Bestop Trektop NX vs. Pro Hybrid?

[caminton]

Can anyone offer any more info on the Pro vs. the regular NX? I'll give you my situation so maybe someone can offer me some insight also.


I currently live in "So"Cal (about 2 hours north of LA. Not very southern, but not very northern either) and its extremely mild temps here. I'll be here for another 6+ months at least (looks more like a year and a half but I don't know an exact time, gotta love the military). After that, I'm moving to Minot, North Dakota.

I have a hard top right now and I'm trying to decide if I want to get a Trektop NX to supplement it, or sell it and get a Pro. I just don't know if a pro will offer good enough insulation in the cold weather. It also looks like the very rear portions are "hard" and the top is the only "soft" portion, which would be great here. I want to run my soft top wth the windows out. I can't afford to have a hard top and the Pro, so I'll be selling my hardtop if I decide to get the Pro.

 

[Napalm]

I'll offer some insight, I can't say much about the Trektop Pro as I do not run this top. But, I can tell you what I would do in your situation. Note that this is all my opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt.

My vote would be to keep the hard top and supplement it with the Trektop NX. While I don't know much about ND, I do know that the winters can be harsh and the summers can be nice. Keeping the hard top and getting a Trektop allows you to have a great winter option and a great summer option. You can run in safari mode with the doors off in the summer, and in the winter time you'll be warm in the winter under your hard top. Plus for me, the looks of the Trektop NX just beat out the Pro. The one thing that I do like about the Pro is the glass back window. The vinyl windows see anything but convenient in everyday situations, but manageable and work just fine for me. All in all, get what you want. I don't have first hand experience with the Pro, so I can't give you a comparison, just more of a "what I would do in this situation".

Just my opinion, good luck.

 

[caminton]

I'll offer some insight, I can't say much about the Trektop Pro as I do not run this top. But, I can tell you what I would do in your situation. Note that this is all my opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt.

My vote would be to keep the hard top and supplement it with the Trektop NX. While I don't know much about ND, I do know that the winters can be harsh and the summers can be nice. Keeping the hard top and getting a Trektop allows you to have a great winter option and a great summer option. You can run in safari mode with the doors off in the summer, and in the winter time you'll be warm in the winter under your hard top. Plus for me, the looks of the Trektop NX just beat out the Pro. The one thing that I do like about the Pro is the glass back window. The vinyl windows see anything but convenient in everyday situations, but manageable and work just fine for me. All in all, get what you want. I don't have first hand experience with the Pro, so I can't give you a comparison, just more of a "what I would do in this situation".

Just my opinion, good luck.

Thanks! The zippers on the NX are pretty much the only thing that turn me off from it. I'm not a fan of having to zip my way into the top just to get something from the back, or when we take the dogs with us. I've heard the horror stories of zippers with dust in them, and using them in the cold, etc. So how bad are they?

 

[SilverBack]

Not to confuse the matter even more but, I had a TJ with a soft top for years in the snow belt . I never had a problem with the zippers. If you maintain and clean the top you will be fine. Also, if you have a dog then the fastback of the NX will cut into the space for them in the back or cargo if they rid in the front. Maybe a use factory soft top would be a good option to supplement the hard top in the summer months.
Also, thank you for your service!

 

[caminton]

Not to confuse the matter even more but, I had a TJ with a soft top for years in the snow belt . I never had a problem with the zippers. If you maintain and clean the top you will be fine. Also, if you have a dog then the fastback of the NX will cut into the space for them in the back or cargo if they rid in the front. Maybe a use factory soft top would be a good option to supplement the hard top in the summer months.
Also, thank you for your service!

Thanks! We run no back seat almost exclusively in the 2 door so the dogs have plenty of space. But thanks for the insight about having a soft top in the snow belt, that pushes me more towards the Pro. Having one top to do it all is the ideal situation, but it's really hard to justify a $1500 "soft" top!

 

[SilverBack]

Thanks! We run no back seat almost exclusively in the 2 door so the dogs have plenty of space. But thanks for the insight about having a soft top in the snow belt, that pushes me more towards the Pro. Having one top to do it all is the ideal situation, but it's really hard to justify a $1500 "soft" top!

Totally understand about the 1500 bucks. I also like the look of the factory soft top much better but that's just my opinion and nothing against the NX at all. For security I prefer the hard top. I'm in Kosovo and have a hard top. I've learned to remove is by myself without a lift or garage. Just take it off and lay it on the grass, takes about 15 mins. Reverse to place it back on, takes a bit longer. Just can't be too windy! Have a premium soft top sitting in my folks garage back in TN but can't get it shipped here through APO and currier is way to expensive.

Good luck and take your time, you will figure out what works best for you!

