Opinions on full fabric doors?

[Nicholas]

So I’ve considered to go for a pair of the full fabrics with the bottom and uppers for maybe more of a summertime ease of going doorless. Here in Florida if it’s not “winter” time it’s usually raining at least 4 days or so of the week, at least on and off. But being able to have a peace of mind knowing that you could store your doors in the back seat if it rains would make the world of difference for me. Anyone here had em if so whatcha think about em?


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[MountaineerTom]

I’m wanting to do the same thing. Same kind of weather in SC during the summer.

 

[Nicholas]

I’m wanting to do the same thing. Same kind of weather in SC during the summer.

I heard their a little flimsy, but it would do the job, keep all the rain out at least most and some security, almost would love at least some sort of an invisible plastic cover to roll down at least when parked


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[JEEPCJTJ]

Full fabric doors were all that was available back in my early CJ5 days. The only downfall was when I unzipped the windows and folded them down if the outside was covered in mud. It seems that your main goal is keeping them in the back seat to use in case it rains. I can think of no problems there.

 

[Rescue6]

I have a set. I use them in the summer wheeling. I carry them for the same reason. Incase of rain but I keep the lowers on out on the trail. There is a company that makes some sheet aluminum covers for the soft doors as well. Once I tear a lower door on this set. I had my first set of doors stolen

 

[Nicholas]

I have a set. I use them in the summer wheeling. I carry them for the same reason. Incase of rain but I keep the lowers on out on the trail. There is a company that makes some sheet aluminum covers for the soft doors as well. Once I tear a lower door on this set. I had my first set of doors stolen

How are they with keeping the rain out? I wouldn’t mind a few small drops but if it leaks eh


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[bobthetj03]

They are noisy. The uppers don't seal very well. They need constant adjustments. You have no arm rest. It is nice to be able to toss them in the back when you want to go doorless though. I sold mine. Factory half doors and upper sliders would be the way to go, imo.

 

[MountaineerTom]

I've read a lot of reviews and posts on the Bestop doors and a lot say they had a hard time getting them adjusted to fit good. Some had no problems, but a lot seemed to. I also read where people had a lot of issues with the top parts flapping at highway speeds and seen that some hooked a bungee cord to them and wrapped around the roll bars.

If I get some, I don't plan any long trips where I'd have to worry about the flapping to much. Like @Nicholas, I just want to be able to throw them in the back so I can go around doorless and put them on when those surprise afternoon showers pop up like they do in the south. I have one of those clover patch window rolls so I can keep my soft top windows with me too. I'm not to worried about the security aspect of them though.

A couple years ago, I took a short trip to an area for a hike. It was a beautiful sunny day so I left the doors at home but had my soft top windows in the roll. Wouldn't you know it, I got caught in a pop up storm. The only one in the state that particular day. I started to put the soft top windows back on, but didn't because I knew I was still going to get soaked through the doors. Had to pull all the carpet out to dry it. LOL

 

[Red Dog]

So I’ve considered to go for a pair of the full fabrics with the bottom and uppers for maybe more of a summertime ease of going doorless. Here in Florida if it’s not “winter” time it’s usually raining at least 4 days or so of the week, at least on and off. But being able to have a peace of mind knowing that you could store your doors in the back seat if it rains would make the world of difference for me. Anyone here had em if so whatcha think about em?


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The only doors I had for my CJ-5 was a set of full soft. I also have too many miles in Humvees with soft doors. As others have said, noisy, no arm rest, flappy, and hit/miss as far as adjusting them to stay sealed. I'd recommend hard lowers with soft uppers at a minimum if you want something handy for rain.

 

[TJ Hunnicutt]

I've had a set and they are definitely difficult (or impossible) to get to fit/seal right, mostly because they are so flimsy. They are also the next-best thing to naked when it comes to noise (not like the steel half doors are silence incarnate). Really, I ended up giving up on 'em. But, if the weather were more of a problem here...who knows, it might be worth the hassle.
The biggest plus for them is that they are very lightweight...BUT...they really are not that much less bulky than steel half doors so, as far as room to hold them is concerned, they're about the same; it's just that you can throw them in anywhere they will fit, whereas the steel doors are more of an issue, due to their weight..

 

[Rescue6]

How are they with keeping the rain out? I wouldn’t mind a few small drops but if it leaks eh


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They keep rain out. I would not want them as my only doors. Some people cant adjust because they are afraid to bend on the mounts that they require sometimes. The uppers will flap sometimes at freeway speeds. But I only use the uppers on trail with rain so I don’t care if I was to find a cheap set of factory half doors I’d rather go that way but these are better than risking my full doors to damage and can see better without the full door as well

 

[primetime4]

I have a pair of Bestop super doors and love them. I read all the reviews beforehand and was a little worried but the quality has exceeded my expectations. They are perfect as a 3 season door that you can easily store and put on when it rains. Mine did not need that much adjustment so maybe I got lucky and they seal pretty well. The only leak I get is on the passenger side where the windshield gap is. Water will follow that line to the inside of the door and collect in the pocket so I have to poor it out after a heavy rain.

