Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Hard op or soft top for a rock crawling Rubicon Jeep.

I've decided that life is too short to be w/o a Wrangler Rubicon.
So, would a hard top tend to flex alot when crawling rocks, assuming I need to have the front stabilizer bar disconnected, etc. My concern is that a stiff hardtop will flex and break it's weather seals. A soft top can flex a good bit.
Anybody have any experience with with a hardtop Rubicon ? E

Soft top for summer, hard top for winter/inclement weather.

Soft top = no broken glass

Soft top with a stout roll cage.

If you can afford both then that is certainly an option. If I had the choice I still prefer a hardtop. Even with a soft top I tend to leave the top on and just remove the doors for an open air experience. Just as easy to do that with either.

I've never seen a soft top that didn't need replacing at some point, the hard top is good for the life of the vehicle and ends up cheaper in the long run. Not to mention being able to offer better security for my guns and other expensive gear that is often in there.

I cannot say if there would be any increased chance of the top causing problems or not. Lots of Jeep Cherokees and other hard topped vehicles are used for serious off roading and I'm not aware of any issues with them. You can always remove the top if you are concerned. I found it to be a 10 minute job to take off or replace a hard top vs about 5 min for a soft top. Not a huge difference as far as I'm concerned.

What year of Jeep are you looking for? TJ or JK? Unlimited or Regular?

Pete

It would be a 2014 Wrangler, 2dr. I want to buy something that will get into the tough places w/o having to modify it. An Unlimited would be nice, but I'd have to lift it a little and it would be harder to get into the tighter places. E

E - mine is the 2012 Sport, not the Rubicon, and I use it often off-pavement. The hard-top has been outstanding for keeping the winter weather out. The two front panels are very quick and easy to remove. The back half of the hard top is a two-man job unless you've got a hoist rigged for it.

Terrific last summer with the doors & top removed:



Excellent last week with the hard-top back on, when the snow was flying in our Washington Cascades:





And last winter:


I've also run with just the front roof panels in place, which worked out surprisingly well. For me, the weather protection of the hard top is terrific. I have not noted any flexing problems, and have been watching for it as I had some of the same concerns that you expressed.

For the ultimate, consider getting both hard and soft tops! I'll just be sticking with the hard top, or no top during the summer.

BTW - the two-door Jeep has worked out great as a hunting rig. I've had it about a year and a half and so far it's transported one whitetail, one mule deer, one pronghorn and one black bear.

Regards, Guy

Thanks Guy. Can't agree more. With the top off, it's alot of fun. We love taking friends and family members on high country tours topless.
At present, I'm leaning toward of soft top. But, where removing the hardtop is a two man job, replacing the windows in a soft top, especially after the weather has cooled down or the whole Jeep is dirty from a month's worth of daliy off roading, isn't any fun.
Heck, even on my low desert hunts, I rarely have the top down much. With a hardtop, I could remove the top panels for air and at least one door, and do everything I need to do. E