Ursa Minor Pop-Top Jeep JK

[ExploringJeeps]

Tiger Cruise with the J30

For our first trip with the J30, we drove from the Chicago suburbs up through Wisconsin to Lake Superior and back. The goal was to get out of the house and to wrap our heads around having a bedroom on top of our Jeep. Here are some of the things we learned:
Driving:

1. The top is quiet when driving, similar to the factory hard top with the headliners in it. Maybe a little more wind noise above 50MPH, but probably quieter below that. Much quieter than a soft top.
2. Headroom and feel in the driver seat is better than the hard top. Feels like more headroom, and black color is better than the white plastic.
3. Weight distribution is different and noticeable, but not a huge difference. Maybe new rims with better backspacing are required to get a more stable base. LOL
4. Two hours of intense rain and 70MPH winds(because we were driving on the highway) and we had no leaks at all inside the cabin or in the tent area. I was very happy with this, especially because I installed it myself. (I'm going to make a video on that)

Sleeping:

1. The pads are very firm. Too firm for me. I am overweight though.
2. The pads slide on the slick fiberglass floor.
3. There is a gap in the center between both of the port covers. Not only that, but the two together have about a 8 inch center section where there is no support provided by the rim around the base opening. Anyone know why this is like this? Is it to distribute weight further out toward the stronger sides? Seems like a kid standing in the center of the two covers could go right through.
4. Getting out with two people is a juggling act. We are learning to juggle though so it's cool.
5. It is definitely tall enough for a 6ft person.
6. two people can sleep next to each other with enough room, unless the other person is a bed hog. But hey, if they want to sleep over that 8 inch gap, more power to them.
7. We found it to be amazingly warm on a 40 degree night, and we had no condensation inside the top even though it was near 100% humidity outside. Very impressed with this aspect. Very different to sleeping inside the back of the jeep where everything gets wet.

Usage:

1. 12V outlet is great up top for charging stuff, we have a good 12v charger for our iPhones and iPad.
2. Lighting is adequate.
3. Rear sliding windows are helpful when trying to keep perishable food in the cargo area at a normal temperature when the Jeep is left in the sun for a little bit. Be careful if you leave them open at night because it causes a big commotion if it starts to rain at 2 AM and you realize that they are open.
4. While you can stand up in the opening, changing in a campground is visible to the world without some type of window shade. We have a portable shelter we use to change in and store stuff we don't want in the Jeep, but don't want to leave outside.
5. Getting into the top is easy for me with a small step stool. Less so for my wife at 5'4". I folded up the rear 60% seat, removing the bolts on the front feet. It actually worked well as a second step or a place to sit, but it took up too much space on the floor under the opening. We need to find a two step solution that is solid.
6. Closing the top is easier when you keep cushions and pillows away from the pole that locks the top up. It interferes significantly, but it is easy enough to put things on one side or the other.
7. Trying to close a top from the outside early in the morning puts too much of a side load on the gas struts resulting in a very loud groaning sound. From the inside it works much better.
8. Also when trying to leave early, it is apparent how many times doors are opened and closed in the process of trying to make everything happen and not let too many mosquitoes into the Jeep. If anyone knows how to quietly close a jeep door please PM me. I am willing to pay for that knowledge.
9. Water really does pour down into the open door. With the slanted roof, all of the water rolls forward onto the window or down the A pillar. I have an idea to alleviate this, will post in the future if it works.
10. I weigh too much (275) and getting into the top I could feel and see some flexing of the rear section. No issues when laying down, felt very solid, couldn't feel any sag. Still was concerned about longevity due to movement. Probably not an issue, but would rather not see it. This is my issue.

What we changed:

1. We got a 2 inch memory foam mattress topper. This made a huge difference, no issues with closing the top with two synthetic down sleeping bags (20+ rating) in there. We pull our Pillows down now, though we probably could have left them up there in the right location.
2. We also bought some black drawer liner to stop the movement of the cushions. This worked great, thanks to this thread for the idea.
3. I cut some thin rubber strips I had with 3M adhesive on one side and placed them in strategic spots along the opening to make the port covers move around less and make less noise too. This worked pretty good. They seem more secure now.
4. I ran a piece of webbing through the roll bar near the center of the soundbar. Made a loop out of it for a handle. Seems that often a handle in that area was helpful to positioning yourself here or there.
5. Under the top, there are robust roll bars. It seemed wasteful to not use these bars for support. I rolled up some of the spare packaging foam that was sent to protect the rear window. Then I stuffed it tightly between the rollbars and the top. These provided a definite support to the top when sitting up on the rear section. The packaging foam is great since it is stiff stuff and it distributes the weight over a very large area without any specific pressure points.

