For the longest time, if you were to have asked me what I thought about half doors, I would have been the first to say that I don't like them. I mean sure, they look cool and I had even considered buying a Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited with them on in the past but for the most part, I've never really been a fan. They let in too much noise, the window are difficult to use and really, when given the chance, I would just prefer to run doorless.
About a year ago, my friend Greg picked up a set of Rugged Ridge half doors and at the time, made a comment to the effect that, half doors were "just stupid" but that they did serve a purpose and that he could still run graphics/logos on them. More recently, during the 2014 JK-Experience, my friend Randy laid his Jeep on its side but, thanks to his half doors, you could hardly tell he went over at all. Of course, it was on this same trip that Moby took on a considerable amount of damage to both passenger side doors and, I think it was about then that I decided it might be time to finally give half doors another look.
Now, I should note that our first priority was to still find a set of replacement full doors as both Cindy and I still prefer them but, the idea would be to now leave them at home and run half doors whenever we knew we'd be playing a bit harder. Certainly, half doors would be lighter in weight, cheaper to fix or replace if needed and by their design, would offer a lot more visibility on the trail. And, after seen all the options available in person, we came to the conclusion that the Rugged Ridge JK half doors were the ones we wanted to get and we got ours through Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ridge-...63&sr=8-1&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
http://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ridge-...63&sr=8-2&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
http://www.amazon.com/Jeep-Wrangler...63&sr=8-7&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
http://www.amazon.com/Jeep-Wrangler...3&sr=8-10&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
To make a long story short, here's a pic of what Brown Santa just dropped off - a brand new set of Rugged Ridge half doors for a Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited 4-door complete with soft uppers.
We have an appointment to have these painted but it's not until next week and so I thought, what the hell, let's do do a quick test fit just for fun.
Shot of what the inside looks like.
Of course, since I was already at it, I figured, why not add a mirror and the back doors... you know, just because
I'll be sure to post up more pics once the doors have been painted. I do have the soft uppers for these and will try to get pics of installed as well. :yup:
UPDATED 10/03/14
WooHoo!! Just picked up our Rugged Ridge half doors from the body shop...
And, here are a few shots of them installed...
UPDATED 12/08/14
Been meaning to post these up sooner but have been super busy since getting back from our Thanksgiving Death Valley trip. Anyway, here are some shots of Moby with his new Rugged Ridge half doors with soft uppers and all stickered up.
REVIEW
Okay, so now that we've had our Rugged Ridge half doors for a couple of months and have tested them out with and without the soft uppers, on a long trip to Death Valley and back and even in a snow storm... here's what I have to say about them.
The Rugged Ridge half doors look AWESOME!! Without question, these half doors by themselves will completely change the overall look of your Jeep, in a great way and for that alone I would recommend them. The fact that they have interior panels that have a factory feel is a huge bonus too. If you've never driven a Jeep with half doors before, you will LOVE the extra visibility that they provide on and off the trail. While the actual safety they provide is just superficial, they will help to hold things inside your Jeep while still giving you a sense of being doorless. Another benefit of having half doors is that they help to keep you warmer on cold days when driving around topless. The half doors will help keep the wind out of the cab and allow your heaters do a better job by holding in the heated air.
If you buy the Rugged Ridge half door soft uppers, I think you will find that they really add to the overall look of your Jeep as well. We run ours with a Bestop Trektop and together, I think they look outstanding. The biggest benefit of having the soft uppers is that they'll help to keep the elements out and allow you to run your half doors all year long. Now, I get people asking me all the time about how well do these soft uppers really work and honestly, what more can I say other than the fact that they are "soft uppers" and NOT hard doors. In other words, the fitment of them is less than stellar. Being made out of fabric, they will be noisy on the highway, cross winds will cause them to pull outward and they will leak a bit when it rains. Also, these soft uppers do require you to apply Velcro to the upper edge of your half doors to keep them sealed but, after paying $600 for them to be painted, we opted not to do this. Unfortunately, by not applying the Velcro, the base of the soft uppers will lift in the wind and allow a draft to come in. But, in spite of all this, they still beat running doorless and will offer enough protection to keep you somewhat dry, somewhat dust free and keep you warm or cool inside depending on whether you are running your heater or AC. Of course, the best part of these soft uppers is that they are easy to remove and light weight and that will allow you to have a doorless feel whenever you want.
