If you had to choose…

[ejewels]

I originally had a hard top, sold it and went premium soft top full time. It was an ok experience, but I got tired of not having a rear wiper in the rain and snow. I went back to hard top full time with a Sunrider and couldn’t be happier.

Depending on the condition of your top, you should be able to get $1200 or so for it. I found a hard top on FB Marketplace brand new of a 2022 with the factory headliner for $1400. If you’re looking for a painted hardtop, then they are much more.

Around here, flat black paint hard tops seem to be selling for 1800-2k. Wish I lived where you lived!

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[ejewels]

I recommend the hardtop with the Bestop sunrider for hardtop for summer and reinstall your hard panels for the cold months.

I had 2 jeep with soft top only, and never ever again. You can't clear the soft side or rear windows of snow or ice cause you'll scratch the plastic. Rear window is always full of salt and abrasives so cleaning it without damage with the squeegee at the gas station is impossible. You cant roll-up the rear window in really cold weather cause is frozen stiff and you'll crack it. So literally diving into the rear is the only way to access to put your errands.... it just sucks big time.

As a counter argument, just deal with the scratches lol. I already have some on mine and don’t care to be honest.

 

[BXFXJeep]

When I had 2 door Wranglers I preferred the soft top, and mostly drove them year round in the soft top even though I also had a hard top.

Visibility in the winter was mainly an issue, but now with the rear camera, not sure visibility would be much of the issue.

But I went Sky one touch and I have that roof open every time I get into the Wrangler, once it's not raining or snowing.

Anyone dealing with chilly temps, consider the cold weather package.

 

[Heimkehr]

For owners of both hard and soft tops (preferably mopar “official” soft top)- if you had to get rid of one, which would it be and why?
I have the soft top, and thinking about getting the hard too but at $2k bucks (marketplace) is it really worth it?

Good timing on your question. That's an option that, if available to you, prevents you from having to make a choice on the matter.

 

[Opus]

Our last two Wranglers were hard tops. They were hardly ever removed because a.) we never had a good place to store them and 2.) they were fairly cumbersome for my wife and I. I am very much looking forward to trying out the soft top. I like the options it provides (the Safari look, in particular). I have read a few different reviews/tests that show it doesn't get significantly colder in winter or hotter in summer than a hard top. But I also have the cold weather group since I'm in the midwest. As for noise, I think there's a little knob on the radio that should help with that.

That said, security is a concern but if I'm going to run it with the side and rear windows removed and the doors off I have to be prepared for someone trying to help themselves to my stuff at some point. The sunglasses are prescription so good luck to them with that...

 

[Kyle]

I had an old jeep with a soft top 20 years ago when I lived in San Diego and I absolutely loved it. However, now I live in Montana and with how cold winter temps can get here I was concerned about the durability of a soft top so I got a hardtop. Things get brittle when it's -40!

 

[Steph1]

As a counter argument, just deal with the scratches lol. I already have some on mine and don’t care to be honest.

Oh but you’re totally right, if you just don’t care, you just don’t care

 

[Rico1111]

Both tops, remove and replace every year. October, hard top goes on and then comes off around April when I install soft. New England here and you never know what kind of winter to expect! My Girl is parked out in the elements also so I am grateful for the hardtop when we get a lot of snow...and doubly grateful for the warm summer night top down enjoyment. So I would not choose! I will always have both and If I didn't have a way to store the top I'd rent a small storage space.
Pic is me clearing the snow off last winter at 4am to go to work!

 

[Anotherwillsmith]

Here’s my take - If it’s just 1 or 2 passengers (or a 2 door), go hardtop & get the sunrider. I would totally do this for my wife’s sake so she wouldn’t have to deal with freedom panels. However, since we still have kids in tow, the soft top is where its at. I want them to have the same open air experience. It can quickly be done via sun rider position without any fear of getting stuck in a shower too. Yeah, the look is so much better without the top though and I’ll pull the windows and drop it all the way back when there’s a clear forecast.
I purchased dual tops with mine because this is such a tough decision though. Luckily, I have garage space to store hardtop. I swapped to soft top after i picked it up in June. However, other things to consider with the hardtop -when it goes back on it’ll be time for those mods.. headliners, lighting, etc..

