Thule Rack + FlipPac

kevek01

New member
Anyone out there using Thule or Yakima for their FlipPac? Wondering if you've run into my problem or have any better solutions than I've come up with.

I installed Thule's artificial rain gutters into the FlipPac lid, along the side, 9 inches from each end according to FRP's recommendations. I tried to to use the 387 High Foot Pack, but the lever on the back of the foot digs into the rubber gasket of the rain gutter. Most roof tops are canted or domed so normally the rain gutter would lean away from the lever of this Thule foot (you'd have to be familiar with the 387 to know what I'm talking about) But the sides of the FlipPac lid are straight up and down, so the sweep of the Thule foot is making installation impossible.

I tried the Thule 953 - Super High Gutter Foot Pack, and that works because it's got such a high and therefor more gradual cant to the design + there is no lever in the back. But damn, it's tall. Looks like a lot of wind would get under there. Long story short has anyone run into this problem and/or what rack system are people using to install on the sides of the Flip Pac lid?photo.JPG
 

kevek01

New member
Update
I've now tried the Thule 300 387 and 953 feet with the artificial rain gutter. The only one that will work with the FlipPac design is the 953. If I had know I was going to have to use such a high foot I would have mounted the rain gutters beneath the lid on the side wall. So there you go. Hope someone benefits from my mistake.
 

ETAV8R

Founder of D.E.R.P.
First off welcome to ExPo
Second, nice truck and flippac, looks familiar
Third and most important to your post is that even though FRP may have recommended a certain device/design to date most people have found it counterproductive to do a roof mount. Therefore you are the pathfinder as far as this technique is concerned.
 

kevek01

New member
Thanks bro. Checked out your rig and I got to say, I like your style. Felt like I was staring at a twin brother I didn't know I had. I even use similar yellow top bins. They're great!

Yep the rack on the FlipPac...many questions asked about it and not much reported. I had to do it though. I'm on the east coast and take trips up and down for surf. Got a big trip planned all the way down from Maine to FL and going to have a bed full of stuff, not to mention a dog and another person. Had to be able to do something with the longboard. I already sold my kayak because I just had no way of moving it with me since I got the FlipPac on my truck. The rack is strictly just to hold surfboards, though I'm not sure I can even reach up that high now. Ha! The Flip Pac is tall enough and extra tall feet on the rack don't help.

The Thule rain gutters are on there so I'm committed to that at this point, but I'm thinking I might be able to find a rack/bars with straight up and down feet to attach to the rain gutter. I just need something that can also be a quick release, as has been documented by others, the FlipPac doesn't do so well on the Flip when it's got extra weight.

Any ideas out there on an alternative rack?
 

Mrknowitall

Adventurer
My inclination would be to go with Yakima control towers. I have them on the cap of my Tundra, and have had only good things to report. Mount the landing pad close to the edge of the lid. If you install them right, it takes about 30s to get them on and off. The whole thing is only about 5" tall. The strength of the lid would be the weak point, but for something as light as surf boards, it should work great.
http://www.yakima.com/shop/baserack/control-tower
 

forty2

Adventurer
Just another thought, what about Yakima Wide Body mounts attached just below the lid on the sides of the flippac. Should space the towers out enough to clear the top although it may take the taller raingutter towers to do it. Removes the option of even cheating the lid open a little bit with the towers installed, but Yakima raingutter towers come off plenty quick.
 

WASURF63

Adventurer
Any ideas out there on an alternative rack?[/QUOTE]


Welcome to Expo!
Sorry, I tuned in a bit late to your post.
Since you've already drilled into your FP and mounted artificial rain gutters, I guess you are already committed? (Not the greatest rec by FRP in my opinion!)
FWIW I use dual soft racks on the very odd occasssion I need to carry a longboard or two; usually belonging to friends. (All my boards fit inside.)

The soft racks have an L-shaped clip at each end, buckle-adjusted nylon webbing, and foam padded tubing that spans the width of the roof. I'm sure you've seen a few types?
Open the FP slightly and place the plastic-coated L-shaped ends between the gasket/seam of the FP top, cinch down the nylon straps, and close/secure the FP lid.
Once this is done, all you have to do is remove your strapped down boards before "flipping". The soft racks are very low profile/lightweight, can be left in place when flipping the top, and are easily removed if you're worried about theft. I would attach pics but my camera is o/s.
Good luck.
 
Last edited:

kevek01

New member
update

Just now seeing these responses (my email junk filter works too well for it's own good) Wanted to give you guys and anyone else out there an update.

I had already mounted the Thule artificial rain gutters in place so am hemmed into using a conventional rack system for rain gutters. Unfortunatly Thule and Yakima didn't offer the best foot pack solution for the Flip Pac. In fact if you are thinking of installing raingutters on your FlipPac, forget using Thule all together. As Forty2 mentioned on this post, look into the Yakima Wide Body Rain Gutter mounts. If you are going to use a Yakima system you'll need to go out a little from the body in order to go up. I haven't tried this, but I looked at the system with the experts over at ORS Racks Direct (I live near Vermont and just drove over) and it seemed like it would work.

