AZ/NV/Western Jeep Top Usage

[jimmym1981]

Hi everyone. We currently live in IL and are about to pull the trigger on the 2022 JLUR. My last Jeep was a 98 TJ, so a lot has changed since then. The issue we are having is the Sky One-Touch vs Hardtop. I know this topic has been discussed to the end here, so I am familiar with the pro/cons of each.

My question is for the people out West in hot/dry climates. Do you find yourself leaving the top off more and putting up a sunshade or would the Sky One-Touch be a better option? For IL, the Sky One-Touch is a no brainer due to the changing weather conditions. My dillema is that we are moving to AZ next year and I'm wondering if it's worth the savings to do a dual top or just a hard top and leave it off most of the winter time. I know during the summer months, the top is usually on, but is the extra $$$ really worth it for the Sky out West?

Interesting to see how most people approach the top options in dry climates. Thanks for any input you can provide!

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[JimLee]

It depends on how much you like to eat dirt, along with concerns about temps. My hard top stays on year round, even in the cooler months all the trails out west are just too damn dusty. Me and the wife decided that if we want to eat dirt all day long we will just go out on our quads.

 

[Reinen]

Hi everyone. We currently live in IL and are about to pull the trigger on the 2022 JLUR. My last Jeep was a 98 TJ, so a lot has changed since then. The issue we are having is the Sky One-Touch vs Hardtop. I know this topic has been discussed to the end here, so I am familiar with the pro/cons of each.

My question is for the people out West in hot/dry climates. Do you find yourself leaving the top off more and putting up a sunshade or would the Sky One-Touch be a better option? For IL, the Sky One-Touch is a no brainer due to the changing weather conditions. My dillema is that we are moving to AZ next year and I'm wondering if it's worth the savings to do a dual top or just a hard top and leave it off most of the winter time. I know during the summer months, the top is usually on, but is the extra $$$ really worth it for the Sky out West?

Interesting to see how most people approach the top options in dry climates. Thanks for any input you can provide!

The biggest factor is color. Dark colors heat up like a skillet under the desert sun. Light colors still heat up but noticeably less. I wouldn't get the SOT solely because it's a black roof. If it were tan I'd consider it.

The 2nd biggest factor is desert dust. Wheeling in the desert is often dusty AF. It's a super fine talc-like dust that accumulates in piles. As fun as top-down wheeling is, it isn't fun if you need a respirator. Often you do and everyone returns from the ride brown. Cleaning the dust out of the interior is a royal PIA, even with the top up. Between needing a good sun shield and dust-free bubble, I personally find it very rare to want to go topless.

The combination of these two (plus the possibility of snow deep enough to bury the Jeep, which isn't a factor in AZ) led me to go white painted hard top year round. My color scheme is entirely functional. Any surface which can transfer heat inside the cabin is white. Any surface that doesn't is black.

 

[JL MADDOG]

It depends on how much you like to eat dirt, along with concerns about temps. My hard top stays on year round, even in the cooler months all the trails out west are just too damn dusty.

Yup....we went topless early in the spring this year but as summer approaches the Freedom tops went back on and haven't been removed since. For us, Winter seems the best time to take the tops off but even then you don't want to be offroad.

 

[Phil513]

I live in Las Vegas, and have a 2021 Rubicon with soft top. I like the fact i can flip open the sunrider in a second. If I want it all the way down, it's a little more involved but goes fast when you get the hang of it. I went off road with a group last weekend and left the top up, I had no dust problems inside (the outside was coated). And, the AC seems to keep up with the black top fine.

I have no complaints. Sure didn't want to spend 4 grand on the one touch top.

 

[jimmym1981]

It depends on how much you like to eat dirt, along with concerns about temps. My hard top stays on year round, even in the cooler months all the trails out west are just too damn dusty. Me and the wife decided that if we want to eat dirt all day long we will just go out on our quads.

Ah, the little aspect I completely forgot to put in the rotation! The amount of dirt/dust. I think this might settle it in one shot then!

 

[jimmym1981]

The biggest factor is color. Dark colors heat up like a skillet under the desert sun. Light colors still heat up but noticeably less. I wouldn't get the SOT solely because it's a black roof. If it were tan I'd consider it.