Overall, Cindy and I are extremely happy with our new Rugged Ridge half doors and at only about 25 lbs. each, absolutely love the weight savings they offer over factory full or even half steel doors. While there are a few short comings on the soft uppers, we feel that they are insignificant when compared to all that we get out of them. If you are considering a set for your Jeep, I would highly recommend them.
REVIEW UPDATE: 02/23/2015
So, we've had these Rugged Ridge half doors and soft uppers for about 5 months now and thought you all would appreciate an update on how they're holding up. And with that, I should make a point to note that we still love these doors and have no regrets as we fully knew what we were getting ourselves into. We understood from the get go that these doors are NOT Mopar half doors but for the price, they would be what we needed them to be - basic protection from the elements and a way to make Moby look great! Having said all that, here's what I can add to my original review of them.
#1 - All the door hinge bolts are starting to rust and we live in an area that doesn't see much if any salt on the roads. If you do, I would highly recommend that you paint at least the heads BEFORE you install them.
#2 - The plastic interior panel is already starting to crack near the front door latch.
#3 - The footman loop straps are a joke - there's just no way to put this nicely. If it's gusty out, you NEED to be holding your door as the strap will not and as you can see in this photo, will blow the stitching and allow your door to hit the side of your Jeep.
We ended up tying a not on them to help shorten up the straps and this also helped them to stay on.
#4 - The rubber door surrounds are filling up with water from the rain (causes them to squirt water out when you close the door) and they have also started tear off their double stick tape on the bottom of the doors as you can see in this image.
I have since been able to fix this problem with 3M double stick tape but, thought you should be aware of it.
Anyway, just trying to keep it real and keep you all informed with how things are going with these doors. In spite of the few issues we have, I would still recommend them if you're looking for an affordable half door solution. :yup:
About a year ago, my friend Greg picked up a set of Rugged Ridge half doors and at the time, made a comment to the effect that, half doors were "just stupid" but that they did serve a purpose and that he could still run graphics/logos on them. More recently, during the 2014 JK-Experience, my friend Randy laid his Jeep on its side but, thanks to his half doors, you could hardly tell he went over at all. Of course, it was on this same trip that Moby took on a considerable amount of damage to both passenger side doors and, I think it was about then that I decided it might be time to finally give half doors another look.
Now, I should note that our first priority was to still find a set of replacement full doors as both Cindy and I still prefer them but, the idea would be to now leave them at home and run half doors whenever we knew we'd be playing a bit harder. Certainly, half doors would be lighter in weight, cheaper to fix or replace if needed and by their design, would offer a lot more visibility on the trail. And, after seen all the options available in person, we came to the conclusion that the Rugged Ridge JK half doors were the ones we wanted to get and we got ours through Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ridge-...63&sr=8-1&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
http://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ridge-...63&sr=8-2&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
http://www.amazon.com/Jeep-Wrangler...63&sr=8-7&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
http://www.amazon.com/Jeep-Wrangler...3&sr=8-10&keywords=rugged+ridge+jk+half+doors
To make a long story short, here's a pic of what Brown Santa just dropped off - a brand new set of Rugged Ridge half doors for a Jeep JK Wrangler Unlimited 4-door complete with soft uppers.
We have an appointment to have these painted but it's not until next week and so I thought, what the hell, let's do do a quick test fit just for fun.
Shot of what the inside looks like.
Of course, since I was already at it, I figured, why not add a mirror and the back doors... you know, just because
I'll be sure to post up more pics once the doors have been painted. I do have the soft uppers for these and will try to get pics of installed as well. :yup:
UPDATED 10/03/14
WooHoo!! Just picked up our Rugged Ridge half doors from the body shop...
