Yakima racks for Wildernest Campers?

[Nonprophet]

Hey all you Wildernesters out there--I need to attach my Yakima 1A towers to my WN camper. Yakima shows 2 clip sets available: one goes flat on top of the camper, the other attaches to the side.

I know the WN's have the reinforced mounting pad on the top to install a roof cage/rack, but the Yakima top-mounted clips have a bigger footprint than the built in mounting pads on the WN roof, and so they look kind of funny installed that way. If I install the clips on the roof, that means that I have to deal with nylon lock nuts on the inside of the lid (where the mattress goes) which would protrude into my mattress/camprest pad and/or be a nice knee banger....Also, by using the side-mounted clips the racks will get a good 4-6" wider spread (space between the towers on each bar) and also a wider spacing between the bar sets which would be nice......

I know that using the built in rack pads on top would be a little stronger, but the WN roof/top is already much thicker and stronger than a regular canopy in order to take the 1,000 lb load of two people plus gear up there, so I think the side-mounted option with the metal backing plates should be plenty strong--especially for lighter loads like canoes, kayaks, bikes, etc.

I've seen a few pics of here of WN with racks on them--how are you guys mounting your Yakima systems?


Thanks!!!


NP

[erod]

NP, hey there, I responded to your wildernest parts thread a couple weeks ago wondering if you had any pics of your wildernest in action. I have an old yakima rack on my wildernest and it works great...i didn't have time to read your post in detail but I'll post some pics of my rack set up soon. I didn't mount it myself however, and it is definately an older yakima rack model but if I remember correctly it is bolted through the top on 4 plates with metal reinforcement plates on the inside between the wilderenst and the washers and bolts. I don't notice the bolts at all under the matress so that may not be an issue for you...I think it is you, daveindenver and myself with wildernests on the portal (anyone else?), i would love to see some pics. Just got back from a week in Moab and I took a ton of photos that I'll get up soon. Anyway, cheers!

[paulj]

I made my own bar holders from 1 1/2" angle aluminum. For each 'foot' I cut two lengths of angle about 1 1/2" long, overlapped them to make a U, drilled a hole through the base of U, and then through the hardpoint on the Wildernest.

I probably used a 3/8" bolt to secure this bracket to the 'Nest. I probably put the nut on the outside, but I don't recall for sure.

I secured the bars to the brackets with Yakima's bar clamps - the ones used for securing accessories to the bar. The bar clamp fit snugly between the legs of the U. I don't recall whether I had to trim one of the angle pieces to get the fit just right.

I used silicone to seal the hole in the Wildernest. On the inside of Nest I used large washers.

I also mounted Yakima 'rain gutters' on the cab of my pickup, but I don't recall seriously thinking about using them on the nest. I used the cab bars for a bike rack and Yakima Basketcase, and the Wildernest bars for kayaks. The Wildernest bars also facilitated raising the lid.

paulj

[DaveInDenver]

I attached a few photos of my truck that you can kinda see the Yak mount (BTW, these are 2 different 'Nests, which is why the rear mount seems to have moved).

You have to use Yakima's Top Loaders, not the Side Loaders. While it seems like you want to mount the feet to the side of the cap, doing that will push the passenger's side towers too far over. They will hit the bottom part of the topper when you flip open your 'Nest, sort of pinched by the hinge.

As far as placement, take out your mattress and you will see what looks like four discs moulded into the fiberglass, these match with the flat spots on top. Aim for those, they are thick pieces (I've heard 3/4", but probably more like 1/2") of plywood and were put there AFAIK for a rack. If you carry shorter stuff, particularly bikes, you'll notice that those discs are too far apart for a bike tray to span. I put a set of feet right in the middle, where there are no wood discs. Just keep the plates a few inches in from the edge of the top, you want the passenger's side bars to only extend roughly even with the edge of the roof, no further over than that otherwise they'll break the glass.

About those wood disk, WilderNests sometimes came with a rack bolted to the roof through them, sort of similar to a Con-Ferr foot with heavy duty cross bars. It was sort of clunky, but worked pretty well for canoes and a big basket. Not ideal for bikes and skis, though. But don't worry too much if you line up perfectly on them, the whole fiberglass cap is plenty stout and the only reason you really need to aim for the wood is to minimize any chance of the bolts pulling out. A big plate or big washers will be more than sufficient for most anything except for maybe a canoe or surfboards.

