So my wife states that she likes having the top back but the sun is a little hot for her and our almost 2 year old son. I was looking at the Spider shades and was wondering if anyone had any opinions? Can I keep it on and have the soft top closed?
Got mine on today. Love it so far. The rear corner bungees are definitely the hardest part as per the install instructions. I almost didn't think I was going to be able to get those ones on using the mounting instructions they give.
I see a few posts here from Jeepers living in Arizona. How effective a sunblock would the shade be for a two week camping trip to the Grand Canyon area? I have the dual top package and am debating on whether or not to go soft top for the trip.
I can see me rolling with the soft top down if the Spiderweb Shade does a good enough job of sun protection/cooling the Jeep interior.
Hubby and I rolled all day in the AZ sun yesterday with em on. It was 104 yesterday and we were quite comfy. Had my 4 year old twin girls with fair skin and red hair riding in the back of mine the whole time and it did it's job keeping them from getting burned.
I on the other hand did get a burn on my shoulders, but then I spent a great deal of time hanging out the window to see where I was putting that front tire, or out spotting one of the other guys.
Then there was the part where the trail fell out from under my back right tire and I slid off the path, almost rolled her down the side of a mountain kids and all. (Thank God hubby's rubi was in front of me on that climb. If it hadn't been for his lockers, not sure if we could've gotten me out of that predicament. The XJ with us wasn't quite as built and was already struggling on that hill. I don't think it could've pulled me off the side.)
Spidey shade definitely did it's job yesterday though. Both of us are in full agreement, it's the best investment we've made thus far on our JK's. I'd have blisters on my shoulders right now if not for that thing. Instead I'm only slightly burnt from the time I spent outside of the Jeep.
I'm bald and the first month I had my jeep I burned the heck outa the top of my head. Ordered the spidewebshade and have been topless since, with no burns. It definately works. Last summer when we were going through the 115 degree temps here, I was just fine driving around with the top down. As long as you are moving, the shade and wind keep you cool.
Great pics that pretty much help seal the deal for me. 99% sure I'm Gonna get some now! Two questions:
1) Which version of the shades did you get? Is that the ultramesh? Looks pretty see-through and I like that...whatever version it is.
2) Do you have a hard or soft top? If hard, will the shade interfere with the top(s) going back on? Saw that discussed further up in this thread but never really saw a definitive yes or no. I have a hard top--don't wanna keep installing/reinstalling the shade every time I want the hard top back on.
Hey, this is the Trailmesh one. I figured it was only $20 more, and it's a nice solid material. You can definitely see through it very well. It still gives that open air feel, but without the sweat and burns.
i've got both tops, but i'm running the hard top now. I still haven't put it back on yet. From what I can tell, the holes in the spider shade for the freedom panel bolts line up and i put all the spider balls facing downwards, so clearance shouldn't be an issue. There are two spider ball straps that connect to the loop under the visor where the freedom panel attaches. I guess these have to be removed. I'll be putting it on tonight, so I'll give an update later.
Hey, this is the Trailmesh one. I figured it was only $20 more, and it's a nice solid material. You can definitely see through it very well. It still gives that open air feel, but without the sweat and burns.
i've got both tops, but i'm running the hard top now. I still haven't put it back on yet. From what I can tell, the holes in the spider shade for the freedom panel bolts line up and i put all the spider balls facing downwards, so clearance shouldn't be an issue. There are two spider ball straps that connect to the loop under the visor where the freedom panel attaches. I guess these have to be removed. I'll be putting it on tonight, so I'll give an update later.
I have the trail mesh version , with the soft top - didn't see much point to using it with the hard top but I suppose you can
with the soft top - once the trail mesh is installed, all you need to do to put the top back up over the mesh, is to remove 2 spiderballs from the outside footman's loops (where the soft top latches to the windshield. The mesh remains in place.
the only issue I have, is the back end of the mesh sits a little lower than the top of the roll bars and can annoy tall passengers in the rear seat, I tried to adjust the spiderball cords to allow more head room in back, but not solved yet.
the visibility directly up is good, the taller you are any the more you look at low angles thru the mesh, the visibility decreases
it definitely cools the jeep and you by allowing air in but only diffused light
Ok, so i put the hardtop back on over the trailmesh. I can say that it wasn't fun and i think i would rather uninstall/reinstall the spider shade when i take the hardtop on/off.
the main problem is the holes that they put in the shade for the freedom top bolts are too small. They don't allow any wiggle room, so the shade has to be perfectly aligned. It just took me 30 minutes to put the freedom tops back on. they should release a revision with holes at least 1.5-2x the diameter that is on the current shade.
Otherwise, you have to undo the three loops at the front to attach the 3 latches in the front, which isn't hard at all. The interior seems more claustrophobic because of the black color instead of the white. You also lose about 4 inches in the front (but still a good deal of clearance).
Having said all of this, i still highly recommend this product. They could do with a few tweaks IMHO, but it's still an essential. i can already tell that it has a stretched a bit, so the install will be a lot easier in the future.
Thanks much for the update! I'm definitely going to order the shade when I can afford to (gotta fork over my damn property taxes to Illinois' elected criminals first) and your posts have helped convince me that this is the best solution for my needs. The older I get, the more sensitive my skin gets to direct sunlight (I itch like a madman if/when exposed too long).....but I still MUST have the Jeep with the top off at some point....right? Anyway, much appreciated!
I gotta say. .its 95 today and with my shade on. . .feels like 80 in the jeep. .very nice. .oh. and it kept a few papers that came loose from flying out! !!
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