More than you really wanted to know: Me & A Bikini Top

I am the poud owner of my very own bikini top.

Yea, I know, not a mental image you really needed, so here’s an actual picture to go with it;

I think the highlight of my week has been snickering at the reactions I get when I tell people I just got a bikini top. Yea, that does say something about the week I’ve had.

Anyways, it’s a Bestop Sunlighter Bikini top, and obviously, it is for my Jeep. The Sunlighter is semi-transparent, letting UV filtered light through while keeping water out. I already have a Bestop, soft-top, so I can use the same front channel piece and didn’t have to order that. I ordered this one up through Quadratec on saturday… it came yesterday (thursday)… nice quick turnaround for the basic ground shipping option.

This give it a “very easy” install option… and essentially it is. There’s a rigid plastic strip on the front that catches in the front channel and it is held there by the tension from the straps taht cinch around the center roll bar. The hassle in getting this on at first was that plastic strip. The way the top is folded to fit in the box puts a crease or hard bend on that strip about four inches in from either end. It took a bit of work to finally get it to stay in the groove as you move around securing everything. Bit of a tip - start by strapping the back to the roll bar, but don’t make it tight. You can use that little bit of tension to help hold one end in place at the front as you move across it getting the rest tucked in.

There are a couple fold creases in the top that I hope will go away after some time in the sun. I took a quick run to the store last night that included a short jump on the highway and was pleased at the lack of any flapping noises. After driving around again today, it may even be quieter in that sense than my other soft-top.

Speaking of… I am hoping to actually go without the soft-top this summer. I may need to get a neoprene seat cover though. I made it through all of alst summer without putting the rear window down, and only a few time had to put the side windows on. I will have less coverage from the back, so more chance of the seat getting when when parked, or my head getting wet if I am driving in the rain. I knew I should have picked up that rain jacket I saw on clearance at Gander Mountain a couple months ago. ::sigh::

I am also hoping this thing will come off and go back on without hassle, cause when you have a Jeep, there are times where you just wanna go topless.