Ursa Minor Pop-Top Jeep JK

[Ultralite]

Any Ursa owners have a "long term review" on how the build quality holds up over time? Any issues with the paint? Hardware issues with hinges? Fit issues after a couple of years of temperature changes?

I have a VW Westfalia, they did a great job of building those tops, mine is 40 years old and great.

Seriously considering a JKU with this top, but want it for the long haul....

 

[Stopbit]

Cool setup but that is a lot of rear end sag...even with the OME...

Those pictures was with a spacer lift, I got OME coil springs and shocks right after that trip.

 

[Stopbit]

Does anyone have a 50" light bad and or would it interfere with the top ?

No issue with mine....

 

[MTSN]

No issue with mine....

View attachment 267628View attachment 267629

Is that the Poison Sypder bracket? Love your Jeep - really nice job.

 

[JDaPP]

Any Ursa owners have a "long term review" on how the build quality holds up over time? Any issues with the paint? Hardware issues with hinges? Fit issues after a couple of years of temperature changes?

I have a VW Westfalia, they did a great job of building those tops, mine is 40 years old and great.

Seriously considering a JKU with this top, but want it for the long haul....

I have had mine since 2012. No issues with the build quality or fit issues. Paint has held up fine as well. Only thing I have noticed over time has been the rear catches/latches. The driver side does not hold very well and had a tendency to release (never popped up as passenger held very tightly). Frankly that is probably more on me as I had a tendency to grab them when climbing up to close it so it probably got out of alignment. John sent me external latches and that completely took care of the issue.
Other than that it has held up well and I consider that issue very minor especially with the wild weather in Florida.

 

[Stopbit]

Is that the Poison Sypder bracket? Love your Jeep - really nice job.

Thanks, the bracket is from Rough Country (SKU: 70504)

 

[Stopbit]

Those pictures was with a spacer lift, I got OME coil springs and shocks right after that trip.

This is after OME lift...

 

[Kenlyoung]

Greetings everyone, I decided to get a J30 myself and then came across this thread while I was awaiting the build process. I just picked it up for my Dragon Expedition Jeep. I have to say I absolutely love it. I see the differences that people were talking about between the first and second production. It is taller allowing for more room, and quieter (except with the windows open going 70+ down the highway there is some air flow through the roof hatch, but it's not bad at all). I slept in it the first night and it was so comfortable. We had planned to pick up the top and hit Sedona, and the Moab after it was installed but unfortunately we had to reverse the plan for our trip, still was amazing. Anyone on the fence, I say pull the trigger and get one. It's awesome! My Dragon will be rolling around the Pacific Northwest (Tacoma Area) when not on an adventure.

Currently:
- 4″ lift
- 35″ Toyo M/T Tires
- 18" Fuel Hostage Wheels
- AEV Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier, Fuel Caddy, Rear Break Light, Mud Flaps, High Lift and Pull Pal Mounts
- AEV Water pump for bumper tanks with tanks plumbed together
- AEV Procal
- Rampage Recovery Front Bumper w/ Stinger
- Smittybuilt XRC 9.5K Gen 2 Winch
- SR 50″ Hybrid LED Light bar LED Fog Lamps
- Amp Powerstep w/ Lights
- Insane Jeep Audio JK1001 Stereo Navigation (Android Operating - system with it's own wifi hotspot)
- Springtail Solutions side rear racks, with quickfist retainers (to hold Scuba tanks)
- Custom mounted rear LED for light in rear area when tailgate is open
- E-Dock Stubby Front Mounting bar above dash w/ iPad mini and go pro mounts
- Ursa Minor J30 Tent top

A lot more on the way.



See you guys on the road.

 

[aristobrat]

Looks great!!!

 

[Comanche Scott]

Way to make an entrance!

Greetings everyone, I decided to get a J30 myself and then came across this thread while I was awaiting the build process. I just picked it up for my Dragon Expedition Jeep. I have to say I absolutely love it. I see the differences that people were talking about between the first and second production. It is taller allowing for more room, and quieter (except with the windows open going 70+ down the highway there is some air flow through the roof hatch, but it's not bad at all). I slept in it the first night and it was so comfortable. We had planned to pick up the top and hit Sedona, and the Moab after it was installed but unfortunately we had to reverse the plan for our trip, still was amazing. Anyone on the fence, I say pull the trigger and get one. It's awesome! My Dragon will be rolling around the Pacific Northwest (Tacoma Area) when not on an adventure.

Currently:
- 4″ lift
- 35″ Toyo M/T Tires
- 18" Fuel Hostage Wheels
- AEV Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier, Fuel Caddy, Rear Break Light, Mud Flaps, High Lift and Pull Pal Mounts
- AEV Water pump for bumper tanks with tanks plumbed together
- AEV Procal
- Rampage Recovery Front Bumper w/ Stinger
- Smittybuilt XRC 9.5K Gen 2 Winch
- SR 50″ Hybrid LED Light bar LED Fog Lamps
- Amp Powerstep w/ Lights
- Insane Jeep Audio JK1001 Stereo Navigation (Android Operating - system with it’s own wifi hotspot)
- Springtail Solutions side rear racks, with quickfist retainers (to hold Scuba tanks)
- Custom mounted rear LED for light in rear area when tailgate is open
- E-Dock Stubby Front Mounting bar above dash w/ iPad mini and go pro mounts
- Ursa Minor J30 Tent top

A lot more on the way.

See you guys on the road.