The 2nd biggest factor is desert dust. Wheeling in the desert is often dusty AF. It's a super fine talc-like dust that accumulates in piles. As fun as top-down wheeling is, it isn't fun if you need a respirator. Often you do and everyone returns from the ride brown. Cleaning the dust out of the interior is a royal PIA, even with the top up. Between needing a good sun shield and dust-free bubble, I personally find it very rare to want to go topless.

The combination of these two (plus the possibility of snow deep enough to bury the Jeep, which isn't a factor in AZ) led me to go white painted hard top year round. My color scheme is entirely functional. Any surface which can transfer heat inside the cabin is white. Any surface that doesn't is black.

Great point there as well. We are definitely doing a lighter color and might just go with the color match hard top now. I do agree that the SOT might be super hot in the summer sun.

 

[Devil6Dog]

I have been wanting to take my top off for awhile and did once for in town driving but when I hit the dirt is is dusty AF. I also wheel in a club so 10-15 jeeps on a trail gets pretty dusty. Then throw in 115 degree heat. I don't like the sky touch but would consider a soft top so I can go topless around town and pull up quickly for off road or those sneaky Monsoons

 

[jimmym1981]

I have been wanting to take my top off for awhile and did once for in town driving but when I hit the dirt is is dusty AF. I also wheel in a club so 10-15 jeeps on a trail gets pretty dusty. Then throw in 115 degree heat. I don't like the sky touch but would consider a soft top so I can go topless around town and pull up quickly for off road or those sneaky Monsoons

Thanks for the input Devil. Im starting to lean more towards the dual top group now. The wife is dead set on the convenience of the SOT, so we will see who wins.

 

[Reinen]

Great point there as well. We are definitely doing a lighter color and might just go with the color match hard top now. I do agree that the SOT might be super hot in the summer sun.

It will be like sitting under a heat lamp. As good as the JL's AC is, you'll still feel the heat radiating. I'd definitely recommend the color match hard top in a light color. In AZ it's all about dealing with the peak of summer. It gets insanely hot. Other times of the year you have options but they can't impede your peak of summer solutions.

Keep in mind that if you do decide that you'd like to go topless in winter, getting a soft top later on is not a big deal and you'll have a better idea of what you really want. When ordering, focus on what best suits your needs during intense summer sun.

 

[jimmym1981]

It will be like sitting under a heat lamp. As good as the JL's AC is, you'll still feel the heat radiating. I'd definitely recommend the color match hard top in a light color. In AZ it's all about dealing with the peak of summer. It gets insanely hot. Other times of the year you have options but they can't impede your peak of summer solutions.

Keep in mind that if you do decide that you'd like to go topless in winter, getting a soft top later on is not a big deal and you'll have a better idea of what you really want. When ordering, focus on what best suits your needs during intense summer sun.

Thanks for this. We were out there for the whole month of August to see if we can handle the summer and I definitely can see how hot it will get. My vote was for the color matched hard top because I don't mind taking off the freedom panels and storing them. Its just the times I want to go full topless that will be a pain. However, due to the dust aspect I didn't think about, Im thinking it will be less than I would like because of this.

 

[GRAK]

Yeah hard top stays on more than I thought it would be. After a rain can be nice but otherwise the dust is relentless

You can also get valley fever from spores in the soil so not good to be breathing it in all the time

 

[Reinen]

You can also get valley fever from spores in the soil so not good to be breathing it in all the time

Good point. A friend of mine got that and it was pretty serious. No joke.

 

[jimmym1981]

Yeah hard top stays on more than I thought it would be. After a rain can be nice but otherwise the dust is relentless

You can also get valley fever from spores in the soil so not good to be breathing it in all the time

I forgot about the valley fever aspect as well! I was over here thinking "Move to AZ and top down 8 months out of the year," but now I see where I went wrong thinking only about the rain aspect.

BTW, love the yellow! It looks great!

 

[Reinen]

Thanks for the input Devil. Im starting to lean more towards the dual top group now. The wife is dead set on the convenience of the SOT, so we will see who wins.

You can tell your wife that would definitely be on her side IF it wasn't black. Being in AZ with a black solar heat magnet on the roof completely ruins any convenience factor the SOT has, IMO. That's a dealbeaker.

"Move to AZ and top down 8 months out of the year,"

I thought the exact same thing when I moved to UT. The mental image totally didn't match the reality. Shade and air filter please!!!

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