Rack-It Car Racks

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is “How do I choose the best rack for my car?” The answer is usually more complicated than anybody wishes it were, but here I will try to lay out some things to consider when choosing a roof rack.

The first thing you need to know is what you want to do with the rack. What do you want to carry? Where on the vehicle do you want to carry it? Roof mounted systems and hitch mounted systems are very different and depending on what you want to carry there might be advantages to one or the other. You should also take into account how much weight is involved. For example, you aren’t going to be able to carry an 80lb E-bike on the roof of your car.

Once you know WHAT you will be carrying, it’s time to start looking at HOW you will be carrying it. Most of the time this will involve putting crossbars on the roof of your vehicle as the foundation. Then you add accessories depending on what you want to do in particular. A bike tray can be used to hold a bike, a ski rack can be used to hold skis and snowboards. But you can also put skis and snowboards into a cargo box so you should consider whether you would also like to be able to carry things like luggage, boots, helmets, or other related gear. Hitch mounted racks can generally only do one thing at a time so you can get a rack that carries bikes OR you can get a rack that carries luggage. If you want to be able to do either there are modular systems that let you reconfigure with different accessories.

After you’ve figured out exactly what you’d like to carry and how you want to secure it, then you can look at the options that fit your needs and make a choice based on price and specific features available.

As always, Rack-It is here to help guide you and offer advice!