Anyone have experience with the Rugged Ridge Eclipse Sun Shade?

[Mdmorrissey]

Hi all. I have a 2019 JLU hard top down in Miami and am looking for a solution to open things up a bit when the weather is nice (not that often when it is usually hot and humid). I am looking for a sun shade for the driver/passenger area only as I am able to remove the Freedom panels but don't have the capacity to remove/store the rear hard top. Due to my limitations, I was considering the Eclipse Sun Shade from Rugged Ridge (sku 13579.73 which has the holes cut out to access the clips on the Freedom panels). From the limited number of reviews I have found on line (mostly dating from 2018/19) they aren't the greatest, with most saying that the holes don't line up well and that the sunshade is loose/sags.

Does anyone have more recent experience with this (thinking that perhaps the manufacturer may have made adjustments to the product by now, aligning the holes better) and if not, any recommendations on a good alternative? Remember, that I don't have the capability to remove the rear hard top so am looking for something that I could perhaps leave in place and yet have ease of access to remove the Freedom panels. Thoughts/comments/recommendations are greatly appreciated!

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[Mdmorrissey]

So I guess the answer is no..... I decided to take the plunge anyway and thought I would share my own review here.

I had read where people complained that the holes in the mesh didn't align well with the latches on the Freedom panels. While I can say that the holes could be a little bit more aligned, they are fine and do allow access to the latches for easy add/removal of the panels. This was an important consideration for me since I wanted the capability of removing/replacing the Freedom panels with the rear section hard top remaining in place.

I had also read where people complained that the mesh panel itself was a bit saggy and they wouldn't recommend leaving it in place due to just that. I quickly installed the sun shade and with only minor adjustments, feel that it was fairly tight with little sag. There is a velcro tab on the front which needs to be connected to the body of the Jeep which I havn't done, and it appears that it would further enhance the tightness of the shade once done. With a little more adjusting, I could probably get the shade even a bit tighter, but I am showing what a quick install looks like. Also, the photos show the shade just out of the box. I am assuming that once it sits in place and stretches out a bit more, some of the wrinkles will go away.

One final comment is that I really like the little red tabs that are on the ends of the velcro attachment straps. It blends in nicely with the other red highlights of the Rubicon's interior.

Again, I am in Miami and am not sure how often I will have the Freedom panels off, but all in all, I am pleased with the purchase ($57) and it definatley fits my need for a sun shade that can easily be installed without removing the rear hardtop and one that can easily be left in place under the front Freedom panels. Hope this review helps.

 

[Adamoni]

Thanks for the write up and pics!

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