I am looking for a roof rack for my Discovery 1. I need a full size one. I have seen:

Wilderness
Brownchurch
ARB
Hannibal

available... Unavailable is Safety Devices.

AB lists a "safari" roof rack. Not sure what that is unless it's Safari gard.

Does anyone have any personal experience with the racks, advice?

I will load it with mostly lightweight bulky items like army duffles stuffed with 4 sleeping bags, sleep pads, pillows, a 6 person nylon tent, tarp, folding camp chairs and table, fishing rod tube, and various recovery tools like tree strap, rigging line, bridle, ****** strap, jumper cables etc. etc.

I have no idea where I'm going to put the camp stove and the cooler. My dog is going to have to hold it in his lap.

 

I think the "safari" rack AB lists is a Surco brand, or something similar.

I have a genuine Land Rover rack (works for DI and DII) not sure the part number off the top of my head. It's not my favorite of all the available racks, but it's heavy duty enough for $250, couldn't pass it up.

IMG_4117-1-1.jpg?t=1306195170

 

does anyone sell the factory rack? or is it unavailable?

 

A dealer might have access to them, but I would guess it might be unavailable. I've seen Safety Devices and RoverRacks racks pop up on Craigslist now and again, you'd have to be patient and probably put up with some rust.

I almost forgot, Columbia Overland | Overland Preparation has the Baja Rack which is a pretty good looking rack IMO. Less expensive than most other full racks, comparably speaking....

 

I bought a Hannibal. The new distributor for them is not far from me and he has them in stock so I did not need to pay for shipping or wait for a sea container from Africa. They are pricier than others but they are powder-coated aluminum with stainless steel hardware instead of the steel tube racks that cost less. They have nice features and there is a full compliment of accessories for them (jerry can holders, awnings, roof-top tents, etc. etc.)

 

The rack has slots to accept hex-head bolts, and comes with eyes you can insert in the tracks to use as tie-downs. The bolts are stainless and the eyes are galvanized.

 

The front sunroof is fully operable. The rear sunroof will pop but won't slide back -- a compromise to keep the rack lower and closer to the roof. Also, the whole rack deck is even so it works well with roof-top tents. Two-tiered rack floors can keep low and allow both sunroofs to operate but are problematic with rooftop tents or long loads.