Sherpa vs RCI vs Westcott Rack

Need help deciding on a roof rack:

Sherpa Crestone Sport - Pros - lightweight, lo pro, good reputation, lifetime warranty, $850. Cons - not a fan of the side aesthetics, 7 crossbars instead of 9.

RCI Full Rack - Pros - not as light but still lightweight, good reputation, 9 crossbars, like the look, $850. Cons - RCI more known for sliders than racks, not as well-known reputation as Sherpa or Westcott.

Westcott Designs - Pros - lightweight, good reputation, lo pro, 9 crossbars, $900. Cons - slightly more expensive, longer lead time, not sure how adaptable to cargo.

With this info, which would you choose and why?

 

I have the RCI. The rack is as solid as their sliders. I have both. I would put them up against the others as superior all day long. Solid company.

 

Westcott - American made product made in house with the highest QC possible! Jeff is an amazing business owner and stands by his products.

Low profile rack with zero noise and plenty of room for cargo. Highly recommend all their products and I can attest to it as I have several of them.

 

Do they come with a warranty? Notice any change in mileage? Wind noise?

 

From RCI's website:
Warranty Info
LIFETIME WARRANTY

We are proud to offer a lifetime warranty on the structure of each product to the original purchaser of the product. This applies to:

• Defects in material and craftsmanship, which impair the product for its intended use

The warranty does NOT apply to defects caused by or due to:

• Improper installation, alteration, abuse, neglect, accident, corrosion, off-road damage (with some exceptions), and normal wear and tear

RCI will repair or replace the product, at our discretion, and only after receiving the product for inspection. The warranty does not cover freight charges, labor cost, installation cost, incidental or consequential damages, or cost due to down time of the vehicle.

No change in gas mileage, and wind noise is actually less than the stock rack. I have a Limited with a sunroof, and if you open the inner shade, wind noise is prevalent with stock rack. With RCI, the wind deflector pushes it up and over the sunroof for significantly less noise. I am very pleased. It's quiet even with the sunroof open!

 

I like my Sherpa

 

Do you have the Crestone Sport?

 

Crestone not sure if it’s the sport.

 

Crestone has 9 crossbars, sport has 7. My understanding is sport is lighter and more low profile than the more expensive Crestone. I also think sport says “sport” on the front etching part.

 

Not the sport, then.

 

TEQ customs has the sport for $800, no tax, free ship...

 

Sherpa's mounting is the best on the market and that's the direction I went. Westcott makes an excellent rack as well.

 

Just went with the RCI. They have a really good sale today. $50 off the rack but then they have free shipping and 76% off (in honor of 1776) all other rack accessories. So I got some handles and mounting plates for a steep discount.

 

Just installed a Sherpa Crestone on my 2024 ORP. Pretty easy install and still sits low enough to get into my garage with room to spare. Now for a light bar and exit lights.

 

I'm running the Westcott with the rubber Sherpa mounts. Fwiw, if you go with the Sherpa sport, and possibly the Westcott lo, they do not have the same load limits as the full racks. Just putting that out there.

 

I have not yet bought from them but plan to in the near future. What convinced me was 1. their customer service told me their rack works with thule hullavator. As someone who kayaks and had a heavy kayak, hullavator is an absolute must. 2. even before buying their customer service has been super helpful and available. I have had a few emails exchanged with them and a real person answered the questions for me. When it comes time to buy -- hopefully soon -- RCI will be the one getting my money.

 

I reached out to RCI and asked about their lead time because I’m taking a trip at the end of the month. They wrote back and said 4-5 weeks.

I ordered from them anyway and they had it shipped 3 days later! I will be getting my rack this Friday with plenty of time to spare for my trip.

For what it’s worth, I also emailed Westcott and asked them the same thing. They wrote back and said 4-5 weeks but that they would “pull some strings” and try to get it to me sooner for my trip. At that point, I had already ordered the RCI rack but Westcott also scored top customer service points in my book for their willingness to even consider expediting my order.

So both RCI and Westcott appear to have terrific customer service!

 

Just installed a crestone today. Seems pretty solid for now.hoping the rubber weather seals actually work lol

 

How'd removing the original bolts go?

 

I was also a bit concerned at first, but two winters later using touchless car washes, I haven’t had any leaks!

 

I’ve had my Crestone since 2020 and never had any issues with the seals.

As far as warranty or customer service, A+ for Sherpa. Recently sheared off the front brackets (old design) and I stopped by mid-trip and they replaced my whole rack since it was their first iteration. I only asked to have the brackets replaced…

 

I just bought the Sherpa. Havent installed it yet. I bought the Wescott ladder and it is decent. Wasnt crazy about the install. I don't mind having to drill, that was pretty straightforward. The video they provide to do the install doesn't clearly specify how to line the top of the ladder with the bottom. I got it first try but I could see where someone might have a problem. Also, somewhere in the video he specifies that the hardware is stainless steel. I don't think it is. I have rust on one of the bolts and a tiny bit of rust on the mount where the all thread goes in to the small hole of the top mounting plate. That was after 1 rain. Interestingly, he paints the one on the video where he did the drilling to prevent rust but didn't do anything at the top where the all thread gets basically drilled in to the hatch. Lastly, I couldn't get one of the all threads installed on the top mounting bracket because of the angle. They recommend taking off the struts which I did, but you cannot lift the hatch high enough to get an angle to install the all thread if you have the OEM pro rack on the car. Not something that was mentioned in the video. All in all it is a solid ladder, could just use some minor adjustments to the install method.

 

I like my Sherpa Crestone. I have one complaint though @sherpa Rust from my bolts and its not even 2 months old.

 

+1 for Sherpa Crestone.



The guys there are great and have taken care of me at every turn. If anyone is in Colorado for Overland Expo 2024 this weekend, Sherpa will be at the expo AND having an after party at their shop in Berthoud starting at 7pm on Saturday (24th).

 

I looked at Westcott. They seem a little proprietary as far as add-on options are concerned. Or am I misinformed?

 

Not the case at all. You can bring in any aftermarket piece for them to install on your rig and they still treat you like family.

 

sherpa all the way, its the strongest out there, built in grab handles which i use ALL the time, great accessories, customer support is awesome, and most importantly its no drill.

 

This is kind of a bummer to see. It appears your powdercoat is also starting to bubbling up. How’s it looking now, has it gotten any worse? Im about to order a Sherpa or Westcott on the BF sale and trying to make up my mind which one to go with.

 

I have had my sherpa cestone on for a year now, and have no rusting issues, but I live in the PNW where we don't typically have a lot of issues with rusting. The crestone has been solid so far, is fairly quite, doesn't rattle off road even with my rooftop tent installed, but it did drop my MPG by 0.5-1 mpg. I have put a few thousands miles on the rack with a rooftop tent installed, including a 2K mile trip, to see the solar eclipse early this year, which included driving in high winds (50-60 mph).

Their customer service is fantastic, when I received the rack, it was missing two bolts, and they shipped out another hardware package overnight. What really sold me was the rubber mounting system to create a watertight seal, which is similar to the factory rack, instead of RTV sealant.

 

I have WD and can tell you it's top notch products and even better customer service! You get what you pay for and Jeff (owner) at WD takes great pride in his business.