Jeep or Tacoma
Explorer
Has anybody seen a roof top tent that works with a soft via a rack maybe? Seems to me and one of the best ways to drive off road is with the top off. so just wondering.
roof top tent on a soft top
- Thread starter Jeep or Tacoma
- Start date
AZUnlimited
Adventurer
Absolutely! Most RTTs(Eezi-awn, ARB, Hannibal, AutoHome, etc..) will work with the external JK racks.
Here's a nice write-up of the BajaRack with a RTT on top to give you an idea of what it would look like. However, I have not seen this specific rack for sale yet.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/news-articles/34-press-releases/87-wrangler-jk-expedition-rack-bajarack.html
Here are the manufactures of the racks that I can think of that would work with a softtop:
Gobi
http://www.gobijeep.com/JK.htm
WildBoar
http://www.wildboarproducts.com/
Garvin
http://www.wildernessracks.com/
Kargo Master
http://www.kargomaster.com/item.asp?id=62
BajaRack
http://www.bajarack.com/
Here's a nice write-up of the BajaRack with a RTT on top to give you an idea of what it would look like. However, I have not seen this specific rack for sale yet.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/news-articles/34-press-releases/87-wrangler-jk-expedition-rack-bajarack.html
Here are the manufactures of the racks that I can think of that would work with a softtop:
Gobi
http://www.gobijeep.com/JK.htm
WildBoar
http://www.wildboarproducts.com/
Garvin
http://www.wildernessracks.com/
Kargo Master
http://www.kargomaster.com/item.asp?id=62
BajaRack
http://www.bajarack.com/
ox4mag
Explorer
All of these are excellent suggestions though I will mention that one of the added benefits of the Garvin version is that the rear mounting pillars have two attachment points: one on the rear tail panel (quarter panel above rear taillights) and another between the frame and body between the body mounts. This is important because many of the racks on the market rely solely on the quarter panels as a mounting point and that puts a lot of stress on the sheet metal to withstand heavy loads for extended periods of time. By having a mounting point between the body & frame, you have the benefit of knowing that the weight is being distributed much better and as such, can load the rack with heavy loads (including an RTT with multiple adults inside) without worrying about causing significant stress on the sheet metal.
And as Scott mentioned in his write-up on the BajaRack version for the JK, I second the comments made about BajaRack. They make top-notch products at a very reasonable cost. But for this type of setup (rack with RTT), my top choice is the Garvin Wilderness Rack.
Good luck!
And as Scott mentioned in his write-up on the BajaRack version for the JK, I second the comments made about BajaRack. They make top-notch products at a very reasonable cost. But for this type of setup (rack with RTT), my top choice is the Garvin Wilderness Rack.
Good luck!
Ford Prefect
Expedition Leader
Jeepfreak1 has a VERY VERY good point about that sheet metal.
You really want to get a rack that mounts to the bumpers or some other reinforced location. I have seen damage due to that with small light racks. What you are talking about sticking up there could weigh up words of 150lbs, and bouncing around on the roads, ooh yeah, lots of damage possible, even likely.
OH and I would check out the camping lab tents. They are really nice and have a great price. Customer service is very good as well, very loyal.
Cheers
You really want to get a rack that mounts to the bumpers or some other reinforced location. I have seen damage due to that with small light racks. What you are talking about sticking up there could weigh up words of 150lbs, and bouncing around on the roads, ooh yeah, lots of damage possible, even likely.
OH and I would check out the camping lab tents. They are really nice and have a great price. Customer service is very good as well, very loyal.
Cheers
XXXpedition
Explorer
you can also build your own (like i did) and park a tent trailer up atop 
)))))))
i used thicker tube and more support points - way sturdier!
even a bumper mount is not that good in my opinion - what if you hit a rock really hard - it'll move the rack too...
btw: i had the idea of keeping the rack back to allow convertible feel first. wild boar came second(!) with their half basket... ;-)
sven
)))))))i used thicker tube and more support points - way sturdier!
that's exactly why i built my own. no satisfying product around...
even a bumper mount is not that good in my opinion - what if you hit a rock really hard - it'll move the rack too...
btw: i had the idea of keeping the rack back to allow convertible feel first. wild boar came second(!) with their half basket... ;-)
sven
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goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
I didn't find any that I liked, so I built my own.
