Soft tops: frameless vs frame

[John Cooper]

Does the trek top comes with all the parts needed for install?

Yes but you have to order it with what you want. I had to order mine with door surrounds because I only had a hard top, and it came with the tailgate bar and the clips to install the tailgate bar.

If you have a soft top already you can skip door surrounds.

 

[ac_]

Yes but you have to order it with what you want. I had to order mine with door surrounds because I only had a hard top, and it came with the tailgate bar and the clips to install the tailgate bar.

If you have a soft top already you can skip door surrounds.

The frameless doesn't work with factory door surrounds or at least the Bestop don't. If you order the Bestop, it came with their surrounds. Their surrounds have a special pin for the Sunroof.

 

[John Cooper]

The frameless doesn't work with factory door surrounds or at least the Bestop don't. If you order the Bestop, it came with their surrounds. Their surrounds have a special pin for the Sunroof.

That's right, I had forgotten that. I rarely use my sunrider but it's a nice feature when I have used it.

 

[jazngab]

The frameless doesn't work with factory door surrounds or at least the Bestop don't. If you order the Bestop, it came with their surrounds. Their surrounds have a special pin for the Sunroof.

So it comes with windshield header bar, door surrounds, new latches to clip the rear window, and a tailgate bar? I have a factory soft top so does it reuse the windshield header bar and tailgate bar?

 

[ac_]

So it comes with windshield header bar, door surrounds, new latches to clip the rear window, and a tailgate bar? I have a factory soft top so does it reuse the windshield header bar and tailgate bar?

Mine did from Bestop. It came with everything because everything is slightly different. It might not have come with the tailgate bar. I don't remember if I am reusing that or not, but I know the clips it sinks into are new and it came with the windshield bar for sure because you actually have to install it onto the fabric, although it is super easy and it tells you exactly what you need to do.

Other than the tailgate bar it comes with door surrounds and everything you mentioned. I think it even came with a tailgate bar.

The biggest bummer is when it is brand new it is hard to get the zippers in the rear window to sync up. Here is a tip to get around that.

When you install it install it from the front to the back. when you get to the rear window, lube the track with some silicone spray and slide the rear window in. It looks like it wont fit because there is a good 4 inches you need to stretch it.

Slide your rear window in and zip one side down about halfway. Then pull the whole top up off of your roll bars. This will make you stand on the bed of the Jeep in the rear then line up the opposite side and start the zipper and go down about half way. At that point slide the top down around your roll bars. Do it on a hot day trust me this is a bitch, but after a few times it stretches out and gets easier. You will still have to zip it above the roll bar then slowly slide it down, but it gets easier.

Watch this video it explains it all and it is a good video.
The video also includes everything it comes with and helped me when I bought mine.

 

[John Cooper]

Mine did from Bestop. It came with everything because everything is slightly different. It might not have come with the tailgate bar. I don't remember if I am reusing that or not, but I know the clips it sinks into are new and it came with the windshield bar for sure because you actually have to install it onto the fabric, although it is super easy and it tells you exactly what you need to do.

Other than the tailgate bar it comes with door surrounds and everything you mentioned. I think it even came with a tailgate bar.

The biggest bummer is when it is brand new it is hard to get the zippers in the rear window to sync up. Here is a tip to get around that.

When you install it install it from the front to the back. when you get to the rear window, lube the track with some silicone spray and slide the rear window in. It looks like it wont fit because there is a good 4 inches you need to stretch it.

Slide your rear window in and zip one side down about halfway. Then pull the whole top up off of your roll bars. This will make you stand on the bed of the Jeep in the rear then line up the opposite side and start the zipper and go down about half way. At that point slide the top down around your roll bars. Do it on a hot day trust me this is a bitch, but after a few times it stretches out and gets easier. You will still have to zip it above the roll bar then slowly slide it down, but it gets easier.

Watch this video it explains it all and it is a good video.
The video also includes everything it comes with and helped me when I bought mine.

