if you want to run with a soft top on, you need to take the windshield channel off. On off. On off. Until this Wrangler Summertime Top came along.

Here's a short video that shows the installation of this Jeep top on a Wrangler. It's quick, easy, and will keep the sun off your head.  

The Spider Web Shade Top can be configured in multiple ways so you get just what you need for each ride.
- As a Full Shade summer top, it keeps the sun off you and your passengers keeping you cool and protected from too many rays
- Fold under the back of it to make a handy "stowaway" storage area to keep small items from blowing away - Drop it down behind the front seats and get the "WhatWind" configuraton which will dramatically reduce the wind blowing and noise level in the cab area.  (This is similiar to the Mesh "WindJammers" sold by other companies.)

The SpiderWeb ShadeTop^TM perfectly covers the front and rear seats of your Jeep Wrangler and keeps the cab lit with sun without scorching you. It also dramatically reduces the wind you feel on your face and in your ears when going at faster speeds.

And according to the manufacturer the ShadeTop catches 90% of the sun's harmful UV rays and reduces temperature inside the Jeep by an AMAZING 32% while still allowing just enough sunlight and moonlight through to enjoy the open air feeling. Finally, you can talk on the phone at 70mph with the top down.

SpiderWeb^TM ShadeTop^TM for Jeeps proudly uses the finest commercial grade shade material, capable of blocking as much as 99% of ultraviolet rays, including 97% shade rating.

Installation takes only 10 minutes and there are no tools required. The best part is that it will NOT interfere with any other top applications. Install it under your hard top, soft top or even under a bikini. There is no hardware to buy, it attaches securely with the provided heavy-duty bungee-corded balls. There are no seams, ensuring a durable application.

So what are you waiting for? Get it now and start enjoying your Jeep more!

Quick lesson in summer tops for your Jeep 1995-2006.  (Lesson one is for those new to the idea. It's basic. Lesson two is for all Wrangler 95-06 owners.)

Lesson 1. You need attachment points up front to hold a summertime-type top in place. Whether it's  Bestop Bikini Top or a Rampage "Summer Brief" or "Island Topper", or another vendor's top, you need anchor points up front for the top. So you need a windshield channel. With older Jeeps, you end up having to drill these metal strips into the frame of your Jeep above your windshield. (You have an old Jeep, who cares if there's a few more holes in it!) For the medium-aged Jeeps, you often can choose between a drill-in windshield channel or a "header" windshield channel. The Header version "clamps" onto your frame so you don't have to drill any holes. It's bigger and bulkier because of the hardware used to hold your top in place, and more expensive. For the newest Jeeps, manufacturers just produceheader style channels. Guess they figure you don't want to go drilling any holes in your new Jeep.

But when you want to move back to your softop or hardtop, the windshield channel needs to be removed, which takes a few minutes (and longer in the rain) and stored and it just takes more time than I ever want to give it.

Lesson 2. If you are a lucky owner of a 85-06 Wrangler, you can run with a summer top and leave the windshield channels behind with this awesome product we just came across --- the SpiderWeb ShadeTop for Jeep Wrangler YJs, TJs, LJs, 1995-2006 Check out the attachment points - bungee-style connectors. No more windshield channel needed. We think this is a Very Clever Idea.

And it looks pretty darn cool too.

But the thing I like best about the Shadetop is this. If no one's in the backseat, you can drop the back of the top down to create a windbarrier. Cuts the wind and the noise from the wind. Makes for much quieter cabin.

This baby also can sit under any other top you want to put on your Jeep. So you don't have to deal with removing it every time. I like that. A lot.

http://www.allthingsjeep.com/spiderweb-shadetop.html  $60