Go Big or Go Home? How much rack do you really need?

Lets pause here so everyone can get over their dirty thoughts.

Ok,  the XJ came with a roof rack. It was a small one. I never did like the way it looked so I took it off. Too small and too short to be useful.

Fast forward, I've needed one several times so I decided to replace it with a larger rack. It will certainly be useful, and function over form says it's perfect. However, now I can't decided if the new one is so big it looks ridiculous. 

The old rack.

The new rack.

Or should I just go back to no rack.

Love the full size safari rack look. I have something similar on my 4Runner. Hard to see it from the driver's side due to the awning

Here's the other side:

I like big racks and I cannot lie 

I need a rack for my disco. Now that I have a sailboat that lives on a trailer with a 22 foot long mast, I need to carry the mast (and other boats) on the roof to keep them safe. I just do not like the looks of the "expedition ready" racks

They both look ok.  I had a larger one on an old xj, but it was a PIA to get things on and off.  I switched to a slide in cargo carrier for the rear reciever.   Made my life much easier.   Years ago, my Dad made a flat topper out  an old bed frame.  He put some eye bolts in tit to tie things down.

In reply to EastCoastMojo :

I like the the look of the rack, but that awning is great.  I'm a rack man myself, truth be told.

I like he big rack. Always wanted one for my XJ, but never became a high enough priority to build or buy one.

How's much wind noise does yours make, Toyman?

Bigger!

In reply to Furious_E :

Wind noise isn't horrible, but it is noticeable. 

Wind noise on mine is not bad. It has round tubes and a built in fairing which I think helps. I notice more wind noise from the window visors than I do from the rack, but I love the functionality of window visors too much to live without them. 

In reply to Toyman01 :

Nice rack!

The second one, that is. First one is too small, second one looks perfect.

Do you really need a rack.    That is the question.

Bigger rack. 

Plus a grill guard on the front, Hella off road lights, and a spare mounted on the rear. 

Roof racks are like womens purses.  All they are is a sign you have too much stuff to carry.

I had a decent sized ebay one on the WJ. Not sure I ever actually used it for anything but it did look pretty dang overlandy up there lol

You're asking a subjective question about a subjective topic, and expect hard answers? Kind of like asking, "I got a trailer to haul some stuff, is this too large?" Not enough information, and because how you feel about its looks is important, makes it even more impossible to answer. I guess if people keep throwing up pictures of random solutions, you'll eventually see something you like. Carry on, but definitely not the fasted or most efficient way to get answers.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of carrying stuff on the roof (or adding weight at the top of a vehicle in general).  So unless I have a specific need for a rack, then it's no rack for me.  Heck, I even stripped the (surprisingly heavy) factory rack off the ZJ. 

SVreX said:

Bigger rack. 

Plus a grill guard on the front, Hella off road lights, and a spare mounted on the rear. 

Don’t forget the snorkel 

Wally said:

SVreX said:

Bigger rack. 

Plus a grill guard on the front, Hella off road lights, and a spare mounted on the rear. 

Don’t forget the snorkel 

The spare will be going on the back. The factory location is in the cargo area and it eats up a lot of the available room. 

I'm in the bigger camp.  You should build one and utilize the drip rails though.  Those rails will support a lot of weight.  I ended up using my XJ occasionally as a platform for around the house jobs.  A rack that will support you is nice.  Otoh, they are loud and zap your gas mileage 

Oh, and tie up that ebrake cable before you snag it on something.  Heavy duty zip tie does wonders.

You need to have a rack for the largest load you might carry. Just be ok with not using it that often to its full capacity. 

When you Get her  Done, Every year they Have Jeep Fest In the Next town up the street(jasper Ga. Sheriff's dept. puts it on) at least 5000 damn Jeeps of every Look, Color, Size, and Ability come here for about a week. It is Way Awesome if your into that sort of thing.

Not Quite Talladega Infield but I've seen My share of 44 d's up here,

That is a tire size right?

ebonyandivory said:

You need to have a rack for the largest load you might carry. Just be ok with not using it that often to its full capacity. 

 

Agree with this.  Mine is big enough for the spare(which won't fit in the factory location) and my box of recovery gear.

I have the larger style on my xj.  Comes in handy for hauling camping gear etc.

GTXVette said:

Not Quite Talladega Infield but I've seen My share of 44 d's up here,

That is a tire size right?

I thought you were talking about a Dana...