idioteque

Was hoping for some feedback from folks who have a roof rack. I hvae a 2-door and will be moving cross-country in the next year. I was looking at getting a roof rack to provide some more cargo ability. I am amazed at how expensive some of these things are, and figured I must be missing something?
So - this may be invalid, but this is where my head is at: if I see one for $550 and one for $1500 - one of them must be complete shite?

If you have feedback on either of the Gobi (stealth or ranger) racks - that would be awesome.

Thanks!

troyoffroad

I have a 2014 Rubicon 4 door with the Gobi stealth rack. I can't imagine not having it on my Jeep. Worth every penny in my mind. I looked at all of the others before pulling the trigger. Gobi is the best. Looks great and holds a lot of weight, super solid too. I use mine to carry my surf boards as well as lumber for carpentry, bikes, canopy for the beach and a roof top tent.

CajunTiger

I have a 2011 2 door with the Gobi stealth rack and freakin love it! Well worth the money and no drilling on the Jeep is involved...and that's a plus for me! Awesome design and hold a lot of weight. Wouldn't want to trade it for anything on the market. You won't regret buying the Gobi.

Saharaunlmtd

Gobi x3. It's a VERY nice rack. I've used for vacation, surfboard, bike, snowboard, a table, wagon for the kids, 6 sheets of drywall etc.

countrydude1992

The rack LOD is about to put out (or just started putting out) looks very intriguing but it's only for the 4 door :( I have a 2 door also. As a rack, it looks and functions awesome. But from everything I've read so far, Gobi seems to be the top dog. It's also one of the few options even made for the 2 door (aside from the cheap crap options)

Mark Doiron

General thoughts on using a roof rack:

1) You'll know you have stuff up there. Keep your weight as low as possible.

2) Your gas mileage will suffer. Keep low profile gear up there, as much as practical.

3) A roof rack is a poor substitute for more room, better organized in your vehicle (four door with drawers, shelves and slides) or a trailer (which comes with its own set of problems). Whatever goes up there will be more hassle to retrieve. There will be times you borrow something because you're just too tired to deal with it.

I really like having an overhead rack (MBRP), but I have lived and traveled all over the U.S. with it. I have concluded it is primarily for an emergency: A buddy breaks down and you need to haul him and his gear out of some very remote place. It goes on top. The only things I routinely put up there now are the MaxTrax (which I'm looking for a better way to mount) and my second spare tire (only carried on the really rugged trips).

Chadam

thats a nice looking jeep!

Cedo Nulli

I miss my Gobi, they are the best out there on the market and you will not regret going that route. I had a very early production model and they have made huge improvements to them making them even more stable, user friendly, modular and functional.

Mark cites some great points...the great news with the Gobi is that you can leave the rear frame mounts and lightbar on and unbolt the rest of the rack if there are extended periods that you don't need it...saves a bit on gas. I would have kept mine if I didn't decide to start a trailer project.

I'd recommend saving the money and buying it right the first time as opposed to going with a cheaper alternative your not completely satisfied with or will have to replace later.

GoBig

Love my Gobi too!

spicoli

I try to avoid roof racks. They are super useful, but they definitely pull down your MPG, and my biggest issue is height of the vehicle. A lot of city parking garages, etc are 6'10" to 7ft. When you have a lift jeep with 4-8 inches of roof rack it can make parking a situation where you have to find parking on the street. I don't go to the city tons but enough it can be frustrating to find parking.

I just pack lighter and get the stuff inside the cab. If you want something just for the move then I would suggest renting a one-way trailer from Uhaul. It will be cheaper than buying a roof rack.

When I have kids and need to pile 2 dogs, 2 kids and 2 adults all into the jeep for a camping or backpacking trip then I won't have any other choice but to get a roof rack.