AXIS

Does anyone make a top that seals along the front header and the door frame but is smaller and easier to store than a soft top?
I would love to find something I could keep in my Jeep folded up but if the weather gets bad throw it on and have the front of the cabin stay dry. I dont mine if the back is open like a bikini top and I dont have anything back there Im worried about getting soaked. I love leaving my softtop off all summer but having an emergency top I could break out to keep me and my belongings dry would be great.

Any ideas? I have a cabin cover that I use in the summer so I can leave the top off but its only for when its parked. Id love something that I could drive with too as its almost topless time!

For example, does this seal along the front and sides or would it be open in places?
http://www.northridge4x4.com/exterio...-4-door-94535?

JeepersDigest

Sounds like you're in the market for a "safari" top.. But this all would depend on the year of your jeep.. mainly how the door surrounds have been designed.. Here is an example of the header (soft top attached) mounted onto the windshield:

We've had no issue with this area leaking.. Take note of the funky opening right over the door.. even though this is nearly wide open.. we've not seen any rain enter this opening.

The other issue would be if you're going to run with or without hard doors.. If you're not going to have hard doors or any doors.. the soft top can be wrapped around the roll bars with velcro straps already sewn into the soft top's design.

The reason I'm asking about what year of jeep you have.. is at or about 2010 they (jeep) changed how the surrounds are designed. Before this date.. the surrounds have a channel that any soft top with the correct plastic tabs could fit into when flipped up into this channel.

This would create tension from the left to the right side of the jeep holding the top in place.. this same thing holds true without the door surrounds. where as the velcro straps would latch onto and around the roll bars right over the doors. It has been said that Bestop creates a universal door surround that can be used in this application, but I can't verify this.

The link you posted is a full length safari style soft top.. which uses a header that fits into the fabric of the soft top and mounts using the existing latch point the factory soft uses.

The main concern would be that these tops are not meant for 24/7 use and as you've said you want something to store in the jeep just in case.. I believe these would be described as a "strapless" version soft top.. everything simply ties in or onto the roll bars.. but still required some sort of header channel to keep the forward potion attached to the windshield.

AXIS

I have a 2007 4dr.

And does anyone make a top where the header bar (assuming they are all solid like the softtop is) folds in half?
I really want something that I can keep in the back so if I take my Jeep on a trip and dont bring my factory softtop, I can make it home in dry clothes and with whatever equipment I need dry. Id much rather go topless with my spidershade for the rest of the time!

JeepersDigest

Hah thats a good one.. a folding header.. This wouldn't be plausible, because it would weaken the header structure when mounting to the windshield. As far as I know.. you have three options.. the factory header, made of two pieces of plastic sandwiched/screwed together increasing the fabric from the soft top.. Then theres a metal header which bestop and other manufacturers suggest one uses with their products, Then there is a single hard shell plastic version. Again all of these have similar qualities.. they either encase the soft top or they they fit into a pocket within the fabric and mounted to the windshield. which brings up this point.. because the header bar fits into a pocket.. these can be easily removed when wanting to install the soft top in case of rain etc.. Unlatch the soft top header, remove the header from the fabric pockets.. fold up the soft top, place the soft top/bikini/safari top in the cargo area, then reattach the blank header to its mounting point on the windshield.

Edit: You've stated that your jeep is a 2007, which means that the door surrounds should have a channel designed into the surround.. this channel allows the soft top (if it has plastic tabs) to fold up and into these channel for a more secure fit. newer Jeeps do not have these types of surrounds, thus the soft top simply lays onto a channel without anything holding tanght, other than the header's latch points.

silversurfer575

Doesnt help you but I have a 2012 2 door. I bought a set of 2007 door surrounds, then the old version mopar sun bonnet (has hard plastic sewed into the sides so it snaps into the door surrounds) I then have 2 options for the rear. I run a duster deck cover, then I have the strap on rear window. Top straps to the roll bar, sides snap into the side of the door surround channel, and the bottom zips to the deck cover. This setup works perfect. Dry in the rain, and warm in cold.

I run the sun bonnet and deck cover spring to winter along with the mopar half doors. Pack the back window in a clover patch roll. Pack the half door tops if traveling far from home and if there is a chance of rain.

I run the hard top and full doors on for real cold months. Works well.

DJ1

If you're only concerned about the elements for the front cabin in a downpour, why not just get something like this @ $120...

QuadraTop 11174 1051 - QuadraTop® Emergency Top for 07-15 Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited JK 4 Door - Quadratec

AXIS

Designing a 2 piece header shouldnt be hard at all, but I can see why there arent any on the market as there isnt a demand. Removing the fabric and leaving the blank header up sounds like a potentially good plan.


As far as the emergency cover, that would probably work fine, but I figured something more like a safari top would nice as I could use it regularly if I liked it.

hair2831

You could leave the soft top folded up nicely in the back so it's there when you need it. I'm not understanding why you have to remove it completely. Kinda defeats the purpose of the top. :confused:

Run2Ga

I'm also in GA, and the near daily summer showers are an issue. I've got garage parking at home and covered parking at work, so its only going back and forth that is an issue. Want to go topless and doorless/frameless as much as possible. 2013 JKUR. Right now I'm between that quadratop emergency top, which doesn't get many good reviews, and a storage boot for my spring-assist top, which may or may not fit well but should at least make the folded-down top cleaner looking.

DJ1

Here you go. Pick this up for $6 bucks



All Things Jeep - Jeep Packable Rain Poncho