Soft top designs and easy storage for travel

nhdiesel

New member
Hi, I have a 2018 JKUR that is my "do everything" rig- daily driver, overlander, rock crawler, and currently- camper tow rig. It has done fine with the exception of the underpowered 3.6l, which is extra thirsty when towing, especially with 1-ton axles, 38" tires, 5.38 gears (which actually work great for this setup), and lots of heavy body armor. Mileage is to be expected with that setup.
There will be times when my wife won't be traveling with me, so I will leave the camper at home and sleep in the Jeep with at least one of my dogs. Even at 6'4" I found with the rear seat removed and my current platform/under floor storage, and the passenger seat slid and tilted forward, I have just enough room to stretch out on the floor. A dog can sleep in the driver's seat or tight in next to me. That leaves half the rear of the Jeep for a 12v fridge, clothes, cookware, laptop/electronics, power inverter, and other supplies. I'm working on planning out that puzzle, and working on finding extra storage other places such as inside the tailgate and under the front seats.

Now comes the question. I like to remove the top at times, or at least the windows. Has anyone come up with good ways to store the windows while traveling? How about half door uppers? I know this is asking a lot of an already tight space, but I bought a Jeep to enjoy the open air at times. Along those lines, are there any soft tops that would work better for open air travel? I have to replace mine anyway after an incident during a 6500 mile trip to Sand Hollow, Moab, and camping on the rim of the Grand Canyon last year.
 

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oldnslow

Observer
I found with my old TJ that carrying the windows wrapped up in an old bedsheet resulted in scratches. Without the bedsheet it was worse. I never found a good solution. Then there is the space issue: they take up a lot of it. I travelled mostly in the southwest so dust was a constant companion.

Now I drive a truck, the wndows are glass and roll down into the doors. Problem solved if you don't mind having the top on all the time. I don't.
 
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1stDeuce

Explorer
I always rolled the side windows of my TJ when I took them out on the trail. A simple nylon strap or two keeps them rolled. If you wipe them clean first they don't scratch much. I prefer to have the top deck in place rather than folded, as the sun is no friend of mine now that I live in Colorado.

FWIW, I found that leaving the back window in place rather than rolling it up to be open resulted in less dust in the vehicle on dry trails. I still pulled the side windows so the dog(s) could get some sniffs. :)

Good luck!
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Has anyone come up with good ways to store the windows while traveling?

You don't need to remove the soft top side windows to have an open air experience - with a little sewing you can modify the factory soft top side windows to roll up...

FactoryRollUp1_zps5jwqoemq.jpg


It's not a difficult sewing project, I documented it starting with this post: https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/barn-door-for-jk-factory-hardtops.127687/post-1985559. Continues for several posts after that.
 

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