Soft top is shit. They leak in the rain, rip easily, fade very fast, and also get lots of wind noise. With no insulation if you live somewhere that actually has winter you'll need to keep the heat cranked all the time

They're great except in the winter. With soft tops you definitely get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap ass Pavement Ends top you will experience everything the poster above me said.
Buy a premium top. You want sail cloth and pressed windows. I recommend besttop. Make sure you apply the dressing, and keep the zippers lubed with graphite powder. Good luck.

>>15274826
That top is right from The factory. Mother bought the jeep last year new with both soft and hard tops and the soft is nothing but garbage. Hardtop is perfectly fine tho aside from some annoying vibrations

>>15274836
The top of the line aftermarket tops are actually better than the factory top.
The thicker sail cloth material cuts down on wind noise and is comfortable in the winter with full steel doors and a working heater.
Keep in mind these tops are designed for convenience, not comfort. Of course they are not as quiet and warm as a hardtop.

You're supposed to get the most Land Cruiser you can to actually move up from an FJ or 4R

Toyota does everything they can to keep you downmarket, but for wrangler unlimited money, you can get a like new 200 mall cruiser. Flagship heritage and all.

>>15274826
>>15274836
>OP here
So factory soft tops are shit but some aftermarket ones are good? What I'd like to do is buy the hard top version and get an aftermarket soft top, but my issue with that is I have no place to store the hard top if I take it off. That's why I was wondering about the feasibility of running the soft top all the time.

>>15274851
I'm just happy it got ripped up and she doesn't want to keep changing between tops. Last year I had to go change it for her about 5 times throughout summer. She put the hardtop on for winter and so far says she's gonna leave it

>>15274874
I change a soft top to hardtop on my TJ. Only because I live somewhere seasonal. If this is the direction you want to go I highly suggest a frame less soft top. Besttop and rampage both make good ones, but they are not the same quality as say a supertop.
Of course if you are considering a jeep wrangler comfort and gas mileage should be the least of your concern.

>>15274874
I would just stick with the hard top. They still have some removable panels so you can still get that airflow just can't roll it all up like the soft

>>15274892
>>15274895
Yeah, creature comforts aren't that important to me. The FJ is very similar interior-wise, so I don't care about all the bells and whistles that the soccermom grocery-getter SUVs have. I hunt, fish, and do general /k/ and /out/ stuff. Live in Missouri where winters are frigid and summers are hot as balls.
Looks like I'll go for the hardtop version and be on the lookout for a place to stash it if I decide to take it off for summers.

>>15274930
For my mothers we rigged up some ratchet straps in her garage so we can just lift it off and hang it from the ceiling. Keeps it mostly out of the way and I can swap it in about 5 min

>>15274930
On the JK you can get the hardtop that comes apart in panels like >>15274895 said. I think they are called freedom tops (?) They are much easier to store than a one piece top, and you can get a carrier to stow all the panels behind the spare tire.

>>15274964
Quadratrac has a complete line of storage accessories for hardtops and doors. You can buy from them, or just look at the pictures and DIY.
I made a cart that would store my hardtop vertically and I could put my full steel doors in with it as well. I just made it look as close to what was in the catalog, but made it out of wood.

>>15274826
>buying any after market top
>not buying oem jeep top

>>15274808
This.

Former soft top, now a hard top owner. My soft top leaked, was super noisy on the highway, and was a pain in the ass to put up and take down.

>>15275910
>implying OEM jeep tops are superior to premium aftermarket tops

>>15274775
I have the factory premium top and it's pretty good, it won't leak unless you hit it in the right spots with a high pressure hose, it isn't that noisy, and you do have to be careful when cleaning the windows. I've been through a few weeks of winter with it and once you've had the heater on for a while it seems to melt any ice off of the plastic windows. That won't happen with a hard top. Jeeps have pretty good heaters so it won't be cold.