Rhino-Rack vs. Alluminum Full-Length

[Elite130]

Ok... I need some help... I cannot decide for the life of me which rack to go with. I'm debating between a Rhino Rack Backbone with Pioneer Platform or an aluminum full-length rack. I have been leaning towards the Rhino Rack for months, but recently I've been looking at the full-length aluminum racks (either the Sherpa Crestone or UpTop Alpha/Bravo). All are great racks.

I know these are different racks design wise and both would fit my needs equally as well... my question for you all is, if you debated between the two styles of racks, what swayed your decision? I'm not worried about accessories as both racks have plenty of aftermarket support and I can always fab up mounts and such. I just can't decide which style to go with.

 

[SnowYeti]

Okay I have both a Rhino and a Victory

I started with the Rhino full length backbone. I really like the design, for aft adjustments, etc.
Two cons.
1. Wind noise stock. I ended up design an aluminum fairing for it. Huge improvement both in noise and mpg.
2. No front support foot. Again I designed my own with bumpers and a water jet cut aluminum. Sits in the gutter. That problem solved. It vibrated up and down..a lot.

But the tent I bought does not work well with it, didn’t even try. (iKamper X-cover)

So I am selling it. The rack that is.

Then after research I decided on the Victory. It will work for the most with what I put up there and my tent. I had to make some mods to it, like extending the fairing for better aerodynamics over the tent etc. light mods, slots to make my awning mounts work.

Nothing’s perfect or can be with all of the want and needs out there.

 

[blksubykid]

I actually placed an order for Sherpa's Crestone during their stimulus sale. For me it was three things: orientation of the crossbars, modularity (is that a word?), and of course appearance! I like that I have the ability to add, adjust, or even remove crossbars depending on what I'm carry for any given trip. I think all the aluminum racks have their pros and cons with one another, but Sherpa ticked all the right boxes for me. Prior to pulling the trigger on a rack, I spent months digging around this forum. There is a ton of information on here...

 

[SnowYeti]

Forgot to add, if you get the Rhino there are left to right channels on the button that act as t-slots for attaching the rack to the side rails. This is the primary cause of wind noise. Before to mount it add some Gorilla tape to cover the channels but leave a small opening on each end for attachment. This really helps.