Building Your Foundation

Building Your Foundation

This Roof Rack Buying Guide comes directly from our friends over at YAKIMA.

ROOF RACKS 101- BUILDING YOUR FOUNDATION

A multi-sport rack system is all about that base, and that base is your roof rack. But what fits your vehicle’s roof? What kind of roof do you even have? Which bars and towers do you need? In this School of Rack session, we guide you to the perfect system for your vehicle.

THE BASICS

THE FOUNDATION OF ALL GEAR-HAULING SOLUTIONS IS OUR BASE RACK SYSTEM.

If you’ve never been racked before, this is the place to start. We’ll introduce you to the many options and choices available to you. Whether you’re a pro at your sport and looking for new solutions, or taking up a new hobby and not sure what you need, we’ll help you find the right racks and mounts to get you on the road.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR SETUP

WHERE YOU CAN CARRY YOUR GEAR

CARRY GEAR UP TOP

Streamlined and efficient, our secure top-of-car rack systems let you create a personalized, versatile gear-hauling strategy for just about any–or all—activities.

 

CARRY GEAR IN THE REAR

Our rear-of-car racks are super easy to install and load up plus they offer improved aerodynamics, and a less noisy ride quality.

 

CARRY YOUR GEAR ON TRUCKS

Take everything and anything you want by racking multiple types of gear above the bed, while leaving open access to both the bed and the tailgate. 

 

BUILDING YOUR BASE RACK SYSTEM

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

We have racks to fit just about every vehicle on the road. Just answer a few questions about your vehicle and our handy fit guide will help you find the base rack hardware you need.

 

YAKIMA COMPLETE SYSTEM

GET MORE GEAR ON YOUR ROOF AND MORE PEOPLE IN YOUR CAR WITH A YAKIMA BASE RACK SYSTEM. YAKIMA RACK SYSTEMS PROVIDE THE GREATEST NUMBER OF OPTIONS FOR ALL TYPES OF GEAR. AND OUR BASE RACKS ARE RATED TO CARRY MORE WEIGHT THAN MOST FACTORY RACKS.

GEAR MOUNTS

Our bike, cargo, boat, and boxes all mount to the crossbars – and most do so easily, quickly, and without needing any special tools.

CROSSBARS

Built to carry big loads, our crossbars are available in multiple styles and 5 different sizes so you can maximize the gear hauling capacity for you and your friends.

TOWERS

It all begins here, with our towers. These attach to your vehicle, using Clips or LandingPads, and serve as the foundation of the entire system. Your roof type determines what type of tower you’ll need.

FAIRING

Fairings make for a more comfortable and quiet ride by reducing wind noise. Optional but highly recommended.

LOCKS – SAME KEY SYSTEM (SKS)

Our Same Key System features lock cores that allow you to have one key for all of your Yakima gear. Available in sets of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12; optional but highly recommended.

 

INSTALLING YOUR RACK SYSTEM

JUST A FEW SIMPLE STEPS

Find your product page for install videos and/or downloadable instructions.

Back to blog