The top assembly doesn't weigh a whole lot. Even the hardtop is only about 65 lbs. When the convertible top is down, you lose about 4 inches of verticle storage space in the rear area. Once you install the hardtop, you cannot raise the decklid protector so you effectively cannot put anything in the rear storage area that won't fit through the opening behind the seats.
So removing the softtop assembly doesn't really gain you anything. I usually install my hardtop during the winter (mostly so I don't have to worry about a winter storage location!). I place a fresly washed and folded bath towel between the folds of the vinyl window and lower the top carefully while smoothing out any kinks or wrinkles in the top material as it goes down. When the hardtop comes off, the cloth top only takes a couple days to get all the fold marks out.
One thing about extended hartop use is to make sure that the bottom weatherstrip seal is in good shape. Any water that runs under the hardtop can make its way down onto the ragtop. That could lead to mold or mildew from the water seeping onto the cloth or vinyl material.
Check the rear captured hold-down bolts to make sure they are snug and don't tighten these bolts too tight. Watch the weather stripping and only tighten until the rubber is compressed to 1/2 its height. I disconnect the wire lead to the decklid release latches when installing my top. If you inadvertantly hit one of the release buttons, the lid will rattle and you'll wind up pulling the hardtop to re-latch the lid.
