Lets talk specifics on a few racks on my short list...

My "financial planner" green lighted my full length rack plans... It only took 4 years of vacations to OBX and 5000 miles of stuffing everything into the 4Runner!

My List
1) BajaRack mesh floor
2) Gobi Stealth no rise
3) Rhino Rack with expedition rails
4) Victory4x4 or Sherpa

Needs/Wants
I like the basket look.
Must be able to store/mount awning, traction boards (Amazon/Xbull), fuel/water cans, a few Plano Sportsman Totes (or similar).
Ladder? Are they really that useful?
Very nervous about drilling roof. I have a friend that drilled his, I am sure he would help me if I ask.
Kind of turned off of the slat type racks, Especially the ones with narrow slats.


I was just about to hit the Buy Now on a BajaRack until I read about the tight clearance on the top lip of the rear hatch and their ladder. Their ladder is what tipped the scale for me, it looks very unique the way it dog legs sort of.

Now I am rethinking everything and have "paralysis from analysis".. There are so many options and they all seem to be very well designed!

What are your thoughts? Wait times are a non issue for me.

 

I just installed my Ranger rack from Gobi over the weekend. I wanted the higher version to stack more stuff. It was well worth the wait. It was a 5-6 month lead time when I ordered. Like I said, it didnt disappoint. It looks awesome and no drilling. Everything you need comes in the package. You get a little hum when your around 70mph, but it’s nothing you won’t notice when you’re not listening for it. That wind deflector key.

 

I can’t really speak to owning any of these racks, however I did look hard at Baja rack and Sherpa. I went with an eezi-awn k9 because of the mounting options. If I were to go with any of these listed, I would say Baja. I like the mesh floor and they look awesome as well. I couldn’t wait for a gobi and I really didn’t want one that heavy.

 

If you are considering the Sherpa (which was in my top two) have you looked into Uptop Overland Bravo? The Uptop is not the basket type but I didn't think the Sherpa was either. I too frequent the 4x4 area of OBX (Carova/Swan/North Swan etc) and this will be my first with the 4R since I just got it at the end of Feb. My Uptop just came in and installed and I have a 2.5x2.5 Ironman Awning. The rack is very versatile and we'll engineered. No drilling required. Lead time given was 8-10 weeks, it shipped in 8 weeks +2 days, they were also very responsive to emails.