 

[Ddays]

Sorry to butt in the thread but can anyone chime in as to what the life expectancy is of these aftermarket soft tops? I know Bestop make the factory soft tops for Jeep but how long do they actually last. My experience with them is from 20 years ago and it seems like they wore out/zippers broke/windows got shitty, etc after a couple years. I got the factory hard top for those reasons but love the NX tops....

 

[sipafz]

Can anyone offer any more info on the Pro vs. the regular NX? I'll give you my situation so maybe someone can offer me some insight also.


I currently live in "So"Cal (about 2 hours north of LA. Not very southern, but not very northern either) and its extremely mild temps here. I'll be here for another 6+ months at least (looks more like a year and a half but I don't know an exact time, gotta love the military). After that, I'm moving to Minot, North Dakota.

I have a hard top right now and I'm trying to decide if I want to get a Trektop NX to supplement it, or sell it and get a Pro. I just don't know if a pro will offer good enough insulation in the cold weather. It also looks like the very rear portions are "hard" and the top is the only "soft" portion, which would be great here. I want to run my soft top wth the windows out. I can't afford to have a hard top and the Pro, so I'll be selling my hardtop if I decide to get the Pro.

Decisions, decisions, these are the fun ones! I have the factory hard top and factory premium soft top. I can't speak about the specific tops that you asked about, but can add some insight on owning two tops. I personally like having both options but hard top storage can be an issue for some. I'm fortunate to have a three car garage and installed a lift to remove and store the top during the summer months. The hard top is really nice to have during the sloppy Wisconsin winters and the rear wiper is very useful. I use the hard top when camping because we will leave our food in the car. No bears to worry about where we camp, just raccoons (little fuckers). Of course the soft top can't be beat during the summer! I have Oscar stripped down when ever possible even if it's just for a day! I picked up my soft top from CL, used for one summer, for $500. The top folds down in about 5min and have not had any issues with the zippers or leaking after maybe 50 cycles. The vinyl windows will get scratched up, but they are usually just rolled up and in the back anyway so it doesn't bother me. The sun rider is a really nice feature that I use quite a bit as well. So that was a long, good luck with your decision!

 

[Bcvetter]

I've had 4 wranglers and 3 of the four I had a hard and soft top for. I currently have a hardtop and trek nx for my JKUR. Best advice I can give you is to not get rid of the hard top. You'll regret it. I love my trek top. Removing the entire top could be a bit easier would be my only complaint.

 

[caminton]

I've had 4 wranglers and 3 of the four I had a hard and soft top for. I currently have a hardtop and trek nx for my JKUR. Best advice I can give you is to not get rid of the hard top. You'll regret it. I love my trek top. Removing the entire top could be a bit easier would be my only complaint.

Decisions, decisions, these are the fun ones! I have the factory hard top and factory premium soft top. I can't speak about the specific tops that you asked about, but can add some insight on owning two tops. I personally like having both options but hard top storage can be an issue for some. I'm fortunate to have a three car garage and installed a lift to remove and store the top during the summer months. The hard top is really nice to have during the sloppy Wisconsin winters and the rear wiper is very useful. I use the hard top when camping because we will leave our food in the car. No bears to worry about where we camp, just raccoons (little fuckers). Of course the soft top can't be beat during the summer! I have Oscar stripped down when ever possible even if it's just for a day! I picked up my soft top from CL, used for one summer, for $500. The top folds down in about 5min and have not had any issues with the zippers or leaking after maybe 50 cycles. The vinyl windows will get scratched up, but they are usually just rolled up and in the back anyway so it doesn't bother me. The sun rider is a really nice feature that I use quite a bit as well. So that was a long, good luck with your decision!

Thanks guys. If you haven't seen it, check out the Trektop Pro NX. The only reason I'm considering it is that it's a hybrid top. The rear has glass windows, the back glass flips up and can have the factory defroster/wiper installed. The glass side windows can slide open or be removed entirely for a safari top feel to it. The top of it is soft top material and includes a sun rider. Tough decision right now, because I'm in California and its 68-75 every day, but I'm sure once it's -25 I'm gonna want the hard top.

 

[JKU Arizona]

Thanks guys. If you haven't seen it, check out the Trektop Pro NX. The only reason I'm considering it is that it's a hybrid top. The rear has glass windows, the back glass flips up and can have the factory defroster/wiper installed. The glass side windows can slide open or be removed entirely for a safari top feel to it. The top of it is soft top material and includes a sun rider. Tough decision right now, because I'm in California and its 68-75 every day, but I'm sure once it's -25 I'm gonna want the hard top.

