Roof racks come in so many shapes and sizes but also a vast range of different types and capabilities. It really depends on your specific need. A roof rack or cross bar are structural bars that can be permanently or most of the time temporarily fixed to your vehicle’s roof. This gives you the ability to increase the storage capability of your vehicle. As Car racks disperse the weight evenly over the vehicle creating a strong structure for your storage needs.

If general purpose storage is what you’re after, then a full-length steel roof rack may just be the perfect type for you. The benefit of this design is the full cage rack design that makes it perfect for storing all types of items. An example of one that can carry just about anything you can imagine is an Adventure Kings Steel Full Cage Roofrack. The reason these types of roofracks are considered a workhorse are they feature a traditional full-cage design that gives you heaps of ability to secure most gear in heaps of different ways on your vehicle cage.

That’s because these designs feature a full-length rail that runs around all four sides of the storage cage, featuring multiple heavy-duty tie-down points. That means you can use ropes or straps in a variety of different fashions, and secure your gear against the rails of your Roof cage, safe for just about any type of on or off road adventure.

To ensure your load stays secure make sure your shop around for a car cage brand that offers strong powder coated steel and is fully welded. As a good rule of thumb, a weight capacity of 500kg will do just about all your storage requirements for your aluminum racks. Safety is important when traveling the last thing you want is something to go wrong so particularly if ordering online double check the Roof cage complies and is tested and with AS 1235-2000 (A.D.R.) Australian Standards.

Something that is getting more and more popular with 4WDers, travelers and campers are roof top tents. Rooftop tents are great they also help with storage due to all your tent and bedding needs are placed on the roof. But if you would like to store something large like a kayak then you need a roof top tent that has compatible cross bars. The reason for this is that aluminum racks allow you to place things on top your heavy-duty roof top tent just like a traditional roof rack. An example being the Kings Grand Tourer MkIII as this tough roof top tent comes with compatible Grand Tourer MkIII Crossbar Kit. This Roof rack kit allows you to maximize your roof storage ability as you are able to carry extra gear on top of the tent so you don’t sacrifice the functionality of your cross bars.

Cross racks come in various strengths a good rule of thumb to go by is 25kg load capacity per each cross bar. This will give you the ability to carry long items such as a SUP but aluminum racks are also great for mounting fixed solar panels on your tent. To ensure you do have a good weight limit ensure you find a Roof rack that is made from high quality 6063-T5 alloy. This will make sure it can handle all your needs on and off road on your next wild adventure. As the cross bars are featured on top of your vehicle, looks come as an important factor too. So, a premium finish will make your rig really pop. An anodized black surface finish for your roof rack will help with durability and will produce maximum scratch resistance for your car racks. Be sure to look for roof top tent cross bars that are easy to install. A general install length for a quality aluminum rack kit would be around 15 minutes. When shopping around you’ll find not all brands include a fitting kit which increases the overall price of the Roof racks as you will have to purchase the nuts and bolts separately. If the fitting kit is included check that it is high quality 304 stainless steel.

Another great type of vehicle rack is a platform roof rack. A platform roof rack is similar to a Full Cage Roof rack however doesn’t feature the side rails. The benefits of no side rails are loading and unloading the platform rack is much easier as you can slide the items on rather than having to lift them over the rails. Another key benefit is when not in use the flat roof rack has a low profile which is better for fuel economy as it is specifically designed to minimize wind which also reduces noise. The other benefit of the low-profile design of the cross bar rack is fitting into low spaces such as city underground carparks or your garage at home. This is particularly helpful if you have a lifted 4WD with large tyres. There multiple ways this type of roof rack can be installed by either clamping around the gutters and using the factory roofrack mounts or sometimes they come with a set of track mounts. Whatever way you choose to mount it make sure it is the strongest way for your vehicle to mount the cross bar.

When shopping around for your platform roof rack make sure it is built tough. High-quality aircraft grade 6063 aluminium is what the more premium car racks are made from. This is the perfect material for constructing cross bars as it is incredibly strong, whilst being amazingly light weight. Weight might not seem like an issue when considering aluminum racks but as once mounted it seems like a non-issue however this is not the case as weight has a large factor on fuel economy. Also, the weight of your cross bar rack has an effect on performance when 4WDing that because its ideal not to be too top heavy when off roading.

As you can see Roof racks come in so many sizes and shapes but also a vast range of different types and capabilities. It really depends on your specific need so use this guide to choose the best cross bar kit for your storage needs.