Roof Rack Options

I just bought a 2005 Outback XT Ltd and I would like to know about roof racks. This is the first car I have really owned with a roof (my other car is a Miata), so I am totally clueless.

 

I have the stock side-rails, and the stock cross-bars.

I want to carry skis, mostly, but at some point it would be nice to be able to get a couple bike attachments. I don't know if I would ever use a carrier box, but let's say I might want to use one of those in a couple years.

 

Now here's the problem: I have no idea how these things work. I bought this car to be quiet, so I don't want any noise when I'm not carrying something on the rack, and the gas mileage is already pretty bad. Are roof racks easily removable once they are fitted? Do I need Thule or Yakima cross-bars, or will the stock wing-shaped bars work? If the stock flat bars will work for skis but not bikes or box, can I upgrade to square bars later without buying new ski racks?

At this stage both Thule and Yakima sell mounts with their equipment that will mount to stock crossbars. Unless you plan on carrying a large amount of weight (>120lbs ish) your stock crossbars are sufficient and I would stick with those.

 

http://iris.backcountry.com/userimage/view/45955/440/440

 

If you want to stay as quiet as possible Yakima makes the FatCat ski racks which are relatively aerodynamic (see above), though anything you put on the roof is going to add some degree of noise and drag. Bike carriers are the same deal, plenty of mounting options to work with any type of crossbar.

Yakima racks are pretty easy to remove when they aren't needed, this helps with the noise & gas mileage during highway / interstate speeds. I would imagine that Thule towers are just as easy to install / remove. It takes me about 5 minutes to remove my Yakima rack setup & maybe 10 minutes to install just because of lining things back up & making sure it's firmly attached to the rails.

 

I'm a big believer in using aftermarket crossbars, they are sturdier & tend to be easier to mount accessories to (bike mounts, cargo boxes, etc). I carry whitewater kayaks (sometimes 160+ lbs at once), mtn bikes, a cargo box, and a lot of other things as needed on my rack so it has been well worth the initial investment.

 

There can be some clearance issues with cargo boxes & the rear hatch, so I actually have a Thule cargo box since I can move the Yakima crossbars fwd enough to keep the hatch from hitting the back of the box (no scratches, etc this way). Here's one thread with some good cargo box info: http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/rooftop-cargo-carrier-72845p2.html?t=72845&highlight=yakima+skybox&page=2

First you must choose a team; Yakima vs Thule. Once you decide there is no going back because not only will you be branded a traitor by your peers, but also because round pegs do not fit in square holes.

 

In all seriousness though, I have yakima stuff(may be biased); for you I would suggest just getting the yakima fatcat6 and call it a day. It will hold 4 boards or 6 pairs of skis, easy to take on and off the car, and will fit on your stock crossbars now, and your yakima (or thule) crossbars later. Once you get ski and bike attachments is when it really makes sense to get the yakima/thule crossbar setup.

+1 on the Yakima. Actually I have no brand preference, I just happened to get yakima stuff first, so thats the team I stick with. Either way, you will not be sorry. Once you have tasted the goodness of aftermarket racks and carrying gear on the proper setup you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.

yakima or thule are probably the best ones that i can think of