Is a roof rack necessary for a rooftop tent?

[MStudt]

keep me posted on rack idea

I should have pricing together in a couple days.

Somebody is clever. Those are nice. How do you get this stuff looking so professionally cut/bent/built?

I started messing around with Fusion360 around Christmas, and really took a liking to designing things. I also spent a very large amount of time learning this program while I was working from home for 7 weeks. In addition, I'm fortunate to have access to people and equipment in the manufacturing world through my current job, and contacts the contacts I've made along the way.

Mike

 

[jkeith.w]

You don't need an entire rack, but you will most likely need some cross bars that are stronger than OEM. You need some feet like the ones I have below, and they bolt to the factory channels in the roof. Then you can connect some 1x2 extruded aluminum to the feet to act as cross bars. Much like what I have in the second picture, but without the side rails.

Love that - clean, better weight distribution (both the choice of rails and dual feet per rail) Nicely done!

 

[ptsailing]

I built my own roof rack cross bars. I could not legitimize $1k sitting on my roof so I went to the local Hazard Fraught and bought a $100 welder then went to the Homeless Despot and purchased some flat bar stock and some square tubing (maybe $60). It was a fun project learning to weld and making a roof rack for my Roof Top tent to sit on. The end product is much stronger than any commercial rack I have seen. A grinder and paint make me the welder I aint.

The wife gave me a hard time about buying a welder, but now that I have one I use it all the time for home reno and repair projects and fixing up little bits and bobs on the 4runenr etc!

 

[MStudt]

Love that - clean, better weight distribution (both the choice of rails and dual feet per rail) Nicely done!

Thank you Keith!

Mike

 

[MStudt]

I've been working on pricing for a complete roof rail kit, and have just about everything I need, but do have a couple questions for people that would be interested.

1. Would you be interested in have the mounting feet, and end caps powder coated (matte black) or left raw?
2. Would you want a kit to have 2 or 3 rails? Or, I can make a kit that consists of 2 rails with the option to add additional rails to it.

Mike

 

[3bears]

I guess mine would be a little different as i have extended roof rails that go mostly past the sunroof so a system designed for standard roof rails would not work of me if the new feet and system are fixed in place.

like post #64 of this thread Inexpensive Full Length Roof Rack (Curt Rack)