As already mentioned, don't bolt directly to the sheet metal -- you are going to want something sturdier. I welded mounting brackets to a set of 11ga steel corners on the back, and a pair of 11ga windshield pillars (forgot who made them -- basically the same thing as the steel corners for the back, except they cover the A pillar). Both were painted to match the jeep, and the rack itself was 1.25" 11ga HREW tube.
There are pics somewhere around here. It carried a Easi-awn for a couple years, right up until I sold the jeep (last month).
As already mentioned, don't bolt directly to the sheet metal -- you are going to want something sturdier. I welded mounting brackets to a set of 11ga steel corners on the back, and a pair of 11ga windshield pillars (forgot who made them -- basically the same thing as the steel corners for the back, except they cover the A pillar). Both were painted to match the jeep, and the rack itself was 1.25" 11ga HREW tube.
There are pics somewhere around here. It carried a Easi-awn for a couple years, right up until I sold the jeep (last month).
AZUnlimited
Adventurer
Personally, I believe Gobi makes the best JK rack, thus is what I currently own. In the rear, it mounts to the frame. Then uses rubber isolators between the bars going up top and the rear quarter panel for some extra lateral enforcement. It's stout. Maybe not as stout as the home brewed racks, but good enough for me. The powder coating is also top notch which seems to be a big issue with some manufactures. Additionally, the area above the driver/passenger seat is open to allow you to take in the sun.
XXXpedition
Explorer
for a long time i thought i was the only one with that idea... i guess not :-(
tacomadave
Adventurer
I just discovered this one last night:
http://wildernessracks.com/jeep_jk_hardtopsprack.html
I like it, the expedition rack back half, and the rail clamp front half allowing the front panels to be removed, problem is, there is no way for it to work with the hard top off.
ox4mag
Explorer
The only real problem I see with the Gobi version and even the Kargo Master is the rear mount pillars and how they are along the SIDE of the vehicle instead of the back. This can be an important issue for those who are traveling in tight places (i.e. jungle or even the Pacific Northwest) where the trail just isn't very wide.
Imagine driving down a trail and having a tree branch grab one of those pillars from the side and ripping the pillar from your roof or at the very least, bending it pretty bad. Yikes!
Imagine driving down a trail and having a tree branch grab one of those pillars from the side and ripping the pillar from your roof or at the very least, bending it pretty bad. Yikes!
outinthewoods
Adventurer
i have a gobi as well. You make a valid point, one that I considering when looking at racks. It does sit outside, but it is by far the closet to the body of all the racks I compared it to. I live in a heavily forested part of the country, and of all the trips and off-roading I've done, I've only scraped a tree once, and that was on the side, not the vertical support.
Since I have after market bumpers, I cut the frame mounts, drilled holes in the rear expedition one bumper, and mounted directly to that. I don't think you could bet that for strength and stability. I would stay far far away from sheet metal mounted racks.
It is also designed for easy removal,
the top bars allow for lowest possible mounting for an RTT with out sacrificing side rails
it is compatible with yakima products
and it looks freaking awesome.
I guess I have strong feeling on the subject:sombrero:
AZUnlimited
Adventurer
Wind noise
zigsrig,
I see from you pictures that you have the wind fairing from Gobi. How much did that help with the window noise from the rack?
zigsrig,
I see from you pictures that you have the wind fairing from Gobi. How much did that help with the window noise from the rack?
BajaRack
I recently purchased and installed the BajaRack. I was looking at the Gobi for awhile, but I felt the BajaRack looked better and was just as well constructed for less(Came in at just under 1000 after shipping from CA to SC, with the fairing). The only thing i would like to see is a ladder come out for it... They also have an EXP model with only the half basket to mount a RTT, as referenced in the earlier post.
I recently purchased and installed the BajaRack. I was looking at the Gobi for awhile, but I felt the BajaRack looked better and was just as well constructed for less(Came in at just under 1000 after shipping from CA to SC, with the fairing). The only thing i would like to see is a ladder come out for it... They also have an EXP model with only the half basket to mount a RTT, as referenced in the earlier post.
