Roof rack- yakima vs thule

cornholio

cornholio

Active member
searchbarred and couldnt find this so give me your opinions.
which do you like better and why? comments on performance, looks, etc. lets hear it
 
get a thule rack, it will last way longer, and will not damage your car like yakima does

 
A legit roof rack question? Nothing to do with Lotus's or McLaren's? Ha ha.

Seriously though, I think I would go with Yakima. Both are quality, but I'm pretty sure you can mount Thule atatchments to a Yakima (some kind of adapter or something). Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
It really depends on what your needs are. My simple answer is THULE, if it earned itself a THULE logo it means they really stand by the product and it should last you a long time. THULE bought out Sportrack which basically took over all of their lower end products. That being said there are some Yakima products that are very well built as well, but also some that I would not recommend.
If you are looking for a roof box definitely consider both brands, Yakima's skybox line is comparable in price to Thule's ascent line, and has some extra features (stiffer lid, metal support bars). If you have the cash to drop on a high end box, stick with Thule (Atlantis, Spirit, Boxter). Another company to consider for roof boxes is INNO, they use a much better plastic than anyone else and make nice low profile boxes which are great for skis www.rv-inno.com.
If you are looking for a base rack (crossbars) and have nothing on the roof, a Thule or Inno system is superior to Yakima. The fit you get with them is just so much better. If you have side-rails and just need crossbars, All 3 make great products for that.
Pretty much everything else is just coke vs pepsi between the two brands. Thule's fork mount bike racks are better, Yakima's upright bike racks are better, ski racks are about equal, etc....
I know I can get carried away talking about roof racks, but If you have questions about anything rack related feel free to PM me.

 
thanks +k to all so far.
more specifically comments on the base rack system w/ ski/bike carriers are most helpful to me
 
i ve had my yakima set up for like 5 years or so. ive had 0 problems with it. iv got lowrider mounts, powderhound ski racks, and 2 steelhead bike racks
 
fully rubber coated hooks vs protective stickers that fall offcustomized rubber pad vs 1 of 5 generic pads
but yeah to the guy who has that yakima setup that is a nice one
 
Ok, first off - I know nothing about roof racks. I'm heading to nz and have hired a car with racks. Is it possible to carry skis on racks without bindings?

coz im planning on taking some new unmounted skis on my flight over (because it's easier to travel that way) and have them mounted in wanaka.

also, how many pairs of skis can racks usually carry?

++k for help
 
its not recomanded to carry skis without bindings on your ski rack, and u can usually go up to six pairs if you get the wider ones
 
depending on the size of your rack you can fit anywhere from 2-6pairs of skis. i like yakima racks becasue they have round cross bars so you can mount either yakima or thule to them
 
both work well but i highly suggest that you look what brand is carried more in your area so if you need a fix or something theres a variety of places
 
Dude, +++ Karma for just blowing my mind with roof rack knowledge.

but I have a yakima rack on my WRX. I like it cause YAKIMA is fun to say.
 
haha I can get a little carried away when it comes to roof racks.
yeah I have worked at a rack shop for like 4 years. We help you get loaded!
 
I'm partial to thule. I like the idea of square bars better, gives a better, more secure fit. The racks and boxs are interchangeable between the two. Plus we sell thule exclusively at my shop.
 
It all depends what you are using your racks for but if you need a rack for heavy duty car topping Yakima is the only choice. I've used both countless times for transporting sailboats which obviously weigh way more than skis or even a loaded box, but Thules seem pretty sketch in comparison. The rectangular bars are way more flimsy than Yakima's round ones. When your driving Thules crossbars will flex which can result in not only your load bouncing, but could even fuck up the top of your car. My friends cars with thules all have scratchs and small dents on the top. If you are just carrying skis though Thules should be sufficient since you will have the short cross bars and not much weight. From my experience though Yakimas are way more quality.
 
Don't get a roof rack. Get a box. If you put your skis in a rack, they'll get eaten by the sand, salt and chemicals used to treat the roadway in the winter. Spend the extra $ to get a box. I'm a strong proponent of Yakima's ski boxes.
 
good info, but i'm not really considering a box for the following reasons:
sand/salt/chemicals not as much of an issue iin the SEif sand/salt/chemicals was an issue i'd at least have an excuse to buy new gearduring the summer i want to switch out for a bike rack- i don't have anywhere to store a giant box during these timesit would look silly on my altima
good input so far, more +k to all
 
Haha I see that makes sense.

If you didn't have a smaller car i'd say also look at hitch racks, because they can easily be swapped out for a bike rack, but in your situation, i guess i'd go with a roof rack. Thule tends to have better racks. Yakima tends to have better boxes.
 
I have a thule 6 set that I have been extremely pleased with. I would certainly reccommend it.
 
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