I am planning to remove the rear seat, and make a platform for standing and some steps with integrated storage. I also plan to cut the mattress topper into three sections and covering them to aid movement in and out of the top. I will keep you guys posted on how that goes.

MinocquaJeep-6 by tom Alicoate, on Flickr

MinocquaJeep-4 by tom Alicoate, on Flickr

MinocquaJeep-2 by tom Alicoate, on Flickr

Loving this top so far!
Thanks to all of the people who added information on this thread. I can't imagine I would have pulled the trigger on such an investment without it.

Tom

 

[KellyM]

Nice write-up. For my wife and me, accessing the top from the outside using an external ladder is much preferred to climbing up through the hatches. BTW, I do not experience any side load issues when closing the top from the outside, and I pretty much always close it from the outside.

As to driving manners and weight distribution, I started with air bags and then switched to a modified suspension. I am about to add a new rear anti-sway bar (Helwig or Roadmaster). I did not like the ride with the stock Rubicon suspension, but I have heavy bumpers, a winch, fridge, stove and drawer. You look like you are running a much lighter rig.

Enjoy your new set up, and keep us posted on your mods and adventures.

Kelly

 

[goin camping]

Great trip and top report!

 

[Boat.man]

For our first trip with the J30, we drove from the Chicago suburbs up through Wisconsin to Lake Superior and back. The goal was to get out of the house and to wrap our heads around having a bedroom on top of our Jeep. Here are some of the things we learned:
Driving:

1. The top is quiet when driving, similar to the factory hard top with the headliners in it. Maybe a little more wind noise above 50MPH, but probably quieter below that. Much quieter than a soft top.
2. Headroom and feel in the driver seat is better than the hard top. Feels like more headroom, and black color is better than the white plastic.
3. Weight distribution is different and noticeable, but not a huge difference. Maybe new rims with better backspacing are required to get a more stable base. LOL
4. Two hours of intense rain and 70MPH winds(because we were driving on the highway) and we had no leaks at all inside the cabin or in the tent area. I was very happy with this, especially because I installed it myself. (I'm going to make a video on that)

Sleeping:

1. The pads are very firm. Too firm for me. I am overweight though.
2. The pads slide on the slick fiberglass floor.
3. There is a gap in the center between both of the port covers. Not only that, but the two together have about a 8 inch center section where there is no support provided by the rim around the base opening. Anyone know why this is like this? Is it to distribute weight further out toward the stronger sides? Seems like a kid standing in the center of the two covers could go right through.
4. Getting out with two people is a juggling act. We are learning to juggle though so it's cool.
5. It is definitely tall enough for a 6ft person.
6. two people can sleep next to each other with enough room, unless the other person is a bed hog. But hey, if they want to sleep over that 8 inch gap, more power to them.
7. We found it to be amazingly warm on a 40 degree night, and we had no condensation inside the top even though it was near 100% humidity outside. Very impressed with this aspect. Very different to sleeping inside the back of the jeep where everything gets wet.

Usage:

1. 12V outlet is great up top for charging stuff, we have a good 12v charger for our iPhones and iPad.
2. Lighting is adequate.
3. Rear sliding windows are helpful when trying to keep perishable food in the cargo area at a normal temperature when the Jeep is left in the sun for a little bit. Be careful if you leave them open at night because it causes a big commotion if it starts to rain at 2 AM and you realize that they are open.
4. While you can stand up in the opening, changing in a campground is visible to the world without some type of window shade. We have a portable shelter we use to change in and store stuff we don't want in the Jeep, but don't want to leave outside.
5. Getting into the top is easy for me with a small step stool. Less so for my wife at 5'4". I folded up the rear 60% seat, removing the bolts on the front feet. It actually worked well as a second step or a place to sit, but it took up too much space on the floor under the opening. We need to find a two step solution that is solid.
6. Closing the top is easier when you keep cushions and pillows away from the pole that locks the top up. It interferes significantly, but it is easy enough to put things on one side or the other.
7. Trying to close a top from the outside early in the morning puts too much of a side load on the gas struts resulting in a very loud groaning sound. From the inside it works much better.
8. Also when trying to leave early, it is apparent how many times doors are opened and closed in the process of trying to make everything happen and not let too many mosquitoes into the Jeep. If anyone knows how to quietly close a jeep door please PM me. I am willing to pay for that knowledge.
9. Water really does pour down into the open door. With the slanted roof, all of the water rolls forward onto the window or down the A pillar. I have an idea to alleviate this, will post in the future if it works.
10. I weigh too much (275) and getting into the top I could feel and see some flexing of the rear section. No issues when laying down, felt very solid, couldn't feel any sag. Still was concerned about longevity due to movement. Probably not an issue, but would rather not see it. This is my issue.

