Roof baskets, Yay or Nay?
 

Looking at purchasing a Roofbasket, for my occasional camping trips when the car is full and your friends pack a lot of stuff lol. Was looking at buying a used/cheap roof basket like a Curt or Reese. Do you guys run Roofbaskets that mount to the factory roof racks, and pros and cons.

Got a Yakima basket, sucks for camping. Too high to get stuff on and off, roof box would be better and also enclosed for camping supplies when you sleep so the bears dont lurk around.

I dig a basket for camping trips. I'm just getting my Yak all spec'd out right now with home made bicycle mounts for our next trip - 4 weeks to Alaska.

The basket to me shines for a lot of reasons - it's fairly inexpensive, it's low profile, it holds a lot of stuff, you can use it to haul dirty gear or dirty / smelly stuff like firewood / gas cans without worrying about getting the interior of the truck dirty / smelly, it has a million tie down locations, etc.

I use it for stuff that we are only going to dip into once per day or possibly never - so bulky stuff like camp chairs, awning, tool and parts bag, gas cans, water jug, etc., goes up there. All that stuff would fit in the back of the truck but it just frees up room by having it on the roof. I've also previously used it to haul a second spare tire on a month long off road trip. It's also nice to have it up there for unexpected storage needs - like one time I laid a guy's bicycle up there that had broken a weld on the frame and gave it and him a ride into the next town. We also use the basket to toss stuff into when we are setting up camp - we take gear bags from the back of the truck and throw them up there to make more room in the back to sleep. It also is a nice base to mount an awning to.

It's easy to grab items off the roof by standing in a door sill or on a tire. I can load bicycles one handed and those are the most unwieldy things I put up there.

Downsides are wind noise, security, maybe MPG...? - never really noticed that since the MPGs suck no matter what. The baskets will rust if you leave them up there all the time and I personally hate the look of them, so I take it off when not in use. You also can't reasonably put something up there that is super heavy and / or that you will be getting into a lot daily, like a cooler, for example.

My Yakima Loadwarrior w/ extension (loaded pic is it being mocked up for our upcoming trip w/ bicycle fork mounts installed):

https://photos.smugmug.com/2017-Toyo...MG_3526-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/2017-Toyo...MG_3533-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/2017-Toyo...MG_3527-XL.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/Miscellan..._140509-XL.jpg

I looked at the cheaper alternatives but I didn't like the hardware, spent an extra $150 for a Thule Canyon and happy with it. Little bit of wind noise loaded and barely noticeable otherwise. I'll take it off for winter of course.

Very much allowed me to have that extra room inside the truck on last camping excursion. Put the tables and chairs up there, BBQ etc. so I could stuff two bikes inside along with all my crap! The rack is very sturdy, I have 4 OEM roof rails up there but the rack mounts to 2 of course. I'd say take a good look at the cheaper ones at your local retailer before you decide.

Took these pics for my brother because he didn't think I could fit all my stuff LoL

i like my basket a lot. i install it once winter is over so we can toss anything we dont care about up there. table, camp chairs, some random food and wood.

we have a cargo box too but the basket is good cause it allows us to clear some garages that arent too tall.

On the roof I prefer a locking cargo box over a basket, but really it depends on what you want to store too. It’s easier from the standpoint of having to secure things or tie things down.

These days I have a flat rack, but there are times I miss the box because it helps reduce soft goods clutter in the 4Runner, but I put up with it because I get to keep large or dirty things outside.

Biggest annoyance with the box (and perhaps basket) is garage clearance, even though it is easy to remove.

Did the same for camping, bought a Rola roof basket without extension and serves its purpose well. Nice to be able to see out my rear window. :) Little bit of extra wind noise but tolerable.

Harbor Freight? 80 bucks 60 with coupon? Save some money for gas for that last minute oh shit I need more room now right before a quick unexpected trip.

I have always liked the look of the roof basket on vehicles designed for the great outdoors. If I was still into camping and backpacking I would own one in a heartbeat. IMHO the roof basket makes a more secure platform for hauling equipment, and by using a soft sided carrying bag for smaller items it is perfect. Love the pics of all your baskets. Very cool indeed.:thumb::thumb:

Just added a GoRhino basket last weekend. I used to have an axe and shovel mounted on it when it was on my Yukon, but haven't added them yet.

https://4rstatic.net/attachments/6lb...6nq-jpg.31335/

I was surprised at how much wind noise it's generated on the T4R compared to the Yukon. Mileage has dropped on my daily commute from 20.2 to 20.0.

Ive had this roof basket for the past two years and couldnt be happier. I really wanted a full roof rack but couldnt afford it and Ill be honest, Im glad I didnt spend the money. I have mounted everything up here. I carry kayaks, boxes of stuff, fire wood, Ive even carried the spare up there. Ive traveled across the US off-road on the TAT you can view it action on my YouTube page here is the exact one I have and here are some pics

https://amzn.to/2MI4f3Z