Westcott Designs vs Sherpa Roof Rack

[Xanderzuk88]

Hey folks, hope everyone is having a fantastic day. Since Gobi fulfills orders at a glacial pace, Westcott Designs and Sherpa are the two roof rack manufacturers I'm considering for my 2021 TRD Pro.

Westcott: Toyota 4Runner 5th Gen Modular Roof Rack - Westcott Designs

Sherpa: 5th Gen 4Runner Roof Rack | 2010-2020 4Runner | Sherpa Equipment Co.
– Sherpa Equipment Company

From my perspective, both are high quality and offer unique features respectively. Westcott can be turned into a basket design with their inserts Toyota 4Runner 5th Gen Roof Rack Inserts - Westcott Designs and Sherpa has a mounting system that is conscientious of water intrusion.

I would like everyones opinion as to what they would suggest between these two and why. "Sherpa all the way" or "Westcott for the win" are totally useless comments; please provide something substantive.

Thanks!

 

[NotaTRD]

Quality, reputation, aesthetics, availability of accessories, and prevention of water intrusion were all things I was looking for when I was considering a rack. Sherpa checked all the boxes for me. I also have Sherpa maxtrax and awning mounts. I don’t think I had yet heard of Westcott at the time I was doing my research.

 

[Old Tanker]

I'm happy with my Sherpa. I haven't heard anything about the Westcott, but the floor panels look useful. I would look very closely at how the Westcott is mounted to the roof.

 

[Xanderzuk88]

Quality, reputation, aesthetics, availability of accessories, and prevention of water intrusion were all things I was looking for when I was considering a rack. Sherpa checked all the boxes for me. I also have Sherpa maxtrax and awning mounts. I don’t think I had yet heard of Westcott at the time I was doing my research.

Thanks for sharing. Had you known about the Westcott during your search, would you have gone in its direction? Why or why not?

 

[NotaTRD]

Thanks for sharing. Had you known about the Westcott during your search, would you have gone in its direction? Why or why not?

It’s hard to say without seeing one of Westcott racks person first. I had the opportunity to see a Sherpa rack and mounting points, in person, on 3rd Gen which really helped in my decision.

From comparing the two now, I like that that the Sherpa sits an inch lower (2.5” measured at the center of the roof) vs 3.5” on the Westcott rack. I garage my 4Runner and I just barely fit with a Plano box on the rack for recovery gear and ~2.5” lift. I don’t always have the Plano box on the rack, but it’s nice I can make it in and out of the garage without having to take it down when I do.

The Westcott looks like a quality rack, not sure how the mounting points are though since they aren’t shrub on the website, at least that I could see. It’s probably safe to assume they mount similar to other racks with use of silicone, which I’m not a fan of, but to each their own. I much prefer Sherpa’s mounting solution to prevent water from leaking into the headliner area. Just my opinion, take it for what it’s worth.

Based on the above I would still go with Sherpa if I had to do it all over again. Hope this helps.

 

[batex]

Love my Sherpa. It’s adapted to everything I want to use it for. Lots of accessories like a max trax mounts, hi lift mount, awning mount, etc. works well for me.

 

[SendInTheCavalry]

Another vote for Sherpa. Although I haven't pulled the trigger on a rack yet.. Victory is also on my list personally.

 

[sn_85]

Sherpa, simply because Westcott put out a video on YouTube badmouthing customers by name.

Do you have a link to the video? Just curious. As with any industry and profession, it's never in good taste to badmouth another company (or person) by name. If they want to discuss the pro's and advantages of their rack that is fine but once you put names out there that's kind of one of those unspoken rules. I find that those things will somehow come back to bite you in the ass especially if you're looking for an opportunity in the future.

 

[Xanderzuk88]

Sherpa, simply because Westcott put out a video on YouTube badmouthing customers by name.

Frankly, as a business owner myself, I understand the frustration in a way that, potentially, consumers may not. Albeit overly emotional, this I will not fault them for. Consumers have little issue calling out companies by name.

 

[Xanderzuk88]

Does anyone stock the Sherpa, or is my only option to go direct and wait 6-8 weeks? I’ve decided to go with Sherpa.

 

[NotaTRD]

I don’t know if anyone that stocks Sherpa racks. You can contact Sherpa and see if their lead times have decreased. If not, 6-8 weeks is not much of a wait compared to the 6 month - 200 year wait for a Gobi rack.

 

[aaron_clt]

I think the Sherpa is superior due to their mounting system....silicone can get gunky, fail if not applied right, and needs maintenance. I love my Crestone. You can do similar things with the Sherpa adapt plates (although they dont drop lower than the side rails like the westcott plates), but they make it a pain to clean the roof so I prefer just having 1 or 2 that i take on and off when needed anyways. I got mine through battleborn offroad that sometimes has stock and had it within a week

 

[cbaty08]

I'm happy with my Sherpa. I haven't heard anything about the Westcott, but the floor panels look useful. I would look very closely at how the Westcott is mounted to the roof.

It is also a no-drill rack; uses the same points as factory.

 

[Old Tanker]

It is also a no-drill rack; uses the same points as factory.

There are many no-drill racks. The Sherpa uses a no-silicone system for the factory points. The thick rubber gaskets make it different from the SSO or Prinsu systems. It is hard to compare it with the Westcott without seeing pictures of the mounts or installation instructions.

 

[Signal]

Why didn't you consider Uptop or Prinsu. I am looking for a rack and Prinsu and Shaerpa were my top 2 and then someone mentioned uptop and now I can't decide between the 3. I am just looking for something that doesn't hum or sound like a jack hammer on the roof at 60mph or above.

 

[Big Daddy K]

To me, a lot depends on what you plan to carry up there. The cross bars on the Wescott sit down inside a bit which is great if you want to go for that basket look or carry plano cases or something. But not great if you carry a paddle board or other items that are longer than the rack or wider than the cross bars.
I haven't seen the Sherpa in person and their pics really don't show any details of it so hard to say much about it. I've been happy with my Prinsu for years.

 

[cbaty08]

There are many no-drill racks. The Sherpa uses a no-silicone system for the factory points. The thick rubber gaskets make it different from the SSO or Prinsu systems. It is hard to compare it with the Westcott without seeing pictures of the mounts or installation instructions.

Westcott has a YouTube channel showing how to install, and they used silicone; though, if that is your only worry, just pick up your own rubber seals to throw in there if the rack design is desirable.

 

[NordicSteel88]

In my Opinion, the Westcott rack and ladder are Great products. I like the Optional floors and bottle opener.

 

[icyhotahs]

I love my UpTop, and honestly the feet from Sherpa could provide just as much of a problem over time. Rubber cracks under pressure, heat and time. I'd rather just take my rack off every few years and clean and reapply. Plus UpTops wind fairing is awesome and works great.

 

[mrblah]

neither.

Go with a manufacture that offers both a rack and actual accessories to go with it, such as front runner.

"adapting" accessories from other manufactures with fasteners sourced from home depot gets old after a while.