Ursa Minor Pop-Top Jeep JK

[dmulk]

I recognize this is the "Jeep" forum but I searched the site and couldn't find a dedicated section. My question is....does anyone have any insight what's happening with the Bronco Ursa Minor? Just seems sporadic IG posts and a small update on the website occur from time to time and then very quiet again.

(Please don't DM me about this. I will not share details of what I may or may not have seen...).

All I can say is that I'm local to the shop, friends with the guys that make and install the tops and can confirm there is very real, active, progress on the Bronco top.

These guys like to get things right and make things that last and as a result they don't rush things. They are a small team, everything is hand built, extremely custom and there's a reason they are still in business after all these years and through the ups and downs of the Overlanding Industry.

That said, IMHO, now would probably be a good time to make a call or hit the website and secure a future slot for one...just be patient.

-Dmulk

 

[Don_TLR]

Hey all,

I led a small group of adventurers a couple months ago on the AZBDR. Three of us were in J30 Ursa Minor JKs. Figured you all might enjoy the series my good friend Mark Doiron put together of the trip. Here's the teaser and a link to his Youtube channel.


-Dmulk

Nice looking trip and do a few of those trails myself, If you ever have space for an extra rig I'm in AJ and take either of the vehicles in my sig..

 

[campertramper]

Thanks for posting this! A similar modded version with exact dimensions for the ursa minor would be amazing!
Ursa Minor JK version is 85.236 x 49.250 x 2" (diagram below from https://ursaminorvehicles.com/j30-specifications)

The version of the HEST that I got is 78 x 50 x 3.9". It fits snugly. The biggest problem is that the ursa minor tapers a little bit from the back to the front and so while the 50" wide is great in the back of the vehicle, it gets tight towards the front. This could be addressed by cutting out some foam, but I haven't yet had the courage. I actually really like that it's 5" shorter than the length of the ursa minor bed platform because you can fit a pillow in the cavity while the top is closed and leave your shoes or phone and wallet in the cavity at night while you are sleeping.

Now the version that you linked to is 90" x 50", and so around 5" too long. It could certainly be trimmed down if you have the courage to modify a $750 mattress (thus making it non-returnable). It might or might not line up with the ursa minor hatches with the small cushions - I don't know. It's not clear from the published ursa minor diagram (below). Maybe John Gish will chime in with an opinion.

I also want to mention that I did contact HEST to ask if they would customize one for the Ursa Minor community and they said that they do not currently do custom work. If John contacted them directly I have a feeling he would be more persuasive than a lone ursa minor owner like me.

If you decide to get the https://hest.com/products/dually-platform-50 and trim it down, please take lots of photos and let us know how it goes!

Hello again Ursa Minor owners! I just made a change to my HEST mattress that I wanted to report to the group.
Formerly, I had two (https://hest.com/products/foamy?variant=39596236177489) Foamy medium sized mattresses in my ursa minor measuring 25" x 78" each. They were SO comfortable, but due to the tapering of the Ursa Minor sleep platform, they were pretty snug around the hinges. I have the hinge tamer aftermarket product and couldn't have made that work without them. Nevertheless, this was as close a fit as I could find and I wasn't willing to trim down my HEST Foamy.
Well, a few months ago HEST released their 'Dually Extend' product (https://hest.com/products/dually-extend?_pos=1&_sid=d519f0be5&_ss=r) measuring 20" x 78".

Well, I finally ordered a Dually Extend, removed one of my Foamy's and now I have a really tight setup. This removed 5" of width from the HEST in the Ursa Minor and it fits really nicely! I still can't practically use the hatches and so I am crawling up and down from the outside.
With me and my 8 year old son, this fits us well, and the top closes much more easily. Here's a pic (I now store the HEST pillows in the footwell and bring them up to sleep). Hope this inspires someone else to try this setup! I love it!

 

[campertramper]

Which size HEST did you go with?
Short: 64 x 25 x 3.9 inches
Regular: 78 x 25 x 3.9 inches
Regular Wide: 78 x 30 x 3.9 inches

78 x 25 x 3.9 inches - please see my latest post on this forum about a refinement.

 

[sabjku]

Hello again Ursa Minor owners! I just made a change to my HEST mattress that I wanted to report to the group.
Formerly, I had two (https://hest.com/products/foamy?variant=39596236177489) Foamy medium sized mattresses in my ursa minor measuring 25" x 78" each. They were SO comfortable, but due to the tapering of the Ursa Minor sleep platform, they were pretty snug around the hinges. I have the hinge tamer aftermarket product and couldn't have made that work without them. Nevertheless, this was as close a fit as I could find and I wasn't willing to trim down my HEST Foamy.
Well, a few months ago HEST released their 'Dually Extend' product (https://hest.com/products/dually-extend?_pos=1&_sid=d519f0be5&_ss=r) measuring 20" x 78".