What we changed:

1. We got a 2 inch memory foam mattress topper. This made a huge difference, no issues with closing the top with two synthetic down sleeping bags (20+ rating) in there. We pull our Pillows down now, though we probably could have left them up there in the right location.
2. We also bought some black drawer liner to stop the movement of the cushions. This worked great, thanks to this thread for the idea.
3. I cut some thin rubber strips I had with 3M adhesive on one side and placed them in strategic spots along the opening to make the port covers move around less and make less noise too. This worked pretty good. They seem more secure now.
4. I ran a piece of webbing through the roll bar near the center of the soundbar. Made a loop out of it for a handle. Seems that often a handle in that area was helpful to positioning yourself here or there.
5. Under the top, there are robust roll bars. It seemed wasteful to not use these bars for support. I rolled up some of the spare packaging foam that was sent to protect the rear window. Then I stuffed it tightly between the rollbars and the top. These provided a definite support to the top when sitting up on the rear section. The packaging foam is great since it is stiff stuff and it distributes the weight over a very large area without any specific pressure points.

I am planning to remove the rear seat, and make a platform for standing and some steps with integrated storage. I also plan to cut the mattress topper into three sections and covering them to aid movement in and out of the top. I will keep you guys posted on how that goes.

MinocquaJeep-6 by tom Alicoate, on Flickr

MinocquaJeep-4 by tom Alicoate, on Flickr

MinocquaJeep-2 by tom Alicoate, on Flickr

Loving this top so far!
Thanks to all of the people who added information on this thread. I can't imagine I would have pulled the trigger on such an investment without it.

Tom

Great write up tom! I feel the same about ours. We added a ladder to ours and love it! For the bed we use 2 XPED air mattress and are super happy with them. I agree that there is a need for firmer suspension springs and shocks to handle the higher center of gravity and load.

 

[cowboybirder]

recent trip in the U.P. of Michigan



Love the J30.



Only trouble we had was with the water storage in the AEV bumper. Filled it the night before, poured down rain day we left didn't realize one of the PEX lines had come loose. Problem fixed. Rained every night yet stayed completely dry. Have got to do something about the firmness of the bed.

 

[puravida73]

more firm or less firm?

 

[MizMoosie]

I use an Exped Megamat and leave it up top all the time. An extra 4" of comfort! After popping the top, I open the mat's inflate valve and leave it open until bedtime. In the AM, I open the deflate valve while on the mat and lay it flat before closing the top.

 

[cowboybirder]

the pad is way to firm

 

[cowboybirder]

I'll check out the megamat. thanks

 

[KenSeltzer]

Do you guys prefer to use a rubicon for this to?

 

[goin camping]

Do you guys prefer to use a rubicon for this to?

I don't, I special ordered a Sahara to cover my use. A Rubicon's transfer case was not the right option for me.

 

[KenSeltzer]

I was going to buy just a 4 dr sport, do you think ill have any problems with putting one on that?

 

[Presto88]

I think it would be fine on any JKU. The Rubicon is a nice package if you want something that's a bit more hard-core without having to build the Jeep out yourself, but it's not necessary by any means! If the Sport has all the features that you want, get it! Throw on a J30 and get out there and enjoy it!

 

[Jeep or Tacoma]

yes that is true but with regard tot he rubicon it isn't just the transfer case but a lot more Including the lockers which are superior to any other form of traction control and the ability to with larger tires with out regearing and only a minimal lift

 

[daveh]

I was going to buy just a 4 dr sport, do you think ill have any problems with putting one on that?

A sport should be fine if you plan to run primarily fire roads/forest roads. Definitely order the 3.73 axle since you will be carrying extra weight. The trac-lok rear diff is also a nice option.


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