JKU rack Gobi, Garvin, Baja ?

[3jarrells]

I need to carry my canoe! Anybody have any suggestions. I like the looks of the Gobi, would make the Jeep look a little more Defenderish Though it is a bit spendy.

The Garvin is nice but I don't know about the square tube, and drilling holes in the body. Then again I worry about the Gobi, how it mounts to the frame in the back and the body in the front. Could there possibly be flex issues?

I don't plan on a RTT, we sleep on the ground with the critters. It is mostly for the canoe, awning, safari chair, rocket launcher, helipad, you know the usual stuff.

Everybody loves pics...

[Bennyhana]

I have the 4" deep Garvin rack. It was on my Jeep when I bought it and after owning it for a couple of years, if I had to do it all over again I'd go with the Gobi. Don't get me wrong, the Garvin is a nice, sturdy rack. My complaints so far: the so called powdercoat leaves alot to be desired. It was peeling and rusting in areas.(I've since repainted the entire rack. The nuts and bolts that attach the rack to the uprights have rusted. I do get a slight wobble of the rack on certain bumpy sections of the freeway but nothing horrible. THe license plate holder needs to be removed to tilt the rack back and then the bracket digs into the bumper when tilted back.(not a big deal for me because i don't have the soft top and can take my hard top off without tilting the rack.

It does make a fair bit of noise on the highway but with the hardtop it's not as bad as riding in a soft top. With the top off it's a whole different story...really loud!

[MC4X4]

Check out the Frontrunner Rack, I have had one for about 2 years and love it.
www.frontrunneroutfitters.com or www.equipt1.com
cheers MC

[The Swiss]

If you just want to carry a canoe, have you thought about just using foam pads & straps instead of a rack? I had a Kongo rack, which is a nicely made, sturdy rack that ties into the frame in the rear and A pillar in the front on my '08. I hated the rack. It's not that I hated the Kongo, I just hated the fact of having a rack on my Jeep. Lot's of wind noise, drop in mpg and added height making my JK just too tall for the Birmingham, AL airport parking. I ended up leaving it off the Jeep whenever I did not need it, which means it took up space in my garage. So my recommendation would be to make it without any permanently installed rack if possible.

[3jarrells]

No foam blocks! I used to use them when I lived in Virginia, but not out west. The wind is no joke out here.

I had considered the Kongo Rack too. I like the price but then you would have to add a basket for loose items and I don't think it would work with an awning.

I like the Frontrunner too, but it wont work with the freedom top. Which also rules out yakima racks too.

[brianjwilson]

You can buy a full Yakima setup with tracks, landing pads, crossbars and everything for the unlimited for about $312 w/ free shipping at orsracksdirect. The tracks mount on the main part of the hard top, and the freedom panels can still be removed. I'm thinking about doing this to figure out a way to mount an awning myself. This way the rack is easily removed when not in use.

http://www.orsracksdirect.com/yakima...t-8001614.html

[Rynomar]

No kidding about the wind in the west! AEV is also supposedly releasing a roof rack in the next few weeks. If they actually do release it, there is no telling how long it will take for it to become available though.

[Akecj7]

x2 on the Front Runner Runner rack. We have had it for about a year now and have had zero issues. We use it mostly for your RTT which is a 1.6m Howling Moon Stargazer. We had a BajaRack and it didn't last 6 months. I know that the Gobi are really popular, actually might have been the most popular Jeep rack at the Expo this year. I talked with the Front Runner owners and they were saying that the JK rack was redesigned and it actually ties into the roll cage in the rear and windshield brackets in the front. Not sure when those are getting to the states though.

[Rynomar]

Wow, that would be really cool if the Frontrunner is going to be getting mounted to the roll bar and windshield. I am guessing that the racks are pretty solid since you guys are mounting RTT's to them. Do they currently use a track system?

[SulVento]

Love my Gobi.

Period.

Click on picture for larger version.

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