Bestop vs. Mopar; slantback vs. squareback advice?

[Thifty]

Purchased my first JL wrangler that came with a hard top and I'm looking to get a soft top that I can put on during warmer months. I've done a good amount of searching but oddly enough haven't come across comprehensive discussions or guides to soft tops. I had a few questions about what would work best for me, ideally something along the lines

- installation isn't terrible and is doable twice a year (for alternating hard top during summer months)
- has a sunrider
- can quickly put down the entire top alone within a few minutes
- ideally can run as a bikini top

Some general questions -

- Mopar vs. Bestop tops. I heard Bestop makes the Mopar/OEM soft tops, but they only have a few options on their website under Bestop branding (Supertop Glide, Trektop Glide Slantback, Trektop Slantback) and they are signifcantly chepear than the OEM ones on Mopar's website
- Slantback vs squareback - is slantback frameless? Whatever the implication of that is? Is it purely cosmetic differences between the two?
- Is rotating soft top & hard top throughout the year dumb and/or excessive? I'll likely be making trips out into the mountains during winter, atleast a few times a year.

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[2nd 392]

I have loaded large tall items that would not fit with a sloped rear. … Rav 4, but the premise is the same

The more slope, the more you lose

 

[Mocopo]

I had the Trektop Glide on my JK. Loved it. Slant back is much better looking IMO. It still has a frame since it folds all the way back like the mopar top. They do make models that don't fold all the way back for cheaper, it all just depends on the capability you want.

To me the important thing is get the twill, or premium fabric, whichever top you go with. I run my soft top year round and the premium top actually holds up in the Arizona sun, and that's saying something.

Slant back or square back, both go all the way back, windows out, within a couple minutes easy. I've clocked myself at 2 minutes to take it fully down, 5 minutes to go all the way back up, for both. Both have a sunrider, both can be in safari mode. I'd say the difference really is just cosmetic, but it is technically true you lose some storage space due to the slant.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

For looks my vote is the slantback

 

[DocHolliday709]

I purchased the Master Top in the heavy sailcloth. I love it and it gives you more options than the Bestop and it’s cheaper in price but great quality.

 

[au176]

IMO? Slant-back wins for style. Before I purchased a soft top, I looked at, and talk to the owners of both types in person. Then I decided to buy the Mopar Twill top for a couple reasons.

• The fit of the Bestop is kinda sloppy, especially where the top meets the slanted window. Hell, you can even see it in the pictures on their website.
• Two of the three owners I talked to said that they had minor leaks inside due to that, especially when driving at higher speeds in the rain.

If I'm not mistaken, most Bestops can be run Safari-style. Check the website for "running options".
If Bestop makes OE tops, that's better than buying from some untested brand, but it doesn't mean the quality is always the same as OEM. They may cut corners to keep their name-brand products less expensive, and I'm sure that there are limits in the contract between Mopar and Bestop specifying what they can and can't do to avoid breaking the contract.

Switching the tops is fairly easy with some sort of lifting device. I do the switch in late fall/early spring. The ST will last longer if you do this, especially with roadsalt and the weight of snow/ice if you have that where you are. The hardtop is also quieter, especially if you get the liners.

 

[Terpsmandan]

Got a TrekTop on hers and I bought mine with the dual top. The TrekTop does not fold down as far as the OEM top and does not have a way to lock the mechanism when it’s down like tot OEM top. I have a pair of bungee cords to make sure that the top doesn’t bounce when down. Also the back window is huge. I got a window bag for storage but to take the back window along in the bag it either gets strapped to the front seats or folded in half to attach to the back seats. Wife also hates trying to load the back (TrekTop was her choice). Last year by the time we had a decent Sunday that wasn’t raining so that I could swap tops it was late July so it didn’t happen. Went to her last month and she said she wasn’t interested in swapping.

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