My experience of touring with both hood types is that the easy up provides more space, by sitting on top of the body tub, it adds a couple of inches. The studded hud takes up a lot of space when folded, and there is less height behind the seats. Either way, if you don't cover what's behind the seats with a quarter tonneau cover, it will blow about. Those of us of shorter stature can gain a few inches behind the seats, and that is very useful, because it's a tall space. We keep the storm cover in its bag in the passenger footwell, because that alone is bulky, and often stored wet. But being in the footwell makes it very handy.
