Question about crossbar spacing

[Moondog13]

Hey y’all! I’m debating between a couple of RTTs. The issue I am finding with 3 person tents is the minimum crossbar spacing seems to be about 3 feet on average. My factory rack only allows me a space of 2 feet between the rails. Could I make up the extra foot by using a platform such as the Yakima LocknLoad? Thanks in advance!

**the weight all adds up okay for my roof and what it can handle, it’s just the cross spacing I’m worried about.

 

[NatersXJ6]

Can you turn them sideways and mount bar to bar?

Having a minimum crossbar spacing doesn’t really seem to make sense. You could have bars as tight as you want as long as there are enough and the overhangs aren’t too long.

More details about vehicle and tent would be useful.

 

[Moondog13]

Can you turn them sideways and mount bar to bar?

Having a minimum crossbar spacing doesn’t really seem to make sense. You could have bars as tight as you want as long as there are enough and the overhangs aren’t too long.

More details about vehicle and tent would be useful.

Hi Naters! I agree, doesn’t seem to make much sense to me either. I have a 2017 Equinox, I’m using Yakima Timberline’s with HD bars. I’m looking at purchasing either the Tepui Kukenam 3 or the Bamacar Naturnest. If I end up having to go with a platform I will just go with the Kukenam to save on weight. Thank you for your time! My head is reaching burn out with this. I’ve even considered adding a third rail using a pair of Yakima Landing Pad 7s if need be. 😆

 

[NatersXJ6]

So my Kukenam was from the time before Tepui sold to Thule, but I can tell you that the mounting rails on the tent itself could be installed either orientation, with one side needing to be cut shorter than the other. So, for instance, if you want to have the tent open over the side, you would install the bars across the bottom if the tent from side to side, those bars would then run lengthwise down the vehicle and sit on your roof crossbars. I know nothing about the Equinox or its roof rack, but I assume that about 36” would be the right spacing for this configuration, the Tepui rails are about 24” on center, the tent is 56” wide, so a 36” spacing would leave about 10” overhang both front and rear. That isn’t too bad. Adding a 3rd crossbar in the middle wouldn’t hurt for load distribution. If your bars were farther apart than about 48” you would start to have issues, and need to think about the span and load. It looks like you are saying that your bars can only go to 24” apart. I suspect that would be okay, because the factory rails on the tent itself are only that far apart. You might want to experiment a bit, any vibration would be warning signs. If you have a fairing that directs wind over the tent, it would probably help a lot.


I’ve always been a huge fan of Unistrut for mounting rails and have always replaced the factory aluminum tent rails with Unistrut. Span calculation tables for Unistrut are easily found on Google.

It can be daunting to figure out if you’re buying your first setup, but don’t overthink it, people do it worse than you are every day.

 

[ElisaWiza]

So my Kukenam was from the time before Tepui sold to Thule, but I can tell you that the mounting rails on the tent itself could be installed either orientation, with one side needing to be cut shorter than the other. So, for instance, if you want to have the tent open over the side, you would install the bars across the bottom if the tent from side to side, those bars would then run lengthwise down the vehicle and sit on your roof crossbars. I know nothing about the Equinox or its roof rack, but I assume that about 36” would be the right spacing for this configuration, the Tepui rails are about 24” on center, the tent is 56” wide, so a 36” spacing would leave about 10” overhang both front and rear. That isn’t too bad. Adding a 3rd crossbar in the middle wouldn’t hurt for load distribution. If your bars were farther apart than about 48” you would start to have issues, and need to think about the span and load. It looks like you are saying that your bars can only go to 24” apart. I suspect that would be okay, because the factory rails on the tent itself are only that far apart. You might want to experiment a bit, any vibration would be warning signs. If you have a fairing that directs wind over the tent, it would probably help a lot.


I’ve always been a huge fan of Unistrut for mounting rails and have always replaced the factory aluminum tent rails with Unistrut. Span calculation tables for Unistrut are easily found on Google.

It can be daunting to figure out if you’re buying your first setup, but don’t overthink it, people do it worse than you are every day.


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