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Who has a Softopper?

S

super k

1/2 ton status
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I'm wanting real world reviews on the quality of these tops from those who run them. To be honest,I was disappointed to see these are the only ones available anymore. I used to run Bestops on my 1st gen K/5s years ago and they were top notch quality. A few years ago when I went to put one on the '90 I had I got burned. I ordered one from STC right before they went under. First of all there was a back log (supposedly),then it was waiting for parts they were out of. They agreed to refund my money,but that never happened. One day the phone was disconnected and that was it. So now I figure I'll get a Kayline and see they are gone! I really want a soft top for my '85 but not so sure about the quality of these Soft toppers. They may be fine for a pickup bed,but a permanent top over my interior? I need to hear some reviews. What's the quality of the material like? How's the fit? Does it leak?
 
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I purchased a softopper soft top about a month ago and I will be putting it on in about a week once my paint is cured. There is a long thread about them describing there start and reviews of their product. From what I have read everyone has been very satisfied. I was concerned about having it on in the winter but I heard from several members that they had up to a foot of snow on their tops in the winter and didn't have any problems. That alone convinced me that I probably won't ever have a need for the hardtop again. Once again this is from what I have heard and not experience. I will repost when I install in a couple of weeks and I will include pics.
 
It's good to know they can hold up to snow. I don't care for how they look compared to the others I'm used to looking at. That may seem dumb but it matters to me. I'm used to the slanted look and these just look like,well,something you'd stick on the bed of a truck. I'm also curious about the fabric used,if it's the canvas-like material or a vinyl. I'll read up more on them. For what they cost,I am considering making one myself (with the help of my favorite upholstery shop).
 
i ran one all last summer, only complants is one of the snaps broke (easy fix) and the rear window is not long enough to attach to the tailgate with the velcro.

other than that, great topper (better be for the money) easy install and it takes less than 2 mins to roll the sides up and less than five to make it a full convert and back to being attached.


the black does seem to not stay rich black after a bit even when you wash it. im thinkiing maybe armoral or something to get the dirt out of it.

i am looking forward to re installing it this spring.
 
Doesn't sound too impressive to me. All the tops I've had went up and down that easily,as well as the sides rolling up or down fast. I didn't know velcro was used for the back flap. That's enough to turn me away. It's cheap and temporary IMO. I watched all the tonneaus with velcro fail in short time. Snaps is where it's at. But,one failed in the first season? That's just lame. I went to their site and saw the price...WTF??? $1,400???? No way I'll pay that. I can definitely have one made for cheaper by Joes's Upholstery. I only paid $2,000 for my Jimmy. No thanks.
 
I too got screwed by STC, I ended up getting the same top from a member on here several years ago, I got the tonneau cover one. I ran it for a few summers and used the hard top in the winter. I will put it back on when I have a garage to park in, I had to make supports for the cover (since I bought it used) made 3 support bars for it. But when it would rain I would still have a small pool of water sitting on it, that is the only real issue I had with it. It is nice not to have the weight of the hard top on though.
 
super k said:
Doesn't sound too impressive to me. All the tops I've had went up and down that easily,as well as the sides rolling up or down fast. I didn't know velcro was used for the back flap. That's enough to turn me away. It's cheap and temporary IMO. I watched all the tonneaus with velcro fail in short time. Snaps is where it's at. But,one failed in the first season? That's just lame. I went to their site and saw the price...WTF??? $1,400???? No way I'll pay that. I can definitely have one made for cheaper by Joes's Upholstery. I only paid $2,000 for my Jimmy. No thanks.
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I'm curious where you saw $1400. When I go to the softopper.com site, it is shows the third gen top as being $749 plus $46 UPS ground shipping = $795.
 
sloth said:
I'm curious where you saw $1400. When I go to the softopper.com site, it is shows the third gen top as being $749 plus $46 UPS ground shipping = $795.
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My mistake. I went searching for info and apparently wound up at Can-Back's site and they are $1,400.

I see Skylar is out of business,according to the product review. That's not what I consider a soft top anyway. Can-Back is not producing right now,due to a vendor they were using going out. They say July '11 they will be up and running. Those look really high quality,but at nearly double the cost.
 
super k said:
Doesn't sound too impressive to me. All the tops I've had went up and down that easily,as well as the sides rolling up or down fast. I didn't know velcro was used for the back flap. That's enough to turn me away. It's cheap and temporary IMO. I watched all the tonneaus with velcro fail in short time. Snaps is where it's at. But,one failed in the first season? That's just lame. I went to their site and saw the price...WTF??? $1,400???? No way I'll pay that. I can definitely have one made for cheaper by Joes's Upholstery. I only paid $2,000 for my Jimmy. No thanks.
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The rear window flap is not held down with velcro, that is optional, there is a bar running through the fabric and that clips into these brackets that are on each of the bed rail pieces. There are 3 velcro strips that can be attached to the tail gate as a 2nd way of holding it down and sealing it up. I have not added it because I will be swapping to a pickup truck tailgate. My softopper has only been on for 2 days and Im very happy with it.
 
buffblazer said:
i ran one all last summer, only complants is one of the snaps broke (easy fix) and the rear window is not long enough to attach to the tailgate with the velcro...
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Just going by the responses here. Thanks for making that clear. I figured I'd install snaps if I get one,anyway. I just don't care for velcro in such an application.
 
