dmavram

Hello all,

I am preparing my holiday trip and I have a sort of dilemma: go with the soft or the hard top? I plan to go for a couple of weeks with my family (and the associated luggage…) and since I live in Europe, my question is mainly for the European members, however I will welcome any answers or shared experiences. My plan is to go from Belgium to Portugal (around 1900 km one way) with stops in France and Spain and the obvious advantages of the soft top are in balance with the increased security and lower noise of the hard top… So, do you have any advice?

Thanks a lot, Daniel

Johngordon

I vote hard top for the Security alone. If you go with the soft top you will always have to have the Jeep in sight. We just did a trip and had the same dilemma. We went with the hard top and were happy we did. We were still able to take the freedom panels off when we wanted to go topless. We got pretty darn good at taking Those things off quickly. Just don't bother with the roll bar bolts.

Flyingbrian

I just put my hard top back on for a trip. It's just easier raising the rear glass. And of course security.

CombatDiver

Whichever you decide have fun! I'm pretty sure either will work just fine.

08leocon

Hey Brian...how do you store your hardtop?

White Ghost

I just took a long trip my hardtop is a little harder to get to so soft top it was. It was roughly 1200-1400 miles one way so 20hrs on the road at 75mph wasn't bad but didn't make no stops till on the way back. Left everything inside and on the hitch hauler.

topbanana

It truly sucks when your forced to modify the enjoyment of your trip because people are gonna steal your stuff! While I a) am
Canadian, and b) while having tour SOME of Europe, just not the area your heading for, security IS a SERIOUS concern. You are proposing to pass through some very impoverish areas and when you got nothing, you've got nothing to lose when it comes to robbing somebody.
I just took my 2dr jeep in mid June, on a 8000+ km round trip from Ontario, Canada to Idaho, USA with the soft top and the bimini. While the weather sucked so bad I never even got to put the soft top down, let alone run "naked" with the bimini, I never once had any problems with stuff going missing in the parking lots. God Bless America, I guess as the Yanks say!
Do it with the hard top, the peace of mind will make your trip that much more enjoyable.
Wife is always taking about wanting to return to Europe to visit the "bells" at Bruges, you anywhere near there?
topbanana
2011 Sahara "Islander"