Taken right outside my cubicle this afternoon. Yes, we do park them inside. Not always, and usually not this many. It must be a secret show-and-tell.
All Bestop, all the time.
What’s that? You say you want even more Bestop action and news and conversation? Well, since you asked so very nicely.
Our Facebook page is really starting to get moving, with lots of posts and contests and interaction. It’s some sort of big social thing going on. It’s at Facebook.com/BestopTeam
Just today someone posted a photo they took of our VP, being silly at some event.
Stop by, do the Thumbs Up thing, and post your own photos of your Jeep, your store, or Bestop employees in embarrassing situations.
YOUTUBE
Over on our YouTube channel, we’ve got 60 some videos you can watch.
Including a new Trektop NX video, a Side Mounted Trekstep video, and a handful of sillier fun videos. Perfect for putting on your web site! (let us know if you do — we like to brag).
Stop by Youtube.com/BestopTeam for all those.
We’ve heard rumors that there’s a drinking game centered around how often I say “Absolutely Britta.” I’m recommending against this. For your liver’s sake.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
From all of us here at Bestop, Merry Christmas. Enjoy your holidays, stay safe and warm.
UTV Weather
Here’s Bob, our facilities manager, cleaning up after yesterday’s snow storm:
A few fun facts about these images:
1. I took that Mule out when the weather was nice, and messed up the plow hitch. And forgot about it. Sorry Bob! I know it might have been easier to fix when it wasn’t freezing.
2. That full cab enclosure is made by Bestop. And this really shows what it’s all about. We tend to do our photos of this product in the sun while racing thru the dunes. But really, a lot of the Bestop UTV products are designed to make UTVs more functional for work, year round. We add more Utility to your UTV.
3. We’re getting a white Christmas here in Boulder! It’s pretty out. Bob might be disagreeing right about now, but there are a LOT of cookies here at the HQ, so we can try to get him cheered up again.
Representin’ Bestop
Kenny, Bestop’s Senior VP of Chaos Related Activities (that might not be an actual title), has finally discovered an off-road trail that no Bestop employee has ever gone on before. He tells us that you may need an extra long snorkel for your Jeep.
If you can guess where this trail is located, you can win Ken’s hat. Or a new, dry one. Your choice.
Coverage of SEMA - and Bestop’s booth - from 4WD Mechanix
Moses Ludel’s ‘Big Scoop’!—The publisher of 4WD Mechanix® Magazine covered the 2011 SEMA Show and Bestop display area in HD video. This is just a teaser: there’s a full five minute video on Bestop products, featuring Megan Thompson available here at the 4WD Mechanix web site.
Read the posts below for more SEMA news. And don’t forget our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BestopTeam. Chris, our Facebook administrator, is in Las Vegas, and she has the time to wander about taking photos of other Jeeps and great cars. There’s a lot happening for truck, Jeep and car fanatics!
Here’s a photo Jim snapped on the way to the show today. It’s the Disney-like parking lot at the convention center. That’s a race track right there, set up in the parking lot.
SEMA, day one
Our new truck product, the side mounted Trekstep, won an award - runner-up for best new product in the Truck category. That’s George Stickles, head of engineering, accepting the plaque.
George said “getting our Trekstep to mount on the driver or passenger side of all those trucks wasn’t easy - so thanks to the team back at Bestop for helping get it all working, and on the market!”
A couple of shots of the booth, now that it’s all set up:
SEMA 2011
For over 20 years, Bestop has been one of the centerpieces of the off-road hall at the annual SEMA show. And 2011 is no exception: we’re setting up booth #34001, which will be front and center for everyone as soon as they enter the gigantic off-road hall. And when the show opens on Tuesday, we’ll be ready.
“Our booth this year will feature new programs and new products,” said Jim Chick, Bestop’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “Like everyone else, we use SEMA as the launch point for new products. But we’re also making sure that all the jobbers, retailers, and resellers learn about our point-of-purchase materials, our new print-on-demand marketing collateral, and all the programs and promotions available in 2012.”
New products this year include the Side Mounted TrekStep. “It builds on the strength of our market-leading Trekstep,” Chick added, “but we’ve engineered side mounting brackets that let you put them on either the passenger or drivers side of the truck, right behind the cab. With lifted trucks, that’s essential for getting material out of tool boxes, or just reaching things stored in your truck bed.”
“Our research shows that a side mounted step should be a huge consumer favorite. Combine that with the ease of operation and installation, the fact that our side step fits even dual rear wheel trucks, and we think it’s something all truck resellers will want to see.”
“One of the exciting things about Bestop,” said Chick “is that we see our products all over the show. There are giant companies like Jeep showing concepts with Bestop produced products, and there are some fantastic small retailers with Bestop products on their show vehicles. We never saw that at some other companies I’ve been with, and I think it really shows the importance of Bestop in this industry.”
Britta Hofmann, Bestop’s Marketing Manager, will be at the Bestop booth, demonstrating Bestop’s new print on demand system for creating custom marketing material. “We’ve teamed up with a company called Vertis,” says Britta, and “it allows any authorized Bestop dealer to go online, and create custom designed brochures, postcards, banners and things like that. All with their store logo and name, but really taking advantage of the Bestop photography and product line. What we’re really trying to get to is cooperative marketing, where we can help all the retailers out there produce slick marketing materials, but really keep their customers focused on their stores.”
Last second work on SEMA-bound Jeep.
Bestop's booth being set up over the weekend
Our sales team showing they can hold things up.
my Trektop NX love goes public…
As Murphy predicted my new Trektop NX showed up on the day the rains set in here in Southern California. Our normally sunny 80 degree weather was pushed aside for three days while my jeep filled with an inch or so of water through various rips and a broken zipper on the original seven year old top. Luckily, I drained the jeep and installed the top as soon as the sun showed back up.
I’m not going to gush about this top, though honestly after it being on my jeep for just over two weeks I could. The sunrider feature is by far my favorite. It’s easy to use and convenient when I don’t want to risk being without a top. I like the safari top though at first I felt it seemed noisy. I soon realized moving the zipper pull on the passenger side back stopped the jingling I was hearing.
The top does have a few areas I worry about. The plastic protecting the fabric from the quick releases is not exactly placed right though this could change as the top relaxes with age. Also where the rear straps are sewed in feels as though it’s placing stress on the seam where the channel for the back window is. I’d have felt better with a loop of the strapping sewn into the channel for the rear bow.
However, there are features that overshadow my worries. The back window design gets my absolute undying gratitude since it was the first thing to go wrong with my old top.
As a whole the top is good enough that it’s caused this jeep snob to change her view on the different profile. I like the way it fits over the roll bar. The ‘fastback’ has grown on me quicker than I thought it would. And it’s quiet. In fact, it’s so tight my son, who was riding in the back seat while we were on the highway, commented on how he could hear the conversation for once. Granted, I’ve not had a rear window for quite a while, but it’s quiet.
Being resistant to change, I’m pleasantly surprised by this top. And though it has taken some getting used to when it comes to taking it on and off - it’s tight - I would not want an OEM style top back.
So, yeah… I love this top.
