4runner 5th gen barrier net

[Sapper]

Between my toddler and my 7 year old Lab, I'm pretty much vacuuming my 4Runner daily. My dog normally stays in the cargo area while moving, but as soon as I park, she jumps up to the front seats and waits for me to get back. So there's a collection of fur here and there. I started going through the forums and the rest of the internet for a barrier that was both functional and didnt look too bad. I came across the Raingler Cargo nets on this forum so I looked into it myself. To my luck they just released one measured for the 5th Gens! I just got out of the Army, so I liked that military look to the barrier. I reached out to Raingler on via their facebook page to ask a few questions. They were pretty responsive and so to me that meant customer service wasnt going to be an issue with this company. They got one out to me in a couple days. They just asked for me to post pics and review it. So here it goes...

Package came with a warning that was easy enough to understand...

The instructions on their website didnt exactly match what I saw on my rig, not a big deal. The C-pillar was held in with more than just the usual fasteners. There were clips and other things on the panel that I had to fanagle to get the pillar off. This particular "slot" that holds the pillar in, was a pain. Just the way it was held in by a hook-type tab on the body.

Rear view of that...

Hers the view of the back of my C-Piller.

Final thoughts on this. Overall I like it. This is a barrier and it looks pretty rugged. It will serve it's purpose. With that said, I'm going to personalize the install a little more and update this post soon. The mounting points on the C-pillar are just not sturdy enough for me. The panel is held on by mostly fasteners and a good tug on the net will pop the panel off easily. Their instructions tell you to loop the lower corners of the net around the bottom anchor of the seat belts. It didn't really feel secure enough for me so I just used the hoop right behind the seats. I think I want to re-locate the middle straps as well, I'm just not a fan of the c-pillar holding the net.

Some pics of the finished install.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Where does it bolt to on the top portion? A lot of these cargo barriers I see are not very structurally sound. Granted all you're using it for is to keep the dog in the back, but in reality for many consumers it could create a false sense of security in the event of an accident.

Studies show that non-secured items are one of the leading causes of serious injury/death in an automobile accident and in this case if the top portion of the net is not secured to the frame properly then in a hypothetical crash an object (lets say a 100lbs canine) could be catapulted through into the passenger area and cause further injury and/or death.

If at least the top most strap is secured to the frame, then the net would probably just rip the smaller little bracket just under it and still serve as a safety device, where as right now its more decorative.

~

All that safety/engineering curiosity aside, that's a very nice looking barrier and GJ on the install!

Also the dog looks adorable as well!