Summer Tops and the Differences

Whew! It’s the middle of summer and boy is it toasty outside! While others are looking to hide from the heat, Jeepers embrace it, along with the outdoor lifestyle. It’s time to get away from the office, and even out of town to enjoy where the breeze is fresh and the air is clean.

But what’s the best way to do that in Jeep? By taking advantage of running with a Bikini or Summer top on your ride.

There’s really no excuse for not enjoying one. We carry them for CJs and Wranglers from around 1952 (when Jeep started using roll bars) and up to today’s JK models. With Bikini tops and Summers tops, you get a wide range of options, looks, and advantages over a hard top or full soft top.

Summer Tops

Generally, summer tops let air flow into your Jeep, but also give you a bit of shade. Bestop offers a few great looking mesh tops that blend in well with your Jeep to keep you comfortable and looking good in the sun.

Another hot mesh top design (and ones that are are very popular) are the Spiderwebshade soft mesh tops. They make tops for all your favorite Jeep models - CJ, YJ, TJ, and JK - with designs that cover just the front, or if you prefer, both front and rear seats. As an added bonus, they make mesh rear side panels to keep the air flowing, but give you some side shade as well.

By the way, Spiderwebshade soft mesh tops also work under your hard top with it installed, so swapping from winter driving to summer driving is very easy. Take the hardtop off and you’re ready to go - the Spiderwebshade is already in place. And these are great to have with your Freedom Panels off.

If you want a more personal and custom look, VDP has some mesh tops that will compliment your Jeep well. They have American Flag tops, Camouflage, or even your favorite Jolly Roger Pirate motif. Dare to be different!

If you have a hardtop, you can still free up some much-needed air into your Jeep with Bestop’s Sunrider for hardtop, which can replace your Freedom Panels. It’s a soft top, but easily opens and closes. That means - no loose panels you have to store in your Jeep or leave at home in the garage. Is it better than sliced bread? We think so!

Bikini Tops

Let’s start with the Big Dogs from Bestop. A quick top to add to your Jeep is the header type, which covers the front seats of your vehicle. These are very basic, but get the job done with little fuss. Their Safari Top covers both the front and rear seats to give you some shade.

If you have an older CJ or Wrangler with the sport bars, Rugged Ridge offers a Bikini top that will cover both front and rear seats too.

Bestop’s Targa Sun Bikini is also an innovative solution for summer driving if you have a hard top. It installs UNDER the hardtop, meaning, once you remove the Freedom Panels, you can enjoy it just like a Bikini soft top. If you remove your entire hardtop, the Targa Sun Bikini stays on your Jeep. So in effect, you’re running a soft top and a hard top at the same time, but it cuts down on having to swap two tops entirely when going from winter to summer.

While you’re checking out all the cool Bestop soft tops, remember that some of them can be purchased as Combos. Meaning, you can get bikini tops for the front, or the rear, or a Windjammer panel in the middle, or a deck cover for the rear cargo area of your Jeep. There are different combinations, depending on your needs. It's a good way to save a few greenbacks too.

Now on some of the Bikini and Summer tops, you will need to add a windshield channel to install the top. But no worries, we carry those. Normally you will see them listed and mentioned when you look at the Jeep tops on our website. If you’re not sure, just contact us and we can help you narrow down your choices as to what will work best on your particular Jeep.

Bikini and Summer Tops are also available in a variety of colors choices. From traditional black, tan, khaki and spice, to the more exotic colors from Spiderwebshade, such as hot pink, blue, green, Purple, orange, yellow, and more.

There’s still plenty of summer left to upgrade your Jeep and your soft top. But the weekends are passing by fast. Get your Summer Top or Bikini Top today and start enjoying the great outdoors - Jeep style!