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Road Trip - Hard top or Soft Top

travman

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Getting ready for a cross country trip. Going from Georgia to Yosemite and visiting many national parks and monuments on the way, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, etc. So hard top or soft top? Two week trip and were concerned about road noise for approx 5000 miles. Also a bit concerned about security of the soft top as we'll be overnighting in multiple hotels with no or little security. Our softop is not tinted. I would kind of hate unpacking the jeep every night. So hard top or soft top?
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Notorious

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cross country trip...hard top or soft top? Two week trip... concerned... road noise for 5000 miles.... concerned security of soft top ... overnighting in multiple hotels... no or little security. softop not tinted...hate unpacking the jeep every night. hard top or soft top?
The highlights of your post suggest you already know which top you want on the Jeep.
 
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travman

travman

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Its a stock Sahara. Just wife and I. I'll have room to store the panels. So probably the hard top. Just thinking how nice it would be driving through Yosimite, driving route 1, driving Grand Canyon with top down.
 

sost1sg

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Its a stock Sahara. Just wife and I. I'll have room to store the panels. So probably the hard top. Just thinking how nice it would be driving through Yosimite, driving route 1, driving Grand Canyon with top down.
Get yourself the sunrider for hardtop. Can have easy roofless access, not have to worry about the panels and still have the security of hardtop.
 

Hayseed_JLUR

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We make road trips with soft top. Unpacking at hotel is part of the payment for the privilege of going topless when we want. Road noise is nothing in a soft top. Tire noise is higher. It is a Jeep and is the most illogical road trip vehicle (comfort, noise, steering, security, MPG, etc) but we still take it every chance we get = even naked on some trips.
 

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Outlawd

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Hard top, freedom panels off..... It sucks that the idiots that steal stuff instead of working for it can stop people from traveling the way they want. A soft top would be perfect for your trip if everyone was honest.
 

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Get a cargo enclosure for the stuff staying over night and bring the rest into the hotel. This way you can take the soft top. It’s only two weeks worth of gear.
 

Swagger

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To me, security is not the issue. Pack so that valuables can go inside at night with you.

I personally do not like riding top down at highway speeds (70 mph), due to wind, noise and heat. Most of your road trip will be at highway speed, so you may not have the top down as much as you think.

However, in the national parks or any scenic location, the top is coming down. One of the perks of owning a Jeep, and main reason to have a soft top is the flexibility to do both.

Make sure you have a way to store the windows though, and strap the top down so it is secure at high speeds. It is a good idea is to have a fabric tonneau cover which helps with security in the cargo area.
 

Aloha Offroad

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This is a good post and I struggle with this one too. I've done both and now I usually do soft top for shorter trips but for a longer trip such as yours, I go hard top for the security.
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