Configuring the Second Floor:
The Roof Rack:
Creating a space to mount and store gear was an important part of our Subaru build plan. Because we don’t like sleeping in tents, we like to be comfortable, and we don’t have a travel trailer, we knew that hauling our stuff inside the vehicle was not an option. The inside of the car was designated to be our sleeping chamber with all our gear stowed elsewhere.
After doing our research, we ended up choosing and purchasing a Yakima LoadWarrior Rooftop Cargo Basket, and after taking some quick measurements, added their optional LoadWarrior extension unit to our cart. This resulted in a basket that perfectly fit the entirety of our Outback’s roof area.
As mentioned earlier, we are not supported by manufacturers and our budget is tight. Shopping around for price and support is an important consideration in any of our major purchases. That said, we ended up purchasing from Amazon. There are cheap knockoff products, and we did look at those, but there are some things you don’t skimp on. Yakima is a quality brand, well made, and the pieces were protected and well packed. Installation was straightforward and we were quite happy with the fit, function, and look.
Securing the Rack
Since the cost of the rack basket was a fair amount, at least to us, the next thing we did was to order and install a set of the Yakima SKS Locking Brackets.
Everyone knows that if some scumbag wants to steal something bad enough, the will find a way, but at least these should help as a deterrent and slow someone down.
Stowing the Spare Tire
Next up for the roof basket was designating space as a new home for our full-sized spare tire. (Refer to the article discussing our tire and rotation practices.) At some point we may add a hitch or rear bumper mounted, swing out tire carrier, but for now we decided on installing the Yakima Spare Tire Carrier.
It solves a problem of carrying around a full-sized spare tire, and as opposed to a rear mount solution, is completely out of our way.
On the negative side it does increase wind resistance, causing noise (which we are already used to), and probably decreases fuel efficiency a small percentage.
Follow along to learn about the modifications we have made, and about ones that we hope to accomplish as budget allows.