And, here are a few shots of them installed...
UPDATED 12/08/14
Been meaning to post these up sooner but have been super busy since getting back from our Thanksgiving Death Valley trip. Anyway, here are some shots of Moby with his new Rugged Ridge half doors with soft uppers and all stickered up.
REVIEW
Okay, so now that we've had our Rugged Ridge half doors for a couple of months and have tested them out with and without the soft uppers, on a long trip to Death Valley and back and even in a snow storm... here's what I have to say about them.
The Rugged Ridge half doors look AWESOME!! Without question, these half doors by themselves will completely change the overall look of your Jeep, in a great way and for that alone I would recommend them. The fact that they have interior panels that have a factory feel is a huge bonus too. If you've never driven a Jeep with half doors before, you will LOVE the extra visibility that they provide on and off the trail. While the actual safety they provide is just superficial, they will help to hold things inside your Jeep while still giving you a sense of being doorless. Another benefit of having half doors is that they help to keep you warmer on cold days when driving around topless. The half doors will help keep the wind out of the cab and allow your heaters do a better job by holding in the heated air.
If you buy the Rugged Ridge half door soft uppers, I think you will find that they really add to the overall look of your Jeep as well. We run ours with a Bestop Trektop and together, I think they look outstanding. The biggest benefit of having the soft uppers is that they'll help to keep the elements out and allow you to run your half doors all year long. Now, I get people asking me all the time about how well do these soft uppers really work and honestly, what more can I say other than the fact that they are "soft uppers" and NOT hard doors. In other words, the fitment of them is less than stellar. Being made out of fabric, they will be noisy on the highway, cross winds will cause them to pull outward and they will leak a bit when it rains. Also, these soft uppers do require you to apply Velcro to the upper edge of your half doors to keep them sealed but, after paying $600 for them to be painted, we opted not to do this. Unfortunately, by not applying the Velcro, the base of the soft uppers will lift in the wind and allow a draft to come in. But, in spite of all this, they still beat running doorless and will offer enough protection to keep you somewhat dry, somewhat dust free and keep you warm or cool inside depending on whether you are running your heater or AC. Of course, the best part of these soft uppers is that they are easy to remove and light weight and that will allow you to have a doorless feel whenever you want.
Overall, Cindy and I are extremely happy with our new Rugged Ridge half doors and at only about 25 lbs. each, absolutely love the weight savings they offer over factory full or even half steel doors. While there are a few short comings on the soft uppers, we feel that they are insignificant when compared to all that we get out of them. If you are considering a set for your Jeep, I would highly recommend them.
REVIEW UPDATE: 02/23/2015
So, we've had these Rugged Ridge half doors and soft uppers for about 5 months now and thought you all would appreciate an update on how they're holding up. And with that, I should make a point to note that we still love these doors and have no regrets as we fully knew what we were getting ourselves into. We understood from the get go that these doors are NOT Mopar half doors but for the price, they would be what we needed them to be - basic protection from the elements and a way to make Moby look great! Having said all that, here's what I can add to my original review of them.
#1 - All the door hinge bolts are starting to rust and we live in an area that doesn't see much if any salt on the roads. If you do, I would highly recommend that you paint at least the heads BEFORE you install them.
#2 - The plastic interior panel is already starting to crack near the front door latch.
#3 - The footman loop straps are a joke - there's just no way to put this nicely. If it's gusty out, you NEED to be holding your door as the strap will not and as you can see in this photo, will blow the stitching and allow your door to hit the side of your Jeep.
We ended up tying a not on them to help shorten up the straps and this also helped them to stay on.
#4 - The rubber door surrounds are filling up with water from the rain (causes them to squirt water out when you close the door) and they have also started tear off their double stick tape on the bottom of the doors as you can see in this image.
I have since been able to fix this problem with 3M double stick tape but, thought you should be aware of it.
Anyway, just trying to keep it real and keep you all informed with how things are going with these doors. In spite of the few issues we have, I would still recommend them if you're looking for an affordable half door solution. :yup:
