PearlWhite4R
New member
Yea man. We will have to meet up. Im in Lake Mary. Going to order one sometime soon... Selling my limited wheels tomorrow to free up some extra $$.
FS 5th Gen. Full Length Roof Racks by drabbits
- Thread starter drabbits
- Start date
txbonds
Senior Member
Hi all,
Taking a few days off. I'll be back at it Monday, 29th.
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! And I wish you all an outstanding New Year to come!
arty:
Same to you Alex. Have a nice break. Looking forward to getting my rack in the next month or two. No worries on my end if it takes a couple more months to get here as it gives me time to get other items done and get my trailer back from GA to have a way to pick it up from the shipper. Thanks.
I am sorry if I came off as "childish", but can assure you I am far from a child. The bottom line is that I am telling the truth. As I mentioned in my post, I have all the communications with Alex in writing and would be happy to post them. However I don't want to waste everyone's time with all those emails. I was without question patient with Alex as my timeline indicates. My problem with Alex is that he was not honest with me, and I suspect others. I guess my fundamental principals make it difficult to understand treating customers in this fashion. Future customers should be aware of this.
Please keep in mind that I actually wanted this rack, and was willing to pay good money for it. I have now spent my time trying to warn others of how I was treated, with no upside. If that means that I should leave the forum so be it. I know my number of posts would indicate that I am a new member, however that is not true. My old user account had issues, so I had to re-sign up. I have been on here for years and have had multiple 4Runners..
Happy Holidays!
I appreciate the heads up and the fact you shared your experience. decison made: baja.
uptheirons
New member
So i finally made my 8 hour round trip down to Montana to pick up my 3/4 length Roof rack, and a few other goodies. hoping to have time in the next couple days to do the install before i head back to work on saturday. will post pictures once its installed.
blurple
New member
I just finished installing my full rack from Alex / drabbits / Camelback Metal Gear. A lot of people here recently have been complaining about long lead time and stuff. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I probably had one of the longest delays due to a series of small SNAFUs that all piled up due to random chance and unfortunate luck. I ordered at the end of July 2014 and it arrived at my local carrier center at the end of January 2015; about a week shy of a 6 month wait. Was I a bit frustrated at the end? Sure. Enough to rant and rave on the internets? Nope.
When it all boiled down, Alex made a simple mistake and hadn't gotten around to fabricating my rack due to some confusion with another order. Once we cleared things up, he did a great job of pushing mine out in short order. But then the holidays hit and blah, blah, blah. I have no ill will towards him but do have much appreciation for the care and consideration he put into answering my many questions and keeping me up to date once things kicked off.
In the end, I got what I was expecting. It looks nice and will work great. One of the prime reasons I ordered the rack was to be able to move some storage outside of the truck in case of hurricane evacuations. We had a mild season this year and I didn't need it so the wait didn't bother me too much. Patience is a virtue and everything worked out in the end.
Enough BS, here's some pictures:
Coming home from the shipping depot; my stock rack got one last chance to do some work:
Opened package; everything looked in good shape:
Gave the roof probably the last wash and wax it'll get and then installed a strip of matte metallic grey vinyl at the front as an added layer of chafe protection from the wind deflector:
Rack in place with the protective foam still in place:
Loosely fastened in place:
And finally, the final product:
Just a couple minor bits to finish up on, mainly installing the forward rack supports and then figuring out how to keep the wind deflector from chattering at speed. I've got the sunroof insert sitting in the garage but don't think I'll be running it all the time, just when needed.
So to anyone still considering it, I can say I'm perfectly happy with the rack and would definitely do it again. Have some patience and cut the guy some slack; it's a small operation run by a dude who seems passionate about his product, not a behemoth company driven by profit$.
That's all folks!
When it all boiled down, Alex made a simple mistake and hadn't gotten around to fabricating my rack due to some confusion with another order. Once we cleared things up, he did a great job of pushing mine out in short order. But then the holidays hit and blah, blah, blah. I have no ill will towards him but do have much appreciation for the care and consideration he put into answering my many questions and keeping me up to date once things kicked off.
In the end, I got what I was expecting. It looks nice and will work great. One of the prime reasons I ordered the rack was to be able to move some storage outside of the truck in case of hurricane evacuations. We had a mild season this year and I didn't need it so the wait didn't bother me too much. Patience is a virtue and everything worked out in the end.
Enough BS, here's some pictures:
Coming home from the shipping depot; my stock rack got one last chance to do some work:
Opened package; everything looked in good shape:
Gave the roof probably the last wash and wax it'll get and then installed a strip of matte metallic grey vinyl at the front as an added layer of chafe protection from the wind deflector:
Rack in place with the protective foam still in place:
Loosely fastened in place:
And finally, the final product:
Just a couple minor bits to finish up on, mainly installing the forward rack supports and then figuring out how to keep the wind deflector from chattering at speed. I've got the sunroof insert sitting in the garage but don't think I'll be running it all the time, just when needed.
So to anyone still considering it, I can say I'm perfectly happy with the rack and would definitely do it again. Have some patience and cut the guy some slack; it's a small operation run by a dude who seems passionate about his product, not a behemoth company driven by profit$.
That's all folks!
blurple
New member
Heh, good eye... Yeah, there were a couple little minor things like that.
The most noticeable were that ding on the back, right in the middle of the rack the expanded metal is slightly stretched up, and there were a couple light scuffs from shipping.
It's hard to tell if the dent was pre-existing or happened in shipping. I tend to think it might have been in the tubing before it went to powdercoating since there is no damage to the coating. The expanded metal - I can't tell if it something got pressed against the middle of the package enough to bend it or what. I didn't notice it until I had it mounted and took a look from the front of the truck. It stood just proud enough to be noticeable. I gave it a couple good whacks with the palm of my hand and it settled down a little bit.
I was a bit miffed for a couple seconds about both issues but then I realized that it's a *utility* rack and is meant to be functional before fashionable. It's going to happen eventually; I don't dwell on it too much. I suppose I could put a sticker on it or something to camouflage it, but it's not that big of a deal.
You got to figure that shipping an 4'x6', 85 lb chunk of metal across the USA will incur some slight damage. Frankly this little damage isn't much to get hung up about. Now, if it looked like a forklift tine got punched through the box, I would have had more to say; but this isn't bad.
What u going to do with ur trail rack?
blurple
New member
Hanging on to it for a few months. Since the 4Runner is primarily the wife's daily driver I want to make sure there are no, um, "unexpected and unintended consequences" of running the new roof rack. If she's pleased and wants to keep it, I'll sell off the Trail rack.
Probably won't make any decision until summer time.
itsdchz
New member
Killing me too!The wait for the rack is killing me!
In anticipation of it finally coming, I ran my wiring for the LED light bars last night. Same way I used for my FJ. Was way less stressed drilling a hole straight through the roof since I have done it before!
It will be well hidden under the roof rack forward plate and fairing, so globbing on the Marine Seal isnt a concern...
Steamtrain
New member
How hard would it be to put a canoe or kayaks on this rack?
Anyone have any pics?
Thank you in advance.
Anyone have any pics?
Thank you in advance.
I do it all the time. No problem at all.
itsdchz
New member
[MENTION=68079]drabbits[/MENTION] IS THE MAN!
I drove down to Camelback Metal Gear on Sunday to meet up with Alex and have my long awaited rack installed by the genius himself!
I am impressed. The long wait, is overshadowed completely by the amazing quality and workmanship of the rack. This is no ordinary rack. The rack is a true testament of 1 man's vision to design a complimentary rack to the sexy lines of the 5th Gen T4R. He accomplished much more than that. Looking at the rack sitting on the table, the welds, the lines, the attention to the smallest detail was impressive enough, but not as impressive as the oozing passion Alex exudes when showing off some of the design details of his rack. He is truly proud of the rack, and has every right to be! Much of what Alex produces in his shop is a labor of love, and that became very evident as I toured around, and he showed me some of his milling equipment.
He really is a 1 man shop. He designs, fabricates, tests, redesigns, and installs. You cannot comprehend what this really means until you talk to Alex, and realize the truly amazing, quality, and well-thought-out products that Alex creates in his shop.
Those of you that are skeptics, may never understand that this rack is really brought on by blood, sweat, and tears. He is a perfectionist at heart, and when he was installing the rack, that facet of his personality took center stage. I, myself, am a very OCD perfectionist when it comes to installing anything on my rig. Final install of wiring is ALWAYS loomed, even if it's hidden. Everything in it's place just right, seams even, no signs of tampering, etc. So when the thought of someone else installing my rack but me comes into play, I got nervous. Not the case with Alex! He wasn't trying to impress me with his cunning eye for alignment; his eagerness to protect the paint and body from scratches, dings or dents; his constant off the step-ladder, stand back, look, then adjust; this WAS his way, not just in front of the customer, but always.
When considering a rack, and thinking about the competitors to Alex, I was leaning towards GOBI. They have a great design, and proven track record. 8-10 week lead time for a Group Buy, or 8 weeks typically without a GB....sucks when you are eager to have the rack NOW! But, then hearing the same or MORE lead time from Alex... Was it worth the $400-$600 saving to go with Camelback? ABSO-frickin-LUTELY.
PERIOD
Call or email Alex today.. Trust me. I am a stickler on quality, and want my parts now. I have never waited 3 months for any mod that I wanted to do for my vehicles. But, boy, am I glad that I did wait for CamelBack Metal Gear's exceptional roof rack! And- You will be too!
Still not sold? Look at the picks of the rack below. I took about 180 pictures, so only a few are posted, but I set up an Album that is linked below.
Compare what you get from Camelback's rack with the others:
Mesh Floor
Option Sunroof insert
Unique styling
PERFECT FIT
2 Cross Bars
A well-overbuilt, will withstand a Zombie Apocalypse, heavy duty, low profile rack.
YES I am excited. This is the best rack EVA!
Link to Slideshow Album:
Album
A Few (ok more than a few) Pics!
Started my day off with a CHP standoff. Soon after he drew his gun on me, as he closed Highway 99, he promptly put it away once he knew I was driving to LA for a Roof Rack Install..
Really though, they controlled stopped the highway to run power lines over the freeway. Just my luck being the front of the pack
Upon Arrival:
Beautiful Design!
Alex even took off my stock rack. He asked me to do it, but with the heavy wet fog, and the rain, I was reluctant to have the possibility of leaking.
I drove down to Camelback Metal Gear on Sunday to meet up with Alex and have my long awaited rack installed by the genius himself!
I am impressed. The long wait, is overshadowed completely by the amazing quality and workmanship of the rack. This is no ordinary rack. The rack is a true testament of 1 man's vision to design a complimentary rack to the sexy lines of the 5th Gen T4R. He accomplished much more than that. Looking at the rack sitting on the table, the welds, the lines, the attention to the smallest detail was impressive enough, but not as impressive as the oozing passion Alex exudes when showing off some of the design details of his rack. He is truly proud of the rack, and has every right to be! Much of what Alex produces in his shop is a labor of love, and that became very evident as I toured around, and he showed me some of his milling equipment.
He really is a 1 man shop. He designs, fabricates, tests, redesigns, and installs. You cannot comprehend what this really means until you talk to Alex, and realize the truly amazing, quality, and well-thought-out products that Alex creates in his shop.
Those of you that are skeptics, may never understand that this rack is really brought on by blood, sweat, and tears. He is a perfectionist at heart, and when he was installing the rack, that facet of his personality took center stage. I, myself, am a very OCD perfectionist when it comes to installing anything on my rig. Final install of wiring is ALWAYS loomed, even if it's hidden. Everything in it's place just right, seams even, no signs of tampering, etc. So when the thought of someone else installing my rack but me comes into play, I got nervous. Not the case with Alex! He wasn't trying to impress me with his cunning eye for alignment; his eagerness to protect the paint and body from scratches, dings or dents; his constant off the step-ladder, stand back, look, then adjust; this WAS his way, not just in front of the customer, but always.
When considering a rack, and thinking about the competitors to Alex, I was leaning towards GOBI. They have a great design, and proven track record. 8-10 week lead time for a Group Buy, or 8 weeks typically without a GB....sucks when you are eager to have the rack NOW! But, then hearing the same or MORE lead time from Alex... Was it worth the $400-$600 saving to go with Camelback? ABSO-frickin-LUTELY.
PERIOD
Call or email Alex today.. Trust me. I am a stickler on quality, and want my parts now. I have never waited 3 months for any mod that I wanted to do for my vehicles. But, boy, am I glad that I did wait for CamelBack Metal Gear's exceptional roof rack! And- You will be too!
Still not sold? Look at the picks of the rack below. I took about 180 pictures, so only a few are posted, but I set up an Album that is linked below.
Compare what you get from Camelback's rack with the others:
Mesh Floor
Option Sunroof insert
Unique styling
PERFECT FIT
2 Cross Bars
A well-overbuilt, will withstand a Zombie Apocalypse, heavy duty, low profile rack.
YES I am excited. This is the best rack EVA!
Link to Slideshow Album:
Album
A Few (ok more than a few) Pics!
Started my day off with a CHP standoff. Soon after he drew his gun on me, as he closed Highway 99, he promptly put it away once he knew I was driving to LA for a Roof Rack Install..
Really though, they controlled stopped the highway to run power lines over the freeway. Just my luck being the front of the pack
Upon Arrival:
Beautiful Design!
Alex even took off my stock rack. He asked me to do it, but with the heavy wet fog, and the rain, I was reluctant to have the possibility of leaking.
Last edited:
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