What Should You Look for In A Roof Rack?
If you enjoy unplugging from the monotony of your everyday life with friends or family, you understand how special road trips and camping activities can be. Driving on the open road while enjoying quality time with your companions can be exciting and memorable. But sometimes your plan for the trip could need more than the space you have in your car. You can either travel in discomfort in a cramped space or forget about a few activities.
At some point during planning, we all come across this dilemma. And the best solution hereon is to invest in a sturdy roof rack. Roof racks are an efficient choice to achieve increased storage space. It also makes transporting heavy equipment like bicycles and kayaks elegant and easy. If you decide adding a roof rack to your vehicle, here are some points to keep in mind while choosing and installing them.
1. Inspect the Current Setup
While most vehicle models today have provisions for attaching roof racks easily, some designs may not be compatible. For example, you can easily attach a land rover defender roof rack in Land Rover Defender. So, the basic aspect to look for in your vehicle is whether the mounting to attach the rack is available.
Next, some cars have crossbars attached to the roof, but without side rails, it tends to lower the overall weight capacity of the roof. The standard models have side rails that run from front to back. It enables easy attachment of crossbars and improved provision to secure luggage. Typically the presence of both side rails and cross bars offers the best support and increased weight capacity. So inspect your roof to understand the current setup.
2. Assess The Need For Modularity
Many travelers have inhibitions about installing roof racks, as once installed, they may have to carry it along even during regular travel in the city, which could be a hindrance.
But modular roof racks offer the best options here, as they are easy to install and remove. They also come with different stages of construction, such as the platform and expedition rails. You can assemble all the parts together, if necessary, or remove any element when required to make the travel easy.
Many designs also offer the liberty to remove the complete setup in just a few minutes, right at home. So you can put them up before a trip and disassemble them after reaching home.
3. Make a Note Of Accessories You Will Carry
The type of accessories you intend to use determines the best roof rack for your applications. The various types of accessories include cargo boxes, roof baskets, roof tents, kayak carriers, and bike carriers. Each of them has a specific purpose that determines the size and load capacity. Also, the total number of accessories you will carry simultaneously depends on the size of the vehicle and crossbar width. So make a list of all the accessories you will typically carry.
Remember, the rack needs to be large enough to accommodate all the items. More accessories or longer trips mean you need bigger space in the rack. You can use this fact to identify multipurpose racks known for their versatility and ability to provide enhanced storage space. But these designs can be slightly pricey. An economical option would include roof baskets, but these might not help with kayaks or bikes. Cargo boxes are yet another perfect choice for outdoor adventure lovers.
4. Consider the Profile
Roof racks are a burden on fuel and noise of the vehicle. It is a compromise that most people are willing to consider for the increased comfort of storage. But choosing the correct rack design determines whether this compromise is worth it.
If your accessories can easily fit in a low-profile rack, such as a basket rack, installing a heavy gear rack might be overkill. It will not only be an unnecessarily heavy investment but also cost you additionally in the form of low mileage and high drag. So match your storage needs with the roof rack size and design for optimal benefits.
5. Determine The Weight Capacity Of The Roof
The rooftop rests on the roof of your vehicle. Therefore determining the total weight capacity of the roof is vital to ensure you safely install and use these racks. Adding more weight than its holding capacity can cause damage to the roof. So inspect the vehicle manual to know the maximum weight the top can hold.
Make sure to choose roof racks well within the safe loading limit for effective installation and use. Remember to calculate the total weight of essential accessories to load on the roof rack as well while making this calculation to not exceed the overall weight capacity.
6. Choose Strength and Durability
One of the most common mistakes while choosing roof racks is going for fragile materials of low weight to get more storage weight. But it could mean you are increasing the risk of rack failures that may be disastrous on the trip.
The strength of the roof rack is crucial to hold your accessories safely. Therefore, choose sturdy materials like steel that offer the best support. As trails get tougher, these durable roof racks can become a worthy companion. Also, buy only from trusted vendors who can provide you with warranty and support. If you buy from vendors who might not be available for customer service, you will have a difficult time later.
Conclusion
Vehicle roof racks are the perfect storage shed for all your outdoor needs. It helps reduce clutter inside the vehicle and provides an elegant solution to transport all your items safely. Remember to choose and install proper roof racks for your models using these points to get the best value from this exceptional accessory.
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