My '75-converted '86 came with both the hard top and the Softopper top. The quality seems pretty good, and I was able to put it on without instructions with no real hassle. The truck looks awesome with the top on there, and with the exception of what I've mentioned below, the fit is great. Like they described above, the rear window has a rod that slides into a pocket on the inside of the rear flap, and it locks into clips that are attached to the bed rails, eliminating the need for velcro on the tailgate. I found that the rear window section is plenty lon enough to cover the top portion of the gate.

I have a couple of cons, however, and it may be that I'm a noob to the top and should really download the directions, but the other has to do with their customer service....

I noticed that when the windows are rolled into the top flaps correctly, you can't get in or out of the vehicle (again, I have the full convertible option) because the window flaps hang up on the windows, blocking the door from swinging open. You can close the door with the flap on the inside, but then you have the issue of leaking.

The issue I have with their customer service is this: When I went to put the top on, I found that the PO didn't send the truck with all of the soft top parts, so I emailed the company to try to purchase the parts from them. This was over a month ago and they haven't responded to my email. I know that they're probably busy cranking out products, but responding to an email with at least a "hey, we're busy, give us a call and we'll help you right away" would have been nice.
 
Love mine

I bought mine over the winter and installed mine the first day it got over 55 here in Missouri. Love it. My hard top is hanging on a wall in the garage and may never go back on.

Top up to top down takes less than five minutes alone, faster with a second person on the other side. Putting it back up takes just a few minutes as well. I've been racing home with a storm on my tail and gotten the top back on in well under five minutes(in the wind, while the rain was starting and alone). Only fit issue I had with it was the first snap on the top drivers side. Was a pain until I realized that by starting with the problem snap I could avoid the problem.

The only leak I had was due to not having that problem snap fastened(could event get it close enough to snap). Also I'm pretty sure I installed my weather stripping wrong and still no leaks and vie driven it in several downpours and snow storms. It came with a bottle of seam sealer which I put on and let dry according to instructions on the bottle.

I too use only the bar that snaps into place to keep the back window closed with no issues. Doesn't pull exhaust in and I haven't noticed it pulling any rain in. The three Velcro strips on the tailgate would look dumb IMO so I didn't put them on.

Pics on the way...
 
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Man,a soft top,sides rolled up,and canoe mounted...That look just screams fun!!!! Do you ever use the canoe,by chance?? LOL!! (j/k) I gotta have me a one a dem thangs! That's the color for me,too.

Rgrdad,they really should respond to e-mails better. And,I don't care how busy you are,custom service is a priority. For that matter,it's really a case of product service even if they don't care about you. I hope you get some action soon.
I guess with the 73-75 tops you have the door frame to deal with. I always had to roll my window down in my 1st gens to flip the flap outside when it was raining or when parking it. The rest of the time I didn't worry. My tops were Bestop. I think it's a given with full tops.
 
My 2 cents but personally I'll call if it's an important matter. A lot of small companies like them are CRANKING to get their normal work load out. The person who responds to emails might also be running a machine in the shop most of the day. Also, being a new and sought after product, they may just get dozens or more of emails every day. Easy to get lost in the crush when it's everything they can do just to keep up with the orders.
So I'd say give them a call rgrdad.
 
rgrdad said:
The issue I have with their customer service is this: When I went to put the top on, I found that the PO didn't send the truck with all of the soft top parts, so I emailed the company to try to purchase the parts from them. This was over a month ago and they haven't responded to my email. I know that they're probably busy cranking out products, but responding to an email with at least a "hey, we're busy, give us a call and we'll help you right away" would have been nice.
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Pick up the phone and call, I had a question and they answered it right away. ColdPunk, do you see any issues with leaving the aluminum tube in the back window when rolled up? I find it makes it easier to roll the window up. But I dont know if it could slide out while driving, I doubt it though. Here's the only 2 pics I have:
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Also last night around 8pm I was at work and decided to close the top up (I had the sides and back rolled up) with the temp around 45ish, the windows were very stiff and it was difficult to get all the side snaps on. This is much easier to work with when its warm and in the sun.
 
That is the nature of this sort of cloth/vinyl. My rule for toneau covers is they either stay on or off in the winter.
 
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