Definitely install on a hot day or put a heater of some kind in the Jeep with the top laying over the roll bars (that's what a buddy of mine did, used a small propane heater) I did mine on a good hot day and was completely done in 2 1/2 hours including water breaks.

 

[MikekiM]

I had all three tops on all of my JKs. Quickly sold off the hard top and never regretted it, nor do I have the desire to put on the TJ. Have the OEM frame with a replacement skin on my TJ and I am definitely going to replace it with a Trektop NX in the spring of '22. Just going to let the one I have die a slow death over the winter.

The sunrider feature is a winner for me. I could flip back the sunrider panel at a stop light in no time. Can't do that with my current framed toped. I don't remember any issues with getting the top down (or up) and I recall stowing it neatly in the back on top of the security deck when I went topless. Took up way less room and was much neater than the stock framed top piled up in the back.

On my prior Trektops I left the plastic inserts out of the rear panels of the side windows. No adverse effects, it zipped up nice and tight and was easier to store the windows.

All of my Trektops came with everything that was needed. I did have the common challenges of fitting the top out of the box, but after a short time of baking in the sun things stretched into place.

I didn't know the Rampage has a strap from the windshield to the soundbar. That would annoy me. No such thing on the Bestop.

The JK model has an auxiliary bow right overhead. It's removable. Not sure if the TJ version has it. I would stow it resting on the side members of the roll bar which kept it out of the way and also served to prop up the excess fabric when the sunrider was flipped back. I buried some rather large rare earth magnets on the roll bar under the padding which held the aux bow in place.

One benefit not mentioned elsewhere in this thread is the side drip rails built into the Bestop door surrounds which do a great job at channeling water away from your cab when you open the doors. Huge benefit if you use your jeep in the rain. With my current top I get a small amount of water pooling on the soft top (much less now that I fixed the droopy top) but when I open the door and step up and it, the cab tilts just enough to have a river of water come down on my head. Not so bad in summer, but that's going to suck when it's cold.

Truth told.. I really like the look of the TJ with a the hard top but won't ever own one. Next is the Trecktop frameless fastback and then the OEM framed top.

 

[jazngab]

I had all three tops on all of my JKs. Quickly sold off the hard top and never regretted it, nor do I have the desire to put on the TJ. Have the OEM frame with a replacement skin on my TJ and I am definitely going to replace it with a Trektop NX in the spring of '22. Just going to let the one I have die a slow death over the winter.

The sunrider feature is a winner for me. I could flip back the sunrider panel at a stop light in no time. Can't do that with my current framed toped. I don't remember any issues with getting the top down (or up) and I recall stowing it neatly in the back on top of the security deck when I went topless. Took up way less room and was much neater than the stock framed top piled up in the back.

On my prior Trektops I left the plastic inserts out of the rear panels of the side windows. No adverse effects, it zipped up nice and tight and was easier to store the windows.

All of my Trektops came with everything that was needed. I did have the common challenges of fitting the top out of the box, but after a short time of baking in the sun things stretched into place.

I didn't know the Rampage has a strap from the windshield to the soundbar. That would annoy me. No such thing on the Bestop.

The JK model has an auxiliary bow right overhead. It's removable. Not sure if the TJ version has it. I would stow it resting on the side members of the roll bar which kept it out of the way and also served to prop up the excess fabric when the sunrider was flipped back. I buried some rather large rare earth magnets on the roll bar under the padding which held the aux bow in place.

One benefit not mentioned elsewhere in this thread is the side drip rails built into the Bestop door surrounds which do a great job at channeling water away from your cab when you open the doors. Huge benefit if you use your jeep in the rain. With my current top I get a small amount of water pooling on the soft top (much less now that I fixed the droopy top) but when I open the door and step up and it, the cab tilts just enough to have a river of water come down on my head. Not so bad in summer, but that's going to suck when it's cold.