Very nice rig.
Welcome to the forum. :beer:

 

[Trailfrog]

Here's a picture of my J30 when I picked it up. I love the J30 and I have followed this thread off-and-on for two years. I have debated on posting this here but am frustrated at this point and really wonder if I am the only one that has experienced this. When I contacted John Gish about two years ago about possibly buying a J30 he seemed like a nice guy and we communicated by email every few months. At the time John wasn't the quickest to answer my email inquires but figured he was busy and didn't think much of it at the time. I even had the opportunity to attend a work related conference in San Diego in the fall of 2012 and found time to go by and see a J30 up close and talk to John in person. Early last year I started discussing the possibility of buying his personal J30 as he planned to switch out for the new model when it came out. Throughout this process John was slow to answer my emails. I was trying to time my purchase to have the J30 shipped to Prescott, AZ and I would pick it up there while I was in Arizona for the Overland Expo last spring. I almost missed the opportunity to have it shipped because I couldn't get John to respond in a timely manner. It all worked out in the end and I was able to purchase the J30 and have it installed while I was in Arizona. I love the J30 and have slept in in probably 30 - 40 nights since then. I ended up breaking the two Thule foot mounts on the driver side trying to get under a downed tree and called John to ask if he could get me two new ones . John said he would send me two out of his next order. A few months went by and I didn't hear from John and about that same time I realized that water was entering my jeep where the rear glass meets the tailgate. As I looked there was a hole the size of a quarter on each side where there was no weatherstripping. I called John and asked him about getting a factory seal and he said the top wasn't designed for the factory seal and he would just send me a bulb seal to go across the top of the tailgate and he also mentioned that he never got me the feet that he promised. John said he would get it all in the mail to me at no cost since it had been so long. That was at least two months ago and still nothing from John. I have tried emailing twice and calling twice and leaving a message to please let me know when I can expect these parts. I have heard nothing, no response either email or phone. At this point it's been at least six months since John said he would get me the feet.

I'm not sure if I'll hear from John or not at this point. I have been polite and professional to this point but frustrated, when I pay $5000 for this used top and John won't even follow up and do what he said he would. I'm thinking surely I'm not the only one he's done this way? Any one else experienced poor service after the sale?

 

[jeepovich]

My experience dealing with John has been great. When I had questions or issues that needed his attention, I would call him and most of the time he'll answer the phone and make my concerns a priority. There were only 2 times when the phone actually went into voicemail and he returned my calls 20 min later. As you know his shop is very small; it is him and 2 workers. I would recommend giving him a call again

 

[Espo78]

I don't have a dog is this fight except for wanting one of these tops...though I only have a 2 door JK so it won't be happening for a long time, if ever. I've followed this thread for a long, long time.

IMO, it is nice that John said he would ship you those parts, and he really should have followed up on it. However you bought the top used. Unless some sort of warranty was discussed the problems you have encountered are completely not John's responsibility. You hit a tree with your top. The Thule parts you are looking for are readily available and if this much time as passed you should really just buy them yourself. Weatherstripping is available at any autoparts store. I wouldn't let water leak in for 6 months waiting on something you can get a few miles down the road. Instead of complaining on a forum, fix the problem and move on. I'm sorry to be blunt but that is how I feel about it.

I'm glad you are enjoying the top, it seems like a great addition and maybe one day I'll have a JKU and one of these tops also.

 

[JDaPP]

John will help you out but as mentioned it is a small shop and he gets very busy. It certainly is not for a lack of caring or customer service.
I have had similar experiences but in the end he has always come through. I recommend calling or emailing on a regular so that it is on the top of list.

 

[Ursa Minor]

Parts, Improvements and 2015

I'm not sure if I'll hear from John or not at this point.

Guilty as charged, those parts have been on sitting on the to-do list but they are on the way (tracking sent via email). Now it's back to other projects and parts in the backlog. I’ve also let my boss know we need more time in the day, but she is not sympathetic to late nights that impede story time.



In general, for small parts or projects there can be a wait if we are tight on production requirements or there’s just too much to do - which has been the last 6 months!

Anyone see this new roof rack from LOD? Wonder if it would fit over a J30... could provide a sweet storage solution. And for a burly rack it weights 188 lbs... heavy but not ridiculous...

http://www.lodoffroad.com/xcart/home.php?cat=309

In looking at the photos, it does not look like the LOD rack will fit over a J30 top, I think it will interfere at the rear where the overlap of the rail and rack are when the camper top opens. It might generally fit or fit with some modifications on the rack - but the only way to know for sure would be to put them together and see. That might happen if we were around the corner from LOD, but we’re half a country apart unfortunately.


In other updates, the J30 design continues to evolve and improve. We started shipping 2nd generation units in December of 2014. These are easily recognized due to the insets on the sides for accessory mountings, but more importantly they open a foot more than the earlier design. Each camper is essentially hand-made, and as we get feedback or ideas we just change the design so there are positive variations unit to unit.


Over the course of last year, we switched a few things up:
- The standard exterior paint is now Line-X brand exterior bedliner. The textured finish is tough, UV resistant and similar other textures on the Jeep.
- The 3rd brake light is now standard, as many owners were going to larger tires and aftermarket tire accessories such as AEV tanks, rear light towers and baskets that required removal, relocation or replacement of the OEM light
- Interior options in the sleeping area include provision for outlets on either or both sides. These can be either 12V or USB style
- The hinges are all stainless steel as are the exterior latches.
With all these changes, we held the line on the price too.

2015 looks to be a busy season, we are booking April deliveries for campers which is early considering it’s January. If you’re planning summer vacations don’t sweat it too much - we are working to bump up production by mid spring so we reduce the lead times back to our usual 6 – 8 weeks. We have a range of new accessories in process, from a winter skirt liner (99% done, first one going out this week to another patient owner) to a side ladder. One by one they are going to get finished! - Cheers, John