I recently added the Bestop TrekTop Pro Hybrid Modular Soft Top to Frankie Van Halen. I'll start off by saying I was never a fan of the slant-back style of tops, mainly because I was so used to the boxy look of the factory tops and because I am 100% a creature of habit. This bad-boy made it to us in the beginning of May, just before vending and event season started, giving us yet another great product to show off on FVH at shows. Once I opened up all the boxes and picked my jaw up off the floor, my opinion on the slant back look quickly changed.

The thought of me adding such a pristine looking, durable top to my Jeep made me cringe. Those who know me personally know that I am not the most graceful person or aware of my surroundings some of the time (a lot of the time) so I immediately started taking bets on how long it would take me to mess up the top. Wouldn't you know, bets started being placed on the tops demise just as quickly as I expected. Thanks, guys! (Although my favorite was the bet that I wouldn't even get it out of the box before breaking it!) Everything was packaged nicely and easy to figure out what was what. The directions were pretty simple to follow and recommended doing the installation in 70 degree weather or warmer, since the fabric would need adequate heat to stretch itself out. The estimated installation time was roughly 3-4 hours, which we can agree was fairly accurate. The side windows slid in easily and only took a few seconds per side to slide on in. The most difficult part for us was getting the top to stretch enough to fully close. Even in the warm weather, the fabric was tight and didn't provide much "give". There came a point when I had to lay across the roof of my Jeep with the soft top open so Eric could get everything snugly in place. Yes, onlookers got a good chuckle on a Wednesday afternoon! We did have to call Bestop's Customer Service once or twice to make sure we were installing everything correctly. They were friendly and extremely helpful and able to reassure us that we were on the right track. During the last stretch of installation, we needed to use a rubber mallet to get some of the parts of the top into place- mostly above the sun visors where the top latches in and around the outer lip of where the windows slide in. Some sweat, tears, sore thumbs and a few hours later, installation was complete.                 

I am particularly impressed by how this soft top looks and functions. The tautness of the fabric makes it look and feel like a hard top while still maintaining soft top qualities. I can open the side windows easily, giving the opportunity for ventilation. I can also flip back the front of the top for a sun rider style cruise. Driving at highway speeds, it maintains its snugness and shape and I don't get that all-too-well-known "flapping" sounds of the top or side windows. The interior is well insulated against road noise and compares to a hard top's acoustics. I like the fact that the side windows not only slide open, but are equipped with a mesh netting so bugs, leaves and debris are kept outside of the Jeep. The side windows can also be easily removed for a safari-style top as well. The flip-up style of the rear window is similar to the hard tops and makes getting tools, cargo and, of course, groceries in and out of the back of the Jeep so much easier since there's no need to unzip the window, roll it up, keep it up and out of the way (I'm tired, just remembering the struggle!) 

The only downside of the top is it cannot be folded down all the way, convertible style, like most common factory and aftermarket tops. I like the convenience of being able to drop the top all the way back and flip it back up when the meteorologists are wrong! To enjoy a complete open air ride, the whole top meeds to be removed, but this process is pretty easy to do and only takes a few minutes.

I've been running the Bestop TrekTop Pro Hybrid Top for almost 3 months now, The fabric is still as tight as it was the day I installed it. I still have some difficulty getting the latches above the sun visors fully down and it is definitely still a 2 person job until the fabric starts to loosen up but, hey, that's what Jeep friends are for, right? It has taken a beating on several occasions mostly from rubbing against rocks and trees (remember, I'm not always graceful or fully aware...) and catching low hanging branches, etc but you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it. I run a soft top year round so I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up to the unrelenting New England winters. There is no doubt in my mind that this top will still look brand new same time next year!

Feel free to check out the TrekTop Pro Hybrid Modular Soft Top for a Two-Door here and a 4-Door here and head on over to our Featured Brands page to view our entire inventory of Bestop Products for your Jeep!