Truth told.. I really like the look of the TJ with a the hard top but won't ever own one. Next is the Trecktop frameless fastback and then the OEM framed top.

Thanks. That’s some good insight. I have a hard top and a framed soft top. I hate storing the hard top and swapping it on and off in the fall and spring but I just can’t seem to get myself to sell it. I doubt I will put it on this fall since I rarely drive it in the winter. Maybe I’ll try again to sell it later this year.

My framed original soft top is still in good condition which makes it hard for me to pull the trigger on a $900 trek top. I rarely run completely topless (only on nice cool days where the sun isn’t too hot) but I do leave the windows out all summer. The sunrider feature seems very convenient. Maybe if I sell the hard top I can use it to fund the trek top. Just not sure if it’s $900 worth when I primarily ride in safari mode with my framed top anyways. Only takes a minute to drop the top.

 

[MikekiM]

Thanks. That’s some good insight. I have a hard top and a framed soft top. I hate storing the hard top and swapping it on and off in the fall and spring but I just can’t seem to get myself to sell it. I doubt I will put it on this fall since I rarely drive it in the winter. Maybe I’ll try again to sell it later this year.

My framed original soft top is still in good condition which makes it hard for me to pull the trigger on a $900 trek top. I rarely run completely topless (only on nice cool days where the sun isn’t too hot) but I do leave the windows out all summer. The sunrider feature seems very convenient. Maybe if I sell the hard top I can use it to fund the trek top. Just not sure if it’s $900 worth when I primarily ride in safari mode with my framed top anyways. Only takes a minute to drop the top.

Hard tops don’t really fetch too much money around here. Certainly not enough to put a major dent in the cost of the Trektop . Odd since it does get quite cold in the winter.

taking the hard top on and off is a two man job. And storing it is a pain. Once I took it off, it sat in the back of my shed. Never went back on.

 

[lBasket]

I am realizing my frameless soft top takes very little space in my garage as I wait for hardware to install it. Frames might be bigger?

 

[MikekiM]

Frameless is just a bit less material given the fastback is a little shorter. The real space savings is in the absence of a full frame. You still have the windshield header bar and the sunrider has short side bars attached that run from the header bar to the pivot points built into the door surrounds...and that's it. The Trektop NX has semi rigid panels that slide into the back ends of the side windows to give the top it's shape where it wraps over the back straps, but as I said above I always left them out. Leaves the windows softer and easier to store.

 

[Fishtaco]

My 2006 factory soft top takes up so much room with its shitty frame design in my shed I know now why JK and newer wrangler unused soft tops sell for $100!
Fast back Trek top "Only Way to go"!

 

[TheBoogieman]

Reading this again makes me want another Trektop NX.

 

[Fishtaco]

Reading this again makes me want another Trektop NX.
View attachment 273439

Only thing missing is the white wheels to match the white Sahara decals!

 

[ac_]

The JK model has an auxiliary bow right overhead. It's removable. Not sure if the TJ version has it. I would stow it resting on the side members of the roll bar which kept it out of the way and also served to prop up the excess fabric when the sunrider was flipped back. I buried some rather large rare earth magnets on the roll bar under the padding which held the aux bow in place.

The TJ has that also. It is to stop rain from pooling up over your head. It is removable easily for when you flip the top back or remove it altogether. It just pinches in the door surrounds I am assuming the same way as the JK. Not necessary to run if you don't have to worry about rain.

 

[Dizzydink]

I recently bought and installed a trektop NX in Black Denim, was in the same situation as you, jeep came with a hard top. For the value it has worked great for me, the sunrider is unexpectedly my favorite feature, super easy to get that open air feel, the rear windows are also really easy on/off. It came with everything needed too, that was a plus. Other jeep related purchases took priority over buying a new framed soft top set, I'm happy with my decision.View attachment 41459

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How has it held up?

 

[MikekiM]

How has it held up?

I have one going on three years I think. It's just fine. Mine is black diamond.