They are definitely loud and flap about an inch at highway speed but that should be expected. To me, it really makes the Jeep feel roomier and spacious. After owning my Jeep for 18 years, they have really given my ride some new life.

The only thing I would recommend is to get some straps to wrap around the interior door paddle that you can use to pull the door shut. Without this, it’s really hard to get enough leverage to pull it shut. Bestop put a really thick seal around the frame so opening and shutting can be really stiff.

 

[Nicholas]

I've read a lot of reviews and posts on the Bestop doors and a lot say they had a hard time getting them adjusted to fit good. Some had no problems, but a lot seemed to. I also read where people had a lot of issues with the top parts flapping at highway speeds and seen that some hooked a bungee cord to them and wrapped around the roll bars.

If I get some, I don't plan any long trips where I'd have to worry about the flapping to much. Like @Nicholas, I just want to be able to throw them in the back so I can go around doorless and put them on when those surprise afternoon showers pop up like they do in the south. I have one of those clover patch window rolls so I can keep my soft top windows with me too. I'm not to worried about the security aspect of them though.

A couple years ago, I took a short trip to an area for a hike. It was a beautiful sunny day so I left the doors at home but had my soft top windows in the roll. Wouldn't you know it, I got caught in a pop up storm. The only one in the state that particular day. I started to put the soft top windows back on, but didn't because I knew I was still going to get soaked through the doors. Had to pull all the carpet out to dry it. LOL

Jeez, yeah it’s a hassle here in Florida with the rain. The most bipolar states are the southern most ones. I wonder if you can make almost a permanent trip with a zipper edge around the whole door frame to where you can just attach a zipped up fabric door on it specifically for rain.


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[Nicholas]

The only doors I had for my CJ-5 was a set of full soft. I also have too many miles in Humvees with soft doors. As others have said, noisy, no arm rest, flappy, and hit/miss as far as adjusting them to stay sealed. I'd recommend hard lowers with soft uppers at a minimum if you want something handy for rain.

What about storing hard lowers in the back seat ? They can’t be too heavy


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[Red Dog]

What about storing hard lowers in the back seat ? They can’t be too heavy


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I usually only take them off once maybe twice a summer if that. Pretty easy to store in the back seat as long as the latch end is in the foot well and the mirrors against the seat. More awkward shape than heavy.

 

[Willys LJ]

I've been thinking about going to a set of soft half doors for summers in my LJ. I might have to give those Best Top Super Doors a look over. My LJ had the Super Top on when I got it.

 

[PCO6]

Full fabric doors were all that was available back in my early CJ5 days. The only downfall was when I unzipped the windows and folded them down if the outside was covered in mud. It seems that your main goal is keeping them in the back seat to use in case it rains. I can think of no problems there.

You probably remember the steel doors and tops that were made by Meyers... the same company that made the snow plows. I had the doors and a half cab plus a plow on my '69 CJ5. Everything worked well. The full cab was probably more popular but for plowing the half cab made sense.

This isn't mine but it is the same setup that I had. Mine was red with white doors, top & wheels and the plow was yellow. I wish I still had it!

At the same time (mid '70s) a friend had a '74 CJ with full one piece fabric doors. They had the see through bottom half which I always thought was kind of funny. He used his for plowing too.

I now have a set of Bestop soft doors from a YJ. The bottoms were easy to convert for use on my TJ & LJ. It was simply a matter of changing out the paddles for ones for a TJ (about $95 CDN from Bestop). They work well. They're also gray which goes nicely with my TJ & LJ which are both silver.

 

[Camdenst]

I have a set I use for wheeling trips, as a just in case. I’ll keep the lower half on while wheeling to keep mud out. They keep some of the heat in and most of the water out. Up here in CT I wouldn’t run them with a dd.

 

[-T.]

Looks like you have heard what I was going to say. Yes, they are noisier, and flap on the highway. And the seams leak in heavy, heavy rains. But they are easy to carry in the back for unexpected rain and cold morning / evening rides. I have full steel doors and they are heavy. I really try to keep the Jeep as light as I can on the trail. Plus, I'd rather tear up a soft door than crush my steel door / break the window if I slip up and do something dumb on the trail. On long trips, I have run the steel doors across the country, then have either left them in the hotel room or on someone's trailer before getting on the trail. They are expensive for what they are, but worth every penny when the sun goes down and temps start falling. They are even nice when you finish a trail on hot day and have a long dusty dirt road back to a main road. Close up the Jeep and set the a/c to recirc. That's so much nicer than eating dust for half an hour.

 

[Jeffreybomb]

I have a set of full fabric doors, too. Like @Rescue6, I use them for summer wheeling. My steel doors are off pretty much as soon as the weather gets nice until it starts cooling off for the year.

A lot of people complain that they're flimsy or "dont fit without adjustment". If you're only going to use them to keep out the elements and you can get the door latch to catch the striker plate, they work just fine for your application.

I wouldn't pay full price for them, though. They're pretty expensive. Search through craigslist or eBay and find a used set.