I used stainless steel carriage bolts, the ones Yakima gives you are cadmium plated, but they weren't long enough. I put silicone caulk under the heads of the carriage bolts before I squish them into the foot. I use the foam gasket that Yakima includes between the foot and fiberglass and then plates on the inside. If Yakima does not include plates (and I can't remember if I had them or they came with the feet), then just use big fender washers. You want to trim the bolts flush with the nuts and then file them smooth, otherwise you'll tear a hole in your mattress. Some people will mount the bolts with the heads on the inside, so that there is only a smooth, round head on the inside and the bolts stick up. I'm planning on doing that someday, when I can get time to fabricate plates with square holes that match the carriage bolts. For the time being, this has worked for, oh, almost 6 years...

[paulj]

If I recall correctly the spacing between the hardpoints is something like 4 ft, which gives good support for boats, but is too far for many other attachments.

Even using the hardpoints, I offset the bar ends. The overhang on the passenger side was just an inch or two, so they did not touch when the lid was flipped over. The other size extended a bit beyond the lid edge. I think I had 48" bars.

paulj

[DaveInDenver]

If I recall correctly the spacing between the hardpoints is something like 4 ft, which gives good support for boats, but is too far for many other attachments.

Even using the hardpoints, I offset the bar ends. The overhang on the passenger side was just an inch or two, so they did not touch when the lid was flipped over. The other size extended a bit beyond the lid edge. I think I had 48" bars.

Paul, you're exactly right on all of this. I can only add this if you are carrying a canoe, you probably should use the reinforced points.

[Nonprophet]

Hi Dave/paul,

Thanks for the pointers! I had a WN back in '89 and I put a roof rack on it, but a cage type not yakima. I knew about the Yakima towers pinching on the lid if you side-mounted them, but I had forgotten all about that....you probably saved me from drilling some unwanted holes in the side of my WN lid!!! LOL.

I got the top-mounted brackets today, and I'll install them tomorrow. The top-mounted kit doesn't come with backing plates (just washers) and seeing how most of the time I'll be carrying my canoe/kayaks or lumber, I went ahead and got some 3/16'x1' flat stock galvinized steel and I'll just cut my own backing plates. I've done a fair amount of marine installations through fiberglass hulls and decks, and sufficient backing is always a good idea if you're expecting any kind of a load. I also got stainless carriage bolts, and I think I'll go ahead and mount the yakima brackets with the carriange bolt head on the inside--that way I don't have to worry about anything sharp inside the lid where I'm crawling around, putting the mattress, etc.

Hwy Erod!

Glad to year you're out there and having fun in your WN!! As soon as I get my Yakima rack mounted, I'll get some pics of my rig w/WN all set up and I'll post them here.

Thanks agin for the help!



NP

[paulj]

The backing plates are a good idea. The inside of the lid felt fragile, as though it was chopped strand fiberglass over a foam core. When ever I got on the open lid without the mattress in place, I had to keep my weight distributed. I'd hear some cracking or crinkling if I put much weight on my knees.

paulj

[DaveInDenver]

The backing plates are a good idea. The inside of the lid felt fragile, as though it was chopped strand fiberglass over a foam core. When ever I got on the open lid without the mattress in place, I had to keep my weight distributed. I'd hear some cracking or crinkling if I put much weight on my knees.

paulj

I know the sound you are hearing. Having done enough 'glass repairs on 'Nests now (I've owned 4 total, in various states of disrepair), I feel comfortable that they are plenty of sturdy. It's a pretty traditional construction, gel-release coat with about 3/4" of chipped fiberglass sprayed in. Near as I can tell, it's just the fibers on the surface cracking, not deep down. The first 'Nest I owned didn't do that, but it didn't have a mattress and the guy I bought it from didn't know there was supposed to be one. So for the few years he used it, he just crawled around in the top, unrolled his sleeping back and that was that. I think he'd knocked down all those fuzzy surface fibers (does that make sense?).