Originally Posted by laufer

For my first three-week scenic backcountry driving trip this past July, I mounted two 4-gallon Rotopax cans and a pair of TRED 1100s on the roof. One design goal was to use the factory roof rack with minimal extra hardware. The other design goal was to make everything removable for urban driving.

Parts list for mounting Rotopax cans:

• 4x Yakima MightyMounts 23H (discontinued but still available on Amazon)
• 1x Rotopax universal mounting plate RX-UMP
• 2x Rotopax 1/2/4-gallon extension RX-EXT
• 2x Rotopax locking pack mount RX-LOX-PM
• 2x Rotopax 4-gallon gas can RX-4G (or any combination of four 2-gallon cans)

I started by attaching the Rotopax extensions to the mounting plate. Then I inserted the hex nuts that came with the MightyMounts into the corresponding holes and used the Rotopax bolts and nuts to attach the mounting plate. This required moving the crossbars closer together from the recommended position after sliding on the MightyMounts. (Front = left)



I strongly recommend getting the more expensive locking mounts because the have a square center that stays in place when inserted into the openings in the cans even when the cans lose pressure owing to temperature or lower elevation. I lost a non-locking deluxe mount that came loose and fell off at highway speed. Also, it pays to shop around a bit for the various parts.

The complete setup includes a pair of TRED 1100 recovery boards.

Parts list for mounting recovery boards:

• 1x 1 5/8" foam pipe insulation (tube)
• 1x Orbit 20mil pipe wrap tape (does not dry out like duct tape)
• 2x Keeper 8' by 1" 200 lbs lashing straps

Here is the complete setup in action:



This worked well for moderate backcountry driving on trails such as White Rim Road (Canyonlands NP) and Medano Pass Primitive Road (Great Sand Dunes NP). We never needed the gas but did use the TREDs quite a bit.