BUDGET CHOICE
CURT safari rack for SUV
More details and price
BEST CHOICE
Front Runner Slimline II
More details and price
ALTERNATIVE CHOICE
Surco S4560 safari rack
More details and price
These are the best safari roof rack for SUV
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Front Runner Slimline II
The Front Runner Slimline II is the best answer to the question “What is the best Safari Roof Racks For Suv to buy?” and it was Built specifically for off-road use.
Made by the South african company “Front Runner”, the slimline II is an excellent roof rack with multiple features, and here are the reasons why we like this heavy duty roof rack.
This roof rack is designed to do the job, with no useless features that you will never use, it was designed with simplicity in mind,it is a secure and lightweight system made specifically for safari suvs.
This is an aluminium roof rack, which is very different than steel ones, we already published an article about the differences between aluminum and steel roof racks, in this guide, we talked about how aluminum roof racks are superior in many ways in comparison to their steel counterparts.
This aluminum allows the rack to be lightweight and strong at the same time, its low-profile silhouette and flat deck design offers a huge cargo capacity, it is 30% lighter than steel (the lower weight allows to have more cargo carrying capacity).
It can fit many types of cargo, roof top tents, roof carriers, kayaks etc…, pretty much everything under 660 lbs (or 300 Kg) can fit on this rack.
You can use the bolt on design to have more freedom on how to mount your camping gear.
With its modular design, you can fit a huge number of accessories on the Front Runner Slimline II. This is useful because it allows you to transport various things without the need of buying multiple roof racks, you can change these accessories depending on your current configuration.
There are multiple Front Runner Slimline II sizes available (check the link below).
It can fit many types of vehicles like the Toyota Tacoma, and Jeep Cherokee and many others.
Front Runner Slimline II can resist many weather conditions, its aluminum structure prevents it from corroding, a necessary addition to have while going for long range safari trips.
Mounting this roof rack on and off is an easy process due to its simple T-slot mounting system design and compatibility with many safari and overland vehicles.
The absence of any side rails can be both a positive and a negative thing, but during our trip in the Moroccan desert, we did enjoy how easy it is to remove the stored gear from the Slimline II.
More details and price
Surco S4560 45″ x 60″ Safari Rack
This roof rack will be one of the best options to choose from for anyone searching for the best safari roof racks for SUVs and overland vehicles on the market.
The surco S4560 can fit on a wide range of vehicles, including 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 models.
And just like the previous safari rack, the Surco S4560 is aluminum based, you don’t need about any corrosion issues because of the rain or the snow.
Its heavy and durable black coating provides additional protection against multiple weather elements.
Sand is a known problem for roof racks mounting systems, the protecting coat is also made to resist sand particles.
It was designed to fit multiple types of vehicles, and in most cases it doesn’t need any additional or special equipment to attach it. During our review, we were able to attach this roof rack to the basic factory rails of an SUV without interfering with its sunroof.
You can also install it on the rain gutters, which gives you multiple mounting options.
The different thing between the Surco d4560 and the Front Runner Slimline II is the existence of the side rails, these rails can provide additional support for your gear if you are going through a river or a mountainous area, but as we said before, these rails why make it harder to load and unload your luggage, some people will need to have an additional ladder to compensate for that.
We did the assembly and the installation of this safari rack on a jeep cherokee in 30 minutes.
If you have an already assembled rack you can install it in a much shorter time.
You can also purchase separate kits that allows you to adapt this roof rack to any overland vehicle out there.
Features:
- Built using a ¾ square tubes (made from aluminum).
- The basket (side rails) is 5 inches deep.
- The rack is entirely covered in a black coat finish for durability and weather resistance.
- Doesn’t require any additional drilling and it is easy to assemble.
- Can fit into many factory crossbars.
CURT 18115 Universal safari Roof Rack Cargo Carrier Rooftop Basket
The CURT universal roof rack is made for people who need a roof cargo carrier that can have a good cargo capacity, durable, and fuel efficient.
Its universal mounting brackets can be used to attach the CURT 18115 to any roof rack rails, compatible with most safari vehicles.
These brackets can be fully adjustable to let them match the different distances between roof rails.
The roof basket is composed of two parts, these parts can be assembled by anyone, and you don’t need a complicated manual to do the job.
Items are secure even if your SUV is running in a difficult environment, the walls (aka side rails) of this CURT rack are 4 inches high and can protect your cargo from falling.
The front of the roof rack is also protected from wind, these features offer two major benefits, the first one is protecting the cargo from the wind, this is extremely useful if you have a roof top tent or anything that can be destroyed because of the high wind speed.
The second benefit of having that aerodynamic cover is the fuel consumption economy, a lot of roof cargo boxes and roof tents can act like a large sail on the top of your vehicle, this will increase air resistance, especially at high speeds on paved roads, and here where you’ll notice some problems.
You engine of your can will have to work harder to compensate for the energy wasted by the bad aerodynamics and by result you will have a painful fuel bill.
The second problem is the noise emitted when the wind hits the front of your cargo, this might seem like a small issue on paper, but in real life it can ruin your trip.
Wind is also dangerous because it can throw your cargo on the cars behind you.
CURT 18115 is also an extremely durable and reliable safari roof rack, the rack basket is made using high strength steel bars, the manufactured tried to mimic the lightness and the high weight capacity of aluminum roof racks using the much cheaper steel.
The steel bars are covered with a protective layer to protect them, as you may know corrosion can ruin steel based equipment.
This protective layer is made from carbide black powder that lasts for many years even in the face of the most difficult weather conditions.
If the existing roof rack is too small for what you are planning to transport, you can have an additional extension piece and attach it to the main roof rack ( the basic roof rack length is 11 square feet and can be expanded to 17 square ft with the added piece).
CURT roof rack is believed to be the best steel safari roof rack on the market right now, it is strong and can carry a lot of items, while it stays reasonably priced.
FAQ about the best safari roof racks for SUV
Why do I need a safari roof rack?
Safari and overland trips can take multiple days, sometimes weeks. During this time you need a lot of camping gear for many situations, stoves and robes, tents, emergency equipment, shovels etc.
But the space available inside SUVs is limited, this will leave you with only one option, a heavy duty roof top carrier.
Can safari roof racks increase my gas bill?
The quick answer to this question is yes, anything added to the roof of a vehicle will increase the fuel consumption, but if the roof rack is not bulky, the consumption amount is noticeable.
What are the types of safari roof racks?
There are two types of safari roof racks for SUV, flat and basket.
Flat safari racks are more aerodynamic, easy to mount and handle, and are the best choice for people that are 5ft tall or less, because of the lack of any obstacle that can slows the loading and the unloading process.
Basket safari racks offer additional protection for your cargo, the walls (are generally 4 to 6 feet tall) prevents some cargo from falling off the vehicle and can also serve as attachment points to tie robes and attachment belts.
They can also be used to fix many additional accessories, and are generally more customizable than flat safari racks.
Conclusion
This was our list of the best Safari roof racks for SUV, some of them are expensive and others can be more affordable.
If you don’t have enough time to read all these reviews, you can simply check the links above to choose the best safari roof rack to buy for yourself.
We will keep this article updated constantly, you can share it to social media to read it later, and you can also contact us if you have any issue.
Ressources:
Front Runner Slimline II
Pros
- High quality Aluminum
- Weather resistant
- Huge cargo capacity
Cons
- Some of these rack can be expensive