Hi, i'm new to this site, First post here ... I actually run the Trektop Hybird pro. I decided to keep the hardtop but leaning towards selling it Not sure yet because i run a 3rd row on some of our trips and it only works with a hardtops since i also have to install the 3rd row roll bar. So far i love the top, before the Pro I had the trektop NX and it's a big difference in going from nx to the hybrid. The hybrid is quieter (not as quite as the hardtop), stretches more nicely and not as floppy, it's made from a different fabric type material the glass windows really do make a difference and they open nicely. The back window flips up open like in you hardtop. I'm not running the wiper motor (to expensive to add-on). The installation is really easy with 2 people one to hold things in place while the other fastens. The only problem is when you're in sunrider mode the fabric wants to fall down to the back seat area. a quick fix would be to add a mesh insert underneath the top (I'm planning on doing that to keep the sun out while in sunrider). The windows slide out back NO ZIPPER to deal with. and also slide in. At first it's a little hard to do but once you get the hang of it they come off and slide back on easy.

The reason i went with this top was because some of the jeeps I've seen that have the regular Trektop seem to have taken a beating with the sun. They seem to get really dull, faded out over time. The Hybrid seems like it'll hold it's color and form for much longer. I also found someone wanting to trade my NX top for a Poison Spyder brawler 2 front bumper already powder coated and with nice lights (i was in the market for one) so decided to use that money towards the pro instead.

Also I haven't seen anyone else in my area or the trails i've gone to with a pro there's a lot more people running the NX.

Also since I'm talking about it might as well mention water tightness. At first i was only getting a leak in the back where the window meets the tailgate. I looked into it and notice that i had the windows mounted to high up so i unbolted the 2 bolts dropped it down and hasn't leaked since. I do get a small amount of water entering in the front but i think that has to do with my half doors.

Heat and insulation, I live in Arizona and it's been hot as hell here these past months over 110+ it hasn't rained much just enough to make it humid these last couple of weeks. The Hybrid top is wwwwaaaaayyyyy cooler than the hardtop or the NX top. The AC actually feels like it's on and working. With the hardtop only the front passengers felt the ac and only if you pointed it at your direction now the passengers (my kids) feel the coolness of the AC.

I honestly don't see myself installing the hardtop back anytime soon.

Let me know if you have any questions about it i'll be happy to answer. Thanks! Sorry for the long post, i get excited talking jeep.

 

[WJCO]

Hi, i'm new to this site, First post here ... I actually run the Trektop Hybird pro. I decided to keep the hardtop but leaning towards selling it Not sure yet because i run a 3rd row on some of our trips and it only works with a hardtops since i also have to install the 3rd row roll bar. So far i love the top, before the Pro I had the trektop NX and it's a big difference in going from nx to the hybrid. The hybrid is quieter (not as quite as the hardtop), stretches more nicely and not as floppy, it's made from a different fabric type material the glass windows really do make a difference and they open nicely. The back window flips up open like in you hardtop. I'm not running the wiper motor (to expensive to add-on). The installation is really easy with 2 people one to hold things in place while the other fastens. The only problem is when you're in sunrider mode the fabric wants to fall down to the back seat area. a quick fix would be to add a mesh insert underneath the top (I'm planning on doing that to keep the sun out while in sunrider). The windows slide out back NO ZIPPER to deal with. and also slide in. At first it's a little hard to do but once you get the hang of it they come off and slide back on easy.

The reason i went with this top was because some of the jeeps I've seen that have the regular Trektop seem to have taken a beating with the sun. They seem to get really dull, faded out over time. The Hybrid seems like it'll hold it's color and form for much longer. I also found someone wanting to trade my NX top for a Poison Spyder brawler 2 front bumper already powder coated and with nice lights (i was in the market for one) so decided to use that money towards the pro instead.

Also I haven't seen anyone else in my area or the trails i've gone to with a pro there's a lot more people running the NX.

Also since I'm talking about it might as well mention water tightness. At first i was only getting a leak in the back where the window meets the tailgate. I looked into it and notice that i had the windows mounted to high up so i unbolted the 2 bolts dropped it down and hasn't leaked since. I do get a small amount of water entering in the front but i think that has to do with my half doors.

Heat and insulation, I live in Arizona and it's been hot as hell here these past months over 110+ it hasn't rained much just enough to make it humid these last couple of weeks. The Hybrid top is wwwwaaaaayyyyy cooler than the hardtop or the NX top. The AC actually feels like it's on and working. With the hardtop only the front passengers felt the ac and only if you pointed it at your direction now the passengers (my kids) feel the coolness of the AC.

I honestly don't see myself installing the hardtop back anytime soon.

Let me know if you have any questions about it i'll be happy to answer. Thanks! Sorry for the long post, i get excited talking jeep.

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