Looking for a roof rack solution

N

Naylor99

Member
OK, I'm a roof rack noob. I don't camp or go off road. I just need a little extra storage space from time to time. Like maybe once or twice a year.

I have a 2018 Limited with the factory roof rail - no cross bars. Ideally, I'd like something not permanent, low profile, functional, that would attach to my existing rack.

Is there any such thing? I've searched, but didn't come up anything current. Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks in advance!
 
Register to hide this ad
Naylor99 said:
OK, I'm a roof rack noob. I don't camp or go off road. I just need a little extra storage space from time to time. Like maybe once or twice a year.

I have a 2018 Limited with the factory roof rail - no cross bars. Ideally, I'd like something not permanent, low profile, functional, that would attach to my existing rack.

Is there any such thing? I've searched, but didn't come up anything current. Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I just added 2 Victory cross bars to my stock roof rails, i was going to add 3 but decided 2 was fine. I needed very low profile and simple versatility. Perfect option and the standard pre-drilled hole spacing was perfect for my Maxtrax. I may do a platform on it but they work great as a base to add to for now.

4Runner Roof Rack Crossbar | 5th Gen (10+) - Victory 4x4

If you go this rout keep in mind they are sold individually.
 
Last edited:
Depends on what you will need to place on the roof once or twice a year.
As stated the crossbars/rails will be a simple low profile solution. Probably find factory crossbars for good prices on here as people switch to permanent racks.
If you want something bigger you could do the basket rack that comes on the Pro. I think it is Yakima.
Or a hard/soft storage box/bag to stick stuff in. Will still need the crossbars though.
 
The LFD or Victory crossbars are stronger than the side rails themselves and are very low profile. You can mount a basket, a roof bag or even a cargo box on them. It is the simplest solution- the OEM crossbars are pretty weak and kind of flexible.
 
Ripper238 said:
I just added 2 Victory cross bars to my stock roof rails, i was going to add 3 but decided 2 was fine. I needed very low profile and simple versatility. Perfect option and the standard pre-drilled hole spacing was perfect for my Maxtrax. I may do a platform on it but they work great as a base to add to for now.

4Runner Roof Rack Crossbar | 5th Gen (10+) - Victory 4x4

If you go this rout keep in mind they are sold individually.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this! For my needs, I think I am going to buy 2-3 of these cross bars, a couple of stormproof bags from ARB, and just strap them down well. Best plan so far, I believe.
 
Naylor99 said:
OK, I'm a roof rack noob. I don't camp or go off road. I just need a little extra storage space from time to time. Like maybe once or twice a year.

I have a 2018 Limited with the factory roof rail - no cross bars. Ideally, I'd like something not permanent, low profile, functional, that would attach to my existing rack.

Is there any such thing? I've searched, but didn't come up anything current. Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

What ever you go with for storage, you will need cross bars to start. Avoid the factory cross bars, as mentioned by others; for one, they are too close to the roof and some accessories may scratch the paint on the roof.

I went with the Yakima sky box for storage; it is low profile, aerodynamic, and water resistant. Thule also makes a similar cargo box. Both are easily attached to the cross bars and easy to load and unload.
 
I also was in your se position with my limited. After a lot of research, I ended up with a yakima skybox 16 on an LFD 3/4 rack. A lot of factors influenced this decision, more than I can write here. However let me know if you have any queations.
 
I have a big, lightweight basket I bought from Cabella years ago. It was like 160 new and I got it for like 90 on a Black Friday sale.

That kind of basket is perfect for 1-2/year trips. It may need spray painting to protect from rust but that can be an issue with pricier baskets as well.

Similarly, I have had a big roof cargo box for 9 years now that I bought last minute from Autozone for 250 as I suddenly realized I needed it for a trip. Never felt the need for a pricier one. Currently "lives" on top of my lightweight trailer and keeps getting the job done.

Point is, no need to spend big money on either a basket or a cargo box. Also, cargo box wins hands down for road uses. Unless you need to carry odd shaped objects.
 
LFD wide crossbars here. The standard bars with integrated fairing (a must) would suffice. You do not have to remove anything for installation to your oem rails.
 

Attachments

  • 50A44E5C-D7A9-4D4B-892E-4D31941CD171.jpg
    50A44E5C-D7A9-4D4B-892E-4D31941CD171.jpg
    131.3 KB · Views: 484
TRD PANTHER said:
LFD wide crossbars here. The standard bars with integrated fairing (a must) would suffice. You do not have to remove anything for installation to your oem rails.
Click to expand...

Why do you think the faring is a must? I can see how it might help some with wind resistance, but the LFD one is very low profile. Looks better, for sure, but I can't imagine it would help much if I have a couple of those large stormproof bags up on the roof. I'd want taller faring if I were going with a basket, I think. But with this setup, I don't think there's much value.

I may change my mind after a road trip, though.
 
Naylor99 said:
Why do you think the faring is a must? I can see how it might help some with wind resistance, but the LFD one is very low profile. Looks better, for sure, but I can't imagine it would help much if I have a couple of those large stormproof bags up on the roof. I'd want taller faring if I were going with a basket, I think. But with this setup, I don't think there's much value.

I may change my mind after a road trip, though.
Click to expand...


It cuts down on wind noise dramatically, from what I understand. Most people who got the crossbars early on without the fairing complain about a ton of noise.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Naylor99 said:
Why do you think the faring is a must? I can see how it might help some with wind resistance, but the LFD one is very low profile. Looks better, for sure, but I can't imagine it would help much if I have a couple of those large stormproof bags up on the roof. I'd want taller faring if I were going with a basket, I think. But with this setup, I don't think there's much value.

I may change my mind after a road trip, though.
Click to expand...
It makes a noticeable difference especially when there isn’t anything on the crossbars.
 
Naylor99 said:
Why do you think the faring is a must? I can see how it might help some with wind resistance, but the LFD one is very low profile. Looks better, for sure, but I can't imagine it would help much if I have a couple of those large stormproof bags up on the roof. I'd want taller faring if I were going with a basket, I think. But with this setup, I don't think there's much value.

I may change my mind after a road trip, though.
Click to expand...

If you decide to go with crossbars and don't like them for some reason I will buy them from you.
 
any of you guys have the thule wingbar evo? I like that they sit high enough off the roof to not be concerned with access below the bar and scratching the roof

I've looked at thule and yakima, I like how they sit on the roof and provide good access above and below the bar + have accessory attachments (bike, box, etc.). In Canada I think it's pretty limited in terms of solid brands, shipping and duty make some of the more popular brands around here extremely expensive
 
If you are looking for rack bars in Canada look at Greenlane Off-road from British Columbia for the factory rack. I have their full rack that is well made
 
bcbud said:
If you are looking for rack bars in Canada look at Greenlane Off-road from British Columbia for the factory rack. I have their full rack that is well made
Click to expand...

that site looks pretty good, I wish they had more pictures of their gear on vehicles though. prices are also not bad either
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 378 (members: 5, guests: 373)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,308
Messages
3,554,059
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top