Honu
lost on the mainland
Ok we sold our FJC that had a Gobi rack on it and just picked up a 4Runner trail and this time around wanted to keep mileage and simplicity up so decided to try a sky box so picked up the 18 yakima
we loved it for the most part the sleight curve in the FJ model for long Ikea furniture was not ideal but being able to walk on it to load for camping was nice and the stability was insane so hanging hammocks on never felt worried about anything pulling out
the center bars kinda got in the way sometimes ?
so I am very familiar with nice stable what I call expedition racks
what I would carry on our FJ
4 XL size TNF duffels our tent some jerry cans campfire in a can and a few other small things thrown into a bag
we used two of these big black bags with zippers I got at REI sale for cheap think they hold something like 12 or so cu/ft of gear ? anyway kinda hate the strapping and stuff so wanted to try a sky box figure throw my gear in close the lid
our duffels we never have stuffed full and can fit 4 across in a pinch but 3 fits better on the gobi
the black bags are nice to keep the stuff clean and dry
so fast forward to the skybox one trip ! and its going back
why ?
well the size is there if you carry foam or water to conform to all the shapes and latches and hinges inside
otherwise we could only fit 2 of our duffels and some stuff along side them TONS of space that nothing could fit because of those latches and things were a pain to push around and make fit the floor flip levers etc...
i did love the idea of throwing stuff up closing the lid but reality was move it around as to not interfere with latches or get to close to the nose slant or not on the flip levers that hold it down etc.
yes I can see having one for some things but for me YIKES was horrible and just flat out did not work
knowing what we carried on the gobi I do want a flat rack so most likely the eezi awn style will be in our future
I do say if you are curious try one out it just might work ?
I kinda feel they are good for skis and or odd objects that you can fit and throw in and leave lots of space inside but it you truly want to carry some things like 4 Xl TNF duffels and a couple other things you will hate it and get aggravated and realize its more work than just some straps
but can say been there tried that and now I know they are not for me and cant wait to get a nice aluminum flat rack up there
I dont want a heavy steel wind noise generator on the roof this time so no gobi but they are awesome racks as long as you are OK with the added noise
yakima box
upside:
great mileage and no noise
easy to throw things up in there as long as they are quite a bit smaller than what it should hold
cons:
all the latches and wasted space inside
closing the lid if anything is in the way of latches or the odd size etc...
expedition rack
upside:
you can put anything you want up there
cons:
wind noise on the ones I have had
we loved it for the most part the sleight curve in the FJ model for long Ikea furniture was not ideal but being able to walk on it to load for camping was nice and the stability was insane so hanging hammocks on never felt worried about anything pulling out
the center bars kinda got in the way sometimes ?
so I am very familiar with nice stable what I call expedition racks
what I would carry on our FJ
4 XL size TNF duffels our tent some jerry cans campfire in a can and a few other small things thrown into a bag
we used two of these big black bags with zippers I got at REI sale for cheap think they hold something like 12 or so cu/ft of gear ? anyway kinda hate the strapping and stuff so wanted to try a sky box figure throw my gear in close the lid
our duffels we never have stuffed full and can fit 4 across in a pinch but 3 fits better on the gobi
the black bags are nice to keep the stuff clean and dry
so fast forward to the skybox one trip ! and its going back
why ?
well the size is there if you carry foam or water to conform to all the shapes and latches and hinges inside
otherwise we could only fit 2 of our duffels and some stuff along side them TONS of space that nothing could fit because of those latches and things were a pain to push around and make fit the floor flip levers etc...
i did love the idea of throwing stuff up closing the lid but reality was move it around as to not interfere with latches or get to close to the nose slant or not on the flip levers that hold it down etc.
yes I can see having one for some things but for me YIKES was horrible and just flat out did not work
knowing what we carried on the gobi I do want a flat rack so most likely the eezi awn style will be in our future
I do say if you are curious try one out it just might work ?
I kinda feel they are good for skis and or odd objects that you can fit and throw in and leave lots of space inside but it you truly want to carry some things like 4 Xl TNF duffels and a couple other things you will hate it and get aggravated and realize its more work than just some straps
but can say been there tried that and now I know they are not for me and cant wait to get a nice aluminum flat rack up there
I dont want a heavy steel wind noise generator on the roof this time so no gobi but they are awesome racks as long as you are OK with the added noise
yakima box
upside:
great mileage and no noise
easy to throw things up in there as long as they are quite a bit smaller than what it should hold
cons:
all the latches and wasted space inside
closing the lid if anything is in the way of latches or the odd size etc...
expedition rack
upside:
you can put anything you want up there
cons:
wind noise on the ones I have had