 

[STW]

I have a rack on my hardtop, Maximus-3 plus RhinoRack, and it's ready to take the roof-top-tent at a moments notice and go camping. Lots of the classic overlanders like the FJs or Defenders were run all the time with hard tops. My TJ had a hardtop on most of the time and I never regretted that in 22 years, so the hardtop wasn't a hard choice for me when I ordered the JLR.

But I live in a high altitude desert and I appreciate a little shade on my desert trips. The hardtop is not the only way to get some shade obviously, but if you need frequent easy access to the back and you need a rack on top, then the advantages start to pile up for the hardtop.

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

Not sure I understand, I have heat/AC and they work fine with soft top.

I can only speak for myself, but when it's 95 degrees and above, and it's nasty-high humidity (Pretty much July and August where I live), when I have the soft top on it struggles to get the cab cool and sufficiently de-humidified. There's a constant heat radiating from above your head (and I have the premium top).

With the hard top on it insulates worlds better, and the AC cools the cabin with no issue.

Ditto in the inverse for winter.

When the temp is 90 or below, it's no issue soft or hard top.

 

[JL ME]

The soft top is all you need.

 

[Cowboy from hell]

Soft top all the way....its a jeep remember?

 

[Karnak]

I have both tops, I stated with the hardtop only because thats how my jeep came but managed to find a used (almost new) Factory premium top for 2k CAD so I went for it cause on my old TJ I had the two tops also.

My experience with the hardtop is that its really nice and gives you the options to put a roof rack or roof tent which is something I was thinking about but which would mean I wouldhave to ditch the soft top.I found the hardtop to be quieter than the softop but the hardtop has the weird inconvenient that when you remove the freedom panels, wind/air appears to besucked in and bounces off the rear window (I have a 2 door) and then comes to hit you in the neck as a small breeze, its not major but I often times wear fleeces with hood so that I can run with the freedom panels off in colder temps but then I have this backdraft kicking my hood off or sideways or making it want to come in my face instead of staying put. Its not something major, but a tiny annoyance I have with the hardtop on a 2 door ( probably not an issue with the 4 door because of the added buffer zone).

Soft top is annoying to get in the back, its been said, I'll give it a +1. Like everyone said, the hardtop is way easier to get in the back if you have to do this often and like others said, I find myself with a rear back window dirty all the time. One thing I love about the soft top though is the fact its a world of difference when it comes to improvements over the old TJ top I was used to and it makes me love this soft top incredibly more. Windows are super easy to remove and I actually find myself running in Safari mode almost all the time now because its so Effing great, no sunburns even when your driving for 4 hours straight in the sun yet you still have that open air feeling all around when you get your doors off. The factory top is an awesome top imo because its sooo easy to use now compared to the old days of the TJ with stuck zippers, salt frozen stiff zippers etc(or broken zipper teeths etc).

You could keep the hardtop only, but I did that for a while and even though I had the pulley system and a garage to take off the top whenever I wanted, I was never always perfectly inline with the top and found that by doing it more and more, I was slowly adding small/tiny scratches to my side body parts inline with the headrest but I was scratching the outside portions when sometimes the hardtop would lean on it just a tiny bit when I was raising it up by myself not having someone watch over the alignment or control it etc. This is another reason I wanted the soft top so that I wouldn't be adding more scratches all the time.

I don't plan on only keeping one top only because both have so much use and benefits for their respective seasons and in winter, I carry more stuff usually so that rear access is a must for winter. Like some said, if storage is your only issue, ask for friends or find a way to store it, I'm sure you can find a cheap way somewhere as when I think about one top only and I was about to sell the hardtop when I bought my softop, but I'm glad I didn't as I would hate the rear window dirt and rear access in winter my point, keep both, no matter what, find a way...

 

[Carolina Jeeper]

Hard top for me since I have a place to store it. Soft top was not for me since I just don't like them for several personal reasons for daily driving. If I did more offroading or not any city dwelling, I could probably go for a soft top.

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