Best bang for your buck when it comes to roof racks

[JBiowa]

hey guys
We are starting our build and we are looking for the best roof rack for our 14 JKU. We are trying to stay on a budget but also looking to fill our needs. Would love to hear some feed back on some products.
Thanks for your help

 

[grantwilson]

Frontrunner is my first go to choice for almost anything.

 

[Jeff Graham]

I used a Front Runner on a Defender 110. Great kit, can't go wrong with it. The accessories are second to none, but on the hi price point (probably due to the cost of importing from South Africa). I currently use a Rhino Rack with the AEV mounting kit. This rack also has lots of accessories, not as many as Front Runner. The biggest downside, to the Rhino, is you have to drill holes in your hardtop. For many, this is a deal breaker. Before the Rhino, I had a Gobi JK45 on the Jeep JK unlimited. It performed flawlessly on many trips to Central America. Also a great product, but a bit heavy for me, and few accessories. I'm trying to put my Jeep JK on a diet, is the only reason I migrated (upgrade would be to strong of a word) to the Rhino.

Their are many cheep products on the market, many will not hold up to the abuse on the trail. I can speak to the three racks I have used, and they are all very sturdy bits of kit. For such a critical part of you build, as a rack, buy quality. I hope this helps

 

[JBiowa]

I used a Front Runner on a Defender 110. Great kit, can't go wrong with it. The accessories are second to none, but on the hi price point (probably due to the cost of importing from South Africa). I currently use a Rhino Rack with the AEV mounting kit. This rack also has lots of accessories, not as many as Front Runner. The biggest downside, to the Rhino, is you have to drill holes in your hardtop. For many, this is a deal breaker. Before the Rhino, I had a Gobi JK45 on the Jeep JK unlimited. It performed flawlessly on many trips to Central America. Also a great product, but a bit heavy for me, and few accessories. I'm trying to put my Jeep JK on a diet, is the only reason I migrated (upgrade would be to strong of a word) to the Rhino.

Their are many cheep products on the market, many will not hold up to the abuse on the trail. I can speak to the three racks I have used, and they are all very sturdy bits of kit. For such a critical part of you build, as a rack, buy quality. I hope this helps

Thanks a lot for your input. Yeah skimping in certain areas can get you in trouble in the long run.

 

[1derer]

I was wondering about the smittybilt defender roof rack system any opinions?

 

[Mike W]

The main thing I have learned with racks and watching people buy them.... Make sure you think about what you really want to do with the rack before you buy. Some are really flexible and modular and have lots of accessories that can bolt on, Some can't be stood on or handle as much load. They don't all attach in the same ways (the Rover ones seem to all be very different, some use rails, some bolt to the roof like mine, etc).

I know lots of people who buy and then figure out what they really wanted later and its a hassle.

I can't recommend anything specific for Jeeps, but mine came from Voyager Offroad and is really beefy. (All steel, weighs a bit less than 100lb i think. I put polymax chicken coop flooring on it and have (EO)2 mounts for mounting pelican cases without ratchet straps. My data pictured here, he's like 6'4" and it barely bends. I have a glass roof, so you really have to trust that the rack will protect it!