Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => Gear Talk => Topic started by: Ichabod Spoonbill on December 16, 2019, 04:32:56 AM
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Hey guys, my 12 year-old CRV just got hit with $4K worth of repair/maintenance and it's not worth fixing. Much as I'd love to get an electric surf vehicle, that just isn't in the budget right now, I'm looking at something used to haul me back and forth to work and carry my stuff.
I might have to get something with a bare roof and put on an aftermarket, clamp-on rack. I see Thule and Rhino seem to be the biggest roof rack brands. I know Thule is good and has been around forever, but they cost about $100 more than the Rhino. Are the Rhino's any worse than Thule? Does anyone have experience with Rhino or any other types of racks?
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Check Yakima also, they make great racks for all kind of vehicles and roofs.
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I used both. Rhino is solid and I got a set off Amazon at even a greater discount (more than $100) by buying a "Used like New" directly from Amazon Warehouse deals with the same "Amazon Prime" perks.
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I've had Thule's for the better part of 40 years and they have been great (including a whole new roof rack system just 6 mos ago). But, recently a good buddy of mine just outfitted his vehicle with a comparable Rhino system and I have to say I'm totally impressed with the quality/value.
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I am a big fan of Inno roof racks, they make great stuff.
https://www.innoracks.com (https://www.innoracks.com)
I had a Yakima rack fall off on the freeway (with a sup). After that I started comparing the hanger of different brands (Thule, Yakima, and Inno). The Inno hanger, (name?, basically the part that holds onto the frame of the car), had noticeably much more surface area to hold onto the car. I was impressed. Inno racks often have tooless installation, which shows the engineering that goes into the thought process of their designs. They are priced competively, often much cheaper than the brands commonly found in local shops.
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I had an old 2003 Thule Roof Rack system with 58" square steel support bars on my 2001 extended cab Chevy Silverado. It came with rubber roof pads and the rubber roof pads finally rotted away from sun damage so I had to replace my roof racks for this truck.
Since the original Thule Roof Rack model for my truck was no longer manufactured, in September of 2019, I replaced it with another Thule Roof Rack System only this time, I chose 60" square steel support bars. All of my parts came from Rack Outfitters in Austin, Texas and they were shipped directly to my home.
And below is what I now use on my 2001 Chevy Silverado.
https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule-480r-rapid-traverse-foot-set-of-4/
https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule-kit1522-traverse-fit-kit-1522/
https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule-squarebar-60-inch-load-bars-set-of-2/
https://www.rackoutfitters.com/thule-450400-one-key-system-lock-cylinders-set-of-4-with-2-keys/
And putting all these part together and installing it on my truck cab took me 60 minutes of time.
Rack Outfitters is a good compalny to do business with. All of my friends who have old pickup truck models from the years between 2000-2007, got their roof rack parts from Rack Outfitters. The link below is to their website.
https://www.rackoutfitters.com/
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Thule and Rhino will both do the job. I have been using the same Yakima rack -topper set up for my last two trucks for over 8 years and can’t complain. I can take the entire rack off the truck in about 10 seconds(unlocked) and it just works.
The used market is typically pretty good for racks and worth a look. Many Racks on the used market barely get used and people will offload them cheap when getting another vehicle that may not be compatible or whatever.
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Thank you for the feedback! I've been looking at the three brands and I think I like the Rhino Rack the best. They sell an aerodynamic rack that can support 165 lbs, which is more boards than I plan to carry!