I am considering the purchase of a roof rack to mount my roof top tent. The choices are the Baja Rack or Front Runner Slimline Rack.

My truck is lifted. Therefore, I am looking for the roof top tent to sit as low as possible on the racks. I narrowed it down to both these racks as they have expedition versions whereby the roof top tent sits right on the rear part of the rack themselves without being mounted on the side rails. Both racks appears to be great quality (which is the reason that I did not pick Voyager racks based on past feedback on the forums).

1) Do anyone has pics which you can share on the Baja or Slimline racks mounted on your Discos?

2) Any comments to share on your experiences with any of these racks, especially for a roof top tent?

Thanks in advance!

 

I cannot answer your specific questions as I do not have the slimline expedition rack from Baja Rack nor the Front Runner. I do however have the standard configuration Baja Rack on my DII. I had the version first introduced by Baja Rack for the DII and it was damaged in a dealer's shop car wash. They replaced it for me with the most current version of the DII rack. I was very pleased with the original rack and must say the newer one is an improvement. I am very pleased with the build quality, utility, and anchor points for the rain gutters. The mounting system was one of the improvements over the original version. I can't speak to these same things on the Front Runner rack. I am sure it is a quality product. But, I can share my satisfaction with the Baja Rack product. Good luck and I hope that's helpful.

 

I decided on the BajaRack after much research. The FrontRunner SlimLine rack is pretty versatile. However, it is shorter in length than the BajaRack.

The order took about 4 weeks from order to delivery. The shipping box was a little banged up. But the styroform packing inside the box held up well to protect the rack. Mounting the rack was fairly easy with the use of a forklift. Two individuals can also easily lift it up onto the Disco roof without a forklight.

I can't wait to get the RTT mounted on the rack!

 

Looks great.

Which RTT do you have? I'm kinda in the market for one.

Be great to see some pics.

 

looks great!

 

This is the on I got ($1,150 which INCLUDES the awning):

Truckandwinch.com | Tuff Stuff Rooftop Tent

My tent is the same material/design as the Cascadia Mt Shasta ($1,495 including the awning), Tepui Autana or TJM Yulara Roof.

I have done my research. All the major RTT (e.g., Cascadia, Tepui, ARB, etc) come from one or two mfgrs in China. I could have ordered directly, but I was not willing to wait for the 2 month shipping from China. Plus, by the time I factor a one-off shipping arrangement with customs duty and freight costs, it is not worth the risk of saving a few bucks.

 

Ha, I was considering this. Smittybilt Part 2783 - Overlander Roof Top Tent - 4 Wheel Parts

Which looking at those pics is exactly the same item.

$849 without awning.

 

acg, on a side note I wanted to ask you about that bike rack. Is it adjustable since the spare tire is off-center, or do you just live with it?

 

This is not a similar tent. The Smittybilt tent has a ladder which is mounted outside the awning. The entrance to the tent is also exposed to the outside. Similar competitor equivalents are the Cascadia Mt Bachelor, Tepui Kukenam or Tepui Ayer. See 1st and 2nd pic as examples.

My version has a 3 feet overhang over the front entrance of the tent. This allows a larger awning to be hung. The ladder is located inside the awning. See 3rd and 4th pics as examples. I much prefer this design. You can get climb out of the tent without getting exposed to the elements in the middle of the night or when it is raining. I place a portable potty inside in the awning on the ground level for the kids to use. Or we sometimes use a bunked cots inside the awning at ground level when I bring all my 3 sons for a camping trip (i.e., two in the RTT, two below in the bunk inside the awning at ground level).

P/S. Here are examples of bunk-cots (I prefer he first type for ease of disassembly and assembly):

.

Double Bunk | Kakadu Camping

 

First of all, I used a Thule T2 hitch mounted racks in the past. Unfortunately, this design means rack gets in the way when I am trying to open the rear door. See first pic.

I ended up going with this Thule tire mounted rack as it moves with the rear door. The rack arms for the bicycles can be adjusted in 3 different locations to offset off-centered spare tire carriers. Here is a rear view of the set-up on my truck. See second pic. The bike rack itself is adjusted and mounted more towards the rear center-line of the truck.