How To Safely Load And Secure Gear On Your Roof Rack
When you camp trailer-free, storage space inside the car for hauling camping gear is limited, predominantly if family members occupy the rear passenger seat.
Without a trailer, the only way is up: use your car’s roof racks to haul some of your belongings, considering its growing market.
You have several alternatives for carrying the luggage on the roof of your car, including a roof box, tray or basket, and cargo bag. Alternatively, when packing the car for camping, you might simply fasten everything to the roof racks with ratchet straps or cam straps, either directly or encased in a robust and weatherproof bag.
While the focus of this post is on transporting gear safely on the roof of a car, many of the recommendations apply to kayaks, canoes, and snowboards.
Tying items to your vehicle’s roof racks is quite simple if you have a set of ratchet straps or cam (cam buckle) straps and follow some simple but vital safety procedures.
Let’s get started.
Benefits of Securing Gear to Roof Racks
While not as simple as putting everything in a weatherproof roof box and latching it, tying items straight to your car’s roof cross bars offers numerous advantages. You can save hundreds of dollars by eliminating the cost of a roof box or tray, you won’t add unnecessary weight to your load, and you’ll have more flexibility when transporting oddly shaped things.
The primary difficulties will be ensuring that your kit is weatherproof and not an easy target for thieves.
Roof boxes or trays, on the other hand, are expensive; they significantly increase the weight of your load; they are difficult to store at home (and costly in terms of fuel economy if they remain on the vehicle); and roof boxes, in particular, may not transport certain oddly shaped objects efficiently, leaving unused space.
Beginner campers are also confused about their long-term camping goals, such as whether they want a roof box or a tray. They may not desire to remain as is or upgrade to a camper trailer or caravan.
The longer you can put off making these purchases, the better prepared you will be when it comes time to spend your hard-earned money on an upgrade.
You will also have less outmoded camping goods cluttering your garage and depleting your money account.
How to Stack Gear to Roof Racks
What You’ll Need
Following the recommendations and precautions indicated below, using roof racks to move luggage will be pretty simple. Whether you purchase a 5th Gen 4runner roof rack or a Tacoma bed rack, you must know some prerequisites.
Everything you need is:
Cam straps or ratchet straps—one for each crossbar.
Long rectangular bags may contain gear ranging in length from 1.2 meters (4 feet) to 1.8 meters (6 feet). Some tents will already include an appropriate-sized and shaped bag. If you require a bag, heavy-duty marquee bags are suitable, especially if they are PVC-lined for waterproofing.
Durable waste bags can protect valuables from rain and dust.
A car equipped with roof rails and crossbars.
Directions
Position the timber support on top of the roof racks.
Place the bag(s) together on the crossbars and any timber supports.
Openings should be faced down for increased weather protection, and zipper sliders should be near the vehicle’s back.
Tuck any straps underneath the bag to keep them from blowing in the wind.
Balance the load equally on the bars, ensuring it is evenly distributed and weighted and does not sit too far front or too far back on the racks. Make sure that each end extends at least 20 cm beyond the crossbar. If not, tweak the crossbars to bring them closer together.
Place the straps over the tops of the bags, buckles facing you, leaving enough room to tighten. Throw the other end over the bags to the opposite side of the car.
Loop the other end around the cross bar’s underside and toss it back over the bags towards the buckle side.
Loop the end around the underside of the crossbar, then thread it through the buckle and tighten.
Wrap the excess strap around the crossbar and tie it off.
Repeat the process for each bar.
Give the cargo a thorough shake to ensure it’s secure, and once on the road, check it after the first 10 kilometers and at each stop. Tighten the straps as needed to keep the burden adequately restrained.
Safety Tips for Tying Gear to Roof Racks
1.Stay within the roof and roof rack load limits
Familiarize yourself with the load limits of the vehicles and your accessories, such as crossbars, roof boxes, and trays. Consider the weight of the roof rails, tie-down straps, gear bags, and any supporting poles or panels when calculating load.
2.Minimize roof load
Keep the weight on the car roof to a minimum by transporting lightweight and/or bulky luggage that will not fit in the rear cargo compartment. Smaller and looser goods can also be bundled up to reduce the amount of missiles within the car in the event of an abrupt stop.
Reserve the back cargo area for heavier objects, particularly small items that may be packed more readily and efficiently in that space. The lower your vehicle’s center of gravity, the more stable it is on the road and safer to drive.
3.Lowering the load limit for off-road circumstances
Some racks are not suggested or rated for 4WD conditions, so verify with the manufacturer before going off-road. If you are unsure, it is recommended to reduce your load limit by 1.5 to account for the increased downward pressure of the gear on the roof when going off-road.
For example, if your load limit is 75 kg, the load should not exceed 50 kg (75 / 1.5).
4.Use rectangular bags
Use long, rectangular bags rather than ones with a more rounded shape. They should not surpass 1.8 meters (6 feet) in length. If your current tent bag is inadequate, transfer the contents to a more appropriately shaped bag.
5.Adjust driving to account for the additional load
Transporting large goods on your car’s roof poses risks to its center of gravity, performance, handling, acceleration, and deceleration. You must pay close attention to the differences in how your car handles and drives with caution.
In the end!
Knowing how to use your car’s roof racks to haul luggage is a handy tip that may save you a lot of money in the long run compared to the cost of trailers and recreational vehicles.
You may eventually need to update, but the longer you wait, the more likely you are to know exactly what you want in the long run.
Enjoy your travels!
