Betarocker
Adventurer
On to roof racks......
I knew from the beginning that we wanted a roof rack included in the build, they are great for hanging out on and enjoying the birds eye view. On our Unimog build my father and I built our own rack and we thought about doing the same for the van....but in the interest of time I decided to purchase a rack instead. I originally settled on the RoamBuilt rack as I love the look of their rack on the van and the round lights on the front vs a LED light bar. I spoke with Roambuilt several times at overland events over the summer and they were very friendly. I finally decided it was time to pull the trigger and get one on order....well, that was the plan anyways. I went to RoamBuilt's website to contact them about some questions on light mounting and lead time, they list no phone number so your forced to contact them through email. I sent off an email and got a reply that the lead time was 8 weeks and I responded that I'd like to get one on order. I asked for a phone number but they wouldn't provide one which was frustrating as I had several questions about mounting Baja Designs lights to their rack which is different than the units they usually use, solar mounting options etc and a quick call would cover a lot of ground. Their reply to emails is sporadic at best, at times it would take numerous days to get a reply back via email and even if I sent a reply back within minutes of receiving an email it would take days again to get the next reply. I did a quick google search and customer service and accurate lead times seemed like something they don't have a great reputation for. Soon 2 weeks had already passed while I was still trying to get my questions asked....time to start looking at other options as summer is approaching. (Side note if you want to go with RoamBuilt I would suggest going through one of their dealers that you can actually call instead of trying to deal with RoamBuilt directly).
As I was looking for other rack options I came across a company called Stoked Adventure Outfitters in Canada that make some great looking racks as well. They make several different style aluminum racks and they are within driving distance for me, bonus! I contacted Stoked via email and got an instant reply back, questions were answered in almost real time! Stoked also provides a phone number and was more than willing to answer any questions that I had. They will customize the rack to fit what ever lighting you choose to go with and provide solar panel mounting for the panels of your choice. I liked that Stoked uses thicker 3/16" aluminum punch plate on the deck which makes it rock solid, we will have chairs up there etc so stability is important. Stoked said the lead time is 5 weeks and that time frame is accurate. I pulled the trigger and the rack was on order! Stoked kept me updated and even sent me pics during the build process...nice!
Fast forward to the Covid-19 outbreak and Stoked was working hard to finish the rack ahead of schedule before the shop providing their powder coating shut down. They finished the rack early and send me a message that it was ready to be picked up. Originally we were going to make a family weekend trip up to Canada to pick up the rack but with the Covid lock down in place we decided that shipping might be the better option. Stoked did an awesome job crating the rack and arranging shipping to WA, 3 days later the rack was delivered and in hand!
The rack in the crate as it arrived...Nice job on the crating!
Great attention to detail to ensure the powder coating remained undamaged.
Lot's of bracing under the punch plate, will make for a nice solid deck.
And out of the crate. No shipping damage....Sweet!
The solar panel will mount into the provided aluminum bracing on on the upper portion of the front rack and cover the open section where the punch plate stops. (Red Arrows)
These are the aluminum backing plates that slide into the factory roof rails and tie the mounting feet down to the roof rails.
Got busy and didn't snap pics of the install...but it looks great! Can't wait to get the lights and solar panel installed, it will fill out the front portion of the rack nicely. The rack will sport 6 Baja Designs LP-9 lights facing forward and 6 flood lights (2 on each side and 2 on the rear). The rack will also sport a 10' Fiamma awning on the passenger side and a single Renogy Mono Solar Panel.
The upper deck. The deck is very solid and will make a great platform to hang out on, just be careful as its a LONG ways down from the top!
Very happy with the Stoked rack, quality is great and their customer service is top notch! If your in the market for a Sprinter or Transit rack I'd highly recommend Stoked Adventure Outfitters.
Hodakaguy
I just found out a good friend of mine owns Roambuilt. He recently moved back to the Vancouver, BC area and is running the business remotely until travel restrictions ease. His wife's new job prompted the move.
