Roof Rack Decisions

You got it.

Mounting: No problem at all for me. We have the thule Sidekick, which has a flat bottom. I just took off the mounting hardware and used two factory holes to poke the 8mm bolts up from the Frontrunner rails. Then inside i used wide washers to spread the load and tightened the nuts once I had the Thule box situated left/right and fore/aft. I did exactly the same thing with my Rifle case, except I had to drill fresh holes since it didn't have any to begin with. I put the sealing/waterproofing stickers that Thule provide to cover the un-used holes and it's been very water/dust resistant so far.

No tent mounts needed for our application.

Also, what's great is that though they're only held by 4 bolts (which is plenty, IMO), depending on length, they sit flat on 4-5 wide rack rails, meaning most cases are MUCH sturdier fully loaded than when they're only mounted on 2 load bars.

 

Nice setup!

 

Thanks! It does what I need it to do.

 

I have to disagree with those saying it’s more expensive to build your own. I paid right at $700 to build my own, and I did it with aluminum, and was able to add my own design touches (like the custom windscreen and actual finished mounts). I don’t recommend it for anyone who isn’t already loaded down with tools and time, but if you have those (and you love building projects for your truck), this isn’t a bad choice.



My 110lb wife can carry my aluminum roof rack by herself when we have it off the car. She was stunned when she realized that. I’ll bet it weighs 1/3 of typical racks and still does everything I need

 

What kind of lightbar is that with your Sherpa?

I am in a very similar boat. I am cross between a Wescott and Sherpa. Wondering if the Sherpa panels fit with Wescott rack. I also like how Sherpa doesn't have any holes to apply caulking.

 

I went for the Nfab rack because it attaches to the present rack system and doesn't block the sun roof. Not my 4runner btw.

 

Another vote for Crestone

 

I went with gobi stealth no rise because it was low enough profile to still fit in the garage and offered the versatility I wanted. It's not cheap and lead times can be long (I think they've gotten better) but I'm happy with it. It's been on for a couple of years now with no leaks (no extra silicone or butyl tape, just regular install instructions) and I keep inspecting for rust, especially in welded corners. Not a spec of rust which speaks to their attention to detail and quality

 

Nice setup! Smaller load area but really seems like it’d work well with the sunroof. I also would think that it’d be pretty quiet/slick windwise.