Tips for utilizing roof rack as storage space?

I've ordered an uptop overland roof rack that just hit the mail and will get installed this weekend. My primary reasoning for the roof rack was because I found that my camping setup pretty much fills the backseats and shortbed to capacity. I'm still leaving my small grill and folding table at home because they don't fit, and I'd like some extra room for firewood in the bed.

My plan right now is to strap my tent, chairs, and cots to the roofrack and then tie them down with some ratchet straps. They're all cylinder shaped, and I figured I'd run the straps through the cloth handles on the bags of each of them and just ratchet them down real tight.

I also have a large plastic tote I carry in the bed, but strapping that up top seems questionable as it's not very aerodynamic.

This is my first truck and I'm not sure how much force to expect from oncoming winds so I don't want to be the guy spilling camping gear all over the road.

My question is does anyone have any tips for best utilizing the roof rack as additional storage space?

 

I put large items on the roof rack and have a storage container that I put camping gear in and also put that up on the rack. Works well, doesn’t move around and is also not noisy.

 

Get a soft topper and throw your gear in the back .

 

I’m loading sleeping bags and mattresses into a large duffel bag, and strapping that plus the tent to the roof basket. Leaves me room for several tough boxes of gear in the bed, and keeps gear off the back seat so my daughter isn’t crammed.

 

I use Plano boxes that I purchased at Home Depot for about $20, They have the benefit of a hard shell and are water resistant. A duffel bag is hard to secure and has a good chance of getting you bedding wet in a rain. I also bought weather stripping for the perimeter of the Plano boxes and they are now waterproof. The weather stripping was like $2.

 

I do the same, Plano boxes from home depot.

 

I had bolted a rifle case to my roof rack, but I changed the setups to using lashing straps. More options with no bolts. I also got a couple ROAM cases that I don’t want to keep mounted unless I need the space.

 

Front Runner makes lots of accessories. Axe, shovel, fuel mounts

 

I’m able to fit pillows/bedding/clothes duffel, a (small) grill, camp stove, 7 gal water tank, camp chairs, a folding table, Yeti Roadie, toilet bucket, saw & axe, a large amount of wood, and two sets of back packing gear in my truck for camping and have the roof rack open. We’ve actually used the roof rack for paddle boards short distances before (inflatables don’t stack well).

I’m wondering what all you’re trying to fit and how it doesn’t fit? I do have a RTT and Maxtrax on a bed rack, so maybe that’s somehow saving space for me?

As far as using the roof rack for additional space, I really think you’d like the Pelican/Plano rifle cases bolted to the roof rack. Weather tight, and you could easily put your tent/chairs/cots in them if you get creative. You also havent mentioned a bed rack or capper—that could be useful too!

 

Rims?

 

In the bed I've got
- a tent (that is unfortunately like 4 inches too long so it sits diagonal)
- 2 folding chairs
- 2 sleeping cots
- 2 rolled sleeping pads
- 1 large tote filled with accessories (dinnerware, lanterns, gas, etc)
- 1 bucket
- shovel/axe/fishing poles
- as much firewood as I can fit around everything else (like 3-4 bundles?)

in the cab I've got
- cooler
- 2 sleeping bags
- 5 gal water jug
- blanket, extra clothing for 2
- air compressor, battery jump start

That pretty much fills me to max capacity. I do have a tonneau cover, so I am sacrificing some vertical space that I could otherwise have if I used a camper shell. The tent being diagonal costs me a little space but I'm pretty good at packing around it.

Soft topper idea was tempting but it seems like they need permanent rail mounts that would interfere with the lomax.

The low profile plano cases are really nice, might let me move the tote in the bed to the roof, but I wonder if getting in and out of that for camping stuff would be a pain.

 

Rims are TRD Pro replicas, I'm happy with them. They'll look even better when I get new tires, still have my stock ones on

You can find them here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2020-trd-pro-wheel-reps.604235/
@Johnny77

 

How did you mount the Yakima basket to the factory rack? Been debating on whether to get a UpTop or FrontRunner rack or just keep the factory rack and add a Yakima or Thule cargo basket. Kinda like the basket idea as we have a couple other rigs with factory racks we could use the cargo basket on also.

 

I use a Plano case for my camping gear and also place it, along with my 7 gallon water container on the roof. If you only carry one spare, you could easily fit two Plano cases on the Roof Rack. That would give you a lot more space.

 

Here's how I use mine:
- 2x Plano plastic lockable rifle cases
- 8 Gallons of gas
- 2x Traction boards

I use them to haul all of my trail equipment that is small and can be in there loose together.

 

I have a pelican case mounted on the center of my roof rack (held down by 6 carrier bolts, washers, and nuts that are drilled through the box and sealed with RTV). I also mounted 2 sets of kayak racks on each side. There's room on the rear of the rack to fit more gear behind my pelican case. I was thinking about mounting recovery boards there, but I decided to mount those on my bed rack cross bars.

My setup is very sturdy, but not aerodynamic. I didn't notice a MPG loss with my lift and tire increase, but I noticed a significant drop with the roof rack even before i mounted the pelican and kayak racks. I guess it doesn't help I have 2 flag poled on my bed rack, HI-LIFT on the side, and RTT . I'm also carrying a lot of extra weight in the bed AND throughout my truck. I'm also supercharged. I'm averaging about 14-17mpg highway, 10-14 mpg city FULLY LOADED! Craftsman tool box loaded with tools and UnderCover SwingCase loaded with random gear in the bed. The pelican case on my roof has recovery gear (shackles, tow straps (40,000+ break strength bubba rope), 550lb parachute cord, OEM jack, pry-bar, folding shovel, jumper cables, portable battery started/charger). Rear seat delete with triple subwoofer setup and pro audio setup with 3 amps, 100% sound deadening coverage on my interior cabin, plus everything else you see mounted to my truck. She's a heavy girl and will only get heavier.

Morale of the story is: EXPECT YOUR MPG TO DROP IF YOU MOUNT ANYTHING TO YOUR ROOF. If you're very worried about MPG, then I'd recommend a bed rack that will be leveled with the cabin when fully loaded. You'll only notice a very subtle drop in MPG (1-3mpg at most).

Anything I questioned whether it might fly off while I'm driving I tethered it to my rack with 550 cord just in case it un-mounted itself Luckily I've been lucky so far.

 

I bought the Yakima roof rack because my truck already came with the OEM rack, I'm cheap, found a good deal on CL, I can remove it when we're not traveling and I can throw it on our Highlander if we need to.
That being said, if we continue to go on trips I may invest in a Prinsu Rack for more confidence in sturdiness and "cool points."

All reviews point out the Yakima Mega Warrior doesn't fit our OEM bars because they're too spread apart, which is true. I mounted it "half way" and felt downward weight is still supported. I think the potential issue could be upward pressure from wind, but it wasn't an issue after our first trip.

I also made sure I straped around these hooks to secure the Plano Boxes AND Yakima Rack down. I've driven 4 hours hitting 80 MPH and it was secure.


Hope that helps with your decision?

 

What kind of tent do you have that it has to fit diagnoly? I have a Clam Shelter which is EASY to setup but takes up so much room similar to what you're saying.
My wife and I (and a 60 lbs dog) can fit without the roof boxes, but our last trip we brought a friend so I needed the roof boxes and we barely fit.

 

Gazelle 4 person pop up tent. Sounds similar to yours in that it's super easy to setup (~3 minutes) and nice and tall inside, but because of those reasons it doesn't fold down as small as other tents.

 

What plano cases are you using?