Canvas vs Mesh Bimini:Bikini

[Y2KFirehawk]

I have the $25 TD mesh bimini. First installed last Friday and ran all weekend great.

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[XirallicBolts]

I love the mesh. You still get enough light to feel 'open' but without baking in the sun at stoplights.

Supposedly it can stay on with the hardtop, but I didn't like it. I wasn't entirely sure what to do about the crossbar that uses the same bolting locations, and I didn't like how it sagged when in the 'stowed' position. The zippers aren't in quite the right position to reach the hardtop handles, either.

Nail in the coffin was that it made it almost impossible to get my ratchet straps through for the hardtop hoist, but that's outside the intended design.

I'm fine taking the mesh top off when the hardtop goes back on.

 

[GTN OUT]

I love the mesh. You still get enough light to feel 'open' but without baking in the sun at stoplights.

Supposedly it can stay on with the hardtop, but I didn't like it. I wasn't entirely sure what to do about the crossbar that uses the same bolting locations, and I didn't like how it sagged when in the 'stowed' position. The zippers aren't in quite the right position to reach the hardtop handles, either.

Nail in the coffin was that it made it almost impossible to get my ratchet straps through for the hardtop hoist, but that's outside the intended design.

I'm fine taking the mesh top off when the hardtop goes back on.

Thanks. Which mesh brand did you go with?

 

[XirallicBolts]

This one, the genuine Ford accessory

Only real bother is installation/removal involves a long screw on the rear speakers.

The crossbar sometimes felt a little loose, so I 3d printed a thicker bushing for the ends. Not required but if you have the ability, why not?

Beyond that, absolutely one of my favorite accessories.

 

[vrtical]

JTops mesh hands down the best one.

 

[amjump]

I’m going back and forth myself but leaning towards the JTop mesh since I’m not as worried about rain and feel like the canvas might defeat the purpose of taking the top off. It seems like it lets a good amount of light in but if it’s waterproof it’s gotta be pretty sturdy too.

Down the line I might consider a canvas top as an alternative to a soft top for my two door but for now the mesh makes more sense.

 

[stickshifthappy]

Seems like J top has a pretty healthy quality review here, definitely on the pricey side. Those of you who bought one, are you still sticking by your choice ?

 

[toade]

I have a two door and got the spiderwebshade mesh top about a month ago. Loving it so far.

Plenty love the jtop, but I really didn't want to have velcro on the side of my bronco at all times. Find it really ugly when you have no top on (which is often the case for me). Furthermore, I like my bimini to have those gaps on the side... makes it feel more open and fun, as opposed to the buttoned-up install of the jtop. I totally get why some would want that... just different strokes.

The spiderwebshade is completely silent, even at 80mph. You cannot install the hardtop over it... but it literally takes 60 seconds to install the shade. Less to uninstall it, so not really a deal-breaker for me.

As far as mesh v. canvas, a lot of that boils down to where you live. I live in Santa Barbara, which is pretty mild. If I were in a very hot climate, I could see wanting something that completely blocks the sun during the summer. For me, I wanted that more open feel.

 

[OCNORB1974]

Anyone with a jtops mesh for the 2 door? I just got mine and laid it out to discover the bracket cutouts are in the wrong place.

 

[indio22]

I’m debating between the canvas vs mesh open top covers. Curious to hear from others on why they chose one over the other. I’ve got a 2024 4door OBX.

My goal: I want to enjoy all three tops off while driving for the spring/summer but concerned about sun scorching the leather seats and too much sun exposure for people while driving longer distances.

My debate:

Mesh: better outdoor feeling. But builds don’t seem to be as good (wind noise etc. maybe too much sun comes in too?

Canvas: seems like better builds (quite and good fit) but will cover sun 100% so we lose the feeling of being outside and seeing the stars and blue skies.

What did you choose and why?

The solid vinyl bikini top I used on my CJ-7 was nice for keeping rain off in a pinch, especially when the vehicle was moving. And went on easier than the Bronco bikini tops, due to using a slotted rail on the front and just a couple straps in back. If one of your goals is some protection from rain and stuff, go solid (canvas).

Currently I have a mesh bikini top for my Bronco, that requires something like 10 or more flexible cords, and frankly is kind of a pain to install/remove. I'm betting rain will flow through, but it does provide more of an open air feeling than canvas. I probably would have gone canvas but at the time could not find one for a low price.

 

[Msell71]

I have the black canvas top from Dan at broncobikini.com
Couldn’t be happier and it doesn’t cut the open air feel at all.

 

[Brian_B]

I have the Mabett mesh one. It cannot stay on when I use the Rallytop, don't know about the MIC OEM hard top.

It's very easy to install, stays on fine with the soft top up or down, but the front corners have some magnets that won't stay engaged, so there's a permanent dog ear on the front corners -- which is fine, that's where the latches for the soft top come through and the gap isn't huge or distracting, but if you were looking for 100% coverage from the sun, you won't get it.

The rear cinches up with velcroed pull ties around the roll cage bar. The sides and front have clips that just hook into factory spots on the top railing. The top does stretch a bit over time, I have had to adjust the straps a couple of times, but nothing major.

For the price - I won't complain at all. It serves it's purpose, it keeps me from getting totally sunburned. It does cut down on the wind noise a slight bit, and I just put it in when I swap to the soft top and leave it up.

I don't think I would want a canvas one. Yeah, it would cut down a bit on getting wet if you hit a sudden bit of rain, but you also can't see out it. At least in my case, I can just pop the soft top back up. The entire point of pulling the top back is to have the open air and be able to see the sky - which I can do through the mesh (to some degree, much better than opaque canvas at any rate). If you were a guy who pulled the top off entirely and that was all you had... I think I'd still go mesh in that case, but that's just me.

 

[Flying Skunks]

Anyone with a jtops mesh for the 2 door? I just got mine and laid it out to discover the bracket cutouts are in the wrong place.

I have the JTops for a 4door , and the fit is Awesome

 

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I have the black canvas top from Dan at broncobikini.com
Couldn’t be happier and it doesn’t cut the open air feel at all.

I have a gray canvas one from Dan at broncobikini.com as well and agree it still feels open and airy. Easy on/off and can stay on under my hard top. Plus, Dan could not be a better business owner to deal with !

 

[BroncoA512021]

I have had this installed on my Bronco for the past 2 years and it is still as good as new https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09WTT87Y8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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