Well, I finally ordered a Dually Extend, removed one of my Foamy's and now I have a really tight setup. This removed 5" of width from the HEST in the Ursa Minor and it fits really nicely! I still can't practically use the hatches and so I am crawling up and down from the outside.
With me and my 8 year old son, this fits us well, and the top closes much more easily. Here's a pic (I now store the HEST pillows in the footwell and bring them up to sleep). Hope this inspires someone else to try this setup! I love it!

I've been using my overstuffed factory mattress covers(1.5" of additional foam) for a couple of years, with close to a year of travel time on the road, and it's much better than stock. I really like your idea of the two different Hest mattresses, however, I just can't come to grips with entering the Ursa from the exterior. For me, that just defeats the entire advantage of the Ursa-entering from the inside, which is why I purchased it. If Hest ultimately did a custom program(highly unlikely I would imagine) and offered J30 fitments, then I may consider that. For me the act of sliding the panel over and standing up inside is the game changer.

 

[campertramper]

I've been using my overstuffed factory mattress covers(1.5" of additional foam) for a couple of years, with close to a year of travel time on the road, and it's much better than stock. I really like your idea of the two different Hest mattresses, however, I just can't come to grips with entering the Ursa from the exterior. For me, that just defeats the entire advantage of the Ursa-entering from the inside, which is why I purchased it. If Hest ultimately did a custom program(highly unlikely I would imagine) and offered J30 fitments, then I may consider that. For me the act of sliding the panel over and standing up inside is the game changer.

I completely get where you are coming from sbjku and I wrestled with the downside of an exterior entrance greatly before giving this a try. I just wasn't sleeping well on the ursa minor stock foam and I wanted to do the best thing possible to improve the experience. Your overstuffed factory mattress sounds like a good idea! I also considered purchasing an additional set of 2" foam mattresses from ursa minor to double layer the foam and preserve that internal entrance functionality but ultimately discarded it as an idea because I didn't think that the foam I choose would ever equal the comfort of the HEST. After trying one out at REI I was pretty much sold on that mattress solution and was ready to make compromises to improve my sleep. Technically, since the mattresses are separate, it is still possible to use the hatches in a pinch, you just have to pry them up and crawl under the mattress. I did it last summer when I heard bump in the night and feel confident that I could still get to the drivers seat and drive away in an emergency without exiting the vehicle. I have my awning on the drivers side and rear and so now use the passenger side for entering and exiting. When I showed Dan Grec my setup last summer in Denver, it was he who suggested entering from there and it's worked out great! I am considering an external ladder mounted to the jeep, but I'm reluctant to advertise how one gets into and exits the ursa. Still thinking about that one. One more thing, I did contact HEST and asked them if they would do a custom job for the URSA Minor and they said no (that was about a year ago). I am starting to see HEST release more custom solutions though, including for the Rivian a few weeks ago. If enough Ursa Minor owners contacted them, or even better if John Gish contacted them directly, perhaps they would reconsider. I would purchase another set if they were to do custom sizes. Warm wishes and happy camping!

 

[sabjku]

I completely get where you are coming from sbjku and I wrestled with the downside of an exterior entrance greatly before giving this a try. I just wasn't sleeping well on the ursa minor stock foam and I wanted to do the best thing possible to improve the experience. Your overstuffed factory mattress sounds like a good idea! I also considered purchasing an additional set of 2" foam mattresses from ursa minor to double layer the foam and preserve that internal entrance functionality but ultimately discarded it as an idea because I didn't think that the foam I choose would ever equal the comfort of the HEST. After trying one out at REI I was pretty much sold on that mattress solution and was ready to make compromises to improve my sleep. Technically, since the mattresses are separate, it is still possible to use the hatches in a pinch, you just have to pry them up and crawl under the mattress. I did it last summer when I heard bump in the night and feel confident that I could still get to the drivers seat and drive away in an emergency without exiting the vehicle. I have my awning on the drivers side and rear and so now use the passenger side for entering and exiting. When I showed Dan Grec my setup last summer in Denver, it was he who suggested entering from there and it's worked out great! I am considering an external ladder mounted to the jeep, but I'm reluctant to advertise how one gets into and exits the ursa. Still thinking about that one. One more thing, I did contact HEST and asked them if they would do a custom job for the URSA Minor and they said no (that was about a year ago). I am starting to see HEST release more custom solutions though, including for the Rivian a few weeks ago. If enough Ursa Minor owners contacted them, or even better if John Gish contacted them directly, perhaps they would reconsider. I would purchase another set if they were to do custom sizes. Warm wishes and happy camping!

I completely understand. Getting proper rest is critical!

Just an FYI, I called Roam Rest today. They make really nice mattresses for the van world. They have also made them for JK and JL Ursa’s. 4” foam, Plush or Med Firm options, $1300 total.