They were cool enough to try every Yakima and Thule foot they had in order to try to find the lowest profile foot pack that could accomodate the FlipPac Lid and my already mounted rain gutter system. Unfortunatly there weren't any good solutions from Thule and Yakima (except to re-drill holes for the wide mount yakima gutters).

And then for sh_ts and giggles we tried the Japanese Brand, Inno, which is kind of like Thule, but without the little cam system in the back. AND it worked! It fits on the artificial rain gutter but the feet are a slightly different shape and without that cam lever, they fit right into the rain gutter system without jamming against the side of the FlipPac. So there you go. These work http://www.innoracks.com/product/base/ Look at the 6" IN-AD. Not sure if they have artificial rain gutters or not.

If I had to do all over again, I probably would have gone with the soft racks WASURF63 suggested. Didn't know about those...Sounds perfect
 

homemade

Adventurer
Any ideas out there on an alternative rack?


Welcome to Expo!
Sorry, I tuned in a bit late to your post.
Since you've already drilled into your FP and mounted artificial rain gutters, I guess you are already committed? (Not the greatest rec by FRP in my opinion!)
FWIW I use dual soft racks on the very odd occasssion I need to carry a longboard or two; usually belonging to friends. (All my boards fit inside.)

The soft racks have an L-shaped clip at each end, buckle-adjusted nylon webbing, and foam padded tubing that spans the width of the roof. I'm sure you've seen a few types?
Open the FP slightly and place the plastic-coated L-shaped ends between the gasket/seam of the FP top, cinch down the nylon straps, and close/secure the FP lid.
Once this is done, all you have to do is remove your strapped down boards before "flipping". The soft racks are very low profile/lightweight, can be left in place when flipping the top, and are easily removed if you're worried about theft. I would attach pics but my camera is o/s.
Good luck.[/QUOTE]

An old post, I know. I'm looking for a way to carry my Hobie Outback kayak on the Flippac. Soft racks sound like a good solution but I can't find any with gutter hooks, only those with cinch straps that are supposed to go all the way around (inside) the roof. Anyone know of a source for gutter mount soft kayak racks? I also thought of attaching tie down loops on the edge of the roof that might be more secure than gutter clips.


I also have one of these type truck bed extenders that I plan on using vertically to support the kayak in the back of the truck, I've used it before to help carry a canoe on my homemade camper roof.

http://www.amazon.com/Extend-A-Truc...1419102776&sr=8-2&keywords=truck+bed+extender
 
Last edited:

homemade

Adventurer
Adding weight to the lid may cause early torsion bar failure. I do not recommend racks of any kind atop a FP.

The soft racks don't add any permanent weight, I've never used one but I think they just allow some weight distribution/cushion and tie down points.

The ones I have seen (like this http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Summit-So...id=1419108209&sr=8-1&keywords=soft+kayak+rack ) loop thru the cabin of a vehicle but that won't work with a flippac, wasurf apparently has some that have clips that would hook under the edges of the flippac roof - I haven't been able to find a set like that though.
 

dman93

Adventurer
Speaking from engineering theory, not actual experience - but added weight on the lid just makes it harder to flip. The stress in the torsion bar, that can, and based on anecdotal evidence eventually will, cause failure, is due to the 180 degree "twist" from closed to open. That's independent of the weight.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
One of the ways to increase or decrease the amount of required spring in a torsion bar is to adjust the bars thickness. A heavier lid requires a thicker stronger torsion bar. Add weight to the lid and factor in the multiplier for the distance of that weight from the pivot point and you have a problem.
 

dman93

Adventurer
One of the ways to increase or decrease the amount of required spring in a torsion bar is to adjust the bars thickness. A heavier lid requires a thicker stronger torsion bar. Add weight to the lid and factor in the multiplier for the distance of that weight from the pivot point and you have a problem.
True, but adding weight to the existing design won't affect torsion bar reliability. Those of us who have taken the torsion bar thickness (diameter) to zero, by removing it, now have a very reliable unit. However even without a rack we now have a very heavy lid :>)
 

homemade

Adventurer
I will give the soft kayak rack a try. Wall anchors like these (below) should be a lot more stable than gutter clips anyway and lateral forces on the lid will be minimized. The racks will be removed when the kayak or canoe is removed and before the lid is opened so the torsion bar won't be an issue. I would like to mount the wall anchors high up on the walls but I'm not sure what is right behind the fiberglass in the thick upper rim so I'll probably mount them just below that portion and use a backer plate and bolt thru the thinner part of the sidewall.


http://www.amazon.com/California-Su..._sbs_lg_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1JP1ZP1V8N9KE6NH6J35
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,534
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top